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Rainbow Six Siege is a complicated game. Before taking it seriously, you must understand what each operator can bring to the battlefield. Mastering their special abilities is key, especially if you want to play competitive game modes.
We have elaborated a list ordering them from the best (Essential) to the worst (Off-Meta).
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Rainbow Six Siege defenders tier list
To order the operators in the six different categories, we have considered the operators' loadouts, gadgets, and in-game presence.
It's difficult to rate Fenrir's situation in Rainbow Six Siege, as the defender has only been part of the game for a few months.
Here's every operator rated on the tier list!
Essential - Mira, Valkyrie, Jäger, Azami, Smoke
Azami- Azami's ability can block doors and lines of sight. She can also be used as a counter to vertical plays! Her insane loadout combined with her versatile gadget, the Kiba Barrier, makes her a very dangerous defender. Check out our Azami operator guide for more information about the Japanese operator.
Mira- Mira's Black Mirrors are a pain in the neck for attackers, especially when they are combined with a Mute, a Bandit, or a Kaid. Attackers are usually forced to use a tonne of utility to destroy them. Mira is very strong on maps like Oregon, Coastline, Kafe, Clubhouse, or Theme Park. Check out our Mira operator guide for more information about her.
Valkyrie- Valkyrie's Black Eyes can be hidden easily across the map, providing defenders with information for the whole round. With the existence of yellow pings, Valkyrie's position in the meta is still strong despite her not being able to throw her cameras outside the building. Check out our Valkyrie operator guide for more information about the American operator.
Jäger- Jäger's ADSs are one of the best pieces of utility in the game as these can intercept any projectile or grenade. He's also one of the best roamers in the game, despite the current state of his 416C. Check out our Jäger operator guide for more information about the German.
Smoke- Smoke is one of the best anchors in the game. He can stop attackers with his toxic canisters, blocking entry points to the bomb site for 30 seconds. Check out our Smoke operator guide for more information about the S.A.S. operator.
Meta - Castle, Solis, Kapkan, Bandit, Thorn, Kaid, Aruni
Thorn- Thorn is a trap operator. Her traps are used to spot attackers and even destroy some of their gadgets. With her gadget, Thorn can kill her enemies. Although her traps aren't the best in the game, her Deployable Shield and the recent addition of the x1.5 sight to her primary weapon makes Thorn one of the best defender operators in the game right now. Check out our Thorn operator guide for more information about the Irish operator.
Bandit- Bandit is key to electrifying reinforced walls. He can also Bandit Trick reinforced walls, a tactic that, if properly used, can burn all of the attacking hard-breaching gadgets. Check out our Bandit operator guide for more information about him.
Solis- Solis is Operation Solar Raid's new operator, however, she has already adapted to Rainbow Six Siege. She can detect any attacking electronic device, even the defuser! If Pulse and IQ ever had a daughter, that would be Solis. Check out our Solis operator guide for more information about the Colombian operator.
Castle- Despite the UMP45 not being a good weapon, his Super Shorty and his Castle Barricades put him in a very strong place in the current meta. Check out our Castle operator guide for more information about Castle.
Aruni- Aruni has been nerfed with the launch of Operation Solar Raid as she's now a one-sped operator. However, her gates still burn a lot of attacking utility. She can also use her punch to open rotations and new angles of sight. She's very useful. Check out our Aruni operator guide for more information about the Thai operator.
Kaid- Although sometimes Kaid may be a bit more useful than Bandit as he can electrify hatches, the Moroccan position in the game is still a bit worse than the German's position. However, the options with Kaid are infinite. Check out our Kaid operator guide for more information about him.
Very Usable - Warden, Goyo, Mozzie, Pulse, Warden, Mute, Echo, Maestro, Alibi
Alibi- Alibi's position in the game as a roamer is great. However, she used to be stronger. Ubisoft decided to nerf her loadout and took her Deployable Shield and her two Impact Grenades. Although her loadout isn't as complete as before, she's still a great option. Check out our Alibi operator guide for more information about the Italian operator!
Mozzie- Mozzie's Pest Launcher can capture enemy drones to use them in his favor. He doesn't only deny but he also gathers information. Check out our Mozzie operator guide to know more about the Australian operator.
Mute- Mute's Signal Disruptor is an excellent gadget to make it difficult for attackers to drone. It can also be used to block any other attacking gadget, such as hard-breaching charges. With his shotgun and his SMG-11, Mute is still one of the best operators in the game. Check out our Mute operator guide for more information about the S.A.S. operator.
Echo- Echo is perfect as an anchor when playing Bomb. His two Yokai Drones don't only get information constantly but they can also be used to stop planting animations. Check out our Echo operator guide for more information about the Japanese operator.
Warden- Warden's special glasses give him the ability to see through smoke clouds. If active, the glasses also help him to not be blinded by stun grenades or abilities like Blitz's shield. He's extremely useful to cancel plants, as he can also be equipped with a C4.
Wamai- Wamai's disks have a similar effect to Jäger's ADSs, as they will intercept any kind of projectile or grenade. His disks can also intercept Ace's hard-breaching gadget. Check out our Wamai operator guide for more information about him.
Goyo- Goyo's Volcán Canisters are the perfect gadget to stop attackers from entering the site. The flames don't fade away completely until 20 seconds have passed. He's very useful on maps like Theme Park or Kafe. Check out our Goyo operator guide for more information.
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Maestro- Maestro's Evil Eyes are the perfect gadget if properly used. Maestro can destroy attacking devices such as drones or hard-breaching charges. The cameras only are destroyed with explosives and other tools. Maestro is a great operator on Bombsites like Consulate's Garage or Villa's Games Room. Check Maestro's operator guide for more information about the Italian operator.
Frost- Frost is very situational. Her loadout is great, including a primary weapon with access to an 1.5x scope, a shotgun as a secondary, and a Deployable Shield as a gadget. She's very useful on maps like Border. Check out our Frost operator guide to know more about the Canadian operator.
Kapkan- The Russian operator is known for his traps. Despite being easy to counter as these aren't bulletproof, Kapkan can do the job, especially on Ranked. Check out our Kapkan operator guide for more information about Kapkan.
Lesion- Lesion's traps are more well-hidden. If an attacker steps on them, these will slow them down and start dealing damage every two seconds.
Pulse- Pulse's Cardiac Sensor is extremely useful for intel-gathering functions. He can combine it with his C4 to make his ability deadly. He's very used on maps like Consulate or Bank. Check out our Pulse operator guide for more information about him.
Specific - Melusi, Fenrir, Oryx, Rook, Doc, Ela
Melusi- Operation Solar Raid has seen the introduction of Solis to Rainbow Six Siege. At the same time, some operators received small tweaks. Melusi was one of them. The roamer is now a one-speed operator, which has killed her. She is still strong, but her speed is a difficult obstacle to overcome. For more information about Melusi, make sure to check out our Melusi operator guide!
Fenrir - Fenrir is Rainbow Six Siege's newest operator. It was released to the game with the launch of Operation Dread Factor. His gadget releases a purple gas that reduces the vision field of the attackers. It is very good when it's hidden. Fenrir can also play around the deployed gadgets as he can activate and deactivate them during the round. Check out our Fenrir operator guide to know more about Fenrir.
Doc- Doc's most recent buff has elevated his position in Rainbow Six Siege. With an improved Stim Pistol and with the Bailiff as a secondary weapon, Doc is now a versatile operator. He can still equip an 1.5x scope to his MP5! Check out our Doc operator guide to know more about the French operator.
Oryx - Oryx's ability allows him to create rotations, new angles of sight, and climb up hatches. It's thanks to the latter that he's used on maps like Coastline or Consulate, as he can move freely using the hatches. He's also a three-speed operator and can be used for late flanks. Check out our Oryx operator guide for more information about him!
Rook- Just like his teammate Doc, Rook's position in the meta has been elevated recently. His ability, the Armor Plate, has been buffed, allowing operators using it to withstand when being in a DBNO state. Check out our Rook operator guide for more information about the British operator.
Ela - When she was released to Rainbow Six Siege, Ela was a monster. Now, she is still good. She has access to two great primary weapons, a Deployable Shield, and three mines. Check out our Ela operator guide to know more about the Polish operator.
Maybe - Vigil, Thunderbird, Tachanka
Vigil- Vigil is a roamer. He can go undetected by drones, which makes him very good at his role. He can even use Impact Grenades. Check out our Vigil operator guide for more information about him. Check out our Vigil operator guide to know more about the South Korean operator.
Thunderbird- Thunderbird's Kóna Stations allow defenders to restore some of their health points. It's very useful when roamers have done their job successfully. Check out Thunderbird's operator guide for more information about her.
Tachanka - Tachanka's Grenade Launcher can be used to prevent attackers from rushing the site. His flames will block any entry point for a long period of time and will force the enemies to decide between walking in while taking some damage or looking for another entry point.
Off-Meta - Clash, Caveira
At the bottom of the list, we have two operators that, on the right hand, can be extremely useful. However, we rarely get to see them played by the professionals of the game.
Clash- Clash's ability can be used to slow down while inflicting the attackers with some damage. However, many operators can counter her, and without the right gadgets around Clash, the English operator is cleared quite easily. She can waste attacking utility though! Check out our Clash operator guide for more information about her!
Caveira - Caveira's Silent Step allows her to run silently across the map. She can also get interrogations, which reveal the location of all the attackers on the map. Although it sounds amazing, she doesn't bring anything to the defenders. If she doesn't get to interrogate anybody, she's just stealing the spot of another defender.