Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction features 12 different objectives to complete while out on incursions. Each incursion chooses three random objectives for players to complete to earn XP. Since completing all three should be every squad’s number one goal, knowing how to beat every objective in Rainbow Six Extraction is imperative to success. We’ve broken down every mission in Rainbow Six Extraction, the best gear for each, and the best strategies players can use.
- The best Operators in Rainbow Six Extraction
- Is Rainbow Six Extraction cross-platform?
- Rainbow Six Extraction: 9 tips and tricks for beginners
The best loadouts in Rainbow Six Extraction
Check out our complete guide on the best loadouts in Rainbow Six Extraction for a more in-depth breakdown of REACT tech, attachments, and operators. For now, let’s keep things simple. To have success during any objective, every squad must have:
- Suppressors on their weapons
- Smoke and stun Grenades
- At least one XR Recon Drone (unlocked at Tech Tier 3)
Suppressors keep you from alerting the entire map to your presence, so their usefulness is pretty straightforward. Stuns, smokes, and other tactical grenades are vital in taking down more advanced Archaeans like Tormentors and Rooters. Finally, the XR Recon Drone is crucial for scanning the map before leaving the airlock. Two drones can probably get the entire map scanned, but one should be enough to get things going. Three is overkill, and the squad would benefit more from someone with an Explosive Harness or self revives.
So, with all that in mind, here’s how to beat every objective in Rainbow Six Extraction.
How to beat Specimen
In Specimen, your job is to locate an elite Archaean and lure them back to the extraction pad. As they approach, activate the REACT Trap to capture them. Here’s how to beat Specimen in Rainbow Six Extraction.
The goal is to find the path of least resistance to the extraction pad. That way, you’re not trudging through Sprawl and Archaean hordes with an elite hot on your tail. If Specimen is objective two or three, begin by deploying your Recon Drone and locating the elite Archaean. Once you find it, scan everything between them and the Extraction pad.
Make your way to the extraction pad, and then clear out everything between you and the elite target. That way, once you get their attention, you can hightail back to the REACT trap. Remember, you must alert the elite to make it follow you, which causes them to howl. Their howl won’t mean anything if you kill everything between them and the extraction pad. Once they’re close to the pad, activate the trap. They’ll be captured as soon as they step on it. However, if you start it too early, the trap will enter into a cooldown.
Most Archaeans will run right onto the trap. Some ranged Archaeans like Rooters, Spikers, and Tormentors can be trickier to get where you want them to go. Don’t activate it too early, and wait for them to be standing right on it.
The most important thing to remember is you can’t kill the elite. REACT needs it alive. So, if you do get cornered, tactical grenades will keep you from taking damage without hurting your elite Archaean friend.
How to beat Nest Tracking
In nest tracking, you must quietly plant trackers on dormant nests without alerting nearby Archaeans. If they howl, the nest becomes active and can’t be tracked. If too many nests activate, you’ll fail the objective. Here’s how to beat Nest Tracking in Rainbow Six Extraction.
Nest Tracking is one of those objectives that sounds really easy until one of your squadmates alerts an Archaean and renders any surrounding nests useless. That’s why scanning the area with a recon drone is imperative to figuring out which Archaeans are worth killing or leaving alone. There’s no way to deactivate a nest without destroying it, so once an Archaean howls, it’s too late. Use tactical grenades to disorient Archaeans and take them out quietly.
Keep a low profile, and focus on the nests closest to the airlock. The deeper you go into the map, the greater your chances are of alerting an enemy. You only need five nests with three players, so look for rooms with multiple nests to get the mission done quickly. You’ll recognize tagged nests when what looks like the Spotify logo appears above them.
How to beat Decontamination
In Decontamination, your job is to destroy all Aberrant Nests (the green ones) and then collect a sample from the central nest. With three players, you’ll have to kill 15 green nests. However, once you destroy one, they’ll all start spawning Archaeans, making Decontamination one of the most challenging objectives if you don’t know what you’re doing. Here’s how to beat Decontamination in Rainbow Six Extraction.
Once you’ve located the first nest, use your recon drone to scan the entire area to find all 15 (for a three-person squad). Take out any meandering enemies in the area and then split the 15 nests into three groups of five. As quickly as possible, destroy all five of your nests to prevent Archaeans from spawning in. It helps to establish an order of how you’re going to do it before executing. If you have to travel through different rooms, smoke grenades are extremely helpful for distracting any Archaeans that spawn. Once all the nests are destroyed, you can safely extract from the main nest and head for the next airlock or extraction pad.
The absolute worst thing you can do is destroy one nest before your teammates are in position. Don’t be that teammate.
How to beat Sabotage
In Sabotage, your goal is to defend a pair of explosive charges from incoming Archaeans. First, you must find the Arch Spines to blow up, which are thankfully in close proximity. The timer starts as soon as you plant the charges, so you must prepare before planting the second charge. Here’s how to beat Sabotage in Rainbow Six Extraction.
Use your recon drone from spawn to locate the Arch Spines while scanning any nearby Archaeans. Once you’ve cleared the area, it’s time to start barricading breakable walls and closing containment doors (the ones with the yellow/blue touchpads). Each player has three barricades at their disposal. So as long as you don’t have to play Serial Scan during this incursion, you might as well use all of them.
Operators with deployable traps and trip mines, like Ela, Smoke, Gridlock, and Jager, are the best for area-holding objectives. Place their traps near the Arch Spines to take care of any Archaeans that get past your defense. Plant the bombs and start the timer once you barricade the area and close all the doors.
It’ll take Archaeans a while to break through the containment doors, but you’ll be waiting to blow them away when they do. Glue grenades and Ela’s stun mines are also helpful to throw at open doorways to slow down incoming enemies. Furthermore, Archaeans who make it into the room are generally drawn to the Arch Spines and leave you alone. As long as you keep the explosives safe and your chokepoints covered, Sabotage can be one of the easiest objectives in the game.
How to beat Shutdown
In Shutdown, you must deliver REACT foam canisters from the extraction pod to an Archaean Nutrient Node. The Node continuously respawns nests, so they’ll come back moments later if you destroy one. However, once the Node goes down, nests and Sprawl in the area will be destroyed. Here’s how to beat Shutdown in Rainbow Six Extraction.
From spawn, use your drone to find the path of least resistance to the extraction pad. Eliminate any Archaeans on your way while being extra careful not to alert them. Once you arrive at the extraction pad, use your drone to locate the Nutrient Node and the easiest way to get there.
Now, players have one of two options. Each player can carry a canister to complete the objective in one trip. However, doing so resides everyone to their sidearm. Even though they can drop the canisters and switch to their primaries, the canisters are easily destroyed. Thankfully, they’ll respawn at the extraction pad if you lose one.
Alternatively, one player can keep their primary and escort the other two. Of course, this strategy requires two trips. There shouldn’t be much resistance on the second trip as long as you’re keeping quiet. You can also take one canister on the first trip and two on the second. It depends on how many Archaeans are in your way.
How to beat Hunt
In Hunt, players must locate and kill three specific Archaeans to draw out an elite. Then, they must kill the elite by any means necessary. As one of the more straightforward objectives in the game, Hunt doesn’t require careful planning to complete. Here’s how to beat Hunt in Rainbow Six Extraction.
From spawn, use your recon drone to locate the three targets. They’re generally close to one another, and there can be more than three in the subzone. What kind of Archaens determines how you should go about killing them. For example, you can easily gun down Grunts, Breachers, and Bloaters. However, Rooters, Sowers, and Tormentors require a more tactical approach.
The elite spawns nearby once all three enemies are defeated. However, you won’t see them until they’re physically tagged, either by pinging them or scanning them. Lion comes in handy during Hunt since he can scan all moving Archaeans. Since the elite is coming towards you, Lion can easily spot it.
You can easily take down Elites by stunning or sneaking up on them. You don’t have to waste multiple clips of ammo, especially if they’re bullet sinks like Smashers.
How to beat Triangulation
In Triangulation, players must locate the primary seismic sensor on the map. Once triggered, the sensor highlights another station for players to run to and activate. After triggering that station, players must sprint to the final area before time runs out. Here’s how to beat Triangulation in Rainbow Six Extraction.
Find the other two stations before triggering the primary seismic station. From spawn, use your recon drone to find and ping the stations while scanning any Archaeans in between. Once the area is safe enough, split up so one squad member positions themselves at each seismic station (main and two substations).
Activate the primary station and then the other two as they come online. If done correctly, you can beat Triangulation in under two seconds. It’s too risky to move between the stations on higher threat levels, especially with about 30 seconds to make the trek.
How to beat Serial Scan
In Serial Scan, you’ll hold three objectives for a short period. Thankfully, all three remain nearby, so moving between them won’t be too difficult. However, once activated, swarms of Archaeans will approach and attack. Here’s how to beat Serial Scan in Rainbow Six Extraction.
Like Sabotage, your primary goal is to establish your defenses before activating the REACT Catalyst (the yellow turret-looking machine). You’ll know where each position spawns as they’ll have blue auras floating above them. Barricade any breakable walls before starting the objective.
Once you start, close any doors leading into the room you’re defending. You don’t want Archaeans breaking down doors that don’t matter at the moment, as you’ll probably need them when the objective moves. Furthermore, only one operator needs to stand on or near the objective. Others can fan out to cover doors and choke points.
Once the objective moves, repeat the door-closing process. If Archaeans break the containment doors, don’t forget you can barricade them near instantaneously. All the same operators and REACT gear that work for Sabotage also work for Serial Scan.
How to beat Biopsy
In Biopsy, your goal is to takedown several elite enemies with your REACT blade. That means staying stealthy and using tactical gear to your advantage. Killing the elite by any other means fails the mission. Here’s how to beat Biopsy in Rainbow Six Extraction.
Send your drone out from spawn to locate your elite targets. There’s no need to find all three if you can’t. Locating at least two gives your squad a leg up. If you can sneak up on one, good job, you’ve just saved yourself a tactical grenade. However, if they notice you, toss a stun or smoke grenade at their feet, sprint up, and take them down.
The best way to prepare for Biopsy is re-upping on REACT gear before entering the Biopsy subzone.
How to beat Rescue
In Rescue, your job is to locate a stranded REACT scientist (the asset) and bring them to the extraction pod. However, they’re incredibly susceptible to damage and surrounded by enemies. If they die, you fail the mission. Here’s how to beat Rescue in Rainbow Six Extraction.
Your XR Recon Drone is more important than ever in Rescue. Because the asset is marked on your map, you can use the recon drone to find the easiest path to the asset. Then, use the drone to scan any enemies surrounding them to determine how to proceed. With your remaining battery life, scan a path to the extraction pod since that’s where you’ll escort the asset.
Once alerted, enemies will attack the asset. Staying quiet and taking them all out in one fell swoop is your best chance of success. However, how you kill those enemies depends on what kind of Archaeans they are, specifically if there are Bloaters and Breachers nearby. Bloaters release a toxic cloud that damages your operator. More importantly, it damages the asset. You’ll need to take them out with headshots or takedowns to prevent them from exploding.
All three of you should find a different entry point and then time your attack to take out every enemy at once. Toss stun grenades into the room to take out stronger enemies and then shoot the remaining grunts.
One squadmate must escort the asset by hand, leaving them to rely on their sidearm. The other two must cover the front and rear on your way to the extraction pod.
How to beat MIA Rescue
In MIA Rescue, your squad must rescue an MIA operator from the clutches of an Archaean tree. The tree fights back once the mission begins, so while one squadmate pulls, the others must destroy the anchor points on the walls. Once extracted from the tree, you must carry the MIA Operator back to the extraction pod. Here’s how to beat MIA Rescue in Rainbow Six Extraction.
Use your drone to locate the Archaean tree and scan any enemies between it and the extraction pod. Once you arrive at the tree, clear the ground of Sprawl to make navigating the room easier. Then, establish who’s in charge of pulling the operator and who’s in charge of destroying anchor points. Whoever has the most powerful weapons or largest clips (Marksman Rifles, LMGs) should be in charge of destroying anchor points.
It’s best to divide the anchor points between two players while the third keeps pulling. Don’t worry about the approaching red orbs. Just focus on the anchor points when they open. You should be able to take them all out in one fell swoop. Once removed, escort your squadmate to the extraction pod as they’re carrying the MIA operator.
How to beat Gateway
Gateway will always be the last objective in any given incursion. However, you’re not always guaranteed to get it. In Gateway, players must find a Singularity (the Gateway) that teleports them to a mini-boss fight arena. Once there, they’ll battle a Protean, which is the Archaean form of an Operator. Gateway is the most difficult objective and must be approached with a full squad, full ammo, and full REACT gear. Here’s how to beat Gateway in Rainbow Six Extraction.
Use your drone to locate the Singularity (giant red orb) and fight/sneak your way to it. Once there, activate the orb and make sure to stand right next to it. If you’re caught outside, you’ll fail the mission. After a brief countdown, the orb transports you to a smaller arena where you’ll battle a Protean. Although this Protean takes the form of an Operator, they’ll have access to moves akin to that operator’s abilities. For example, we fought a Sledge Protean, which was basically like fighting Thor.
Operator choice comes in handy when playing Gateway. Here are the best Operators to use for Gateway and why:
- Prisma: Decoys distract the Protean
- Finka: Adrenal Surge can revive and boost teammates
- Vigil: Can cloak himself to revive downed teammates
- Jager & Tachanka: Their turrets come in handy
- Smoke: Gas Grenades damage the Protean
- Gridlock: Traps damage and slow the Protean.
After the Protean’s health drops below 50, they’ll summon a swarm of Archaeans and then disappear. The Protean returns to finish the fight once you get rid of the horde. Thankfully, plenty of ammo, REACT gear, and health boosters are scattered around the arena. There’s no real tactical strategy for taking down Proteans in Rainbow Six Extraction. Just never, ever stop shooting.
