Unfortunately, shields have long been a source of scrutiny amongst the Siege community. Due to game-breaking exploits and controversial mechanics (issues that plagued many releases in 2021), these characters are seen banned from ranked matches quite frequently. While shield operators do suffer from balancing issues, they’re also misunderstood. Learning each one’s mechanics and how to counter them can be extremely useful, to both shield users and their opposition.
6 Fuze (Attacker)
Spetsnaz operator Fuze is the most rudimentary of his colleagues, wielding a standard ballistic shield and underwhelming secondary weapons. His APM-6 cluster charges, however, are excellent for flushing out defenders and eliminating their gadgets. It’s exactly what a player wants from a shield operator, but lacking any shield-based ability significantly limits his usage. Fuze is among the loudest, slowest, and most situational operators in Rainbow Six Siege, relying heavily on teammates to protect him as he stomps across the map. In many cases, he can be a serious liability to his team by attracting enemy roamers.
Given Fuze’s access to the AK-12 assault rifle — the strongest weapon in Siege statistically — choosing the ballistic shield just doesn’t make sense. While not a bad operator overall, there are much better options for shield users to play.
5 Blackbeard (Attacker)
Released during Operation Dust Line, Blackbeard has always been met with harsh criticism. His rifle shield was first introduced boasting 800 health and has since been subjected to countless nerfs. Unlike traditional shield operators, Blackbeard’s shield only protects his head and upper torso from enemy gunfire, but it also lets him fight back. The MK17 CQB and SR-25 are incredible weapons, silencing targets swiftly during mid-to-long-range engagements. As such, he’s best played holding angles on defender-controlled rooms to challenge anchors (like Echo), being that he’s immune to headshots.
Currently, Blackbeard’s rifle shield will shatter to the first bullet that hits (depending on the weapon and distance), which can be a life-saving tool in certain situations, despite its many nerfs. Players are given a replacement shield after the first one breaks, and it can be removed manually to increase movement speed. This Navy SEAL also has access to the powerful D-50 handgun, the best pistol in Siege.
4 Blitz (Attacker)
Blitz offers the most aggressive approach for players looking to rush in. Like Fuze, Blitz is armed with a ballistic shield and handgun for close-range combat, but the shield is also his ability. Using 24 flash-bang grenades inside his shield, one button press will temporarily blind defenders, presenting an opportunity to attack. He has four flashes available with a relatively short cooldown time, but it’s not always obvious whether an opponent has been blinded or not. On the bright side, Blitz is the only operator who can sprint with a full-sized shield held forward, protecting himself from incoming gunfire while rushing.
Blitz is an excellent choice for one-on-one encounters, but facing two or more defenders can be tricky, given his flash shield’s short range. It’s best to pursue stray roamers instead (like Pulse), allowing teammates to move in safely. However, Blitz is not recommended for new players, as he requires extensive map knowledge and experience rushing.
3 Montagne (Attacker)
Montagne, meaning “mountain” in French, is the perfect name for this heavily-armored operator. He carries a massive, collapsible shield, protecting his entire body from both direct gunfire and peripheral flanks. When collapsed, his shield offers similar protection to Fuze and Blitz’s ballistic shields and allows the use of a handgun. The GIGN’s LFP586 revolver, for instance, is a hard-hitting weapon for accurate players, holding six deadly rounds within its revolving cylinder (much like the weapons in Red Dead Redemption 2). The best use for Montage isn’t fighting however, it’s encroaching on enemy territory to distract the defenders so that teammates can take them out.
On the game mode Bomb, Montagne can use smoke grenades to mask himself as he plants the defuser, then linger nearby to stop any approaching defenders. While less lethal than other shield operators, he provides a significant tactical advantage using his impenetrable shield, which can’t be displaced by bullets or melee attacks, only explosives.
2 Osa (Attacker)
Osa is a Croatian operator who, like Blackbeard, is among the only hybrid shield operators in Siege, using her Talon-8 transparent shield for both mobile cover and fixed cover (like a deployable shield). In combination with either the 556XI assault rifle or PDW9 submachine gun, she proves herself as a candid threat to defenders, able to observe her targets before peeking out of cover to attack. Osa plays a strong role in denying enemies control of vital positions, then picking up her shield to advance safely, just as a traditional shield operator would.
One creative strategy with Osa is placing a claymore behind a cracked shield — which obstructs defenders’ view of the trap — then waiting for an unlucky victim to vault over the shield. In many ways, she behaves more like a defender than an attacker, placing traps and denying entry being her strong suits.
1 Clash (Defender)
British operator Clash is among the most controversial characters in Rainbow Six Siege. She’s notorious for her CCE high voltage shield which protects her body head to toe (much like Montagne’s shield), allowing her to prevent full-scale pushes by shocking attackers — inhibiting movement speed and inflicting low damage over time. As such, she’s best used guarding key locations across the map and keeping the invaders at bay (bearing similarities to Ghost of Tsushima’s multiplayer).
When in need of a more lethal approach, Clash is armed with the exemplary SPSMG9 machine pistol, possessing a high rate of fire that mows down enemies instantaneously. Unlike other shield users, however, Clash must switch between her shield and gun, she cannot wield both at the same time — one of her only flaws. Fortunately, her Super Shorty pump-action shotgun and impact grenades provide unbeatable utility, permitting players to blast through walls and hatches for repositioning as needed. Accessible exclusively to defense, Clash is undoubtedly the most intimidating and effective shield operator Siege has to offer.
Rainbow Six Siege is available now, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Microsoft Windows.
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