R6 Siege:
Roles on Attack

Learn more about attacking operators’ roles in R6 Siege!

Introduction

The below categorization of utility and assignment of operators to those roles in R6 is my subjective opinion.
Some operators are assigned to couple roles as their playstyle is fluid.

The idea behind it is to give you:

an overview of what can be expected when playing defensive side and facing an attacking team with certain operators
an understanding of attacking operators’ strengths
the notion of which operator to play in case-specific playstyle is your preference.

I highly recommend that you read our in-depth guides for every operator you plan to play. They will give you a much more profound idea of:

desired playstyle
details on the utility and how to use it
counters and synergies
preferred loadout selection

Attacking Roles in R6

HARD BREACHERs

Main task:

Hard breacher’s job is to create a hole(s) in reinforced walls and hatches.

Advantage given:

During preparation phase defenders will use their reinforcements on vital walls and hatches, destructible otherwise. By doing so, defenders limit options greatly for attackers for available angles and entry points.

Hard breachers are an essential part of every reliably successful team composition as they allow attackers to:

increase number of entry points to the objective
create new lines of sight that defenders can be shot from
force defenders away from their preferred position

Picking hard breacher should be your team’s main priority for team composition for almost every site in Rainbow Six Siege.

Operators included:

Thermite
Superior for reinforced walls. Thermite is the staple of successful attacking teams where entering objective through the wall is preferred option (in most scenarios, it is)
Requires melee range to plant charges putting him at risk in certain situations.
Hibana
Ranged hard breacher who specializes in reinforced hatches. A preferred choice for dealing with Mira windows.
Maverick
Best in creating murder holes. Not recommended for opening holes used for other reasons due to limitations of his utility.
Ace
Year 5 addition to a hard breaching cast of attackers, Ace comes with a range capability of Hibana and closer to Thermite size of walls opening.

HARD BREACH support

Main task:

Breaching support operators specialize in helping Hard breachers with opening reinforced walls & hatches by neutralizing defenders’ utility that prevents them from doing so.

Advantage given:

Currently, in Rainbow Six Siege defenders have access to 3 operators designed to prevent breaching reinforced walls, those operators are Bandit, Mute and Kaid.

The addition of Kaid allows defenders to prevent breaching of 2 hatches, which even increased the already significant roles in R6 of hard breach supporting operators.

Breaching support operators should be right behind Hard breachers when it comes to picking priority. They are necessary to ensure hard breaching is going to be possible, at all.

Operators included:

Thatcher
The best support attacker in the game. He can disable defensive utility from even outside of the building, and beside Bandit tricking there’s no reliable counter to Thatcher’s EMP.
Kali
A reliable counter to Breach Denial. Kali is an excellent sniper and provides great team-oriented utility.
Twitch
Not as reliable as Thatcher. Twitch is still an excellent counter to anti-breaching devices, but in most cases, defenders can counter her Shock drones.
Flores
The first attacker added in Year 6, Flores offers support utility in form of remote drones that can be used as explosives. Destroys almost any defensive unique and universal gadgets, such as breach denial, shields, Banshees, etc.
Maverick
Year3 addition to attackers cast has drastically changed the game from a breaching perspective. Maverick is an excellent counter to Mute and Bandit as both gadgets can not counter him. Both devices can be settled only on the bottom of the wall (unlike Kaid’s Electroclaw), which makes a prediction of gadget placement easier for Maverick.
IQ
Significantly less reliable than the above operators due to the nature of her utility. IQ requires either line of sight on a device or penetrable surface to be able to shoot it. Otherwise, she is only intel gathering about gadgets location, without the ability to disable defensive utility herself.

Situational Hard breach support:

Soft breachers can serve a hard breaching support function for objectives where the partially destructible ceiling or floor is above or under the reinforced wall.

That is, however, not their main purpose and is situational, while also requiring advanced map knowledge & experience.

SOFT BREACHERS

Main task:

Soft breacher’s job is to create holes in:

unreinforced walls
hatches
partially destructible ceilings & floors

Operators in this group specialize in giving vertical control to attackers.

Also, able to create new routes to the objective.

Advantage given:

The main benefit of Soft breachers comes from potential vertical control. Vertical control means using ceilings, floors, or hatches to engage defenders from a vertical angle. Establishing such angles forces defenders to:

focus on more angles than optimal
move from their preferred position
or risk getting killed by attackers

As mentioned in the earlier section, soft breachers are also capable of dealing with anti-breaching defensive utility in certain situations.

Operators included:

Buck
The best soft breaching potential in Rainbow Six Siege due to the ability to breach from above and below, with high ammo count on the Skeleton key.
Sledge
A large number of breaching usage (24), but with limited to melee range of his hammer. Great for objectives with partially destructible ceilings (basements)
Zofia & Ash
Both ladies are capable of supporting the team with breaching of destructible and partially destructible surfaces. They are, however, limited in the number of breaches they can achieve – 2 ranged with their unique gadgets and optional 3 breaching charges.
Jackal
Jackal has access to the shotgun as his secondary weapon, which gives him the possibility to open holes. Although his shotgun takes the longest time to make sizable openings, so we do not recommend picking Jackal for sole Soft breaching purposes.

ENTRY FRAGGERS

Main task:

Entry fraggers excel at killing power, number of tools available for engaging defenders, and gaining map control.

They are also often dedicated to hunting roamers if the team decides to focus on killing off-site defenders before concentrating on the objective.

Advantage given:

Besides the apparent ultimate goal – giving man count advantage by killing opponents – entry fraggers aid team by being able to swiftly take control of areas, which limits defenders options for rotations and flanks.

Great guns are usually not the only advantage over defenders when it comes to winning engagements. Entry fraggers are also equipped with toolkit supporting them in this role in R6 Siege.

Operators included:

Ash
The ultimate entry fragger since day 1 of Rainbow Six Siege.
Basically: 3 speed, great gun, and utility for opening new angles
Zofia
As similar to Ash as an operator can get. Differences being: 2 speed, lifelines (instead of stun grenades) confirming the enemy’s presence in a specific area. M762 has greater damage per bullet in optimal range than R4-C of Ash, but a lower rate of fire (730 vs. 860), and I personally find its recoil odd to control.
Jackal
A 2-speed operator, with 2 good guns available – C7E & PDW9.
Able to track defenders by scanning footsteps left by enemies.
His utility supports entry fragging greatly and hunting roamers as it points to the exact defender location in 5 seconds intervals.
Jackal can also identify whether any roamer is present by seeing where did enemy go.
Buck
Buck has a powerful but difficult-to-control weapon – C8.
On top of that, Buck is capable of using his unique utility as a shotgun in close-range encounters. As the cherry on top, he can create new angles and avenues with ease.
Sledge
A versatile attacker who is adept at challenging defenders in both long and short-range. In addition to good weaponry options, Sledge comes with Frag grenades and, similarly to Buck, can destroy soft walls and floors.
IQ
Despite being a handy operator from a utility destruction perspective, IQ is excellent at entry fragging she has 3 good weapons. Furthermore, IQ is a 3-speed operator, which allows her to take control of the map swiftly.
Twitch
F2 – enough said. One of the best, if not the best, guns in Rainbow Six Siege.
Blitz
1vs1 close range God. Once he manages to isolate and close the gap on a defender, it’s over.
However, Blitz struggles when exposed to multiple defenders and angles.
Maverick
Fast operator, with an excellent weapon – M4 – Maverick is a fantastic choice for entry fragging. Unique utility rewards creativity and allows him to create unusual angles.
Nomad
Good weapons and unique utility that help with flanks. Airjabs allow to either prevent the flank, make it harder, or at the very least eliminate the surprise aspect of the flank. Nomad is a great choice for entry fragger.
Ying
Capable of flashing an entire room, Ying excels at pushing defenders, both off and on-site. The downside of Ying is the unreliable nature of Candelas flashing.
Nokk
A good pick if you prefer a stealthy approach thanks to being invisible to cameras and silent movement. Nokk specializes in sneaking up on roamers and limiting defensive intel
Finka
Her Surge buffs the entire team thus giving an edge over enemies, which helps winning gunfights. Finka has access to decent weapons, with LMG combining very well with her unique utility.
Amaru
Can’t speak about getting early map control without mentioning Amaru. Her Garra hook is a great tool to get to the objective extremely quickly, thus either dying in the first few seconds of the match or surprising defenders with attacking presence in places they would not expect (at that stage of the round)

Rainbow Six Siege is the first-person shooter so eventually, once their utility-based task is fulfilled, every operator becomes fragger anyway.

DISRUPTORS

Main task:

Operators listed in this group specialize in disturbing defenders and disrupting their ability to perform a particular action or lower their odds of winning a gunfight.

Advantage given:

Every disruptor works in an entirely different way, giving various benefits to their team.

The main advantage, however, is that disruptors help attackers by keeping defenders occupied, preventing them from countering pushes or by distracting their attention.

Operators included:

Lion
Disrupts anything defenders were doing (rotating, flanking or plant denial) by forcing defenders to stand still for the duration of his EDD or to give away live information about their exact location
Dokkaebi
Forces defenders to either answer their phone (risking being killed during animation) or to ignore a phone call, giving away audio cue. Such cue provides information about their location and lowers their own ability to recognize game audio.
Montagne
When played correctly, Montagne can be an extremely disruptive operator. He forces defenders to decide to either ignore him (giving him a possibility to kill them) or to focus on Montagne (allowing teammates to eliminate a defender)
Nomad
A recent addition to attackers line-up is a walking flank sensor. Nomad disrupts both roamers attempting to surprise unexpecting attackers, as well as defenders attempting to rotate either on an objective site or away from it.
Capitão
Great at disrupting fortified defenders and preventing certain rotations for the duration of his firebolts. Additionally, he can prevent plant denial by obscuring view with smoke bolts.
Fuze
His disruptive capability may be situational as it requires a surface between him and defenders, on which he can plant charges to be effective. Nonetheless, Fuze is a significant disruption to anchors by forcing them to relocate, which leaves them defenseless if appropriately coordinated.
Jackal
Disrupts the ability to hold an angle and occupy a specific area for an affected defender. His pings force the defender to move constantly or risk being killed quickly.
Flores
His RCE-RETERO drones can push fortified defenders off their preferred spots. Such spots are often strong positions behind deployable shields.
Forces an enemy to choose between getting exposed while relocating or being killed by the drone’s explosion.

Angle watchers

Main task:

Specialized in holding an angle, usually from a further distance.

Advantage given:

Utility designed to give an edge over defenders peeking Angle Watcher, which increases the odds of winning gunfights.

Angle watchers can help attackers prevent rotations or defensive operators peeking the attacking squad.

Operators included:

Blackbeard
Blackbeard counters a crucial aspect of winning gunfights in Rainbow Six Siege – headshots.
He has been nerfed multiple times, but his shields still provide him an advantage over defenders in 1vs1 gunfights.
Nonetheless, Blackbeard is a formidable foe when placed in the area where only his head is exposed to defenders (i.e. windows)
Glaz
The only offensive operator in Rainbow Six Siege who can see through smoke. Prevents defenders from peeking, rotating, or pushing during smoke duration or forces defenders to put themselves at a severe disadvantage while doing so.
Kali
1-body shot down (in many scenarios) and capable of penetrating multiple soft surfaces, with 4x/12x scope options. Kali takes over the role of THE sniper in Rainbow Six Siege from Glaz.

AREA DENIAL

Main task:

Those operators focus on denying access to areas for defenders by either forcing them to move away from a certain spot or preventing movement through a specific route.

Advantage given:

Exact benefits depend on the operator’s unique utility. However, the common advantage for all operators included in this category is the ability to deny movement through impacted avenues (at least temporarily).

They are often used to help with flank prevention and rotation denial, as well as supporting the defuser plant.

Operators included:

Gridlock
Offers 3 Trax Stingers that once deployed cover a vast area to prevent defenders’ movement. She can be used to cut off rotations, prevent flanks or defuser retake.
From two main Area denial attackers, Gridlock is more obvious with her traps but much better for objective push and site control.
Nomad
The best Flank watch supporting attacker in Rainbow Six Siege. Repulsion grenades can be extremely hard to deal with when placed correctly. Additionally, Nomad can help the team with controlling the objective and cutting off rotations.
Capitão
Not suitable for flank watching. Instead, Capitão excels at temporary area denial, which is frequently used for planting a defuser, dealing with players behind Mira’s Mirror, or any other fortified defender.
Osa
The Croatian attacker is an unusual pick for an area denial role. She does not offer a utility that prevents defenders from crossing certain areas or flanking your team. Instead, Osa offers 2 equippable shields that are capable of providing cover for the attackers – they can be placed similarly to deployable shields.

INTEL GATHERERS

Main task:

Operators in this group help the offensive team by providing information about enemies’ locations.

Advantage given:

Knowing where the opponent is usually a difference between winning or losing a gunfight.

Operators included:

Jackal
Roamers’ biggest nightmare. Jackal is probably the most powerful intel-gatherer on the attack in Rainbow Six Siege. Eyenox provides pings of scanned defenders every 5th seconds.
Dokkaebi
Her logic bomb provides an audio cue about the defenders’ location. Useful to the entire team. On top of that, Dokkaebi can hack the defenders’ surveillance system, thus providing additional intel-gathering tools to the attacking squad.
Lion
Not as powerful as he once was, Lion still can get the intel-gathering job done. His drone forces defenders to stand still temporarily or give away their position with frequent pings.
Lion requires coordination within the team to be effective.
Montagne
Shield operator frequently used as a virtually indestructible drone.
Montagne is used for gathering intel about both the enemies’ location and gadgets placement.
IQ
IQ is capable of identifying defenders’ locations. However, it is only applicable when defenders are on their phones (checking camera or operating remote gadgets) and when Dokkaebi’s logic bomb is active.
On top of that, IQ is capable of identifying the Pulse’s location, but only when the Pulse uses his Cardiac sensor actively.
The most reliable intel-gathering function IQ fulfills is locating defensive utility.
Iana
Iana is able to deploy a hologram that is an exact copy of her image. The hologram can be remotely controlled by Iana, giving her the ability to scout the terrain, for both herself and the team.
On top of that, she can create a distraction, as well as bait enemies.
Zero

Zero joined the Rainbow Six Siege roster with access to cameras that can be placed almost anywhere.
Thus, he is a great choice for Valkyrie mains.
Less popular than we expected and somehow underutilized operator.

Continue your learning of
Attacking in R6 Siege

Roam Clear

Step up your roam hunting skills in R6 Siege!

Pacing on Offense

Learn 3 stages of attacking round in R6!

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