Rainbow Six Siege has been adding a ton of new operators continuously since the release of the game a few years ago, and that means there are a plethora of operators to choose from on both Attack and Defense. There are so many different things to think about when picking an operator in terms of who is best for which objective site, the map in question, what you’re expecting your opponents to bring, etc.
To help narrow it down a little bit for you, here’s a list of ten of the best operators on Defense in Rainbow Six Siege. The operators chosen aren’t in any particular order, and have been included because of how often they’re going to be a solid choice; not by how effective they can be in specific circumstances:
In the case of Defenders, these Operators rely on securing objectives and protecting them for the team. Unlike more aggressive Attackers, Defenders rely on a slate of special abilities and gadgets that ensures enemies won’t catch them off-guard. Which Defending Operators should Siege players use in their playthrough?
15 Bandit
Bandit boasts a high-speed playstyle, being an anti-hard breacher and a roamer. As a Defender, Bandit specializes in denying key entry points to Attackers while staying ahead in terms of mobility. In terms of area denial, Bandit carries four Shock Wires, capable of electrifying metallic gadgets. At its core, the Shock Wires can disable most hard breacher gadgets such as charges. And as a kicker, enemies who come into contact with electrified gadgets get a mean dose of damage too.
Since Operators such as Kali and Thatcher can recognize Bandit’s Shock Wires, speed should always be on Bandit’s side. Thanks to what players call “Bandit Tricking,” Bandit players should quickly electrify a breached gadget as soon as they hear the deployment sound cue. That way, drones, and intel-based Operators can’t easily determine the location of Shock Wires.
14 Kaid
What Kaid lacks in speed, he more than makes up for in terms of durability and efficiency. Equipped with a pair of Electroclaws, this heavily-armored Defender can electrify the team’s defensive gadgets to further boost their defensive potential. Upon deployment, each Electroclaw can electrify metallic gadgets within a 0.75-meter radius, making them quite efficient for defending specific points.
Given Kaid’s approach, he and Bandit can work together to fully-electrify a room with metallic gadgets. This factor means they do share similar playstyles, as well as weaknesses. Being an electrified gadget, the Electroclaws become detectable via drones and vulnerable against EMP-based attacks. Likewise, Kaid needs excellent map knowledge to know precisely where to position the Electroclaws for maximum efficiency.
13 Pulse
For Pulse, intelligence makes the best defense. Thanks to his HB-5 Cardiac Sensor, this roaming Defender can track opponents through surfaces - transforming his defensive specialty into an opponent’s worst nightmare. Players using Pulse can see opponents highlighted via the Heartbeat Sensor and even hear the beep go louder depending on their proximity. As such, players can use the HB-5 to note enemy positions and give valuable intel to create ambushes.
Of course, being an electronic gadget, Attackers can disable the HB-5 quite quickly. For instance, Shock Drones (Twitch), EMP Grenades (Thatcher), and locators (IQ) can dismantle both Pulse and the HB-5. Players need to be wary of how often they deploy the HB-5, as Pulse becomes useless as a roamer without it.
12 Rook
Unlike other Defenders, Rook specializes in providing support to the rest of the team. Being both a buffer and an anchor, Rook can boost his team’s defenses through his R1N “RHINO” Armor. At its core, Rook can deploy up to five RHINO plates that allies can pick up. When equipped, each plate can provide a significant boost to damage resistance. Given the buffing nature of RHINO plates, Rook synergizes well with Stim Pistols (Doc) and Kona Stations (Thunderbird).
Despite the 15-percent damage reduction from the armor plates, they do take around three seconds to equip. Moreover, unequipped armor plates become destructible from outside damage sources. When used properly, anyone with RHINO will only get downed instead of outright killed at 0 HP.
11 Thunderbird
Thunderbird relies on high-speed plays to secure positions and protect her allies. Her key ability lies in the Kona Station, as it can heal injured allies and even revive downed teammates. Thanks to the Kona Station, Thunderbird can rely on her mobility to transform zones into secondary defensive points for her allies. When utilized properly, Thunderbird can create vantage points for ambushes and successful roams.
Of course, being an electronic gadget, Kona Stations become clutter when disabled via EMP device. And as with any deployable, Kona Stations don’t last long against melee strikes, gunfire, and explosive damage. However, defensive gadgets such as MAG-NETs (Wamai), ADS (Jager), and Deployable Shields can help transform any room into a highly defensive bunker.
10 Maestro
Maestro is a very solid choice on most objective sites in the game. He’s a 3-armor 1-speed operator, meaning he’s much better suited towards playing an anchor as opposed to a roamer. His gadget further supports this playstyle. Maestro’s Evil Eye cameras are entirely bulletproof (and melee-proof), and can only be destroyed by certain Attacker gadgets, like frag grenades or Sledge’s Hammer, for example.
His camera has a thermal vision which is incredibly useful when defending against a team planting the defuser inside of a smoke screen. His Evil Eye can also fire energy beams that don’t do a lot of damage per beam, but the damage certainly stacks up over a few seconds. All of the above is not even mentioning that he has a fantastic primary weapon that can be attached with an ACOG. Maestro is a really strong Defender in the right hands.
9 Jager
There are few objective sites in the game that don’t benefit from a Jager’s ADS device. Jager is a 3-speed 1-armor operator, and his gadget destroys any incoming enemy ordnance like grenades, Ash’s breaching charge, and more. When placed well, his ADS can be a very difficult gadget to destroy, and can severely limit Attackers’ ability to use their own gadgets effectively.
Jager’s 3-speed and set-and-forget gadget make him well-suited for roaming, and though he doesn’t have the means to create his own rotation routes with an explosive or a shotgun, he makes up for that a bit by having a very good weapon. (Even without the ACOG)
8 Bandit
Jager’s partner-in-crime, Bandit is a great counter for the hard-breaching Attackers. He is another 3-speed 1-armor Defender, and his gadget is a Battery that electrifies reinforced walls, deployable shields, and barbed wire. The electric current prevents Attackers from using their own gadgets on those objects; like Thermite and Hibana, for example.
While most Attacking teams bring a Thatcher when they know they’re going to have to breach a reinforced wall, a well-timed Bandit Battery can be placed as soon as he hears Thermite lay down his Exothermic charge. This keeps the Bandit Battery out of most of the danger in regards to Thatcher, but still allows Bandit to perform his role. Bandit also comes equipped with C4, allowing him to make his own rotation routes in a pinch, though impact grenades or shotguns are generally preferred for the job.
7 Mira
Mira is, quite possibly, the operator that changed the game most when added. Mira is a 3-armor 1-speed operator, and her Black Mirrors allow for one-way windows through reinforced (or not reinforced) walls. This allows Defenders to stay informed as to what exactly is going on on the opposite side of the wall, letting them stay better prepared.
Many Mira’s set up their Black Mirrors on a reinforced wall but leave the wall next to it unreinforced, allowing them to line up a shot from safety and peek towards the unreinforced wall while firing, usually giving them an easy kill. While Mira is a 3-armor Defender without an ACOG, she has a super-useful and unique gadget and a weapon with a high rate of fire that more than makes up for it.
6 Valkyrie
Valkyrie can be one of the most frustrating and difficult Defenders to play against. She’s a 2-2 operator, and her Black Eye Cameras can be thrown just about anywhere on the map. She gets three of them, so with the right placement, she can cover a huge area of the map with cameras that can be pretty difficult for the Attackers to find.
She can be an invaluable asset to roamers on her team, allowing them to have a ton of extra information they typically wouldn’t, giving them the chance to act in situations where they normally would need to be more cautious. Valkyrie’s weapons are definitely lackluster, but as a support operator, she truly shines.
5 Mute
Mute is one of (if not the absolute best) counter-intel operators out there. Mute is another 2-2 operator, coming equipped with four Signal Jammers that disrupt enemy drones in the area, as well as other gadgets, like hard breacher’s gadgets and Jackal’s Visor.
They also stop Dokkaebi from having the chance to call your phone, provided you’re in range or a Jammer. Well-placed Jammer’s can really stop the Attackers from gaining useful intel into certain rooms, making Mute a great pick for just about any objective in the game. On top of that, Mute has some serviceable weaponry, including a secondary sub-machine gun.
4 Lesion
Lesion is one of the most difficult operators to catch off-guard. He’s a 2-2 operator, and his gadget is a Gu Mine that continually gives him more to throw over time. These Gu Mines are very nearly invisible once on the ground, and when stepped on, they make a loud noise, deal damage over time, and stop the Attacker from sprinting.
The Gu Mine can be pulled out, but it leaves the victim vulnerable for a second or two to do so. Lesion can blanket a wide area with his Gu Mine’s throughout a round, making it very difficult for Attackers to feel comfortable. Lesion also has a pretty decent primary weapon, allowing him to easily act on the intel he gathers.
3 Frost
An operator that might be surprising to see on this list, according to the most recent win-delta released by Ubisoft, Frost is one of the most under-picked Defenders and has the highest win-delta of all of the Defenders in the game. Frost is a 2-2 operator, and she has three Welcome Mats. These work essentially like bear traps, activating once stepped on, downing, and pinning Attackers in place.
These Welcome Mats are generally placed underneath windows or on the top of staircases; in the places where they’re the most difficult to see. However, Frost has been in the game for quite a long time now, so getting more creative with your Welcome Mat placement could net you a better success rate. Frost also has a decent primary gun that, though it doesn’t have a great rate of fire, stays pretty stable.
2 Ela
Yet another trap operator, Ela is a 3-speed 1-armor operator who has 3 Grzmot Mines that can be placed on any floor, wall, or ceiling. When an Attacker passes into the range of the mine, it detonates, concussing anybody in range.
The concussion effect makes it very difficult for Attackers to accurately see what’s going on and impedes their movement ability. This acts as a way to make gunfights swing in the Defender’s favor, or at the very least, gives some intel for the team. Ela has a very difficult-to-control primary weapon which is sometimes substituted for her shotgun, but she does have a pistol with a nice reflex sight.
1 Echo
Quite possibly the most banned Defender on this list in the Ranked game mode, Echo is a 3-armor 1-speed Defender and is one of the most powerful operators in the game. Echo has two Yokai Drones that hover around the floor or on the ceiling, going nearly invisible when doing the latter.
These drones can spot enemies and fire ever-recharging concussion blasts that disorient Attackers for a short period of time. This concussion effect doesn’t impede movement like Ela’s Grzmot Mines, but it does prevent Attackers from planting the Defuser. This means an Echo in a safe location can easily prevent Attackers from accomplishing their objective if time is running short. Along with his stellar gadget, Echo has a fantastic primary weapon and also a secondary sub-machine gun.
