7. Thunderbird

One of the newest operators to come to siege, Thunderbird is Doc reincarnated. Entering the scene with her three Kóna Stations, Thunderbird is a simple yet effective addition to the defence, able to create strongholds with her healing stations.

 The Kóna Station has an unlimited amount of heals, and when placed on the floor will automatically heal or overheal any nearby players (yes, unfortunately this also includes attackers) by 30HP. Although it does take a little while to recharge (38 seconds), given there are three of them this isn’t a significant issue. The stations can also revive any downed player in its radius.

The Pros:

• Can heal your entire team passively while you roam the map or do other things
• Extended use of a game, with a cooldown rather than a limit on heals
• Excellent choice of weaponry and extra utility

We recommend using Thunderbird’s Spear .308 and secondary Bearing 9, both easy to control, high-damage weapons. The inclusion of the Bearing 9 in her loadout does allow for the use of her SPAS-15 shotgun as an alternate primary, as your secondary serves as your long-range weapon and the shotgun can be used for rotation holes and destruction.

As for utility, Thunderbird is an interesting case. Her options of impact grenades or a nitro cell would usually be considered the best combo you could ask for, and are certainly still useful. Given her ability and therefore her role as a healer and somewhat anchor, it seems a deployable shield would fit better with her playstyle – so perhaps link with another operator who can fulfil this. Nevertheless, we recommend the nitro cell for its combination of destruction and killing potential.

6. Jäger

“You can stop worrying about grenades now!”. And that’s about it. This German operator’s famous catchphrase basically sums up what makes him a must-pick for defence. Jäger’s ADS devices are each capable of neutralising two projectiles each. These protect you from any form of grenades, airjabs, Zofia’s stuns, Candelas, EMPs and others.

As if he wasn’t already appealing enough, Jäger also has one of the best primary weapons available to the defenders: the 416-C Carbine. Easy to use and a vital defence against the hundreds of grenades, gadgets and projectiles the attackers will be lobbing into the site, Jäger is one of the best defensive operators out there. 

The Pros:

• Jäger’s ADS protects any room from attack, letting you not worry about grenades
• A great assault rifle as a main weapon, and arguably one of the best defender weapons available
• A two-speed operator, making him viable for both roaming and anchoring

Jäger’s best choice of primary weapon is, as should be clear, his carbine, though he does also have access to the M870 shotgun. Neither of his utility options are exceptional, but both can be used to either slow down the attack with barbed wire, or gather intel with his bullet proof camera.

5. Smoke

The silent killer, Smoke can end both lives and a plant with the click of a button from halfway across the map. His remotely activated gas canisters are throwable and stick to any surface, allowing for a range of placement.

While Smoke’s gas can be used to finish off weakened enemies or do damage to attackers trying to push, they are at their most effective at the end of a round, being used as site denial. With 20 seconds left on the clock and toxic gas covering your only entrance into the site, you're basically screwed as an attacker.

The Pros:

• Versatile and effective gas that can block rooms or kill attackers
• Solid, reliable weaponry with a range of options for different playstyles

For Smoke’s loadout we recommend using the FMG-9 and his SMG-11. For those with excellent recoil control, using the SMG-11 as a primary weapon is a viable option, allowing Smoke’s M590A1 shotgun to be used both for close-quarters and environment destruction.

Smoke’s utility isn’t his strong suit, with the options of barbed wire or a deployable shield. While both can be used to slow down and trap attackers, leaving them vulnerable to your gas grenades, we recommend using barbed wire. Placed in corridors or doorways it is a more maintained distraction, with the added benefit of not blocking lines of sight, allowing stuck attackers to be shot with ease.

4. Valkyrie

Cameras, cameras, cameras. Rainbow Six is a game all about intel, and there’s no better way to gather it than a live feed to every room on the map. This is what Valkyrie provides. Though her weapons – the MPX and the SPAS-12 shotgun – are a little underpowered, the information she can provide is a game-changer.

Carrying three throwable “black eye” cameras, Valkyrie can provide visual coverage to anywhere on the map, including outside the building. Once placed, these cameras are available to the whole team, making them a true universal asset.

The Pros:

• The best intel-gathering utility in the game
• Reasonable weapons – not amazing but will hold up in a gunfight
• Amazing extra utility with her options of a nitro cell or impact grenades

In terms of loadout, we recommend the MPX as her primary weapon, as without it, Valkyrie is essentially ineffective at mid to long ranges. Though both utility options are solid picks, the nitro cell will allow you to more consistently capitalise on intel gained through her cameras, killing attackers who can’t even see you.

3. Rook

The OG anchor since the beginning of siege, Rook remains an elite defensive operator for both Ranked and Casual matches. Arguably the easiest character to use, Rook players need only place down their armour satchel at the beginning of the match, and that’s their job done.

Rook’s armour not only adds extra health, making anyone wearing it tankier against bullets, but also ensures that an operator will always go into a DBNO (Down But Not Out) state before dying, unless they’ve been headshotted.

The Pros:

• Simple and easy to use gadget – even absolute beginners can’t use it incorrectly
• One of the best guns on defence – the MP5 with 2x scope
• A Tank: already a three-armour operator, Rook with his ceramic plates is difficult to kill through body shots alone

A classic since the beginning of the game, Rook’s best choice remains the MP5 with a 2x scope (originally the ACOG scope), allowing him to hold tight angles and defensive lines of sight with a relatively low-recoil, high damage weapon. Rook’s best utility options will depend on your playstyle.

If you like to roam a little more, switching from the objective to nearby rooms, his Impact grenades will come in handy for rotation holes. If you prefer to hunker down in one spot for the match, the newly introduced proximity alarms will give you much-needed intel on which angle to watch.

2. Mute

As the name suggests, Mute is the silent backbone of the defence, quietly securing the objective and disrupting the enemy’s intel. As Rainbow Six continues to add more technology and electronic options into the game, Mute only increases in importance as a counter.

Mute’s signal disruptors have an important and versatile application, being able to stop drones, prevent hard-breaching devices and neutralise a plethora of attacker abilities such as Dokkaebi’s calls or Lion’s drone.

The Pros:

• Reliable weaponry with MP5K and SMG-11
• Gadget can stop hard breachers such as Thatcher or Hibana
• Signal disruptors also stop other attacker abilities and drones

For Mute’s loadout we recommend using the MP5K and his SMG-11. For those with excellent recoil control, using the SMG-11 as a primary weapon is a viable option, allowing Mute’s M590A1 shotgun to be used both for close-quarters and environment destruction.

For utility, Mute has a choice between a bulletproof camera and a Nitro Cell. Generally, Nitro Cells are the best option for the defence, however if you have good placement, the camera can also be a good choice for providing your team with extra intel.

1. Bandit

Bandit, the electrifying German drug addict, has been a staple of every Rainbow Six defence since its release in 2015. With four batteries that can electrify walls and stop the majority of the attacking hard breachers, Bandit is a key operator for slowing or in some cases completely halting the enemy attack.

With a solid primary weapon of the MP7 and extra utility with his C4, Bandit is the complete defensive package, even able to provide some anti-intel utility by electrifying shields and barbed wire during the prep phase.

The Pros:

• High damage, high rate of fire SMG with the MP7
• Vital utility with his batteries, electrifying walls that can stop hard breaching
•  Extra utility with his C4
• Three speed and easy to use

Bandit provides an extremely versatile playstyle, his speed allowing him to simply place all his gadgets in the prep face and play as a roamer, or play as an anchor with the use of his bandit-trick.

Though he does have access to a shotgun, his MP7 is a far superior choice, and we recommend using his Nitro Cell instead of barbed wire, as it provides more utility and can be a reliable source of kills. 

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