10. Valkyrie
Intel gathering plays a huge role in Siege gameplay. It's as important as aim and reflexes, because in a tactical game like Siege, there would be many cases that a player with inferior aim and reflexes can win against a player who's better in those areas, with the use of intel and strategy. And when it comes to gathering intel on enemy positions, Valkyrie is the best on the defender side. That's because she has three Black Eye cameras, and each of them can provide a 180-degree view of an area, and what's scary about them is that they can be really hard to find.
That's because when they're not actively being used, they won't emit a blue light, and that could make them look like just another dirt or detail on the map. So when Valkyrie puts them in a hard to see angle, her Black Eye cameras can provide a lot of intel on enemy positions and they can waste a lot of the attackers' time when they’re trying to find them. Another great thing about Valkyrie's Black Eye cameras is that they're accessible to the whole defending team, so even when a defender dies, they can still help the team a lot by watching Valkyrie's Black Eyes.
What Makes Valkyrie a Great Defender:
- She's able to provide a 180-degree view of three areas in the map due to her three Black Eye camera special gadget
- Her Black Eye cameras are quite small, can be attached to most surfaces, and won't emit any light when inactive, and that makes them quite hard to find
- Valkyrie's MPX submachine gun is an excellent weapon due to its very low recoil, fast rate of fire, and decent amount of damage per shot
- She can bring two impact grenades into the round which is a great help in setting up the objective spot when there are no other defenders that can rework the map
- She can also run with the nitro cell instead and it has a really good combo with her Black Eye cameras which is called c4-under-the-floor
Best Loadout for Valkyrie:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/rainbow-6-siege-best-valkyrie-loadouts
9. Oryx
Oryx is a very powerful defender because he's one of the few operators in the game that has access to more than one special ability. His main ability, the Remah Dash, allows him to charge for a few meters. That charge is faster than a normal sprint, so it's great for going from point A to point B very quickly. Breakable objects such as unreinforced walls will also be destroyed by Oryx's body when they're hit by him during his Remah Dash, and it's great for creating rotation holes without spending any defender utilities.
The Remah Dash is also a great ability to have for escaping or flanking enemies, because it allows Oryx to go from one room to another in a very short period of time. Another scary thing that the Remah Dash can do is knock down operators, even shielded ones like Montagne and Blitz, making Oryx a great counter for them. Another special ability that Oryx have is being able to climb broken hatches. With that special ability, it's very difficult to hunt him when he's roaming, and it also makes him very unpredictable because the attackers won't know when and where he'll pop out.
What Makes Oryx a Great Defender:
- With his Remah Dash ability, he can help in setting up the objective spot with rotation holes without spending any defender utility like impact grenades
- His Remah Dash ability is also great for outmaneuvering enemies, be it for flanking or escaping them, because it allows Oryx to go through another room very quickly
- To this day, he's the only defender who can climb a broken hatch, and that ability allows him to outmaneuver enemies very effectively
- He has access to the Bailiff 410 revolver shotgun which is great for destroying hatches, and that will allow him to use those hatches for outmaneuvering enemies
Best Loadout for Oryx:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/rainbow-6-siege-best-oryx-loadouts
8. Caveira
Caveira, despite specializing in roaming, is actually a very versatile operator. That's because she can do so many things with her special abilities. That's right, with an 's', because like Oryx above, she has more than one special ability. First off, her Silent Step special ability allows her to go from one point to another quickly and silently, because as its name implies, it silences Caveira's footsteps, even when she's sprinting. This makes Caveira very hard to anticipate and hunt down, because it's hard to hear where she's coming from or going.
Secondly, she has the Interrogation special ability which, again, as its name implies, allows her to interrogate an opponent who's in a down-but-not-out state. It can take several seconds, but when successful, the interrogation special ability will reveal the real-time positions of the remaining attackers through their icons, and that will last for a while. On top of that, Caveira kind of has a third special ability or gadget in the Luison handgun, because this handgun will always put an opponent in a down-but-not-out state first before inflicting a lethal shot. This allows Caveira to perform her Interrogation special ability.
What Makes Caveira a Great Defender:
- She can go from one point to another with great speed and stealth because her Silent Step special ability silences her footsteps even while sprinting
- She can interrogate opponents who are in a down-but-not-out state and when it's successful, it will reveal the real-time positions of the remaining attackers
- It's very hard to catch her because she has impact grenades which she can use to create rotation holes, and she even has access to the SPAS-15 shotgun
- Her Luison unique handgun is a great utility for performing her interrogation ability because it will always put an opponent in a down-but-not-out state first before killing them
Best Loadout for Caveira:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/rainbow-6-siege-best-caveira-loadouts
7. Tachanka
As mentioned in Valkyrie's entry above, Siege isn't all about who's got the better aim and reflexes. Oftentimes, the players who have the better strategy wins against those who are just great at aiming. And while Valkyrie contributes a lot with her intel gathering capabilities, Tachanka's forte is area-denial. Being able to deny area to your enemies is a very powerful ability to have in Siege because angles and positioning plays a huge role into the team's whole strategy, whether you're an attacker or a defender.
Area-denial is even more important for the bomb game mode where one of the ways for defenders to win the round is to deny the attackers from planting the defuser until the timer runs out. And when it comes to denying area to the attackers for long periods of time, Tachanka is the best. That's because with his special gadget, the Shumikha Launcher, he can shoot a total of twenty fire grenades, and each of them can cover an area in fire for seven seconds. That means that as long as he doesn't get taken out of the fight, Tachanka can deny a large area to the attackers for more than two minutes.
What Makes Tachanka a Great Defender:
- With his Shumika Grenade Launcher, he can shoot twenty fire grenades and each of them can cover an area in fire for seven seconds
- Tachanka has the DP27 light machine gun which is one of the most destructive guns in the game, so it's not just great for fragging enemies, it's great for reworking the map as well
- Tachanka can now use the Bearing 9 machine pistol as his secondary weapon, and it's a great alternative weapon for when his primary needs to reload in the middle of a gunfight
- His 9x19VSN submachine gun can now be equipped with a scope 1.5x or a scope 2.0x which will allow Tachanka to target his enemies better
Best Loadout for Tachanka:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/rainbow-6-siege-best-tachanka-loadouts
6. Rook
The rework on Rook's Armor Plates really made him jump from one of the most basic operators to one of the most powerful. That's because with his Armor Plates, he can make the whole defending team much tougher, and now, because of the rework on his Armor Plates, the whole defending team can also have the ability to revive themselves from a down-but-not-out state. This is a really powerful ability to have because Rook isn't only empowering himself, he's basically empowering his whole team, so the attackers will have to deal with five buffed defenders.
And now that players do not get a notification anymore that tells them when they've put an enemy in a down-but-not-out state, the rework on Rook's Armor Plates can play a much bigger role, since the defenders will have more chances to use their second wind so to speak. Another great thing about Rook is that he's one of the few defenders in the game that has access to high level scopes such as the scope 2.0x. With the scope 2.0x on his MP5, he'll be able to see enemies well, and that translates to better accuracy.
What Makes Rook a Great Defender:
- He's able to make the whole defending team tougher through his Armor Plates that adds additional health to those who will wear it
- He can provide his whole team the ability to revive themselves from a down-but-not-out state by equipping his Armor Plates
- He's one of the few defenders in the game that can equip a scope 2.0x which will allow him to target his enemies more effectively
- He can bring two impact grenades into the round and that really helps with setting up the objective spot with rotation holes
Best Loadout for Rook:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/rainbow-6-siege-best-rook-loadouts
5. Azami
Azami is easily one of the most versatile operators in the game and because of that she's really powerful. She only has one special gadget, but that special gadget can do a lot of things. With her Kiba Barriers, she can prevent enemies from gathering intel inside the objective spot, she can provide cover for weak and exposed areas, and she can even perform area-denial. That's because her Kiba Barrier, as its name implies, is a barrier that forms out from her special kunai. And this barrier can be deployed in many surfaces.
So for intel denial, all Azami has to do is to cover drone holes around the objective spot with her Kiba Barriers and it'll be more difficult for attackers to gather intel through their drones. She can also perform quick fixes on breached walls by covering the destroyed part with her Kiba Barriers. And of course, the most basic function of her Kiba Barriers is to provide more cover around the objective spot, especially the more exposed areas. With Azami around, defenders will be able to protect themselves better.
What Makes Azami a Great Defender:
- With her Kiba Barriers, she can create more cover around the objective spot so that the defenders will be able to protect themselves better
- She's also able to perform intel denial functions with her Kiba Barriers by blocking drone holes with them
- She has excellent utilities when it comes to reworking the map to the defending team's advantage with her ACS12 shotgun and impact grenades
- She can perform quick area-denial functions with her Kiba Barriers by using them to block entryways such as doorways or windows
Best Loadout for Azami:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/rainbow-6-siege-best-azami-loadouts
4. Mira
Mira is definitely one of the most powerful defenders in the game and for that reason, she's also one of the most banned in the higher ranks. The thing is, Mira is quite situational, so she wouldn't really excel in other situations or maps, but in certain areas and certain maps, she's definitely quite overpowered. That's because through her two Black Mirrors, she can make it very difficult for the attackers to push through two different spots. Her Black Mirror is a one-way view mirror, so it's excellent for gathering intel on the enemies on the other side of the wall that it's deployed to.
And since the defenders will be able to see the attackers through her Black Mirrors while the attackers cannot, it'll be very hard for the latter to push an area where a Black Mirror is present. That's because through the usually unreinforced wall beside the Black Mirror, Mira or any defender behind the Black Mirror can simply quick lean and frag the attacker on their sight. Another great thing about Mira is that she has an excellent utility for reworking the map to her team's advantage in the ITA12S shotgun. She also has great generic gadgets in the nitro cell and the proximity alarm which she can switch depending on the spot that they're defending.
What Makes Mira a Great Defender:
- Through her Black Mirror special gadget in which she has two of, she can make two areas of the map very hard to push for the attackers
- She has a great utility for reworking the map to the defending team's advantage in the ITA12S shotgun which can create a rotation hole with just a couple of shots
- Her nitro cell generic gadget can be used in conjunction with her Black Mirror especially when the top of the wall where the Black Mirror is deployed can be opened
- Her proximity alarms are great for areas where there's a huge tendency for Mira to get caught from behind like the top red stairs of Villa
Best Loadout for Mira:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/rainbow-6-siege-best-mira-loadouts
3. Alibi
Alibi is a very powerful operator because she can excel at both roaming and anchoring. She has 3-speed and 1-health rating but she's very versatile, and that's because of her special gadget, the Prisma holographic clone, as well as the utilities and weapons available to her. First off, her Prisma holographic clones are one of the most troublesome defender gadgets to the attackers, and that's because they look exactly like Alibi so the moment that attackers sees them, their instinct is to shoot. However, that will only cause them to get pinged, and that ping will be seen by all defenders.
That's because everything that comes from the attackers - be it their bullets, projectiles, utilities, or their own bodies, will result in a ping if they pass through Alibi's Prisma holographic clones. This makes Alibi a great intel gatherer, and a great defender overall when it comes to disrupting the enemy's momentum. As for her weapons and utilities, her Mx4 Storm is a great primary weapon with fast rate of fire, high damage, and manageable recoil, while for her secondary weapon and generic gadget, she can equip the bailiff 410 revolver shotgun and the impact grenades which are great for creating rotation holes and lines of sight.
What Makes Alibi a Great Defender:
- Her Prisma holographic clones are excellent utilities for gathering intel on enemies as well as inflicting confusion on them
- She can heavily discourage enemies from entering through windows by placing her Prisma holographic clones right behind them
- She can run with the ACS12 shotgun as her primary weapon which is one of the most powerful weapons in the game due to its high damage and low recoil
- Her Mx4 Storm is also another great choice for her primary weapon due to its high damage, manageable recoil, and fast rate of fire
- She has access to great utilities like the bailiff 410 revolver shotgun and impact grenades which are great for reworking the map to her advantage
Best Loadout for Alibi:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/rainbow-6-siege-best-alibi-loadouts
2. Melusi
Melusi is the best defender there is when it comes to slowing opponents down, and for that reason, she's definitely one of the most powerful. With her three Banshee Sonic Defense, she can guard three pathways, and whenever an enemy enters a Banshee's radius, they would be greatly slowed down and the Banshee will emit a sound that is usually loud enough to be heard by all the defenders that are anchoring the objective spot. So with Melusi around, it will be hard to catch the defenders unawares.
The Banshees are bulletproof from a distance, and if attackers want to destroy them, they'd either have to use their explosive utilities, or purposely enter its radius so that it will open up and they will be able to shoot its non-bulletproof part. With that said, it only really means that either way, the attackers will be making some noise in order to disable a Banshee. On top of that, Melusi has access to the impact grenades which she can use to set up the objective spot with rotation holes, or she can reserve one of them for when she needs to quickly create a flanking hole to surprise enemies that are being slowed down by one of her Banshees.
What Makes Melusi a Great Defender:
- Her Banshee Sonic Defense, which she has three of, are the best utilities in the game when it comes to slowing down enemies
- When an enemy enters a Banshee Sonic Defense's radius, it will start slowing them and they will emit a loud sound which makes them a great early warning device as well
- Melusi can bring two impact grenades into the round which is great for setting up the objective spot with rotation holes
- Her RG15 handgun is one of the best handguns in the game due to its Romeo1 Reflex sight which makes it very effective even for long-range shooting
Best Loadout for Melusi:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/rainbow-6-siege-best-melusi-loadouts
1. Kapkan
Kapkan is one of the very few defenders that can inflict death with just one detonation of their special gadget, and that's why he's so high up in this list. It all started with the update that made him able to deploy multiple EDDs in one entryway. Before that, he can only deploy one per entryway, and even one can halve an enemy's life. Putting more than two EDDs in an entryway is usually enough to kill an attacker that passes through it, and Kapkan has five, so he can really be tricky when it comes to their deployment.
Of course, it works best when the attackers do not know that there's a Kapkan on the defender side. That way, they won't be very careful in checking entryways for his EDDs. However, his presence in the match is still hugely felt even when attackers know that he's present. That's because his presence alone is enough to slow them down and force them to check each entryway for his traps. Aggressive attackers who refuse to check each entryway when Kapkan is around are usually killed, and this is also the reason why Kapkan's ban rate is very high.
What Makes Kapkan a Great Defender:
- He's able to score a kill with just one detonation of his special gadget, the EDD, because he's able to put several of them in one entryway
- His presence alone can force attackers to slow down and waste time because if they don't want to get heavily damaged or killed, they'd have to check each entryway for Kapkan's EDDs
- His EDDs are also good early warning devices because the explosion from them being triggered can tell the defending team that attackers are in the direction of the explosion
- He can bring in two impact grenades per round and that's really useful for creating rotation holes or for countering Osa
- He has a 2-speed 2-health rating which makes him quite versatile and because of this he can perform the role of anchor or roamer really well
Best Loadout for Kapkan:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/rainbow-6-siege-best-ying-loadouts
Attention operator, please be advised. There is a new directive from Six. Read up on these related articles, and prepare for deployment:
