Ranking Rainbow Six Siege's Year 4 Operators

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege has concluded its Year 4 content lineup, packing eight Operators across four scheduled seasonal updates. Ubisoft wraps the year amid record success, as the title surpasses over 50 million players, and achieves its highest active player count since launch. Alongside exemplary efforts to tackle community concerns, the hit shooter enters 2020 healthier than ever.

Year 4 also expanded the playable roster, introducing new gadgets and gizmos, further diversifying the mechanics of combat. That explored some of Ubisoft's most creative additions to the tactical sandbox yet, while those astray failed to attain the spotlight. With more recruits on the horizon, we've ranked every Operator released under Rainbow Six Siege Year 4.

1. Mozzie (Operation Burnt Horizon)

This Aussie grease monkey assembles half of Year 4's debut duo, supported by the game's first drone-hacking ability. The slingshot-style launcher further muddied objective surveillance for the teams, shaking up a long-untouched fundamental component of Rainbow Six Siege. Primed to commandeer passing drones, arachnoid "Pest" devices skewed opening phase mechanics, with lasting impact throughout the round. Pair that with the forceful precision of the Commando 9 and the snappy fast-firing P10 RONI, Mozzie boasts impressive firepower for close encounters too.

It's tempting to hijack the drones, spending the round heads-down in cameras. However, Mozzie's benefits have emerged from hyper-focused drone denial capabilities, whether blocking up key routes or targeting singular devices. Also capable of fending off attackers, while securing up to three additional viewpoints, he's a valuable inclusion for any coordinated team. That makes an accessible core Operator concept for the millions still onboarding, with intricacies for long-term veterans. And with an ever-growing pool of intelligence gadgetry, he's remained a top pick throughout 2019, leading the Year 4 lineup.

2. Wamai (Operation Shifting Tides)

Ubisoft has stressed a fundamental trait across future Operators, aiming to avoid binary "hard counters," shifting focus toward creative gadgetry that disrupts gameplay flow. No gadget better exemplifies that philosophy than Wamai and his anti-projectile deployable, wrapping Year 4 with an ability already leaving a mark on competitive play. In contrast to the quick and clean Active Defense System, the ingenious Mag-NET halts throwables and rounds in their path, redirecting and detonating them at the device. That revised approach introduces new implications for gadget placement, to the potential benefit and detriment of both teams.

While Wamai, like most Year 4 Operators, inherits recycled weaponry, his AUG A2 is among the few assault rifles on defense. It provides a hard-hitting alternative to the more reactive MP5K submachine gun and complements his anchor-focused role.

There's a punishing learning curve for Wamai, but upon mastering Mag-NET placement across objective sites, it's the perfect ambush to catch attackers off guard. He may still be finding his place in the meta as the latest Rainbow Six recruit, but the core gadget design lies among Ubisoft's top triumphs to date.

3. Kali (Operation Shifting Tides)

While Rainbow Six Siege has wrangled the implementation of snipers since launch, Operation Shifting Tides debuted a sharpshooter deserving of a place on the roster. Kali bridges the tools of a seasoned crack shot with anti-gadget utility, combatting the wealth of defender deployable gadgets in the same vein as Thatcher.

That doubles with a roaring high-damage CSRX 300 sniper rifle, capable of tearing up anyone or anything in its way. The instant down quickly settles any gunfight, while destructive capabilities make it easy to target defenders through soft walls. Glaz remains in troubled waters, but Kali avoids those mistakes with a viable utility to complement her signature weaponry. Unfortunately, Rainbow Six Siege doesn't account for long-range encounters, with that 5X to 12X variable scope going to waste across most maps.

Sniper rifles undoubtedly have their place in Rainbow Six Siege, but Ubisoft is only just nailing down their implementation. The bolt-action shifts in the right direction, capable of supporting allies from afar, with her sidearm best for close-quarters rows. And with new maps and gadgets expected with Year 5, Kali will only continue to grow around arising opportunities.

4. Gridlock (Operation Burnt Horizon)

Concluding a period when Rainbow Six Siege sought to reduce the presence of roamers, Year 4 opened with a counter to grind defense to a standstill. As her name alludes, Gridlock and her Trax Stingers directly targeted rotation routes and other choke points, reducing defender mobility, and steering foes down alternative paths.

Once deployed, the Trax capsule propagates a sprawl of razor-sharp pads that steadily multiply over time. The fangs will damage and slow attackers, with an audible rustle, doubling as trap and intelligence over a broad radius. They're not hard to deal with, but cause underfoot nuisance annoyance that disrupts the flow of combat. Gridlock hasn't exhibited consistent influence on the meta but is attributed as one of the many factors that kept roamers in their place.

5. Goyo (Operation Ember Rise)

Goyo cooked up an incendiary line of defense with Operation Ember Rise, rigging the traditional deployable shield with a red-hot twist. Using flammable canisters strapped to the rear, Volcan Shields disperse a blazing inferno upon detonation. The ensuing chaos will take down Operators with vicinity, while temporarily locking down rotation routes and critical choke points. And starring two of the game's best defender weapons, the Vector .45 ACP and TCSG12, you've covered the essentials to keep objectives on lockdown.

Generally framed the strongest of its Latin American season, he presents an accessible premise, but with higher-tier strategies hinged on placement. Goyo must balance the best routes to set attackers ablaze, while also considering the dangers your shields present to teammates. And as he makes his first competitive appearances, more value may surface with time.

6. Nøkk (Operation Phantom Sight)

Inheriting fundamental traits of existing stealth roles, Nøkk experimented with a covert approach to offense, focused on distorting intelligence and slipping under the radar. She introduced a class far distanced from existing attacking norms, drawing inspiration from Caveira and Vigil for the H.E.L. Presence Reduction device. That fusion leaves her invisible to cameras, doubled with the masked pitter-patter of footsteps, primed for sneaking through the defensive lineup.

Nøkk requires a vastly different role to your standard attacker, with those in Rainbow Six Pro League still unearthing effective strategies that leverage her unique hook. But with the FMG-9 and SIX12 SD, flanked by the D50, her oft-silenced loadout falls short in raw firepower. That rewards patience and map knowledge, best positioned out of the spotlight, waiting for the prime chance to strike.

Nøkk initially fell short of expectations, as Ubisoft deployed various minor improvements, but it remains hesitant to implement major reworks as players harness her tools. That leaves Nøkk with the hope of broader influence, even if currently failing to gain traction in higher-level play.

7. Amaru (Operation Ember Rise)

Highballing across the map at breakneck speeds, Amaru and the high-flying Garra Hook showcased new ways to traverse Rainbow Six Siege's map rotation throughout 2019. The handheld point-and-shoot grappling gun changes up angles and efficiency across maps, source of unmissable plays on unsuspecting foes. Her loadout, combining the G2A1 light machine gun and ITAS12 secondary shotgun, is also notably fierce, packing a punch and catering to environmental needs.

There's something undeniably satisfying about what Amaru brought to multiplayer, whether soaring through barricades or ascending open hatches. Those moments make Amaru worth every play, gaining the jump on complacent objective anchors. It's just a shame those moments are so infrequent, failing to change common strategies among defenders.

Amaru was wasn't the most influential nor creative addition for Year 4, but carved a role that was just fun to play. The speedy gunslinger has some serious kick headed your way — but only when the stars align.

8. Warden (Operation Phantom Sight)

The introduction of Warden proved that looks aren't everything in Rainbow Six Siege. While he's undoubtedly a dapper chap, the U.S. Secret Service defender and his signature "Glance Smart Glasses" slipped into an unfortunate rut. When activated, he can withstand or recover from flashbangs, while preserving visibility through smoke. But Warden's highly situational implementation was commonly frustrating, and often unviable when given the choice of other defenders. His arsenal falls short too, recycling the mid-range MPX submachine gun and M590A1 shotgun.

Warden has had it rough, backed by official Ubisoft data alluding to an Operator short of presence and win delta expectations. Ubisoft has trialed various changes, switching from three-armor, one-speed to two-armor, two-speed, and introducing a nitro cell. That's had only a marginal effect on his adaptability, still far behind his Year 4 allies. Warden is undoubtedly the lowest point of 2019 additions and could require some substantial work to be viable for the future.

More awaits with Year 5

With Rainbow Six Siege's Year 4 content winding down, Ubisoft is shifting efforts toward plans for 2020. Our first wave of alleged Year 5 leaks detailed initial concepts for Y5S1 Operators, alongside confirmed weaponry, and a new Stadium mid-season event.

In the meantime, the Rainbow Six Siege Year 4 Pass is currently discounted by 30 percent, ahead of removal in early 2020.