Fans of tactical shooters know Rainbow Six is at the top of their game, with Rainbow Six Siege proving players can have an intense match where it’s not always about the maps - in most cases, it’s about how players utilize their team’s full skill set into turning the tide against the opponents. And as with any Rainbow Six title, one’s understanding of the game map matters the most in winning battles.
In the intense combat of Rainbow Six Siege, just which maps should players look into as some of the best in the game? Moreover, which underrated maps need more attention from players - especially when it comes to what they’re offering in a match?
10 Hereford Base
Previously a Royal Air Force station from World War 2, the Hereford Base has become an SAS training ground - at least, prior to becoming a deadly site in Siege. Its three-story layout and rather spacious floors make it ideal for teams to practice their tactical prowess, which also equally makes it a nightmare for a lot of players. At the very least, Hereford Base tends to become a bit confusing due to its size, but map knowledge can make Hereford Base shine in its own right.
The higher floors work best when clandestine droning, as well as defensive mining, are used, especially considering how Defenders can scatter to defend these points while Attackers can call out potential defensive points. On the lower floors such as the basement, players can take advantage of vertical gameplay - for Attackers, it’s to secure spots that can help them flank, while Defenders need to ensure their potential blindspots are protected.
9 Tower
Some claim the Tower is extremely counter-intuitive in terms of design and remains as one of the prime examples of a map that extremely favors a particular side - in this case, the Defenders. For instance, it offers two large open floors with little to no space for vertical play. It doesn’t help that it has around three main staircases, making the limited number quite easily defensible from multiple angles.
These elements make Tower extremely disadvantageous for Attackers as there are not a lot of entry options to use. For instance, Attackers can simply rappel down from a window from just about any random corner, but the scattered nature of the windows makes their entrance pretty easy to adjust to. Not to mention, both the catwalk and elevator pushes are extremely predictable, making these practically a death sentence. To avoid these situations, one of the best ways to make Tower more viable for players is to attack fast and loose - disorient the defense through sheer speed.
8 Favela
The urban atmosphere of Favela is quite a change of pace for Siege, but its rather horizontal-leaning landscape makes it infamous for a lot of players. A major complaint about Favela is its squishiness, with a lot of its walls being too indestructible and close to the outside. As such, Defenders are almost always at a disadvantage when fortifying their defenses, leaving them with little wiggle room to both rotate or even protect the objective. Despite the 2021 rework, Favela still feels like a pain to navigate.
The lack of verticality can become an advantage, however, as this does allow both sides to focus on their strengths for surprising players from the flanks or even in straightforward incursions. Adapting to combat in this manner can make Favela a rather tactically-friendly map for players to try.
7 Yacht
Fighting in the rather snow-filled regions of the Yacht is quite tricky for both sides, especially when the multiple opening points can enable Attackers to get inside the Yacht much more easily while Defenders can transform multiple openings into potential chokepoints. Unfortunately, there are multiple points in the Yacht that are just tricky to defend - including the engine room, as well as the two hatches above it.
While the sheer availability of access points in Yacht makes it an example of bad map design, players can actually make the Yacht map a bit more practical for their strategies. For instance, the predictable “weak points” of the map can be fortified into ambushes and traps that Defenders can set for Attackers.
6 Consulate
Located in the Ivory Coast, the Consulate represents the French Consulate, wherein a lush garden leads to a rather giant fortress with multiple entry points. Interestingly enough, its largest disadvantage would have to be the fact that Defenders may have to leave their key defensive positions - the meeting room and the consul office - or face the fact that they may be out in the open for a multi-pronged attack.
Moreover, it’s much more difficult for Defenders to choose an ideal spot as even the lower levels have multiple openings for attackers. And while having “one good choice” for a defense might be unideal, it may just be the perfect avenue for Defenders to duke it out against a rather predictable offense.
5 Theme Park
As the name implies, the Theme Park is based on a local amusement park - filled with a lot of attractions that players would hope are working to add a bit of thrill to their missions. Unfortunately, it’s this rather open and expansive nature that makes Theme Park more akin to a team deathmatch map than a tactical Siege location. At its core, the Theme Park is simply too large for its own good - there are a lot of empty rooms that provide no tactical advantages, and its spaces are just a pain to secure for both defense and offense.
Of course, it’s the open nature of the Theme Park that makes it such an interesting map to play in. Players can circumvent the map’s tactical disadvantages by simply focusing on certain points. For Attackers, this means focusing on a particular offensive strategy to pierce through the Defenders’ already-limited defensive lines. And for the Defenders, it’s best to secure defense as close to the package as possible to be able to adapt to Attacker strategies as soon as possible.
4 Bartlett University
Given its layout similarities with most other universities, a lot of players may feel a bit “at home” with Bartlett University, which as such might be why some squads already know how to approach defending or attacking to secure the objectives. Unfortunately, its rather civilian-oriented layout makes it such an underrated map. After all, there’s no “ideal” way of entering the building, except perhaps the rear balcony window which is most likely heavily defended.
Unfortunately, the other defensive positions are rather trickier to defend. For instance, other windows require multiple angle coverage for safe passage, while it’s almost immediately necessary to secure the indoor balconies. Due to the limited angles of entry, players can transform these setbacks into strengths as they can better control their lines of entry.
3 Villa
Unlike other maps in the game, Villa has earned a reputation for being both beloved and despised at the same time. While the huge expanse of the Villa gives both Attackers and Defenders multiple options to take advantage of their full abilities, its open nature does make it easy to tip its favors on one side almost immediately.
For instance, a lot of windows in the Villa are either too large or too small to be usable, and some of them aren’t even open for barricades. Combined with its three floors and one basement, the area is just a large open point for throwables galore. However, players who can make Villa much easier to navigate would be taking advantage of its open nature for discretion. After all, a large space gives both sides more things to look at, which gives them an equal number of things they can miss out on.
2 Oregon
While touring a survivalist’s home surely is a treat, Oregon isn’t always a viable map for players, particularly for Defenders. When using armor-based Operators, there are not a lot of areas to defend and camp. For instance, there are at least four ways to get shot when defending from 2F - be it from the work tower, the hall leading to the armory and the windows. There are also disadvantages when staying within line of sight from the rear and forward stairs, and even the hatches.
And while staying in the kids’ room or the basement remains viable, they’re not necessarily ideal considering it offers room for a Ying Candela-rush or a Blitz-rush from within the rooms. Although possessing some mild disadvantages for Defenders, the rather “predictable” nature of attack patterns does make it easier for Defenders to fortify the said points. Not to mention, shock and awe tactics - especially catching overconfident Attackers by surprise - are almost always satisfying to see.
1 Bank
Despite being a beloved area, some players do consider Bank one of the more unappealing maps in the context of the larger meta. A lot of complaints associated with the map also have to do with some of its areas being too wide open or too close to favoring a single side. For instance, its front area is too accessible that Attackers can simply attack from the glass windows, whereas Defenders can block the main by pushing through the second floor or reception hiding spaces.
Likewise, the basement area of the Bank has four modes of attack that are all chokepoints, since their proximity means Defenders don’t have to spread as much. While the garage is an alternate pushing zone, it’s hard to initiate an attack especially since it primarily is a single-push system with no way to rotate. Either way, with how familiar the Bank’s layout could become for most players, a lot of the challenge to making it more accessible has to do with circumventing the expectations of opponents - especially when there are predictable attacking positions.
Rainbow Six Siege is currently available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Microsoft Windows.