Rainbow Six Extraction – Ultimate Beginner’s Guide: Tips & Tricks for New Players

by Yannis Vatis / Articles, Highlights / 03 Jan 2023

Rainbow Six Extraction is a challenging game. It looks like a standard objective-based FPS where you pew-pew nasty creatures on the surface. However, it’s more like GTFO, where using your head and working together with your teammates is key to success. It’s vastly different from other Rainbow Six games, which can also throw you off at first.

Fear not, though. Our beginner’s guide has all the tips and tricks you need to enter the quarantine zones with an edge.

Best Starter Operators

Every operator in Extraction has a purpose. Their loadouts and abilities combined define their playstyle and the advantages they bring to the table. All have their uses, but a few stand head and shoulder above the rest. These operators are perfect for beginner players as they have distinct capabilities that are always useful.

Doc

As the name implies, Doc is a medic-type operator. Because of the way health works in Rainbow Six Extraction, his specific healing method places him above Finka, the other healer in the game. Doc’s ability allows him to add blue health to himself or his teammates permanently. On top of that, it can be fired from range, making it easier to save allies.

Pulse

Knowledge is power everywhere, including this game. Pulse’s unique gadget allows him to detect various threats and reveal their location behind walls. These nasties include VIPs, MIA operators, and the all-important Nests. The downside is you can’t shoot while this gadget is active, but a few upgrades later will allow you to use it from the hip at the cost of scanning range.

Ela

Missions that require takedowns can be a pain. This is where operators like Ela shine. Her sticky mines can stun enemies, including elites, for short periods, giving you and your teammates a brief window to use your React knife on them for a one-shot kill.

Rook

Rook is another unique support operator worth unlocking as soon as possible. He can provide armor packs to himself and his allies, increasing the number of times you get knocked down but not out. As you can only have a second wind once per incursion, this ability makes Rook invaluable.

Vigil

Stealth is a powerful ability when you need to take down enemies to complete objectives. This is precisely Vigil’s specialty. His unique ability makes him effectively undetectable for a short time, meaning he can approach targets and stab them without triggering a screech.

Objectives to Avoid at First

Rainbow Six Extraction will assign three objectives per incursion. Despite difficulty settings, some of these mission types are harder than the rest, making them less ideal when you’re starting. You’ll eventually need to do them anyway, but when you don’t want to lose an operator you’re getting familiar with, it’s best to avoid these three objectives.

Decontamination

This mission involves taking out a cluster of 10-15 green nests. The problem is that it’s easy to trigger a horde when trying to destroy them. On top of that, they explode in a green mist that’ll severely damage you and limit your visibility.

Serial Scan

This mission is like playing territory control in other FPS games. You have an area you must continuously stand in so that you can capture it. The problem is that a stream of enemies will be coming at you all the time, especially types that attempt to run up and melee you.

Gateway

This mission has you portaling to another plane of existence where you need to fight a boss. Admittedly, it’s pretty fun, but these big brutes aren’t a picnic to deal with. It’s best to tackle Gateways once you feel you have the game’s mechanics down.

General Rainbow Six Extraction Beginner Tips & Tricks

Stealth is Your Friend

We get it. Extraction is an FPS, and you want to run around and shoot. However, that’s a surefire way to get you and your teammates killed in no time. Crouching and walking around in stealth should always be your default strategy.

Sharing is Caring

Your operator isn’t just defined by their weapons but also their ability. It’s what gives your team an edge in an incursion, so make sure you use it. It’s easy to think saving your ability is essential for later sub-zones, but it’s worth using them even in the earlier stages of an incursion.

Red Equals Dead

The red Nests peppered around the various sub-zones should be your prime targets as you progress. These things will spawn waves of enemies when triggered, leading to you getting overwhelmed fast. Take them out on sight.

Pesky Yellow Buggers

On occasion, you’ll come across yellow spores. They may look harmless, but they can severely gimp you if you don’t destroy them. If you get close, they stick to you, deplete your health, and then explode into a green mist. Actively seek and take them out. Make sure also to take them off your teammates as soon as possible.

Easy Rescue Mission

You can rescue an MIA operative regardless of difficulty level. For instance, if you lose Doc in a high-difficulty New York incursion, you can recover him from that same one but at a moderate setting. This will make bringing back your operators easier and faster.

Yannis Vatis

Yannis is a veteran gamer with over 30 years of experience playing a wide spectrum of video games. When not writing about games, he's playing them, and if he's not playing them, then he's definitely thinking about them.
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