Best Rainbow 6 Extraction guns and all Operator weapons
Here’s every weapon in Rainbow 6 Extraction and the best guns to use against the Archaeans
The best Rainbow 6 Extraction guns are good to look out for on your Operators so that you can use them during Incursions against the Archaeans. At the beginning of each mission, you’ll need to choose your Operator and then a suitable loadout from a selection of weapons for your Sub-Zone objectives. As with Rainbow 6 Siege, stealth and tactics are important to consider in Rainbow Six Extraction, and that extends to which guns you and your squad are using. Here are some of the best weapons to use in Rainbow 6 Extraction and every weapon for each Operator.
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The best Rainbow 6 Extraction guns to use
When considering which Rainbow 6 Extraction guns are best and what you should use, you need to remember that they behave in the same way as they do in Rainbow 6 Siege. That is to say that they generally have quite a lot of recoil (and so reward accurate shots and controlled bursts), and that headshots deal significantly more damage than usual – shooting basic Archaean enemies in the head is often a one-hit kill, even with weapons such as suppressed pistols. Since any weapon can perform quick kills by targeting weak points, a lot of the weapons can feel very similar but there are definitely a few standouts.
Shotguns
Due to the close-range nature of most engagements against the Archaeans, Rainbow 6 Extraction shotguns are very powerful, and you should have at least one person with one on your team. The SG-CQB, M590A1, M870, and M1014 all feel very powerful. They’re great for taking down any Archaean variant, but strong ones found in the Hunt objective in Rainbow Six Extraction missions or higher difficulties can be dealt with too. The major downside is that they can’t be suppressed – Hibana’s Supernova being an exception – so make sure you’ve got a reliable, suppressed secondary weapon to use instead for stealth.
Pistols
Every Operator has one or two secondary weapons to choose from, and they’re all quite solid choices for maintaining stealth. You can rely on any of the pistols to deliver a quick headshot kill on basic Archaean enemies, even with a suppressor, as you skulk about the Sub-Zones with your team. A lot of Operators have a balanced pistol with good damage and a large magazine, including the P9 or P12. Some Operators will also have a high-caliber pistol with a smaller magazine, like Finka’s PMM, which are also very effective when suppressed. To save ammo for your primary weapon, you can use your suppressed pistol to shoot Sprawl and clear a path for your allies too. Unless you’re running a suppressed primary weapon in your loadout, avoid revolvers such as the LFP586 that Doc, Lion, and Rook have access to as they rarely have suppressors.
Scorpion EVO 3 A1
Ela’s starting weapon, the rapid-fire Scorpion carbine, is an incredibly effective weapon thanks to its high fire rate and large, 40-round magazine. We recommend switching it to its burst mode, which allows you to accurately fire three rapid shots with one pull of the trigger. Keep a reflex or red dot sight on for clear aiming at close-range and use the vertical grip for greater recoil control.
V308
Available to Lion and Rook, the V308 is a great weapon that combines high-caliber power in a more compact, SMG-style form. The V308 deals good damage and benefits from a massive 50-round drum magazine which can be quickly reloaded. It’s also got very vertical recoil that’s quite easy to control and added versatility and range from burst-fire and semi-automatic modes. It’s a lot like Ela’s Scorpion but with more damage per bullet and a much slower fire rate.
Spear .308
Finka’s Spear .308 is a great assault rifle that can handle any situation in a Hot Zone, and she happens to be one of the Rainbow Six Extraction best operators thanks to her Adrenal Surge ability. The Spear has solid damage and fire rate stats, meaning it can dish out a good amount of damage, but crucially, it has relatively low and easy-to-control recoil. It’s not great at close range – switch to your secondary for that – but at medium ranges, it’s great at taking down Archaeans. You can even switch it to a semi-automatic mode which will allow you to fire well-paced and accurate shots at longer ranges. IQ’s AUG A2 is very similar with comparable damage and recoil.
All Rainbow 6 Extraction Operator weapons
As in Siege, each Operator has their own unique selection of weapons to choose from for their loadouts. This means you can’t mix and match any weapon with any Operator, but some Operators will share weapons, particularly if they’re from the same organization. Here’s every weapon in Rainbow 6 Extraction categorized into common gun archetypes, but every Operator that can use each weapon is also noted:
Rainbow 6 Extraction Assault Rifles
- M762 – Medium-range assault rifle with solid damage. Used by Ela.
- 556XI – Shorter-range assault rifle. Used by Pulse.
- Spear .308 – Accurate, all-rounder assault rifle. Used by Finka.
- Type-89 – High fire rate assault rifle with a small magazine. Used by Hibana.
- V308 – low-recoil, high-capacity rifle. Used by Lion and Rook.
- F2 – Fast-firing fully-automatic or burst assault rifle. Used by Lion.
- L85A2 – Longer-range assault rifle with a lower rate and good damage. Used by Sledge.
- AR33 – Medium-range and versatile assault rifle. Used by Sledge.
- AUG A2 – Medium-to-long-range assault rifle with controllable recoil and good damage. Used by IQ.
- 552 Commando – Medium-range carbine with solid damage and a lower fire rate. Used by IQ and Jager.
- 416-C Carbine – Compact assault rifle with strong recoil but solid stats otherwise. Used by Jager.
Rainbow 6 Extraction SMGs
- MP5 – Good, all-rounder SMG. Used by Doc and Rook.
- P90 – High-capacity, close quarters SMG. Used by Doc and Rook.
- Scorpion EVO 3 A1 – Rapid-fire carbine with reliable burst mode. Used by Ela.
- UMP45 – Powerful and accurate SMG. Used by Pulse.
- Mx4 Storm – SMG with a high fire rate and good range. Used by Alibi.
- 9x19VSN – Solid SMG with good bullet penetration. Used by Finka.
- MP5SD – MP5 with lower damage but more controllable recoil thanks to an integrated suppressor. Used by Hibana.
- K1A – SMG with solid damage, fire rate, and range. Used by Vigil.
- MP7 – Close-to-medium-range SMG with a high fire rate. Used by IQ and Jager.
Rainbow 6 Extraction Shotguns
- SG-CQB – High-damage, close-range pump shotgun. Used by Doc and Rook.
- FO-12 – Semi-automatic shotgun with fast handling. Used by Ela.
- M1014 – Accurate, semi-automatic shotgun with high DPS. Used by Pulse.
- ACS12 – Fully-automatic shotgun with a 30-round drum magazine. Used by Alibi.
- SASG-12 – Semi-automatic shotgun for very short ranges, particularly when suppressed. Used by Finka.
- Supernova – Compact pump shotgun with decent recoil control and can be suppressed. Used by Hibana.
- M590A1 - High-damage, close-range pump shotgun. Used by Sledge.
- BOSG.12.2 – Very powerful, double-barrel shotgun with good range. Used by Vigil.
- M870 - High-damage pump shotgun with good range. Used by IQ and Jager.
Rainbow 6 Extraction LMGs
- LMG-E – Very high-capacity and accurate LMG-assault rifle hybrid. Used by Ela.
- ALDA 5.56 – Low-damage LMG with a high fire rate. Used by Alibi
- 6P41 – Large, accurate LMG with a slower fire rate. Used by Finka.
- G8A1 – Low-damage but accurate LMG with a comparatively small 50-round magazine. Used by IQ.
Rainbow 6 Extraction Marksman Rifles
- HK417 – Long-range marksman rifle. Used by Doc, Lion, and Rook.
- Mk 14 EBR – Lower-damage marksman rifle. Used by Vigil.
Rainbow 6 Extraction Secondary weapons
- P9 – Standard pistol with low recoil and a 16-round magazine. Used by Doc, Lion, and Rook.
- LFP586 – High-recoil revolver with good range and damage. Used by Doc, Lion, and Rook.
- RG15 – Standard pistol customized with a reflex sight. Used by Ela.
- M45 MEUSOC – High-damage pistol with higher recoil and a 7-round magazine. Used by Pulse.
- 5.7 USG – Low-damage pistol with a high-capacity magazine. Used by Pulse.
- Bailiff 410 – Shotgun revolver with moderate damage. Used by Alibi.
- KERATOS .357 – High-damage revolver capable of being suppressed. Used by Alibi.
- PMM – Powerful pistol with an 8-round magazine. Used by Finka.
- GSH-18 - Low-damage pistol with an 18-round magazine. Used by Finka.
- BEARING 9 – Compact SMG with a very high fire rate. Used by Hibana.
- P229 – Solid pistol with a 12-round magazine. Used by Hibana.
- P226 MK 25 - Standard pistol with a 16-round magazine. Used by Sledge.
- SMG-11 – Extremely fast-firing, low-capacity, compact SMG. Used by Sledge.
- SMG-12 – Extremely fast-firing, higher-capacity, compact SMG. Used by Vigil.
- C75 Auto – Fully-automatic pistol with a high fire rate. Used by Vigil.
- P12 - Standard pistol with low recoil and a 15-round magazine. Used by IQ and Jager.
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Will Sawyer is a guides writer at GamesRadar+ who works with the rest of the guides team to give readers great information and advice on the best items, how to complete a particular challenge, or where to go in some of the biggest video games. Will joined the GameRadar+ team in August 2021 and has written about service titles, including Fortnite, Destiny 2, and Warzone, as well as some of the biggest releases like Halo Infinite, Elden Ring, and God of War Ragnarok.