With Siege having an incredibly large and complete operator pool, it's obvious that each one of them has its own role in the team. In this article, we will explore one of the most important roles in the game, the anchor.
What is an anchor in Rainbow Six Siege?
The anchor is an operator that stays on-site for the whole round and helps the team by giving information and making attackers lose time using its special gadget.
The anchor usually does the dirty job, one that some people might see as boring. However, the truth is that playing as an anchor can be really exciting, especially from a tactical point of view.
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Rainbow Six Siege anchors
Although every operator can stay on-site for the whole round supporting its teammates with information and callouts, what really defines an anchor is their kit and its special ability.
For example, an operator like Jäger, who is a three-speed operator and has a good set of weapons, an ability that can be deployed during the preparation phase, and whose kit includes a bulletproof camera or two barbed wires, make him fit in the roamer category.
Meanwhile, things change for an operator like Echo, whose drones cancel the planting animation, which is usually performed when the site is clear. Those details are what define an operator's role in the game.
Let's go through the best anchors in the game.
Smoke
If you have to go for an anchor but you don't know who to pick, Smoke is the best choice. His weapon set is incredibly strong for an anchor, including what's considered the best shotgun in the game, and an SMG-11 as a secondary. The only downside of his set is the SMG-11's recoil, which is difficult to control.
His gadget consists of three smoke canisters that, once deployed, the smoke last in the air for 10 seconds. This means that he's usually seen throwing the three canisters when only 30 seconds are left. However, Smoke is sometime's used as a flex, using his smokes to delay attackers from winning certain parts of the map — flex operators are in another category, which we will discover on another occasion.
If that wasn't enough, Smoke can deploy a shield, which is used in different strats in the game. Overall, his set and his gadget make him the perfect anchor, and one of the best in the game.
His SAS partner on defense, Mute, can also be played as an anchor due to him having the same set of weapons and a C4. Although he is played as an anchor in some plays, he is usually used as a flex.
Echo
Attackers have a 1v4 advantage, planting with no seconds left in the timer. Suddenly, something stuns the planter and cancels the animation, giving the defender's the win. Sounds exciting right?
Echo's ability is one of the best in the game if you ask me. He can deploy two almost-invisible drones that can stick in the ceiling, with whom he can cancel plants — and give constant information on where the attackers are. It is frequent to see Echo constantly looking at cameras and giving callouts to his teammates, even using one of the Yokais' around the map while the other stays on-site.
A very good primary weapon with an x1.5 sight, the Bearing 9 as a secondary, and the option of bringing a shield or two impact grenades, which can be used to make rotations on-site. Echo has an outstanding kit to play as an anchor.
Tachanka
The Siege community went from "Tachanka is useless, he is just a meme!" to "Tachanka is too broken!" in a matter of days. Tachanka's ability has been evolving throughout the years, and we could say that the Russian operator is now in his prime and fits in the current meta.
His LMG can be used in both gunfights and to open rotations and angles on-site, and his SHUMIKHA launcher launches incendiary grenades to burn the attacker's hopes of success. The fire stays there for a long time and can stop any attacker's push. Tachanka is finally useful.
Mira
The Spanish operator is incredibly strong in some sites. Her two windows are very useful in certain maps, like Oregon's and Bank's basement sites. She also has a C4, which can be used to cancel planting animations. A well-placed Mira window and a well-thrown C4 can decide any round.
Her set of weapons is also splendid for an anchor. We highly advise players to bring the secondary shotgun with her, as she can use it to open rotations or holes in the site.
Maestro
Maestro has one of the strongest guns in the defender site, the ALDA 5.56. He also has a revolver as a secondary weapon that can be used to open rotations. And if that takes too much time, he also has two impact grenades to open them a bit quicker.
His ability includes two bulletproof cameras that can be used to shoot at attacker gadgets, or even at the attackers themselves. Although these are visible and can be easily cleared with an explosive gadget like a grenade or an Ash projectile, a well-placed camera combined with Wamai's or Jäger's gadgets always puts attackers in some trouble.
Kaid
Kaid is one of the best alternatives to Bandit, as his Electro Claws can electrify hatches and walls. He is a one-speed operator, so he can't play as a roamer. However, with a C4 and with weapons with good sights, he is good to take care of long angles.
Goyo
The Mexican operator is not often seen in the game. Back when he was first released, Goyo was a strong operator in many line-ups. However, some tweaks to his weapons and his ability, as he went from having three shields to just two, made him not that viable in the current meta. Despite that, he can still be seen included in some strats.
Doctor and Rook
The GIGN duo isn't seen quite often, especially in professional matches. However, as they are one-speed operators, they aren't seen walking across the map -- although ranked players love to do so.
While Rook usually leaves his armor plates on the floor at the beginning of the preparation phase, Doctor should stay on-site for the whole round to support his teammates with his Stim Pistol.
Both operators have the MP5, which is a very strong weapon, especially in long-range gunfights.
How do I improve my anchor game in Rainbow Six Siege?
Whether you are Smoke, Mira, Echo, or any other operator who's playing anchor, you must have constant communication with your teammates. It is essential to give them callouts, telling them what can you see through the gadget, whether you're using a Yokai or you're playing behind a Mira window. If someone destroys your Maestro camera, you must tell your team who was it and from where. Any information can change the round's path.
Game sense is also a very important quality to have as an anchor, especially while giving callouts. You also must read the operator attacks, and try to cut their pushes if you're playing as a Smoke or as a Tachanka. And if you're Echo, you might want to avoid gunfights, and focus on cutting plants — if you're playing Bomb.
Although aim might not seem important, it is. Anchors are usually put on men's disadvantages as attackers will focus on cleaning the roamers first. It is the anchors' job to try and save those rounds too.
Last advice, don't play silly. We know that being an anchor, who stays in the same spot for three minutes, might not sound as exciting as roaming and playing around the map. But I promise you, a clutch as an anchor after perfectly reading the opponent's play, a well-thrown C4, or cutting a plant with a Yokai with the timer at 0:00 creates what's possibly the best feeling in the game.