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The best Rainbow Six Siege operators to use in Operation Shifting Tides
Make sure you choose these operators to dominate the new operation from day one.
Rainbow Six Siege’s fourth year is coming to an end, and with the new Operation Shifting Tides update now available, there are a variety of operator tweaks and overall quality of life adjustments to learn about and adapt your playing style towards.
The game is known for its constantly-shifting meta and dedication to keeping all operators balanced and able to counter each other equally and effectively. With a brand new season comes a list of reworks and additions that often change the meta and the list of best operators to pick.
Here’s an in-depth guide to the best operators you can select if you hop into Rainbow Six Siege right now, accompanied with reasons why you should be using them.
Top-tier attackers: Thermite, Maverick, Kali, Hibana, Jackal
Thermite can breach any reinforced wall
© Ubisoft
When you think about reliability, only a handful of operators come to mind, and Thermite is almost always on that list. Since day one, Thermite has been capable of breaching any reinforced wall with his special charges. His weakness is electrified walls, but there are a lot of sites in Rainbow Six Siege that have too many walls for enemy electrical defences to cover. Once breached, his ability leaves a very large hole to create important backdoors.
Another important attacker is Jackal, and with Operation Shifting Tides he has received a rework that is both good and bad for his overall power. Previously, Jackal was an extremely useful operator in that he could ping the location of any enemy multiple times by scanning their footprints. He was also able to simply follow the footprints by keeping his visor on.
Jackal’s rework now gives him the ability to see the age of footprints so you can determine whether it’s viable to track them or not. It also allows you to figure out if roamers are still in the area or not without actually scanning the footprints. The oldest footprints between 60 and 90 seconds long will appear as blue, then the as the age decreases the colour changes from green to yellow and then the most recent prints will appear as red. Unfortunately, older footprints mean fewer pings, but Jackal is still one of the most viable operators out there regardless and the tactical benefits of the rework outweigh the consequences.
Kali is the newest attacker in Rainbow Six Siege, and her headlining feature is a powerful sniper rifle which can destroy barricades, penetrate regular walls and down most enemies in one shot. This rifle is balanced in the fact that it cannot pierce through reinforced walls, carrying the sniper will slow your movement, and firing the rifle will leave a trail leading directly to you.
Finally, Hibana and Maverick are both great at making small holes in the most valuable of walls and hatches. Hibana’s X-KAIROS launcher can fire a cluster of thermal explosive pellets which act as small Thermite-like breaching charges. These can be used on any reinforced wall that isn’t electrified, and Hibana’s advantage of being able to shoot the charges from a long-range make her very viable in both rushing and scouting tactics.
Maverick has a highly useful ability which means he can blow small holes into any wall, floor or hatch with little to no counter from other operators. His blowtorch works on electrified, reinforced and jammed walls as the gadget isn't mounted and is instead carried by Maverick. With the right use, you can even cut an entire reinforced wall down. Be aware, the blowtorch only has a set amount of fuel, and it can be easy to waste.
Top-tier defenders: Echo, Mira, Wamai, Kaid
Scuba diver Wamai can redirect enemy projectiles, causing chaos
© Ubisoft
One of the most effective defending operators in Rainbow Six Siege is Echo, who has his own drone which can be used in a large variety of situations. Echo’s drone can be taken anywhere indoors and then attached to a ceiling where it will become mostly invisible to the attacking team. Not only does this make for a great camera which can be used to spy on unsuspecting attackers, but the drone’s stun ability means Echo can disrupt any tactics the enemies may be trying to pull off. The stun can also stop attackers from planting a defuser or distort them long enough to get into the room and kill them.
This new season has added Wamai into the mix, and he can deliver magnets that self-destruct projectiles similar to Jager, although he can throw his gadget which allows him to use them on the fly and more tactically than Jager’s ADS. They can also be stuck to any surface such as the ceiling. Wamai also has the AUG A2, which is one of the most powerful weapons available to defenders in the current meta.
Lastly, Mira and Kaid are also powerful defenders that put immense pressure on attackers who come across their gadgets. Mira can place one-way mirrors which can be used to spy on a room, and then when needed the mirror can be detached to kill anyone in sight. Attackers who come across Mira’s mirror will feel pressured as they do not know who or what is on the other side and cannot shoot out the glass without a Twitch drone, which Mira can eliminate if needed.
Kaid can electrify reinforced walls, shields, barbed wire and hatches with his gadget. An advantage of using his electroclaws is that they are throwable, allowing him to electrify defences from across the room. The gadget decides what to defend through a set radius, which means multiple areas can be electrified by a single gadget - making Kaid economical.
Honorable mentions: Maestro, Nomad, Goyo
Maestro can place a bulletproof camera turret
© Ubisoft
Maestro is a defending operator that can place a bulletproof turret with a camera on any surface. These turrets are called evil eyes and cannot be destroyed by bullets or a melee hit. Evil eyes can be used to spy on enemies without fear of equipment being destroyed and they will also open up and act as a turret to fire low-damage lasers at an enemy or gadget. The cameras can be destroyed if the surface they are on is damaged, however, and using the turret will leave it vulnerable to attacks.
This new season has added Wamai into the meta, and he can deliver magnets that self-destruct projectiles similar to Jager, although he can throw his gadget which allows him to use them on the fly and more tactically than Jager’s ADS. They can also be stuck to any surface such as the ceiling. Wamai also has the AUG A2, which is one of the most powerful weapons available to defenders in the current meta.
Another useful attacking operator is Nomad, who has an Airjab launcher on both of her two primary weapons which can knock down enemies within proximity of the gadget. If used correctly, Airjabs are especially powerful in denying entry to rooms in tense late-game situations, and enemies who are thrown backwards by the device will fly through walls, barricades, or even deployable shields.
Last but not least, Goyo is a defender who can deploy a variant of the deployable shield which has an explosive attached to the back. This gadget deceives enemies into jumping over it where you can then shoot the shield to trigger the explosive and take out the unsuspecting hostile. The shield’s explosives will also leave a trail of fire that gives damage to anyone in the area. However, the shield can explode from many surrounding effects such as a breach charge detonating in its proximity or one of Kapkan's explosive door traps being triggered.
