10. Ash

It really comes as no surprise how Ash remains as one of the most pick operators in the game throughout all these years. Her high velocity gameplay attracts a lot of players because they can engage enemies while doing quick flicks right after sprinting. Her guns are powerful with a wide variety of attachment choices, and her special gadget, the Breaching Round, is very versatile and can be used in a lot of ways.

And it’s not just her 3-speed rating, special gadget, and guns that make her so appealing to players. Now with 2 claymores at her disposal, she can also very effectively defend herself and her teammates from roamers and flankers. Even her breach charges can perform the soft breaching function of her special gadget and the player can reserve Ash’s Breaching Rounds for destroying bulletproof Defender gadgets.

What Makes Ash Most Picked:

• Heavy firepower
• Quick and hard to hit
• Versatile special gadget
• Claymores

9. Sledge

Just like Ash, this high-octane operator is very fun to play. In many cases, he’s even more versatile than Ash because his Tactical Breaching Hammer doesn’t run out of uses. He can also destroy bulletproof gadgets from a distance with his frag grenades, and he also has stun grenades in his arsenal if he deems that it’s more effective to penetrate the objective area after robbing enemies of their vision and hearing.

With that said, most players go for the frag grenades on Sledge, because one of the most effective strat on him is the vertical attack wherein the player will keep destroying the wooden floor above the Defender’s objective area, exposing the Defenders below from Attacker fire above. This is also one of the best ways for Sledge to throw his frag grenades towards his enemies below.

What Makes Sledge Most Picked:

• Versatile special gadget
• Very effective at vertical attack
• Frag grenades
• Excels at any range

8. Valkyrie

Despite the massive nerf on her Black Eyes making them practically useless outside the objective building, Valkyrie retains her high pick-rate because intel is very valuable in Siege, and when it comes to intel, she’s one of the best. Her Black Eyes can be accessed by her whole team and they provide a 360 view of the surroundings. They’re also small and very hard to notice, so they can be placed in awkward angles that would be hard for enemies to see.

That’s why even when she’s already eliminated from the round, she still provides great support for her team. I can’t tell you how many Defending rounds were clutched with the help of her Black Eye cameras feeding info on enemy whereabouts to the remaining Defender. She’s great at teamplays and that is why when a Defending team is serious about winning, she’s probably going to be in their lineup.

What Makes Valkyrie Most Picked:

• Intel gathering ability
• Great at countering vertical attacks
• Low recoil submachine gun
• Powerful shotgun

7. Iana

Speaking of intel, this operator can send an exact holographic copy of herself that can mimic every movement that she can do except shooting and rappelling. That is one of the best ways to get intel on enemy positions and confuse them, which was shown a lot of times in the video above. She’s extremely great for team plays especially in the hands of a coordinated team using voice comms.

But even for solo queuers, Iana is such a joy to use because she can play the role of flanker and still be effective. With the intel that she can gather with her Gemini Replicator, she’ll know exactly where to throw her frag grenades and score an easy kill. Her guns are great as well, especially her ARX200 equipped with a 1.5x scope.

What Makes Iana Most Picked:

• Can safely scout ahead and gather intel
• Great primary guns
• Secondary gadgets that work well with special gadget

6. Zofia

Zofia is a force of nature. If we’re just talking about firepower and offense, among the attackers, she’s probably the best. Her LMG-E can dish out huge damage while maintaining a low recoil supplemented by a big bullet capacity per magazine. And now that Ubisoft has improved the recoil of her M762, it has become a more viable alternative for players who prefer its slightly higher damage and faster reload.

The impact grenades that are launched through her the KS79 Lifeline can create soft breaches much faster and quieter than Ash’s Breaching Rounds. Her concussion grenades that are also launched via her KS79 Lifeline can concuss opponents that are hiding in corners, making them more vulnerable for Zofia and her teammates’ advance. This is a pure offense operator that became even more powerful due the recent update allowing her to carry two claymores.

What Makes Zofia Most Picked:

• Heavy firepower
• Versatile special gadget
• Claymores
• Low recoil – High damage LMG

5. Jackal

With more choices of Attackers to ban in Ranked these days such as Thatcher, Montagne, and Fuze, we’ve seen a rise in Jackal’s pick rate. Just a few years ago, Jackal was almost unusable in Ranked, but these days, there are a lot of matches where he’s available, and whenever he’s not banned, it’s almost a guarantee that he will be picked. And there’s really no reason not to pick him when he’s available. 

Like mentioned above in Valkyrie’s entry, intel is very valuable in a tactical first-person shooter like Siege, and on the Attacker side, Jackal is the best when it comes to providing intel to his whole team. With his special gadget, he can track Defender footsteps allowing him to advise his team about enemy positions. Scanning a set of footprints with his special gadget also allows him to keep pinging the active location of the owner of those footprints, and this ping will be visible to Jackal’s whole team.

What Makes Jackal Most Picked:

• Intel gathering ability
• Low recoil guns
• Claymores
• Wide variety of guns and attachment options

4. Azami

She’s the newest operator in the game, but make no mistake. Her high pick rate and popularity isn’t only because she’s new and people are trying her out. Her pick rate in ranked, especially in the higher ranks (platinum and above) is because she’s really one of the best operators in the game right now. Her guns, especially the ACS12 are powerful, and her secondary gadgets complement her role very well.

For a tactical shooter game like Siege, Azami’s Kiba Barriers, which has the ability to essentially redesign the geometry of the battle, is quite OP. With the Kiba Barriers, she can perform a quick repair on breached walls, fortify vulnerable angles, and block drone holes. With this, she can also redirect the movement of her enemies. There’s no denying that her influence on the map is great and that’s why her pick rate is high.

What Makes Azami Most Picked:

• Ability to fortify vulnerable spots
• Can redirect enemy movement
• Can repair destroyed walls and block destroyed windows
• Great influence in the map

3. Melusi

I agree with the thumbnail of the video above. Melusi is still quite OP and that’s why her pick rate is high. Despite the nerf that made her Banshees non-bulletproof when they’re activated, they are still one of the most OP gadgets in the game especially since Melusi can just attach them in awkward angles so that it’ll be hard for Attackers to shoot them, or make themselves vulnerable in trying to shoot them.

The only drawback that Melusi has is the lack of scopes that provide a higher zoom on her guns. Despite that, her MP5’s low recoil makes it an effective weapon even at long range. Her Super 90 is a powerful shotgun with good range and a lot of destructive power. The Romeo1 Reflex sight on her handgun is great for precision shooting. And her impact grenades are great for teamplays because they can be used to create rotation holes.

What Makes Melusi Most Picked:

• Special gadget greatly slows down enemies
• Special gadget can compromise enemy locations
• Secondary gadgets that are great for teamplays
• Low recoil submachine gun
• Highly destructive shotgun

2. Smoke

Smoke’s pick rate isn’t just high in Ranked games. It’s high in pro-league as well. His ability to deny a large area to the enemies with his Remote Gas Grenade and him being able to be inside the effects of that gas grenade is one of the most powerful abilities in the game. Positioning plays a major factor in Siege where strategy is as important as aim, and having the momentum of your advance be disrupted by a sudden burst of gas grenade will really disrupt not only your rhythm but strategy as well.

As mentioned above, Smoke can also enter his gas grenade’s radius, so he can use it to outmaneuver his enemies. The position that the Attackers just took control of can be taken back by Smoke in a matter of seconds. He’s also a menace at close range with his shotgun, and can excel at medium range with his SMG-11 machine pistol. Smoke is a complete package operator and it’s very hard to beat a coordinated team with Smoke.

What Makes Smoke Most Picked:

• Ability to deny area
• Best at countering smoke + plant strats
• Excels at any range with shotgun + machine pistol

1. Kapkan

There is no question that Kapkan is one of the most dangerous Defenders in the game right now, especially with the update that now enables him to put multiple EDD traps in one entryway. Even just two EDD traps being detonated is enough to inflict instant death to an enemy. Putting three of them in one entryway will make sure of it. Among all the Defenders, only Kapkan possesses an ability that can score an instant kill in one go.

Even before that update, Kapkan was already one of the most troublesome Defenders in the game. One EDD trap explosion can shave an Attacker’s hp in half and effectively disrupt his or her rhythm. The explosions also compromise the Attacker’s locations. And even when they’re checking every entry way being mindful of Kapkan’s EDDs, they already have fallen into Kapkan’s trap, because by checking each entry way and shooting the EDD traps, they can leave themselves vulnerable to enemy fire.

What Makes Kapkan Most Picked:

• Special gadget that can inflict instant death
• Ability to compromise enemy locations
• Ability to disrupt enemy rhythm

Attention operator, please be advised. There is a new directive from Six. Read up on these related articles, and prepare for deployment:

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