Rainbow Six Siege Guide How to Win

What good is playing a tactical shooter if you don't know any of the tactics? We've put together some tips to get you off to a good start on the latest Rainbow team. Even if you're on a team of five, not six. Look, just keep this info in mind and you'll be the best damn player on that team, no matter how big it is.

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Get a Headset

This is most obvious advice there is, but getting a headset (or even using your iPhone earbuds) will improve your coordination and teamplay immensely. Sure, you can play Rainbow Six – and play it well – without one, but you'll soon run up against teams who are a) as good as you and b) have headsets, which won't end very well at all.

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There's a time limit, but don't rush

Rainbow Six's compact rounds and distinct planning and attacking phases initially give the impression that once you've found the objective (or not) you've got to execute your plan immediately. This isn't the case, and while leaving your assault to literally the last minute is risky, it's also sometimes tactically advantageous, especially with a good squad.Waiting a little while makes the defenders nervy and, if they're not that disciplined, likely to leave their posts and make a mistake. A tactic worth exploring in the early rounds to see how jumpy the other team are.

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Enemies are often heard before they're seen

Particular attention has been paid to audio design in Rainbow Six Siege, and it's easy to see why: on both attack and defence you're likely to hear your enemy before you see them. A good team uses this to their advantage by cutting out the chatter and minimising their own movements: it's often possible to hear crashing footsteps of hasty teams above, below, or around you, and it's also not difficult to identify their breaching tools as well. It gives you a vital few seconds to prepare that you wouldn't otherwise have had.

The same principles apply on offence, especially when you don't know exactly where the other team are: listening out for movement is just as much a giveaway as barbed wire in doorways, or reinforced walls. You can also use telltale sounds as decoys, knocking through barricades to give the impression you're coming in before breaching somewhere else.

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Use the game's bugginess to your advantage (although this will make you A Bad Person)

Rainbow Six Siege is no stranger to bugs, and sadly one of its major issues is clipping. It's possible to see – and shoot – enemies if they're backed up against certain walls, and it's also not unusual to see foes attaching breaching charges to walls when you shouldn't be able to. Be aware of this when you're backing up into area you consider safe.

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Use the cameras

Strategic use of cameras, whether they're mounted on drones or are part of the building, can mean the difference between winning and losing. Within a few rounds of play on defence you'll know it pays to destroy incoming drones before they give away your position, but attackers shouldn't see the end of the planning phase as the end of their drone's capabilities. Instead, continuing to use a drone in the attacking phase means you can position it in hard to reach places (under beds, pool tables, cars, etc) and one player can call out where the defenders are in the room, and how they're covering the objective. Even if you die, you can still guide the team if the battles are taking place near a pre-built camera.

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Click the sticks to lean when aiming down sights

Simple, but effective. Click left stick to lean left around a corner, right stick for lean right. Soon you'll be using it all the time.