Rainbow Six Siege (RB6 Siege) is a formidable contender for the next big presence in Esports. RB6 Siege has given its fans heart pounding action and uncontested tactical gameplay that continues to keep their fan base in their gaming chairs with consistent content coming every season. For those who are not pervious to the RB6 Siege scene, the game is fairly simple. There are 2 teams with 5 operators each and if you are playing in ranked or casual you might find yourself playing a couple of different game types. The first one is Bomb, which is the only type played in Pro League matches. There are 2 bomb sites that teams take turns trying to defend the bomb sites or attack the sites in order to defuse them. Then there is Secure Area. In this game mode there is a biohazard container in one room of the map. Teams must again take turns in defending and trying to secure the container, if you are attacking. Finally, there is Hostage, where you guessed it, teams take turns trying to rescue the hostage from the defending team. In all of these modes a team can win by killing every operator on the other team. RB6 Siege is one of my favorite titles to play and I am ecstatic that it is gaining so much popularity in the Esports community. For these rankings we included some generic stats, weapon loadout critics, and the Pro League Season 7 Week 2 pick rate, it is just a fun stat to show what the pros are picking currently. But, before you start reinforcing every wall you possibly can here are the best operators ranked to help you choose wisely.

One last thing, keep in mind there are frequent updates so some stats might change as the game continues to add and evolve.

Rainbow 6 Siege Best Attackers

1. Hibana

Hibana

Speed

Armor

Gadget: X-KAIROS

Week 2 Season 7 Pick Rate: 72.9%

Hibana tops a lot of operator rankings and is number 1 on ours as well, however, there are great reasons to why she is so popular among RB6 Siege players. First and foremost Hibana has 3/3 Speed and 1/3 Armor, meaning she can move pretty fast when it is time to push the opposing team. However her gadget, the X-KAIROS, is what truly makes her our number one pick. The X-KAIROS fires 6 explosive gels that are arranged in a 2x6 rectangle (you can shoot up to 3 rectangles, or charges). Once you shoot the gels you can activate them which takes a couple of seconds until detonation. The X-KAIROS can be used on reinforced walls and hatches, as well as soft walls and doors.

The most important feature about Hibana’s gadget is that you can shoot out individual gels before you detonate them. Unlike Thermite, Hibana can create everything from a full entry point to a small “murder hole” to stay mostly covered and catch defenders off guard. This is important when it comes to using the X-KAIROS on reinforced walls as it will put defenders on the horns of a dilemma and make them either move their position or stay in place and risk getting eliminated. Also unlike Thermite, Hibana does not have to encroach on the reinforced structure to use her gadget, she can shoot it from a distance and stay behind cover. The X-KAIROS can still be countered by a Mute or Bandit, but this is RB6 Siege, everyone has a counter.

Hibana also has a very generous loadout with her Type-89 assault rifle handing out decent damage, however, you can always opt for a more up close and personal take with her Supernova shotgun. The Supernova has gone through some changes since her release, however, it still is one of the best shotgun options for attackers with its reduced recoil. Need to switch to a sidearm? Complete your weapon load out with the Bearing 9 SMG giving just below assault rifle damage, but at an 1100 rounds per minute clip. Finally, Hibana can take to the field with either stun grenades or a claymore to cover your flank.

2. Thatcher

Thatcher

Speed

Armor

Gadget: EMP Grenades

Week 2 Season 7 Pick Rate: 24.3%

Thatcher is number 2 on our list and if he was a little more versatile, in his play, I think he would be a great number 1. However, that does not take away from the S.A.S. operator’s very important job. See, if you do not want to be countered by a Mute or Bandit then you need a Thatcher and make sure he is a good one that knows his role. Thatcher really has one job and that is to throw his EMP grenade at whatever reinforcement you want to take down. Now, if you play as a Thatcher make sure you survive long enough to effectively use your EMPs to ensure that your breacher (Hibana or Thermite) can open up reinforced barricades. If you die within the first 30 seconds….you had one job…..prepare to get a lot of audible sighs from your teammates. Without Thatcher’s EMPs your team will not be able to open reinforced walls (unless you physically shoot them, but that requires you to be on the other side of the wall), so there is no doubt that Thatcher is a very important operator to have on the attack.

Thatcher’s loadout comes with some fairly good options. You can choose between 3 weapons for his primary slot. The AR33 assault rifle, has slightly less punch then other operators’ assault rifles, but it has a predictable recoil when you put it with a vertical grip. His second assault rifle is the L85A2 and gives you the upper end damage of assault rifles, but with a slower rate of fire and more of a left drift in the recoil. If you are looking for options in a sidearm you will not find them here. Thatcher only has one sidearm option and it’s the P226 MK 25 pistol. Now don’t be fooled it is a solid pistol with more damage than most assault rifles and a good fire rate, but at only 15 rounds per clip you will have to be pretty conservative when it comes to close quarters.

3. Jackal

Jackal

Speed

Armor

Gadget: EYENOX MODEL III x3

Week 2 Season 7 Pick Rate: <15%

This one might surprise a few siege players, but this comes down to the operator’s gadget and weapon loadout. Since I mentioned it, Jackals gadget is the EYENOX MODEL III x3 and allows him to see enemy footprints and scan them to track the operator that they belong to. The tracking will ping the enemy location once right away and then every 5 seconds for 20 total seconds. With that said the 2/3 Speed and armor stats definitely make him a viable choice for those who like to take a couple of hits and hunt down roamers. That is exactly what Jackals job entails, hunting down roamers to protect your teams flank. It is a good thing that Jackal has a moderate amount of armor since most of the time he should be away from the initial push. Hunting, and more importantly killing roamers, is almost just as important as countering a Mute or Bandit (hence the number 3 slot, not number 2). However, some “Jack-holes” will push with the rest of the team and track opponents that are clearly on the objective….don’t be a “Jack-hole”, find and eliminate the roamer(s).

The Spanish operator will give a few different options in terms of loadouts. For primaries the C7E assault rifle gives a great mesh of moderate to high damage output and rounds coming out at a pretty quick 800 rounds per minute rate of fire. Throw on a vertical grip and you have a great primary option with a narrow drift and a pretty much straight up and down vertical recoil. SMGs more your fix? Well Jackal’s got the cure, the PDW9. It is a SMG that was modified into an assault rifle platform that offers full-automatic fire capabilities and a 50 round drum magazine. You will obviously sacrifice a drop in damage output, but trust me it is meaner than it looks. Jackal also offers you a shotgun primary option, the ITA12L. This pump action shotgun gives high damage with an 8 round clip, but a pretty typical high vertical recoil. For the last stand sidearm choice you have a couple options. The USP40 pistol has moderate damage and a conservative 12 round magazine, or what makes Jackal also the number 3 pick is the ITA12S shotgun. Yes you can roll with 2 shotguns and invade roamers’ nightmares, but what makes this sidearm great is that not only can you have an assault rifle and a shotgun in your loadout, but this shotgun is one of the highest damage output shotguns among attackers. The ITA12S is a great option for Jackal players to shotgun soft walls to kill lurking roamers or make another avenue to avoid a strong defense, oh yeah and it’s your sidearm! All these options makes Jackal a great option for attack and why he is number 3 on our list.

4. Buck

Buck

Speed

Armor

Gadget: SK 4 – 12

Week 2 Season 7 Pick Rate: 23.4%

Buck is not a flashy operator, maybe it’s the thick parka coat, but he is a bruiser. Bruisers are great when you need to open up a new entry point, or toss frag grenades, or just simply shotgun an opponent in the face. The Canadian is a force to be reckoned with, with his SK 4 – 12, under-barrel shotgun that can put a lot of hurt on the opposing team. Buck is number 4 on our list because while his gadget might not be a game changer so to speak, in the right hands he can be deadly and oh so satisfying. The best thing about Bucks shotgun is that its under-barrel, so the switch to the gadget is very quick, faster than drawing a sidearm. With 5 rounds the SK 4 -12 might not have the most shells in its clip, but it is also a quick gadget that is easy to use and does not take up a loadout spot to equip an actual shotgun.

We have talked a lot about what is under the barrel, now let’s talk about what it’s actually attached to. Buck only has two primary loadout spots because….he already has a shotgun. Your choice will depend on what play style you like. If you prefer your standard assault rifle (shotgun included) then the C8-SFW is for you. It comes with a moderate damage output, maybe slightly less than most, but negligible, and has a respectable 837 rounds per minute rate of fire. There is a down fall to Bucks weapons, since you already have the under-barrel shotgun, you cannot have a vertical grip attachment. Resulting in a higher recoil with Buck’s primaries. His CAMRS Marksman Rifle is a great option to win long range gun fights, especially those who can hit the head shots no problem (not me). This weapon comes with a high damage output, one or two headshots will drop an opponent easily. For a sidearm the MK1 9mm is a standard pistol with a middle of the pack damage output and a 13 round clip. To complete Buck’s loadout you can either go with stun or frag grenades, I prefer to frag, it gets the job done faster. Word of caution if you want to go with Buck, change his uniform. Buck’s default uniform is white, do yourself a favor and spend some in-game currency on some new duds to not standout like a snowman in the desert.

5. IQ

IQ

Speed

Armor

Gadget: RED MK III Spectre

Week 2 Season 7 Pick Rate: 21.5%

Closing out our top 5 attackers is IQ. Now it is worth noting that she is pretty difficult to play. Her gadget is the RED MK III Spectre. This little wrist strapped screen allows IQ to see enemy emplaced devices (and surveillance cameras) through walls. With the new operators (which we will get to in another article) IQ’s gadget is even more important. Whether it’s finding and destroying a Kapkan device before it blows you to pieces or finding that Lesion mine that no one else can see, IQ has a unique ability to just keep her team alive. If you have a team that can communicate then IQ is even more effective.

IQ’s primary loadout gives you three options, all come with some pretty good fire power. The first primary is the AUG A2 assault rifle. It has a moderate damage output and slightly lower rate of fire compared to other rifles at 720 rounds per minute. Also, there is no grip attachment with this weapon so check your sensitivities on this one. The second assault rifle is, my preferred one, the 552 Commando assault rifle. The rate of fire is even lower than the AUG at 690 round per minute, however, it has a higher damage output and you can equip attachments with this rifle (either vertical or angle grip). IQ’s third option is a light machine gun, the G8A1. IQ’s light machine gun is not the best in the game, in fact hers might not even be in consideration. It has a low damage output which is expected of rapid fire light machine guns, and it is the measly 50 round clip that makes it a bone of contention, which is part of the reason she is at number 5.

Rainbow 6 Siege Best Defenders

1. Jager

Jäger

Speed

Armor

Gadget: ADS – MKIV “Magpie”

Week 2 Season 7 Pick Rate: 49.5%

Jäger is a hunter, or at least that’s what his name means in Dutch. Jäger has one of the best defensive gadgets, hence why he is number 1 on our list. He is also relatively easy to play, just place his gadget and that’s it, no timing or sync required. I should probably explain what his gadget does that is so great. The Active Defense System (ADS), detects incoming “throw-able” munitions, like frag or stun grenades and will even knock out a few of Fuze’s cluster grenades before they kill over half your team and make you rage quit. Jäger can lay down 3 ADS’s and you can put them on walls or on the floor next to windows to intercept those pesky grenades. The biggest counter to Jäger is Twitch, who’s shock drone can destroy friendly equipment, and Thatcher with his EMP grenades. However, if Thatcher tries to throw his EMP in a window over your ADS, the ADS will destroy it before it detonates. So many lives have been saved by Jäger and his ADS and really takes enemy grenades out of play.

For Jäger’s loadout you have one assault rifle and one shotgun. For the assault rifle, the 416-C Carbine is a great primary (it was better when it could have an ACOG), although it has middle of the pack stats for an assault rifle the recoil pattern is very manageable for a decent rate of fire of 740 rounds per minute. The M870 will be your only choice of shotgun, but it is not a bad choice. The M870 has a great damage output and a recoil that is more forgiving than most other shotguns. The P12 will be the only sidearm Jäger can wield, but it gives you 15 rounds to expend at a moderate damage output with a tight recoil pattern. You can run Jäger with a deployable shield or barbed wire to close out his loadout.

2. Smoke

Smoke

Speed

Armor

Gadget: Compound Z8 Grenade

Week 2 Season 7 Pick Rate: 79.4%

Smoke is a favorite pick among defenders, especially in competitions, and for good reason. Smoke’s Compound Z8 Grenade, releases a toxic bloom of yellow gas that no attacker can stay in, unless they want to watch their own kill cam. This ability gives the defense a chance to deny entry at specific points. For instance, if your team is holding down a site for Bomb or Secure Area and the attackers only have 20 seconds left, they are going to have to rush the objective. Well with Smoke you can place his toxic grenades (you get 3 total) above doors or windows and you can remote detonate them at the right time to deny entry. Or, if an attacker does want to smell what Smokes cooking, and rush through the gas, he is going to pay the price in health making it easier for the defense to win the round. Now your timing and placement is going to have to be spot on when using Smokes grenades, because of that he is a more difficult operator to play with, but his importance is almost unmatched. Oh and one other thing, you do have to be alive to use Smokes grenades so try not to die.

Smoke makes it easy when it comes to loadouts. For primary slots you can either go with the submachine gun FMG-9 or the M590A1 shotgun. Don’t let the alienistic look fool you this SMG can still handle itself on the battlefield. The damage output is obviously lower than assault rifles other operators have, but remember, you are defending and Smoke should not roam too far away from objective. As we talked about before the team needs his toxic grenades late game to secure a win. The M590A1 shotgun has no real surprises, it is your typical shotgun with 7 shells max before reload, decent damage output, and a recoil pattern that will you looking at the sky if you don’t manage it correctly. Let me reiterate, Smoke’s weapons are not bad per se, they are just fine for a defender that is needed to keep himself alive till the late game rush and can catch one, or two, attackers off guard with a close shotgun or SMG kill.

Need to finish off that kill? Smoke’s sidearms are one of the best for defenders. The P226 MK 25 is Smoke’s pistol option, sounds familiar? Well that’s because it is the same pistol you read about for Thatcher on the attack side of the house. Everything that was said for this pistol for Thatcher stays true here, if you already forgot (because I did, it was almost 2,000 words ago), scroll back up and refresh your memory. What makes Smoke different is that he has another sidearm option and that’s the SMG – 11. This SMG has a ridiculous rate of fire at 1270 rounds per minute and a controllable recoil to melts attackers trying to push your position. Finally, Smoke can carry either barbed wire or impact grenades. I prefer the impact grenades since you can open up other angles or “ad hoc” rotation holes if you are in a pinch.

3. Mira

Mira

Speed

Armor

Gadget: Black Mirror

Week 2 Season 7 Pick Rate: 86.0%

Mira was a pivotal breakthrough in the RB6 Siege abilities. She was the first defensive operator that can interact with reinforced or breakable walls with her ability. Mira can place 2 bullet proof, black “one-way” mirrors. These mirrors allow the defense to see through walls, increasing the team’s situational awareness. More than just getting a visual on the opposing team’s positions, there is a release mechanism that will make the mirror drop out and make it a murder hole. Be careful though, a Twitch shock drone can shoot the release mechanism and have the mirror drop without you knowing. There are a lot of different Mira tactics you can use to help benefit your team. You can put a soft wall murder hole up next to the mirror in order to get your reticle on target and then peak through the soft wall and get a quick kill. That is just one example I am sure a lot of you are creative and can come up with many more tactics for Mira. What I also like about her ability is that you do not have to stay around playing conservative to use it, your teammates can use it too.

Mira’s Loadout makes her ability that much better. The primary choice is a nasty Vector .45 ACP SMG. This SMG, while it has the lowest damage output of any defender primary, has a 25 round clip that comes out at a 1200 rounds per minute pace. But that is not the greatest thing about it. There is virtually no recoil to this weapon. Put a grip on this laser beam and the recoil pattern actually runs together. Couple that with the mirror tactics and you are a tough defender to defeat. Mira’s sidearms are the same as Jackal so again, please scroll up if you want a more detailed word picture. However, I will say that the ITA12S, while nothing has changed statistically about it, the defensive employment is great for creating those murder holes and setting up any other tactics you wish to try. Mira can either carry a deployable shield or a nitro cell. The nitro cell again finds great use if you can spot an enemy on the other side of the mirror and throw a nitro cell over to your target’s lap.

4. Lesion

Lesion

Speed

Armor

Gadget: GU

Week 2 Season 7 Pick Rate: 27.1%

To be honest it is really Lesion’s ability that makes him our number 4 pick. He can emplace GU mines, which are toxic ridden mines that the operator who stepped on it needs to pull out the toxic needle in order to reverse the slowing and depletion of health effects. The mines slowly become available for Lesion to use, you start out with one and then every 30 seconds you will gain another one until you reach the maximum of 8 total mines. The mines can only be used on the floor they will not stick to walls or ceilings, however, the mines have an auto cloaking mechanism that will make them almost invisible to the naked eye. I say almost because if you look really, really close you can make out the invisible cloak shape, but for the most part you cannot see it, unless you are running IQ then her scanner will see it. More than just slowing down enemies and gradually hurting them, Lesion will be able to see an icon over all of his mines that he emplaced, so you will be able to tell which one went off and can go in for an easy kill. Or, if you are a good communicator and feeling generous, you can tell a teammate where the wounded enemy is and you will still chalk up the assist.

Lesion’s loadout leaves a little more to be desired. His primary shotgun option is pretty poor. It has very low damage output for a shotgun and still has the same horrendous vertical recoil. His other primary option is an SMG, the T– 5. It’s under powered and a slower rate of fire compared to other SMG choices. Lesion’s only sidearm choice is the Q-929 pistol and has great damage output for a pistol, maybe one of the best, put only has a 10 round clip, so make your shots count if you decide to wield this bad boy. Impact grenades make Lesion more versatile, again opening up different angles or escape route to confuse your opponents is always fun.

5. Doc

Doc

Speed

Armor

Gadget: MPD – 0 Stim Pistol

Week 2 Season 7 Pick Rate: <6%

This might be the biggest surprise on our list and I can hear reader’s gasping and fainting while they read our number 5 defender, but hear us out. Although he is not the most picked defender when it comes to Pro League, Doc has legitimately one of the most useful gadgets in the game, if you know how to use it. The MPD – 0 Stim Pistol, this gadget can do a number of things related to you or your teammate’s health. The Stim Pistol can give you, or a teammate, a temporary boost of extra health, heal you or your teammates with 40 health per shot, or revive yourself or a teammate with one shot from the pistol. Now it is a pistol so you can shot the dart to heal or revive a teammate from a safe distance. You only get 3 shots with the pistol, so your friends will find out who your favorites are real quick. Plus, with 3/3 armor and the Stim Pistol, Doc makes a really good anchor on the objective for your team. If you have a really good Doc, because he is rather difficult to play, your teammate can relax knowing the Doc is in.

As for the Loadout, Doc has really good primary slot options. The P90 SMG gives lower SMG like damage, but the saving grace is that it comes with 50 rounds per magazine and a respectable rate of fire of 970 rounds per minute. The real down side is that there are no attachment options with the P90 so control that recoil. The MP5 is your second primary choice and it is another SMG. The difference here is a higher damage output (not too much but just enough), lower rate of fire at 800 rounds per minute, and a smaller clip than the P90 with 30 rounds. Doc is also one of the only defenders that can attach an ACOG sight to his weapons. Doc does come with a shotgun option, the SG-CQB is good all-around shotgun with 7 shells before reload and a slightly better recoil pattern than most other shotguns. For sidearms Doc can draw a P9 pistol that has an insanely tight recoil pattern (big perk) and a generous 16 round clip. Or if you feel like playing John Wayne you can try and tame the LFP586 Handgun. This beast is your standard “six shooter” with extremely high damage output. Just watch that recoil…it is off the recoil pattern diagram…by a lot. Doc can carry either a deployable shield to help him anchor or barbed wire to complete his loadout.