[Top 10] Rainbow 6 Siege Best Defender Guns That Are Powerful

Top 10 Best Defender Guns That Are Powerful In Rainbow 6 Siege

Updated:

10 Apr 2023

10. FO-12 Shotgun

Ela’s exclusive shotgun and one of the most devastating shotguns in the game. It has one of the fastest rates of fire among all shotguns and that is one of its biggest strengths. The other is its high damage per pellet. Looking at the stats, it has 35 damage, and on paper it may not look like much, but when all of its pellets connect, the FO-12 is capable of taking enemies down with just one shot within its most effective range.

The biggest thing that holds it back and what intimidates many players from using it is its very strong weapon kick. Luckily, one of the strengths of the FO-12 is the good number of attachments available to it, and those attachments can help the user overcome the weapon’s drawbacks. For example, the vertical grip would be great at holding down the weapon’s vertical kick, and the extended barrel will ensure that the FO-12's optimal range will be increased. That means, it can hurt enemies even at medium range.

What makes the FO-12 great:

High damage per pellet allows it to take enemies down easily within its optimal range and when all or most of its pellets connect
Has one of the fastest rates of fire among all shotguns, allowing the user to fire it in quick succession, which is great for dealing with enemies at close quarters.
High destruction profile per shot makes it a great utility tool during the prep phase for making rotation holes or destroying hatches
Attachments available to it are able to lessen its weaknesses like its very strong weapon kick and high range damage drop-off

Weapon stats:

Damage - 25
Fire rate - Single shot
Capacity - 10

Watch The Weapon In Action:

9. Keratos .357 Handgun

Exclusive to Wamai, Alibi, and Maestro. This is one of the most underrated handguns in the game, presumably because Alibi and Maestro both have the Bailiff 410 shotgun that is in the form of a handgun. And the Bailiff is a great utility tool, but not effective at finishing enemies off at a distance like the Keratos .357 can do. This is why this handgun is one of the reasons why Wamai can be really deadly. It inflicts heavy damage per shot, even when suppressed, and has a high penetration and destruction profile per shot.

Its high destruction profile per shot allows the user to use it as a utility tool for creating murder holes on unreinforced walls or wooden floors which is great for strafing unsuspecting enemies, especially in Ranked. Another great thing that makes this handgun so awesome is that despite its heavy damage, it has a very manageable recoil even when the user chooses to equip it with a suppressor rather than the recoil-benefit providing muzzle brake.

What makes the Keratos .357 great:

High destruction profile per shot makes it a great utility tool for creating murder holes on unreinforced walls or wooden floors
Inflicts heavy damage per shot and is capable of taking down enemies with just a few shots regardless of armor rating within its optimal range
Its high penetration power means it will still deal heavy damage to enemies even when they’re behind unreinforced walls, which makes it perfect for wall banging.
Despite its heavy damage and high destruction profile per shot, it maintains a very manageable recoil, allowing the user to shoot it with great accuracy and stability.

Weapon stats:

Damage - 78
Fire rate – Single shot
Capacity - 6

Watch The Weapon In Action:

8. BOSG.12.2 Shotgun

There are only a couple of weapons in the game that are capable of taking down an enemy even if it's not a headshot with just one bullet. One is Kali’s CSRX 300, and the other one is the BOSG.12.2 shotgun. And unlike typical shotguns, the BOSG.12.2 doesn’t fire multiple pellets that spread per shot. This one is more akin to a sniper rifle and that is because it was modeled after the single-slug firing scoped shotguns that hunters use to hunt big game.

That’s right, in the wild, this shotgun is capable of downing big animals. Imagine what it can do to humans. That’s why it’s an absolute monster of a weapon in the game, as long as it hits. At close range, it’s capable of taking down or killing an opponent with one shot regardless of their armor rating. And at medium range, it’s still capable of downing light armored Attackers with one. Another scary thing about this weapon is that it has a surprisingly fast rate of fire, and most of the time, when its two shots connect, it's over for the enemy.

What makes the BOSG.12.2 great:

Capable of taking down 1-armor rating operators at medium range with just one shot.
At close range, it’s even deadlier because with just one shot, it can take down any operator, even those with 3-armor rating.
Despite it only having two shots before needing to reload, its high damage and fast rate of fire are more than enough to make up for that weakness, as long as those two shots hit.
Has a high penetration power and destructive profile per shot, meaning it can also easily take down enemies behind soft walls.

Weapon stats:

Damage – 125
Fire rate – Single shot
Capacity – 2

Watch The Weapon In Action:

7. SPSMG9 Machine Pistol

This is one of the reasons why players shouldn’t really underestimate Kali at close quarters combat, because its above average rate of fire and good amount of damage per shot can make quick work of enemies. And that doesn’t just apply for Kali, of course, since we’re talking about Defender weapons here, it’s also one of the reasons why players should be careful when they’re backing out from Clash, because she’s one of the operators in the game that can use this machine pistol.

And Clash can quickly switch from shield mode to firing mode with this machine pistol, allowing her to take down unsuspecting enemies who are backing out from her or the ones being slowed down and electrocuted by her CCE Shield. One of the strongest suits of this weapon is that despite its fast rate of fire, it maintains a very stable recoil, which allows the user to hit enemies accurately even at medium range. This is a secondary weapon but it can rival most primary weapons in the game when it comes to damage, rate of fire, and accuracy.

What makes the SPSMG9 great:

Its fast rate of fire accompanied with a good amount of damage per shot allows the user to make quick work of enemies, especially at close to medium range.
Despite it having a fast rate of fire, its recoil is very manageable, and this will help the user to hit enemies well even at medium range.
Now that it can be equipped with all 1.0x sights, the user can even be more accurate with his preferred scope.

Weapon stats:

Damage - 33
Fire rate - 980
Capacity – 20

Watch The Weapon In Action:

6. DP27 LMG

Lord Tachanka’s reworked gun, and is as deadly as ever. It may not be firing behind a sturdy ballistic shield anymore, but it is now mobile, which honestly just increases its effectiveness. It's one of the most destructive guns in the game and is capable of downing enemies with just a few shots due to its heavy damage per shot. And because of its high destruction profile per shot which can also destroy wooden beams on walls, it can also be a great utility tool for creating rotation holes or murder holes.

Its main drawback is its slow rate of fire, which honestly doesn’t matter that much because of its very high damage and that slow rate of fire gives it its very manageable recoil. Its real drawback is actually its lack of sights that can provide higher zoom levels, but that drawback has been mitigated with the update that made all 1.0x available to most primary weapons. Now, players can ditch its horrible default 1.0x sight in favor of the 1.0x sight that gives them better accuracy and comfort when shooting. Personally, this weapon is really awesome with the Red Dot A.

What makes the DP27 great:

Each shot from this weapon has a very high destruction profile, one of the highest among all weapons. Making it a great utility tool for creating rotation holes or murder holes.
Heavy damage per shot allows the user to take enemies down with just a few shots from optimal range, regardless of armor rating.
Availability of all the 1.0x sights allows players to equip their preferred 1.0x sights to it, aiding their accuracy when shooting at medium range.

Weapon stats:

Damage - 49
Fire rate – 550
Capacity - 70

Watch The Weapon In Action:

5. M870 Shotgun

What many in the Siege community considers as the most powerful shotgun in the game that is not a single-slug firing shotgun like the ACS12, TCSG12, or BOSG.12.2. The M870 pump action shotgun’s main strength is its very heavy stopping power, which can take an opponent down at close range with just one shot as long as all of its pellets connect. This makes the laser sight an ideal attachment for it in order to tighten its hip fire pellet spread.

Despite its heavy damage, the M870 has a very manageable recoil accompanied by an above average rate of fire compared to most typical shotguns. It also has a fast reload cycle and the user can shoot it while it’s in the middle of reloading, making it a nice weapon for catching opponents off guard who think it's safe to push you because you’re reloading. Its quality of aim-down-sights shooting, which does make it more accurate and increases its effective range, is even better now that users can equip the 1.0x scope that they prefer to it.

What makes the M870 great:

Heavy stopping power which is capable of taking enemies down regardless of armor rating with one shot at close range
Fast pump cycle provides the user with above average rate of fire compared to most typical shotguns
Manageable recoil allows the user to fire it with great stability and accuracy even at medium range
Can be fired while in the middle of reloading which is great for luring enemies who think it's safe to push because you’re reloading

Weapon stats:

Damage - 60
Fire rate – Single shot
Capacity - 7

Watch The Weapon In Action:

4. Luison Handgun

Its in-game description describes it as ‘non-lethal’ and that is because it will always put an opponent on a down-but-not-out (dbno) state first before killing them. That is so Cav, who is the exclusive owner of this handgun, can perform her interrogation skill easier. But make no mistake, this handgun is one of the most lethal handguns in the game, especially since it only takes a couple of shots for it to take down any operator regardless of their armor rating, at its optimal range.

And when opponents are in a dbno state, shooting them with the Luison would instantly kill them. And that’s usually the best option for the user when enemies are pushing together. But even without being able to perform an interrogation, that is still an enemy neutralized, and with just three shots. Its iron sights are also great for targeting enemies because it doesn’t take up a lot of screen space, therefore, do not obstruct the vision of the user, and its subsonic gunshots makes it hard for enemies to guess where its shots are coming from.

What makes the Luison great:

Has very heavy damage at close range and is capable of neutralizing an enemy regardless of their armor rating with just a couple of shots
Non-lethal in a sense that it will put enemies into a dbno state first before killing them, allowing Caveira to perform her interrogation skill.
Subsonic gunshots make it very hard for enemies to effectively guess where its shots are coming from, preventing an immediate counter fire.
Its iron sights don’t take up a lot of screen space, allowing the user to shoot enemies with it with good accuracy and comfort.

Weapon stats:

Damage - 65
Fire rate – Single shot
Capacity - 12

Watch The Weapon In Action:

3. TCSG12 Shotgun

One of the most devastating single-slut firing shotguns in the game. Each shot from the TCSG12 can shave off huge portions of an opponent’s health points, especially at medium range, so it will only take a few shots for it, even when suppressed, to finish off an enemy. It is one of the few shotguns in the game that is capable of headshots, and because it’s a single-slug firing shotgun with a scope that can provide a high level of zoom to it, it practically functions as a marksman rifle for the Defender side.

Its 2.0x scope has the perfect zoom for medium to long-range engagements, and with Kaid or Goyo’s role as anchors, they’re mostly going to be firing at enemies at medium range. The TCSG12’s recoil is also very manageable, especially with a vertical grip attached to it. But one of its strengths is the availability of the angled grip, which more daring users prefer because it allows the user to go into aim-down-sights (ADS) stance quicker than normal. And that’s great for flick shots with a heavy damage weapon like this.

What makes the TCSG12 great:

Heavy damage per shot making it capable of neutralizing enemies with just a few shots
High destructive profile makes this weapon a great utility tool for creating murder holes and rotation holes, especially since it can also destroy wooden beams.
Availability of the angled grip makes it more versatile and users who are great with flick shots would benefit from it
Its 2.0x scope is great for strafing enemies at medium range and the main frame of this scope doesn’t take up a lot of screen space

Weapon stats:

Damage - 63
Fire rate – Single shot
Capacity - 10

Watch The Weapon In Action:

2. UMP45 Submachine Gun

The FBI Swat Defender’s exclusive primary weapon. The UMP45 is just like any other submachine gun at first glance, especially when you see its stats which are just average. But there is more than meets the eye when it comes to this weapon. A closer inspection of it and one would discover that it has all the attachment and grip options available to it. Which means that it is highly customizable according to the user’s own playstyle. It also has a very low stock recoil, which would remain low even without the presence of recoil-benefit providing attachments.

This means that the user can opt for the angled grip instead of the vertical grip in order for him or her to get into ADS position quicker with this weapon. The user can also attach the extended barrel to it as its barrel attachment, allowing the weapon to inflict more damage at longer range because the extended barrel reduces the range damage drop-off of weapons. All this, while still maintaining good recoil control of the weapon.

What makes the UMP45 great:

Excellent stock recoil makes it great for pinpoint shooting
Availability of all barrel attachments for it makes it highly versatile and customizable according to the user’s preferred playstyle
Inherently low stock recoil allows the user to attach damage and speed providing attachments to it instead of those that provide recoil benefits
1.5x scope is perfect for Castle’s role of mostly engaging enemies at medium to long range

Weapon stats:

Damage - 38
Fire rate - 600
Capacity - 25

Watch The Weapon In Action:

1. ACS12 Shotgun

The best Defender shotgun in the game right now, and the best in the game, period. It has one of the biggest magazine capacities among all shotguns, allowing the user to keep strafing at enemies until he takes them down. It’s also fully-automatic which makes it easier for the user to shoot successive shots with it. And because it has a detachable magazine, its recoil is much faster compared to most shotguns. On top of all that, it has heavy stopping power and is capable of putting down enemies with just a few shots at close to medium range.

It can be equipped with a 2.0x scope which makes it one of the best long-range weapons on the Defender side. Its high destructive profile per shot allows the user to use it as a utility tool during prep phase to destroy hatches or create murder and rotation holes. Because of its very heavy damage, it can take down opponents with two shots within its optimal range and that goes for light armored operators as well as heavy armored ones.

What makes the ACS12 great:

Inherently low stock recoil allows the user to equip it with an angled grip instead of the vertical in favor of going into ADS stance quicker than providing recoil benefits
High destruction profile per shot makes it a great utility tool for destroying hatches, creating rotation holes, as well as murder holes.
Detachable magazine makes its reload time faster than most shotguns
Availability of the 2.0x scope makes it a great weapon for any range

Weapon stats:

Damage – 69
Fire rate – 300
Capacity - 30

Watch The Weapon In Action:

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Kristoffer A. A.

A veteran of thousands of quests. Slayer of trolls. Survived the dragon attack in Loc Muinne. Kristoffer now spends his days as a scribe after receiving a permanent injury when a tavern stool gave und

Gamer Since:

1994

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Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege

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