How to level up Operators in Rainbow Six Extraction

Getting an Operator to Level 10 is a worthwhile goal in Rainbow Six Extraction. Not only will you have unlocked all of their gear when they reach Level 10, but they’ll also no longer be subject to the same XP penalties at Level 10. Once an Operator reaches the top, they can’t be demoted. But, thanks to Rainbow Six Extraction’s XCOM-esque meta-game, reaching Level 10 isn’t so simple. The best strategies can be somewhat counter-intuitive, as the following tips will show:

Don’t pick the same Operator every time

You’d think that simply spamming the same Operator in every incursion would be the way to get to Level 10 fastest, but it doesn’t work like that in practice. It’s better to choose three or four favorites and rotate between them, aiming to level them up roughly in tandem. If you just select the same Operator every time, you’re not going to perform optimally, and your XP rewards will suffer as a result.

Select the right Operator for each job

At the start of a new incursion, study the Objectives carefully and select the Operator best suited to at least one of them. If there are stealth Objectives, like Nest Tracking or Biopsy, you’re going to get more XP using a stealthy Operator like Alibi or Vigil. Other Objectives, like Triangulation or Rescue, require more recon, so an Operator like Pulse or Lion will benefit most. And with some Objectives, like Sabotage and Serial Scan, a stand-up fight is pretty much inevitable, so combat-oriented Operators like Ela and Hibana are going to clean up. Most incursions will have a variety of Objective types, of course, and if you’re playing co-op, you should balance your squad and make sure you have a specialist to suit each Objective.

Avoid taking unnecessary risks

Extraction is the name of the game because knowing when to extract is key to playing the game well. Yes, the third Objective of every incursion always rewards the most experience, but the risk of getting injured or going MIA is higher, and those will hinder your Operator’s progress. If an incursion is going smoothly so far, then push on and get that extra XP, but if you’re injured and low on ammo, cut your losses and extract. It’s better to play it safe with your favorite Operators so they can be back in action without delay. This formula applies to selecting Threat Level as well. While the XP rewards at more challenging levels are better, the chances of injury and failure. You’re generally going to level up Operators faster if you complete all three Objectives on Moderate incursions without getting injured, than if you attempt higher level incursions that you have to abort due to injury (or worse).

Don’t use Operators with low HP

While any Operator with over 40 HP is classed as operational and can be selected, you’re just asking for trouble deploying any Operator whose HP isn’t at least close to 100. Maybe if the Operator is already high level, and you’re very confident in your own skills and those of your team, you can deploy an Operator on low-health on low-difficulty missions without too much risk of making matters worse. But if you’re just starting, you’re definitely better off healing your favorite Operators before selecting them again.

Heal injured Operators fast with easy missions

After every incursion, every injured Operator (except the one you just deployed as) recovers a quantity of HP equivalent to a small percentage of the XP earned in that incursion. So, if your favorite Operators are injured, the quickest way to get them back in action and earn XP again is to take another Operator on a Moderate level incursion. If you complete all three Objectives, that should earn enough HP to heal all but the most severe injuries.