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The best Operators in Rainbow Six Extraction

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Based on the very popular Outbreak mode that appeared for a limited time in Rainbow Six Siege, Rainbow Six Extraction expands on the co-op-focused gameplay as opposed to the pure round-based PvP style of the main game. However, this title retains nearly every element from Siege, including the high tension gameplay, dynamic destruction, emphasis on snap reflexes, and teamwork. This game is so targeted at fans of the long-supported tactical shooter that they even carried over the same Operators from that game, although with some small changes, into Rainbow Six Extraction. However, facing the Archaean monsters is very different than human opponents.

Just like in Rainbow Six Siege, the Operators that made it into Rainbow Six Extraction are very well balanced for the most part. Most will have the same general kits, including weapons, gadgets, and gear, while others have had tweaks to fit the new style of game better. At launch, we have a roster of 18 Operators to pick for every mission, though only nine available right from the start. Even if your favorite made the cut, you’ll want to have at least a backup or two ready for when they get injured or captured and you’re forced to swap. To help you form the best team, here are the best Operators in Rainbow Six Extraction.

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The best Operators in Rainbow Six Extraction

A squad shoots an alien in Rainbow Six Extraction.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Finka

At launch, Finka is almost universally agreed upon to be a must-have Operator on any team. Weapon-wise, she’s packing an incredibly powerful rifle with the SPEAR .308, plus a pistol or SMG secondary. She is very fast, has decent armor, but it’s her abilities as a healer that makes her so great in Rainbow Six Extraction. Her Adrenal Surge ability immediately revives any and all teammates that are downed, bringing them back into the fight without having to manually pick them up. Or, if you use it when no one is downed, the entire team gets a health buff. If Finka happens to go down, any kills she can get will restore 5 downed HP, and if you restore it all, she can even revive herself.

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Alibi

Even though she isn’t classified as a healer, Alibi arguably works better than most in that role for keeping the team healthy. It all comes down to her PRISMA decoys, which are almost overpowering in Rainbow Six Extraction, when they were merely a major annoyance in Siege. These decoys can be sent out to draw aggro from any Archaeans around, and since they can’t be broken or destroyed, they can effectively keep them occupied as long as you want. Any enemy that attacks your clone also gets tagged as an added bonus. Since many objectives require you to be in specific locations for a while, or if you just need a moment to revive a teammate, being able to distract any incoming enemies is a lifesaver.

Vigil

Just like in Siege, Vigil’s stealth options make him a monster in Rainbow Six Extraction. He’s a little squishy, but if the enemy can’t find him, they can’t hurt him. That’s all thanks to his ERC-8 Disruptor skill, which makes him completely undetectable for a few moments. That means he can’t be seen or heard, which is perfect for getting the drop on any Elite enemies for a takedown, or just sneaking through an entire mission. After you level him up a bit, you can even apply that same stealth to your teammates as well.

Lion

Lion was quite controversial when he hit Rainbow Six Siege, but now that he’s not being used against other players, his EE-One D Drone is able to really shine. If you aren’t familiar, this drone sends out a pulse that automatically detects and highlights any moving enemies in range. Once you level up, that range increases, but can also keep those enemies highlighted permanently. There’s never a situation or objective where knowing where the enemy is concentrated isn’t worth knowing. If that wasn’t enough, he’s also got the V308 assault rifle by default, which is one of the best starting weapons in the game.

IQ

Soldiers shooting aliens in Rainbow Six Extraction.

You don’t start out the game with access to IQ but instead, she unlocks once you reach level 5. However, IQ is absolutely worth the grind to unlock thanks to her Red MK IV Specter ability. This scanner allows you to see all tech objects, plus Archaeans once you’ve leveled her up, through the walls within your current area of the map. Even before it detects enemies, just knowing where objective positions are will make your life so much easier when you hit Triangulation missions and other similar objectives. The only downside is that you can’t use this scanner with her primary weapon, forcing you to use her secondary, so stick close to your team when using her.

Jager

Jager is a great support Operator that can really help out in any situation, but doesn’t necessarily shine in one particular way. He’s got a perfect weapon kit for Rainbow Six Extraction‘s more hoard-based style of gameplay, especially his M870 pump shotgun. Shotguns are the go-to choice for any zombie-like enemy, but this one also has a very high effective range. His familiar Magpie Automated Defense System has had a few tweaks as well to make it even more useful. First, it will attack any detected Archaeans in addition to projectiles, but can also be upgraded to increase the ammo it carries. It starts with just three shots, which is pretty underwhelming, but you can boost it up to eight at max level, which is much more useful.

Hibana

Let’s round out the list with the powerhouse Hibana. Unlike the other Operators we covered so far, Hibana’s time to shine is when things go wrong and you need to fight your way out of a situation. In Rainbow Six Extraction, that will happen more often than not, especially early on. When you’re getting swarmed, or face one of the Elite Archaeans, being able to whip out her X-KAIROS grenade launcher will simply solve all your problems. If an ultra powerful grenade launcher wasn’t good enough, once you reach level 10 it will also start to regenerate ammo automatically. In a game where ammo management is so important, this almost feels like an oversight.

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Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox has been a writer at Digital Trends for over four years and has no plans of stopping. He covers all things…
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