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Back in E3 2019, Ubisoft announced Rainbow Six Quarantine, or as we know it today, Rainbow Six Extraction. The game’s almost giveaway title gives us an idea of what it would be. It may be the next Rainbow Six but this one is not entirely a direct follow-up to Siege.
Extraction is a tactical shooter game that lets you play as an Operator against hordes of parasitic enemies called Archæans. The game is basically an expanded version of Siege’s limited co-op event Outbreak. In other words, it blends the series’s tactical slow-paced style with the character-based actions of Rainbow Six Siege.
Gameplay and What to Expect
Rainbow Six Extraction is Ubisoft’s way of letting you experience the popularity of a coop-style Player-versus-Environment (PvE) game similar to L4D. In Extraction, operators must infiltrate heavily infested areas to perform sample collection, intel gathering, and material extraction. Then after players clear an objective, they may extract themselves or continue exploring the next sector.
The next area is more grueling to complete than the last, but on the other hand, you can receive better rewards. Extracting early, however, means ensuring the safety of all operators and their upgrades. That’s because when Archæans down an operator, they become missing in action (MIA). Meaning, players cannot use them until they are rescued in an extraction mission.
Extraction has 18 Rainbow Six Siege operators and over four maps set across the United States. Each of these maps has three sectors players can clear. Of course, Operators have their own unique abilities, progression path, and play style in each map and sector. The game also features new gadgets to help defend yourself against the Archæan. These include the Field Wall which blocks enemy projectiles, the Glue Grenade which slows down enemies and buys precious time to escape, and the React Laser which takes out the Sprawl, a fungi-like substance on the ground that slows down player movement.
As the Archæan threat continues to evolve, the Operators developed a whole new line of gadgets known as REACT TECH to combat them. First up, the Paralysis Grenade, which, well, paralyzes enemies within its blast radius.
The Arc Mine, on the other hand, launches a single electric projectile that deals damage to several enemies.
Lastly, Scan Mines which players can deploy on any surface. These automatically scan passing Archæans, providing extra vision. These are just a few of the gadgets you can unlock through the game.
The Archæans
Now, who or what are Archæans, your mortal enemy in Extraction? Well, they are an evolved form of Roaches that no longer requires a human host. Over the next few years, Archæans spread widely in the United States, notably in New York, Alaska, New Mexico, and San Francisco. Here are the thirteen different variants of Archæans, divided into 5 tiers:
Tier 1
- Grunt – The common and most basic enemy you’ll encounter on maps
Tier 2
- Rooter – Can pin down players who are standing in front of them.
- Breacher – Could blow up reinforced walls.
- Bloater – Spits toxic acid that deals damage over time and will explode upon contact.
- Spiker – Shoot projectiles from their hands.
Tier 3
- Smasher – Has an exoskeleton around his body that shields him from bullets, its only weakness is the red glowing gash on his back.
- Lurker – Can make himself and other archæan invisible.
- Sower – Lay down traps that can temporarily blind players.
Tier 4
- Tormentor – Can shapeshift into sprawl to move quickly and could shoot projectiles.
Tier 5
- Apex – Capable of summoning other Archæans.
- Proteans – Located in the deepest level of the containment zone known as the “Singularity”. Proteans mimic the appearances and the abilities of a REACT Operator. They have a large pool of health and deal massive damage.
Environmental Archæans
- Blinding Spore – An environmental archæan that can temporarily blind players.
- Sludge – A bio-organic matter that can be found on walls and ceilings that approach unsuspecting players.
What truly sets it apart from Siege
Rainbow Six Extraction gives you a whole new feeling with their new REACT TECH gadgets and upgradable abilities which change how you play the game. Unlike in Rainbow Six Siege, there is a possibility to lose all the upgrades and gadgets you’ve unlocked if your Operator goes MIA. However, they are only truly lost if you fail to extract them.
Rainbow Six Extraction releases on January 2022 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and the Xbox Series X/S. You can pre-order a copy of the game here. Will you be able to beat this surging threat or will the Archæans overcome your Rainbow team? Let us know in the comments section below!
