Rainbow Six Siege Operators Tier List September 2021

Yesterday, Tuesday, Sept. 7, ushered in new changes to shake up the game with the induction of Year 6 Season 3: Operation Crystal Guard.

As players ranks reset and they begin the Ranked grind anew let's examine the operator pool and determine who players should, and shouldn't, pick heading into in the newest season. An important note before we begin: while the new season added balancing changes, but nothing so game-breaking that operators drastically changed placements since last August's Rainbow Six Siege operator tier list.

Without further ado, here's Rainbow Six Siege's operator tier list for September 2021:

S-Tier

Ace, Aruni, Bandit, Hibana, IQ, Jäger, Kaid, Mira, Smoke, Thatcher, Twitch, Zofia

Osa is the newest attacker and, like almost all new operators, is incredibly strong right now. Her Talon-8 Shield provides attackers with incredible lockdown potential whether covering the flank or protecting the defuser. The rest of Osa's kit it geared toward this lockdown style as she has two primary weapon choices, the hard-hitting 55XI AR or fast-firing PDW9 SMG, she also comes with smoke grenades or a claymore in her equipment slot.

IQ has moved up from A-Tier to S-Tier since last month because of one change that some consider minor but will have a huge effect. As of Operation Crystal Guard, her Electronics Detector can use the ping 2.0 system to detect defenders' electronic devices through walls. This is a massively overlooked change as it gives IQ an extra layer of protection while still allowing her to play her integral role of info gathering and relaying for the attackers.

Twitch remains in S-Tier, but it is worth noting that she received a huge upgrade to her drone. Her Shock Drone can now jump and fire laser which destroys defenders' gadgets instead of disabling it. This is massive modification which has huge potential to aid the attackers in clearing out the massive amount defensive utility used in virtually any set-up.

Bandit and Kaid remain in S-Tier fulfilling the incredibly important role of locking down the hard breach. Their ability to cycle through the gadgets and provide a wide berth of electronic fortification to reinforced walls and hatches make them integral to any defensive hold.

A-Tier

Doc, Flores, Goyo, Lesion, Maverick, Melusi, Mozzie, Mute, Nomad, Sledge, Thermite Thunderbird, Valkyrie, Wamai, Zero

While Sledge didn't change enough to warrant falling into B-Tier, he still recevied an impactful nerf. Every Sledge main’s worst nightmare has been realized as Ubisoft confiscated his SMG-11 secondary. While definitely a negative hit to his kit, Sledge's strong primary and incredibly useful gadget keep him locked in A-Tier.

Mute and Mozzie still offer an incredibly effective role of denying the attackers' information gathering. Between the pair, they offer enough utility to block off nearly every entrance to site. This forces attackers to either lose drones and information or to burn utility in order to gather more information. Either way, the Mute and Mozzie duo offers a win-win for the defenders.

B-Tier

Amaru, Ash, Buck, Echo, Ela, Finka, Iana, Jackal, Lion, Maestro, Kapkan, Pulse, Rook, Vigil, Ying

Another minor change included in the newest set of patch notes was the addition of frag grenades at the expense of her hard breach charge. Given the ample amount of hard breaching utility available to attackers, the addition of frags comes as a huge benefit to the former Spetsnaz operator.

Despite the nerfs to make it less oppressive, Echo's drone still carries a huge benefit for defenders as they are able to stall or disrupt an attack with the drone's concussive blasts. Echo's mere presence also instills a nervousness in attackers as a last-second concussive blast to the attacker planting the defuser can win the defenders the round.

C-Tier

Capitão, Castle, Caviera, Clash, Gridlock, Dokkaebi, Frost, Jackal, Montagne, Kali, Oryx, Tachanka

While these operators offer some functionality and integration into larger offensive or defensive set-ups they are frequently not seen as they don't offer the strongest gadget, kit, or both. While some of these operators can serve unique roles, many serve similar roles to other, all-around stronger operators.

D-Tier

Alibi, Blackbeard, Blitz, Fuze, Glaz, Nøkk, Warden

D-Tier remains largely unchanged mainly either functioning as self-serving operators or being hard to work into a larger set-up. Players are strongly discouraged from running these operators unless one of these operators is a cornerstone of a larger strategy.