Rook is one of the oldest operators in Siege but he has received some changes to his character in recent years, primarily with his special gadget, the Armor Pack. The armor plates from his Armor Pack will now also grant the wearer the ability to revive themselves from a down-but-not-out state which has a huge impact in the dynamics of the game.
After that though, the biggest changes that Rook has gotten came from the release of this season. Just like all operators, Rook has been largely affected by the huge changes on how weapons, particularly their attachments, work, and those changes will be what we’re going to discuss in this article and how they influenced my choices for Rook’s loadout rankings.
5. SG-CQB with Iron Sight and Horizontal Grip + P9 with Suppressor and Laser + Proximity Alarm
Rook is a 3-health operator, and with the added armor bonus from his armor plate which he automatically wears after deploying his Armor Pack, he could easily be the toughest operator in the game. Combine that toughness with the heavy stopping power of the SG-CQB shotgun and Rook will be like a moving tower who can dish out heavy firepower. At close range at least. Because obviously, the SG-CQB being a non-slug shotgun has a very limited range. That’s why despite its heavy damage per pellet which will provide the user with close range superiority, it’s only at number five.
During particular situations though like close quarters combat, this loadout setup will really excel. What’s unique about the SG-CQB shotgun is that it can be equipped with grip attachments, and the grip attachment that I recommend is the horizontal grip. There are two choices for the SG-CQB's grip, and those are the vertical grip and the horizontal grip. Since most players won’t really need the additional recoil control from the vertical grip for controlling the SG-CQB's shots, it’s better for Rook to instead take advantage of the +5% movement speed bonus from the horizontal grip.
Excels in:
- The horizontal grip on Rook’s SG-CQB shotgun will allow him to move 5% faster, which may not sound like much, but it’ll help him become harder to hit, for the SG-CQB, it’s a better bonus than the recoil control from the vertical grip.
- The SG-CQB's has a large frame which takes up a lot of screen space, but for shotguns like the SG-CQB where the user don’t need much accuracy, it’s alright, especially because it adds +10% aim-down-sight speed bonus
- The SG-CQB has a lot of stopping power per pellet which will provide Rook with close-range superiority, and with his incredible toughness, he’ll be like a tank at close quarters combat.
- The suppressed P9 handgun will allow Rook to shoot enemy gadgets such as drones and claymores silently when he’s flanking or roaming which he shouldn’t really do but there are some situations that calls for it
- The proximity alarm will produce a loud alarm sound when an enemy is inside its radius, so having two of them per round will be a great way for Rook to ruin the attackers’ momentum and prevent himself and his teammates from being caught off-guard
Build Details:
- Primary weapon - SG-CQB with Iron Sight and Horizontal Grip
- Secondary weapon - P9 with Suppressor and Laser
- Generic gadget - Proximity Alarm
4. P90 with Magnified B Scope and Suppressor + LFP586 with Laser + Proximity Alarm
With the recent changes on the grip attachments of weapons, i.e. having bonus movement speed from the horizontal grip, and reload speed boost from the angled grip, the P90 submachine gun which can’t be equipped with any grips have lost value, and that’s why it’s only at number four. But even though I think it’s not an inferior weapon to the MP5, it doesn’t mean that it’s not a viable weapon for Rook anymore. It does have its advantages over the MP5, and a lot of players, because of those advantages, are still drawn more towards it than the MP5.
The biggest strength of the P90 submachine gun is its huge magazine capacity. It can fire 51 shots before needing to be reloaded, and that's a major factor, especially during engagements with multiple enemies. Because the higher your magazine capacity is, the lesser the chances are that you’ll need to reload in the middle of a gunfight. Of course, that’ll increase your survival rate during enemy engagements, and it’ll be great for suppressive fire overall. Its fire rate is also much higher than the MP5, which, especially in short distances, can really make short work of enemies.
Excels in:
- Having a primary weapon in the P90 submachine gun that has a huge magazine capacity which lessens the chances of the user having to reload it in the middle of an enemy engagement
- Shooting enemies without providing them a directional threat indicator of where your shots are coming from due to the suppressor on Rook’s P90 which will also hide its muzzle flash
- The magnified B scope will provide Rook with a 2.5x zoom level which will greatly increase his accuracy because he’ll be able to see his enemies well regardless of the distance
- Having a secondary weapon in the LFP586 handgun which has heavy stopping power, has a high destruction rate per shot, and can be aimed faster than normal due to its laser attachment
- Having early warning devices in the two proximity alarms in Rook’s arsenal which will warn him and his teammates of enemy presence on the spots where they were deployed
Build Details:
- Primary weapon - P90 with Magnified B Scope and Suppressor
- Secondary weapon - LFP586 with Laser
- Generic gadget - Proximity Alarm
Recoil pattern test on the P90 in this setup with the author’s own recoil control applied:
3. MP5 with Magnified B Scope, Extended Barrel, and Vertical Grip + P9 with Suppressor and Laser + Impact Grenade
Since Rook’s speciality is basically his toughness, the devs noticeably only gave him fully automatic weapons that don’t have much firepower in order to balance it out. Obviously, if Rook has a fully automatic weapon with high damage along with his 3-health rating and added armor from his armor plate, he’d be OP. With that said, even though the MP5 is at the lower end in terms of damage, there is a way to make its firepower higher, and that is by attaching the extended barrel to it.
The extended barrel will add more damage to the weapon, making it 30 from 27. Now, that may not sound like a lot, but there are many times in Siege where you or your enemy would only be left with one or a couple of health points, so even a difference of 3 in damage is substantial. Plus, the extended barrel will also decrease the weapon’s range damage drop-off, so with this setup, Rook will be dealing good damage to enemies regardless of the range. That also works well with the magnified B scope which will provide Rook with a lot of zoom level.
Excels in:
- The extended barrel on Rook’s MP5 submachine gun will allow him to deal good damage per shot regardless of range because it’ll increase the weapon’s firepower and lessen its range damage drop-off
- The vertical grip on Rook’s MP5 submachine gun will be the attachment that will provide the recoil control on the weapon which will help Rook maintain stability on it especially when shooting at long sprays
- The magnified B scope will allow Rook to see his targets really well, be it at close range or long range, and that will really up his accuracy. It also has a great arrow tip reticle for pinpoint shooting.
- The suppressed P9 handgun will be a good utility for Rook for shooting enemy gadgets silently for times when he has to flank or roam silently. It’ll also have good ADS speed because of the laser.
- Rook having access to two impact grenades per round will allow him to quickly create rotation holes with them as well as counter shield operators, especially Osa’s Clear Shield.
Build Details:
- Primary weapon - MP5 with Magnified B Scope, Extended Barrel, and Vertical Grip
- Secondary weapon - P9 with Suppressor and Laser
- Generic gadget - Impact Grenade
Recoil pattern test on the MP5 in this setup with the author’s own recoil control applied:
2. MP5 with Magnified B Scope, Suppressor, and Vertical Grip + LFP586 with Laser + Impact Grenade
This is the loadout setup for Rook players who love spawn peeking. That’s because the suppressor will remove the directional indicator from the MP5’s shots as well as its muzzle flash. The suppressor will also greatly muffle the MP5’s gunshot sounds, and with all those perks, when Rook is spawn peeking from long range using the MP5 in this setup, the enemies won’t immediately know where they’re being shot from. That’ll prevent them from being able to perform a counter fire immediately or even to protect themselves, because they won’t immediately know which direction Rook’s shots are coming from.
The vertical grip on the MP5 will provide the much needed recoil control which will add a lot of stability while shooting, and that’s very important, especially when shooting enemies from long-range. Speaking of long range, the magnified B scope would be perfect for it because of the 2.5x zoom that it provides the user. So this setup specializes in medium to long-range shooting, but of course, especially if the user is used to targeting opponents with a high-powered scope at close range, it can be used well for close quarters combat too.
Excels in:
- The MP5 in this loadout setup will be great for spawn peeking which is Rook’s specialty because its shots won’t create a directional threat indicator and muzzle flash due to the suppressor
- Rook being able to hear other sound cues well even while he’s shooting with his MP5 submachine gun due to the suppressor greatly muffling its gunshot sounds
- Maintaining a good amount of recoil control on the MP5 submachine gun due to the presence of the vertical grip attachment which specializes in lowering the vertical recoil of weapons
- Having a secondary weapon with great stopping firepower and destruction rate per shot in the LFP586 handgun which will also allow the user to go into aim-down-sights stance faster than normal due to its laser attachment
- Rook having two impact grenades will allow him to quickly create rotation holes which are great for flanking or for responding to an enemy push on either side of the objective spot
Build Details:
- Primary weapon - MP5 with Magnified B Scope, Suppressor, and Vertical Grip
- Secondary weapon - LFP586 with Laser
- Generic gadget - Impact Grenade
Recoil pattern test on the MP5 in this setup with the author’s own recoil control applied:
1. MP5 with Magnified B Scope, Flash Hider, and Horizontal Grip + P9 with Suppressor and Laser + Impact Grenade
This is overall the best loadout setup for Rook right now. While I really love putting suppressors on weapons because of its stealth benefits, Rook isn’t exactly a stealthy operator to begin with, and spawn peeking is very risky, especially in ranked matches. With this loadout setup, you’ll be replacing the suppressor with a flash hider on the MP5’s barrel which will add a lot of vertical recoil control on the weapon. That will really help Rook maintain stability when firing his MP5 which of course will help with accuracy.
For its grip, Rook will have the horizontal one which is the newest attachment in Siege. It provides a +5% movement speed boost, and for a 1-speed operator like Rook, that’s a good perk to have. It’ll increase his movement speed a bit, and while 5% may not be much on the onset, it actually goes a long way when it comes to making it harder for an operator to hit. So with this setup on the MP5, Rook will have good overall vertical recoil control, and will be able to move a bit faster which helps a lot both offensively and defensively.
Excels in:
- Having a good overall vertical recoil control on Rook’s MP5 submachine gun due to the flash hider barrel attachment which will also remove the weapon’s muzzle flash
- Rook being able to move 5% faster than normal because of the presence of the horizontal grip on his MP5 submachine gun which will make him harder to hit and allow him to move from one place to another quicker
- The magnified B scope will provide Rook with a 2.5x zoom level which will allow him to see his targets well even from long-range and that’ll help a lot with his accuracy
- The suppressor on the P9 handgun will allow Rook to shoot enemy gadgets like claymores and drones silently and that’s important when he’s flanking or roaming and trying to not alert enemies to his presence
- The two impact grenades in Rook’s arsenal will allow him to create rotation holes which is very important in bomb mode because it’ll allow defenders to respond to enemies on either bomb site
Build Details:
- Primary weapon - MP5 with Magnified B Scope, Flash Hider, and Horizontal Grip
- Secondary weapon - P9 with Suppressor and Laser
- Generic gadget - Impact Grenade
Recoil pattern test on the MP5 in this setup with the author’s own recoil control applied:
Attention operator, please be advised. There is a new directive from Six. Read up on these related articles, and prepare for deployment:
