10. Warden
A great solo queue operator has a special gadget or ability that works really well despite the player not being in an organized team, and Warden is one of those operators. What makes Warden a great solo queue defender is that his special gadget, the Glance Smart Glasses, does not need to be deployed anywhere or be set up during the prep phase. The advantage of this is that he doesn't need to spend a lot of time deploying it somewhere during the prep phase and he can just focus on doing other things like setting up the objective spot.
He also has his special gadget with him all the time, so even when he's roaming, he can always take advantage of it. His Glance Smart Glasses allows him to see through smoke, Sens' R.O.U. Projector System, and he won't be blinded while it's active. That means that when enemies are pushing the objective spot and are leading with smoke grenades and stun ones, he would be able to surprise them, especially if they don't know that a Warden is on the defending team. Even in solo queue, Warden can also advise his teammates where the enemies are behind the smoke by pinging them.
What Makes Warden a Great Defender for Solo Queue:
- His special gadget, the Glance Smart Glasses, stay at his person all the time, so he can have its effects wherever he goes on the map
- Since his Glance Smart Glasses allows him to see enemies through smoke, he'll be able to surprise them by shooting at them, and he can also ping them for his teammates
- He has a very underrated primary weapon in the MPX submachine gun which has very decent firepower, low recoil, and highly customizable
- He can remove the effects of blindness upon activation of his Glance Smart Glasses, so even when enemies have a Ying, or leading with stun grenades, he can counter them
- His 2-armor and 2-health rating makes him a very versatile operator that can move well while maintaining a good amount of toughness
Choose Warden if:
- You've noticed in the prior rounds that the enemy team likes using Sens
- You want to counter Glaz, because Warden's Glance Smart Glasses can also see through smoke
- The enemy team always have a Ying, since Warden's Smart Glasses is the best counter to Ying's Candelas
Best Loadout for Warden:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/rainbow-6-siege-best-warden-loadouts
9. Jager
Jager is one of the best defenders you could pick when you're in solo queue because the use of his special gadget, the ADS, doesn't really require a lot of team coordination to be effective. Basically, all the player needs is enough experience and they'll know the best places in the map for deploying Jager's ADS. After being deployed, and it can all be done during the prep phase, Jager's ADS will automatically work, and they will neutralize enemy grenades or other projectiles that come within their radius.
That means Jager will be able to focus on other things after deploying his ADS during prep phase; things like roaming, spawn peeking, or anchoring the objective spot. So even if the Jager player is solo queueing, they'll be able to contribute to their team a lot. Not to mention that Jager's utilities have a big impact on the team because his barbed wires are great at slowing enemies and can also serve as early warning devices. His automatic primary weapon, the 416-C Carbine, is highly customizable to the player's own game play style because of the wide variety of attachments available to it.
What Makes Jager a Great Defender for Solo Queue:
- His special gadget, the ADS, doesn't really need much team coordination for it to be effective as long as the Jager player is experienced
- Jager can finish setting up his special gadget during the prep phase and they'll work on their own, allowing him to focus on other things
- Jager's 2-speed 2-health rating makes him a very balanced operator and can perform the roles or roaming or anchoring effectively
- His utilities, especially the barbed wire, has a big impact in helping the team, even when Jager is in solo queue
- His weapons are easy to use, especially his 416-C carbine which is also highly customizable due to the wide array of attachments available to it
Choose Jager if:
- No one else in the team picked an anti-grenade operator, because you'll need it, especially in ranked
- You want to play an operator that can effectively roam while still contributing to the team even if you die
- You're proficient in using shotguns because Jager has access to one of the most powerful shotguns in the game, the M870
Best Loadout for Jager:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/rainbow-6-siege-best-jager-loadouts
8. Ela
Ela, unlike most of the operators on this list, is a 3-speed 1-armor rating operator. Most of the operators in this list have 2-speed 2-armor rating, because that kind of rating is great for solo queueing since it's more versatile. However; Ela, despite being a light-armored operator, is still one of the best defenders for solo queue, and she's also quite versatile. That's because while most of the time, she's used for roaming, when the player chooses to, Ela is also great when it comes to anchoring the objective spot.
That's because with her Grzmot Mines, she can basically guard most of the entrances to the objective spot, and her Grzmot Mines aren't only great for disorienting enemies. Since the Grzmot Mines create a pretty loud sound when they're detonated, they are also great early warning devices. So with Ela anchoring, it'll be hard to catch the defenders inside unawares. And if Ela wants to go roaming, she leaves one or two Grzmot Mines on the objective spot and uses the remaining in her person, offensively or for guarding a flanking spot.
What Makes Ela a Great Defender for Solo Queue:
- Her Grzmot Mines are effective at disorienting enemies and acting as early warning devices even without much coordination with the other defenders
- Ela is a very versatile operator who can perform the role of roaming and anchoring really well
- Due to her 3-speed rating, she's a very effective roamer who can outmaneuver her enemies well, especially with the use of her Grzmot Mines
- She can use her FO-12 shotgun to rework the map to her team's advantage. It's also highly customizable unlike most shotguns in the game
- Even when the player is solo queueing, with Ela, they'd be able to contribute a lot to the team as long as her Grzmot Mines are placed well
Choose Ela if:
- The enemies use very aggressive plays and are prone to rushing, because Ela's Grzmot Mines will disorient them and prevent them from sprinting
- You want to play as a roamer while also leaving something in the objective spot that can greatly help teammates while you're roaming
- You like making aggressive plays, because she has 3-speed rating, a highly destructive shotgun, and her Grzmot Mines can be used offensively
Best Loadout for Ela:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/rainbow-6-siege-best-ela-loadouts
7. Vigil
Vigil's gameplay doesn't involve a lot of team coordination apart from telling his teammates the location of enemies that he spotted. In fact, it's much better for him to not be around any of his teammates, and that's what basically makes him a great defender for solo queue. That's because Vigil's primary role is roaming, and when roaming, being stealthy is essential, so he works best when he's alone. His special gadget, the ERC-7, is the epitome of stealth, because it makes him invisible to enemy cameras, which greatly unsettles them.
Yes, his ERC-7, when active, will create a static feed on the enemy cameras which becomes stronger the closer the camera is to him. However, enemies would still not see where he is exactly, and Vigil can actually use that as bait, since he'll know that enemies would be coming after him. And even though he's usually alone, he can take on multiple enemies because his impact grenades allow him to create rotation holes which greatly helps him when it comes to flanking his enemies, or escaping when he deems that the situation is too dangerous.
What Makes Vigil a Great Defender for Solo Queue:
- Because of his role as a roamer, he usually works best alone, so his gameplay doesn't involve a lot of coordinating with teammates apart from callouts
- He's able to deal with multiple enemies because he has impact grenades that allow him to outmaneuver them, be it for flanking or escaping
- He can turn invisible to enemy cameras leaving only a static feed on their feed which greatly unsettles them, and he can use that as bait
- Another reason why he can deal with multiple enemies by himself is that even when his primary weapon needs to be reloaded, he switches to a machine pistol and continue firing
- His rating of 2-speed 2-health makes him a very versatile operator and allows him to move quickly while maintaining decent toughness
Choose Vigil if:
- You want to perform the role of the team's roamer since Vigil specializes in that role due to his ERC-7
- You want to roam and also have the ability to rework the map to your advantage due to Vigil's impact grenades
- The map you're playing in is quite big so it's perfect for roaming and you want to harass enemies with a hit and run tactic with Vigil
Best Loadout for Vigil:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/rainbow-6-siege-best-vigil-loadouts
6. Melusi
Melusi's special gadget, the Banshee Sonic Defense, has a lot of combos with other defender special gadgets. However, even those combos don't need much coordination with teammates, so Melusi is one of the best defenders to play solo. That's because with her Banshee Sonic Defense, she's able to contribute in huge ways to the team even when her player is on solo queue. At the prep phase, all Melusi has to do is to deploy her special gadgets around entryways or flanking spots and she can focus on other things.
Her Banshee Sonic Defense basically works like a proximity trap, wherein once an enemy enters its radius, its effect will be triggered, and that effect is to slow enemies down. The closer an enemy is to a Banshee, the harder it is for them to move. On top of that, when they're actively slowing down enemies, they emit a loud and distinct sound that will tell the defenders that there's an enemy in that particular spot. So not only are the Banshees great at slowing down opponents, they're also great as early warning devices.
What Makes Melusi a Great Defender for Solo Queue:
- Her Banshee Sonic Defense has a huge impact for the whole team even without much coordination with other teammates
- Even when the Melusi player is on solo queue, it'll be easy for other members of the team to perform combos with her Banshees
- Her 2-armor 2-speed rating allows the player to move quickly while maintaining a decent amount of toughness
- She's quite a versatile operator who's mostly used for anchoring but can also perform the role of a roamer really well
- Her weapons and utilities are very easy to use despite having a lot of impact to Melusi and his team's gameplay
Choose Melusi if:
- You want to stop enemies from rushing and counter very aggressive enemies with the slow effects of the Banshees
- You're anchoring and want the most common pathways be guarded with the Banshees which can also serve as early warning devices
- The team needs an anchoring operator who can also rework the map to their advantage with the use of the impact grenades
Best Loadout for Melusi:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/rainbow-6-siege-best-melusi-loadouts
5. Kapkan
Kapkan is another defender whose special gadget has a lot of impact on the game without having any need for coordination with his teammates, and that makes him a great solo queue operator. With Kapkan, the player only has to deploy his EDDs during the prep phase, be creative about it, and let them do their work while he focuses on shooting enemies. Ever since the update that made it so that Kapkan is able to put more than one of his EDDs in an entryway, he has become such a menace in defense, and his presence is heavily felt in every match.
That's because his presence alone can make enemies hesitant and slow, because if they're careless and do not check each entryway for EDDs, there's a big chance that they'll get killed even before being able to shoot at any defender. Because of this, Kapkan has such a huge presence in the defending team, even when the player is in a solo queue. Kapkan is also a very versatile operator who can perform anchor or roaming duties whichever the situation calls for. That's because of his 2-speed 2-armor rating, as well as his ability to rework the map with his impact grenades
What Makes Kapkan a Great Defender For Solo Queue:
- His special gadget, the EDDs, can be all deployed during the prep phase, allowing Kapkan to focus on fragging enemies during the round
- Kapkan's EDDs doesn't require any operator combo or team coordination to be effective and they would still cause a lot of trouble to the enemies
- Even when the Kapkan player is on solo queue, he has a huge presence in the match, because his presence alone makes enemies hesitant
- His 2-armor 2-health rating allows him to be more versatile and can effectively roam or anchor if the player decides to
- He has the ability to rework the map to the defending team's advantage due to his impact grenades which is also great for roaming
Choose Kapkan if:
- You want to counter opponents who are rushing, because if they're rushing, they're more likely to detonate the EDDs
- You want to score kills against overly aggressive enemies, because aggressive enemies will less likely check each entryway for EDDs
- You want to play an operator who has a huge presence throughout the match, even when he's dead
Best Loadout for Kapkan:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/rainbow-6-siege-best-kapkan-loadouts
4. Wamai
I'm usually a solo queue player and Wamai is one of the operators that I always pick. That's because when you're solo queueing, you'll be on teams where the members just neglect anti-grenade operators. And based on my long years of experience in ranked games, anti-grenade utilities have so much impact in the game, and that's because without them, it'll be quite easy for the attackers to kill you with frag grenades or push the objective spot by leading with stun grenades and smoke grenades. And when you're in solo queue and need an anti-grenade operator, my recommendation would be Wamai.
That's because Wamai's gameplay doesn't really need much coordination with teammates. As long as the player has enough experience, they would know what to do with him, especially with his Mag-NETS, and impact grenades which are a great help for setting up the objective spot. That's another reason why I usually pick Wamai over Jager when I want to play an anti-grenade operator. That's because Wamai has better utilities than Jager. Not only is he able to rework the map using his impact grenades, he's also able to do it with his Keratos .357 which has a high destruction profile per shot.
What Makes Wamai a Great Defender for Solo Queue:
- Most random teammates you'll meet especially in the lower ranks won't choose an anti-grenade operator even though it's really important
- His special gadget, the Mag-NET, doesn't need much coordination with other teammates for it to have a high impact in the team's performance
- Since his Mag-NETs are very easy to deploy and would attach to most surfaces, he'll be able to support his teammates so well even without coordinating with them
- He has a lot of utilities for reworking the map to the defending team's advantage starting with his impact grenades to his Keratos .357
- He's able to move well and quite quickly due to his 2-health 2-speed rating, making him a versatile operator
Choose Wamai if:
- No one else in your team has chosen an anti-grenade operator, because it's very important to have one especially in ranked
- You need to be able to rework the map by using impact grenades to create rotation holes and the Keratos .357 to create more lines of sight
- You noticed in the prior rounds that the opponents love using grenades in order to get the better of the defending team
Best Loadout for Wamai:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/rainbow-6-siege-best-wamai-loadouts
3. Azami
Azami is another defender who has a high impact on the defending team's chances of success even without much coordination with her teammates, and that's always great for solo queueing. Of course, there are operator combos that are really great to have with her, especially the Mira's Black Mirror + Azami Kiba Barrier combo, however, Azami's Kiba Barrier deployment is simple enough that even without communicating with teammates, she'll be able to perform those combos with the other defenders, as long as they have enough experience in the game.
Despite being commonly used for anchoring almost exclusively, Azami, with her 2-armor 2-speed rating, is also a great roamer, especially if she reserves one or two Kiba Barriers on her person. That's because when she's roaming, she can quickly create covers that her opponents won't be expecting to be there. It's the same thing when she performs a run out. If she stays outside the mission area for too long, opponents will try to come get her, but she can surprise them by putting up a Kiba Barrier outside where she can hide and counter the incoming enemies.
What Makes Azami a Great Defender for Solo Queue:
- She's a very versatile operator and can be very effective even without much communication with her teammates
- She can provide cover for herself when she's roaming or running out which most of the time enemies won't expect
- She's great at reworking the map to the defending team's advantage since she has access to impact grenades and the ACS12 shotgun
- With her 2-armor 2-speed rating, the player will be able to move quite quickly while maintaining a good amount of toughness
- The combos to her special gadget are quite simple and Azami would be able to do them even when the player is in solo queue
Choose Azami if:
- The objective spot that you're playing in is pretty exposed to many angles, and Azami's Kiba Barriers will help to provide more cover
- Your team needs someone to rework the map and Azami will be great at that because of her impact grenades and ACS12 shotgun
- You want to use an operator that can be really useful while anchoring and also be tricky while roaming
Best Loadout for Azami:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/rainbow-6-siege-best-azami-loadouts
2. Alibi
Alibi ranks so high among the defenders that are great for solo queue because she can create so much trouble for the attackers even without having to coordinate her movements or special gadget deployment to her teammates. Basically, with Alibi, the player can focus more on roaming and fragging opponents while still making a lot of contribution to the team by deploying one or two of her Prisma holographic clones in the objective spot. Her Prisma holographic clones can really cause a lot of confusion to the enemies and discourage them from entering the objective spot.
That's because whenever an enemy shoots it, throws a projectile at it, or goes through it, that enemy will get pinged for several seconds. So all Alibi has to do is deploy one right behind a window so that when an enemy vaults over, they will get pinged. As for roaming, the solo queue player will find that Alibi is one of the most versatile operators in the game because she can cause a lot of damage to enemies while also maintaining a tactical approach through her means of reworking the map to her advantage through her impact grenades, Bailiff 410 revolver shotgun, and her ACS12 shotgun.
What Makes Alibi a Great Defender for Solo Queue:
- Causes a lot of problems to the attackers even without having to coordinate her movements or gadget deployment to her teammates
- She's an S tier roamer because she has a lot of utilities to rework the map, be it for flanking or for escaping
- Before she goes out roaming, she can really help the anchoring teammates in setting up the map with her utilities
- Even while she's roaming, by leaving just one or two of her Prisma holographic clones in the objective spot, she's making a lot of impact when it comes to teamwork
- Her weaponry and utilities makes her one of the most versatile operators in the game that can excel at almost everything
Choose Alibi if:
- Your team needs a roamer because Alibi is a top tier roamer possessing utilities that she can use for flanking enemies or for escaping from them
- You're playing in a map where windows are common entry points for enemies since you can prevent them from vaulting through those windows with Alibi's Prismas
- You want to play a highly versatile operator that can perform the roles of roaming or anchoring very effectively
Best Loadout for Alibi:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/rainbow-6-siege-best-alibi-loadouts
1. Rook
Rook takes the top spot when it comes to defenders who are great for solo queue because of how big of an impact his special gadget has for the whole team despite its deployment being very simple. He basically just drops a bag full of his armor plates, and it only takes a few seconds. After that, all defenders who picked up his Armor Plates get additional health, which basically means they'll be tougher to take down, unless of course they get shot in the head. On top of that, his armor plates also grant the ability to revive themselves when they get put in a down-but-not-out state.
This is such a big game changer, especially now that players don't get a notification anymore that tells them when they put an enemy in a down-but-not-out state. So when Rook is around, not only does everyone become tougher, but the defenders will also have a second chance if they get taken down. And of course, his special gadget doesn't really need any kind of teammate coordination, and after putting down his Armor Pack, Rook can start focusing on other things like reworking the map with his impact grenades or spawn peeking.
What Makes Rook a Great Defender for Solo Queue:
- His special gadget, the Armor Pack, can be finished deploying in a matter of seconds and it will have such a heavy impact on the team's chances of success
- His armor plates provide more health points and the ability to revive from a down-but-not-out state to all operators that equips them
- His Armor Pack require no coordination with members of the defending team for it to have such a huge impact on their gameplay
- After deploying his special gadget which takes only a few seconds, Rook is free to focus on other things
- He has the ability to rework the map with his impact grenades and he can also run with a powerful shotgun in the SG-CQB
Choose Rook if:
- You want to play an operator that has a huge impact to your team's chances of success even without coordinating much with your teammates
- You want to provide your whole team with the ability to revive from a down-but-not-out state and also have more toughness
- Most of your team members are light armored like Ela, Caveira, Alibi, etc, and Rook's Armor Packs will make them much tougher to take down
Best Loadout for Rook:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/rainbow-6-siege-best-rook-loadouts
Attention operator, please be advised. There is a new directive from Six. Read up on these related articles, and prepare for deployment:
