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Best Rainbow Six Extraction Operators: which are the best characters to play with?These are the strongest Operators in Rainbow Six Extraction

These are the strongest Operators in Rainbow Six Extraction

Fighting monsters in a Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction screenshot.

On the whole the 18 Operators inRainbow Six Extractionare fairly balanced, but there are always a few that rise to the top of the tier list. Below we’ll walk you through our picks for the very best Operators in the game, alongside a rundown of all 18 characters and their abilities.

Rainbow Six Extraction: Deep Dive Series - Operators, Gadgets, React TechWatch on YouTube

Rainbow Six Extraction: Deep Dive Series - Operators, Gadgets, React Tech

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As you increase your Progression Level in Rainbow Six Extraction, you’ll periodically unlock a new set of 3 Operators to use in future missions. But don’t be fooled into thinking that the best Operators are the final ones you unlock: they’re all fairly evenly balanced in truth, and each one has particular situations where they excel, and other situations where they may run into trouble.

When choosing your ideal Operator, it’s not all about that Operator’s unique ability. You also should take into account the weapons at their disposal, their relative speed and armor values (shown on the right-hand side of the Operators screen), and - perhaps most crucially - how they improve as you increase their Operator rank.

Best Rainbow Six Extraction Operators

Below are our picks for the very best Operators in Rainbow Six Extraction, taking into account their abilities, available weapons, and upgrade potential. Keep scrolling for a list of all 18 Operators and their abilities at the bottom of the guide.

Promotional art of Lion, one of the playable Operators in Rainbow Six Extraction, superimposed on a backdrop of a ruined Liberty Island.

Lion

Add to this the fact that Lion’s second primary weapon, the punchy and accurate HK417 marksman rifle, is probably my favourite gun in the whole game, and Lion becomes a very easy recommendation for any new Extraction player.

Promotional art of Hibana, one of the playable Operators in Rainbow Six Extraction, superimposed on a backdrop of a ruined Liberty Island.

Hibana

When you first start playing as Hibana and try out her sticky explosive mines on unwitting Grunts and other low-level enemies, it may seem a bit pointless. Sure, it kills them, but so does a bullet to the head. Where Hibana really shines is at the higher difficulties, when you’re in a tough spot and you really just need to delete that enemy Smasher or Apex as quickly as possible before it deals too much damage to your team. That’s when you truly start to understand why these mines ignoring enemy carapace is such a big deal. They’re meant for the big bads.

Another reason to love playing as Hibana is that her third primary weapon, the MP5SD, is an excellent, low-recoil SMG with a build in suppressor, making it perfect for pretty much any mission situation.

Promotional art of Vigil, one of the playable Operators in Rainbow Six Extraction, superimposed on a backdrop of a ruined Liberty Island.

Vigil

If you’re playing Rainbow Six Extraction solo, then Vigil gives you possibly the highest chance of survival thanks to his cloaking device. It doesn’t last very long, but sometimes just having a few seconds to gain some distance on the enemy and reload your weapons is enough to save your life.

Promotional art of Finka, one of the playable Operators in Rainbow Six Extraction, superimposed on a backdrop of a ruined Liberty Island.

Finka

Sorry Doc, you’re also great, but Finka is my pick for the very best Operator when it comes to keeping the squad alive. Her Adrenal Surge is possibly the most potent ability in the game when used at the right moment, giving every teammate boosted health, increased aim speed, and reduced enemy debuff durations. It also revives any downed teammates, and prevents all teammates from falling into KO for the 10-second duration. This is absolutely game-changing when you start playing at the higher difficulty levels.

Aside from this, Finka has a great starting weapon - the versatile Spear .308 bullpup assault rifle. This is one of my favourite starting weapons thanks to its impressive range, low recoil, and formidable DPS.

Promotional art of Sledge, one of the playable Operators in Rainbow Six Extraction, superimposed on a backdrop of a ruined Liberty Island.

Sledge

Who doesn’t love to hit things with a gigantic hammer? No one, that’s who. Sledge might seem a bit mediocre at first, but spend a bit of time levelling him up, and he’ll pay you back with the ability to stun every enemy up to Smashers and Tormentors, leaving them wide open for a far easier kill than normal. That alone is worth the price of his sluggish movement speed.

Sledge’s hammer also opens up interesting tactical opportunities, because you can use it to smash new pathways through thin walls (the walls through which you can see enemies with your weapon’s UV light). A lot of the time this simply allows you to pick enemies off or reach an objective quicker, but sometimes opening up a new pathway can be the difference between life and death. Plus, it’s satisfying as hell.

Two operators fire on a group of Archaens as another pulls the pin on a grenade in Rainbow Six: Extraction.

All 18 Rainbow Six Extraction Operators and abilities

The above Operators are, in our opinion, the strongest - but each Operator is very powerful in their own right, and I’d always recommend you play with the character that best suits your playstyle. Below is a list of all 18 Operators in Rainbow Six Extraction, along with a description of their unique ability.

That’s every Operator in Rainbow Six Extraction listed, and hopefully this guide has given you a few choices to try out when it comes to top-tier characters at every level of play. If you’re looking to upgrade your own skills rather than just that of your character, then take a look at ourRainbow Six Extraction tips and trickspage. Elsewhere you can learnhow to save MIA Operators, andhow to level up fast in Rainbow Six Extraction.