Best Rainbow Six Siege Operators in 2022: All the Attackers and Defenders Ranked - GameRiv (2024)

Rainbow Six Siege has gained immense popularity over the years with its intricate and complex gameplay. This Ubisoft tactical FPS shooter has the perfect mix of gunplay and strategic elements of a MOBA, which still makes it a one-of-a-kind product to this day.

Rainbow Six Siege will be stepping foot onto Year 7 next month, and the game has stacked up a lot of operators over these years. Each operator has a unique skill set and some critical nuances that separate one over the other, so forming a balanced 5-man roster can be a daunting task, especially for beginners.

So to make it a little easier for you to pick the best operators in this current meta, we have ranked all the operators in Siege that have been added till Y6S4, according to their strengths and weaknesses.

How many Siege Operators are there in 2022?

With the launch of Y7S1 Demon Veil, Rainbow Six Siege will have a deep pool of 63 operators to unlock and use in-game. However, right now, there are 62 operators, which are evenly divided into 31 Attackers and 31 Defenders, and players need to create an efficient team composition from this pool, which should ideally have fraggers, supports, roamers/flank-watch, and anchors.

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Rainbow Six Siege’s heavy utility meta has been eliminated, and the devs have been pushing towards a meta that allows players to pick more flexible operators in the lineup.

We have ranked the operators below based on the strength of their primary gadgets, load-outs, and overall effectiveness in this current Patch.

The S-Tier contains the best operators present in Siege in 2022, and you can’t go wrong selecting any of these operators. The A-Tier contains good operators that are required to form a round-winning team. The B-Tier includes flexible picks who still packs some pretty strong utility or gun power. Operators in C-Tier are very situational and aren’t that viable in most maps or bomb sites. While the D-Tier includes operators that you would hardly ever need to win a round, you should most probably avoid them.

As with every other tier list, this one is extremely subjective and will change based on new patches.

Best Attackers Tier List

• S-Tier: Maverick, Twitch, Iana, Finka
• A-Tier: Ace, Thatcher, Hibana, Nomad, Thermite, Zofia, Sledge
• B-Tier: Ash, Jackal, Capitao, Ying, Buck, Osa, Flores
• C-Tier: Dokkaebi, Montagne, Kali, Fuze, IQ, Zero
• D-Tier: Lion, Blitz, Glaz, Blackbeard, Amaru, Nokk, Gridlock

S-Tier

We have selected Maverick, Twitch, and Finka as S-Tier operators. While Twitch has received many changes over the years, her Shock-drones are still very efficient in clearing utility. And the F2 rifle remains one of the best weapons in the game, with a high rate of fire and an easier recoil, thanks to the recent attachment changes.

As a hard-breacher, Maverick separates himself from others with his Blow-Torch that has the ability to break reinforced walls even if they are electrified, making him more independent. The trusty M4 rifle and frag grenades make him no slouch even in the fragging department.

Finka and Iana, the two rising powers, raised to the top of the tier list. Finka has received multiple buffs recently, including permanent health boost and self-revival from DBNO state. Both of these operators also have great gun power and frag grenades, additionally, they have the option for the secondary Gonne-6 launcher, and all of it combined makes both these operators incredibly strong.

A-Tier

The three other hard-breachers of Ace, Hibana, and Thermite have been put in A-Tier, as they achieve the same vital job, but in very different styles, meaning you can’t put one over the other. Ace has the ability to open medium-sized holes quickly and over a distance, but he can only open one hatch as 2 out of his 3 SELMA charges are required for it.

After the Y5S4 update, Hibana got the ability to select the number of pellets that shoot out of her X-Kairo launcher, which means she can flexibly open a hatch with only four pellets or open a big-sized hole with all her 18 pellets. So, in maps like Clubhouse, where there are a lot of hatches, Hibana should be one to pick. However, the pellets can quite easily be tricked with Bandit or even Kaid if timed properly. Thermite, on the other hand, is the simplest of them all. You can cleanly open a huge hole in the reinforced wall, meaning you won’t get stuck while running or need to vault in, which leaves you more vulnerable to enemies. The Exothermic charge also deploys very quickly, making Bandit-tricking much more difficult.

Thatcher, when unbanned, remains as one of the best and quickest ways to open electrified walls, which is why he is in A-Tier. Even though Zofia has received a major nerf to her M762 AR, she still is an A-Tier attacker because of her 2 impact and 2 concussion grenades, and the strong LMG-E weapon, which has a massive magazine size of 150.

Nomad has been put in A-Tier for her Airjabs, which acts as one of the best flank-watches in the game, while Flores has been picked for his flexibility in removing utility and sometimes even defenders from tight anchoring spots. The trusty hammer, ACOG-enabled L85 AR, and Frag grenade almost make Sledge an S-Tier Attacker. But because of the removal of the powerful SMG-11 secondary, we have dropped him down a Tier.

B-Tier

Ash mains might not be satisfied with this. Considering the recent nerfs, where the number of explosives was reduced to 2, and the infamous R4-C nerf, we have decided to put her in B-Tier. On the other hand, the soft-breacher of Buck still remains a solid operator choice, but the lack of Frag grenades. However, in certain sites, Buck can play vertically to create soft destructions from underneath, and now he also has the option to bring a secondary Hard-Breach gadget.

While Jackal might be slightly less annoying with the slight rework he received, where old footprints now disappear from his Eyenox gadget, he still remains as an effective roam-clearer.

Capitao and Ying, are the two B-Tier operators that have very good primary gadgets, but they aren’t a must-pick for any site. You should pick these operators if you have a game plan to plant the defuser, where these two operators mostly shine.

Osa and Flores are still quite new to the game, and both of these operators are well balanced and do their job very effectively. Flores’ drones can quickly destroy shields and Jager ADS quickly, enabling teams to push quicker. Osa, on the other hand, may be one of the best operators to pick when you are trying to plant the defuser. The transparent shields massively help in stopping defender aggression, and you can also watch the flank from safety.

C-Tier

While Zero’s 4 Argus cameras can provide ample intel for your team, the cameras, however, make a loud sound when deployed and can easily be destroyed by nearby defenders. So the cams are mostly used as flank drones and stay underutilized in most rounds. Fuze can now breach through reinforcement walls, and he is quite handy in clearing defender utility quickly, so we have bumped him up a tier.

Dokkaebi, Montagne, and Kali have been included in C-Tier. All three of them have quite unorthodox primary weapons, which requires a change in mindset from normal Siege gameplay. While Kali’s Explosive Lance gadget is very useful, with Thatcher remaining banned in almost every match, her CSRX 300 sniper isn’t very effective in a game like Siege, where gunfights usually take place in close to medium range.

The guard animation changes and explosive damage nerf have toned down Montagne’s overall effectiveness; however, if you want to play a shield then he should be your go-to pick. We have also dropped IQ a tier as her gadget and utility is not convincing enough to pick her over other operators in this current meta.

D-Tier

Lion, Blitz, Glaz, Blackbeard, Amaru, Nokk, and Gridlock have been placed in D-Tier, as these operators’ primary abilities aren’t very useful in this current meta. Most of these operators also have pretty mediocre guns, which is why we’ve decided to put them in this lower tier.

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Best Defenders Tier List

• S-Tier: Valkyrie, Smoke
• A-Tier: Mira, Wamai, Kaid, Mute, Mozzie, Melusi, Jager, Thunderbird, Aruni
• B-Tier: Bandit, Vigil, Lesion, Frost, Echo, Castle, Maestro, Kapkan, Clash, Thorn
• C-Tier: Pulse, Tachanka, Alibi, Ela, Goyo
• D-Tier: Warden, Oryx, Caveira, Doc, Rook

S-Tier

Valkyrie and Smoke are two of the strongest and most consistent Defenders in the game. These two operators are excellent on almost every site and every map. With her 3 Black Eye cameras, Valkyrie can provide the crucial intel needed to win a round. The cameras, if thrown outside the map, help Defenders to play aggressively through run-outs, and an on-site camera can also be used to chuck a C4 from below onto an unsuspected Attacker. With the launch of Y7S1, all cameras placed outside the map will get disabled after a 10 second-timer, which will hurt the ability of direct intel-based runouts. But this nerf won’t be enough to bring Valkyrie down to A-Tier.

On the other hand, Smoke is an anchoring operator, who has 3 special smoke canisters that deal substantial damage to Attackers in its range. Smoke also has the M590A1, which is considered to be one of the best shotguns in the game, and the SMG-11 is just a head-shot machine in the right hands. The option for a deployable shield is just a cherry on top for him.

A-Tier

Mute and Mozzie, the duo of intel-deniers, have been placed in A-Tier. Collecting information is a key aspect in winning an Attacking round of Siege, and these two operators make the lives of Attackers very difficult. Mute can also prevent reinforced walls from being breached, and even has solid loadout options, making him an easy A-Tier operator.

The projectile catchers of Wamai and Jager also remain in A-Tier. Although the utility-dumping meta has been relieved, protecting teammates or deployable shields from frag or stun grenades is still important, and these two do this job very well. The multiple nerfs to Jager has toned down his fragging power quite a bit, but the 416-C rifle can still deliver impressive performance.

Kaid has been placed a tier above Bandit because of the extra capability of electrifying walls as well as hatches, and when Thatcher is banned, it usually forces Attackers to pick Maverick. Mira is also an A-Tier operator because of her unique one-way Black Mirror windows that are extremely strong on several bomb sites.

The nerf of Melusi, where her Banshee devices now open when activated, reduces her effectiveness a bit; however, the gadget still takes away the attention of Attackers, and with the inclusion of an almost zero-recoil MP5, she remains in A-Tier.

The two recently-added operators of Aruni and Thunderbird have become quite popular in this current meta, as their loadout and gadgets are very strong. Aruni can slow down the attack, and even work as a projectile catcher, and her DMR recently received the muzzle break attachment that made it really powerful. And Thunderbird is now the best healer on the defending side and can roam around after putting down her gadgets.

B-Tier

We’ve placed Bandit, Vigil, Lesion, Kapkan, Castle, Frost, Echo, Maestro, and Thorn in B-Tier. All these Defenders have good gadgets and loadouts, and you can easily bring them to make a strong roster.

Clash, the only shield operator on defense, has also been placed in this tier as her special CCE Shield slows down and eats the Attackers’ HP when near her proximity. And most of the time, this turns out to be a very frustrating thing for the Attackers to deal with.

C-Tier

The C-Tier Defenders include Pulse, Tachanka, Alibi, Ela, and Goyo. These defenders should rarely be picked as they don’t have the best of the guns or gadgets. You can pick the trap operator of Ela when suspecting a rush or if there’s a shield operator on the Attacking lineup. Pulse, with this Heartbeat scanner, can provide valuable intel for a team (especially when playing vertically below), but the weak UMP45 led us to the decision of placing him in C-Tier. Goyo will be getting a rework in Y7S1, where his shields will be removed with the individual fire canisters. We will have to wait and see how effectively this new gadget will work, so for now, we have placed him in C-Tier.

D-Tier

The Defenders of Warden, Oryx, Caveira, Doc, Rook were put in D-Tier because their gadget and load-outs aren’t the most effective in this current meta. Players will be better off picking defenders from the tiers above.

NOTE: We want to reiterate that this tier list is extremely subjective, and in a match Rainbow Six Siege, players will be able to get kills and win rounds with any selected Operator.

How to unlock Operators in R6?

Players can unlock new operators using renown (in-game currency), which can be earned easily by playing matches and completing weekly challenges. However, there’s also an option to purchase these operators using R6 Credits that can be bought with micropayments.

However, if you don’t want to spend any real money, then grinding the game is the best option, and it also provides a much more satisfying experience as you keep on unlocking and learning operators one by one.

Tip: Squad T-Hunt is one of the best ways to earn renown quickly.

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