This guide will show you how to play Lion in Rainbow Six Extraction in the most beneficial way possible for your team. He is accessible from level one so you can use him as soon as you start playing the game.
We’ll focus on maximizing Lion’s strengths and look at the best loadout for this R6 Extraction operator. We will also discuss what missions you should bring him in and how to best manage his ability.
Lion is part of our S-Tier operators in the best operators list simply because his ability is so versatile. His role in the team is mainly to provide intel to teammates who can eliminate threats.
Who Is Lion?
Lion is one of the Recon / Scout operators in Rainbow Six Extraction. He starts with two armor and two speed stats. These will increase to three armor and four speed stats at level 10. Â
His starting weapon is the V308 Assault rifle and the LFP586 pistol. The other weapons you can unlock are:
- HK417 DMR
- P9 Handgun
- SG-CQB Shotgun
- F2 Assault Rifle
Our leveling guide will help you get to level 10 fast to max out his stats and unlock those weapons.
Lion’s Ability
Lion’s ability is the EE-ONE-D Drone which can detect all moving targets in the vicinity of the operator. Contrary to the name, the drone itself is not controllable, unlike the recon drone REACT Tech.
This ability will highlight all mobile enemies in the range of the drone. It will highlight all enemies in red, even if they’re behind walls.
Leveling up will gradually increase the drone’s ability in terms of range and duration. At level 10, you will be able to mark every enemy that the drone scans, which is a pretty nice feature.
Loadout
Weapons
I would stick to the V308 AR as his primary weapon. This gives him the best balance between fire rate and magazine size. It enables him to quickly dispatch enemies and provide a sustained rate of fire in prolonged gunfights.
For the secondary weapon, I would choose P9 over the LFP856 as it can be used with a silencer and has a larger magazine.
REACT Gear
I would take either a stun or impact grenade into most of my missions. They are the most versatile of all the other throwable items.
I would normally skip the recon drone as it hinders your ability to be in the fight while using the drone. I use the drone only in disinfection missions if Pulse is not in my squad.
I also take the armor kit (except when you have Rook on your team) for extra damage mitigation as you will be bringing him to missions where you have to defend objectives.
How to Play as Lion in Rainbow Six Extraction
I usually choose Lion as my primary operator in Serial Scan, Sabotage, and VIP Rescue missions where his ability to detect moving enemies is crucial.
In Serial Scan and Sabotage, I use the drone ability to highlight all enemies attacking the points your squad will be defending. This gives the team situational awareness and coordination in taking down threats.
For the VIP Rescue, I use the drone ability to detect enemies that might harm the VIP during the rescue attempt.
When to Use His Ability
Maximizing Lion’s ability is critical for the success of a mission. You want to time the use of the ability to give you the most information possible during encounters.
You also have to consider the cooldown timer which is 30 seconds at max level.
In Serial Scan, I use the ability when defending the scan location that has multiple entry points. This will give my team the ability to cover as much of the area as possible.
For Sabotage, I stand in between the Arch Pillars to give my team the maximum coverage of the ability. I usually use it when the timer is down to about one minute. In my experience, it is around this time that the most number of enemies attack the Charges you placed in the pillars.
For the VIP Rescue mission, I use the ability when I am near the hostage and just before I start shooting at the guards. This will help me decide if I need to throw a stun grenade before attempting the rescue as the guards will attack the hostage as soon as they detect an intruder.
Additional Tips
Lion is a very versatile operator as he can adapt to most situations. The key with Lion is to manage his ability’s cooldown timer. You want as much uptime on the ability at key moments in the mission.
I would always first scan the area for enemies and then initiate the fight when the team has identified all the threats. My team usually waits for the cooldown timer to run out before engaging in the next major firefight.
In between engagements, I only use his ability when surrounded by thick walls. In areas where there are destructible walls, I use the REACT Light to save the drone’s ability or let it cool down.
If you find yourself wanting more recon then equip the Recon Drone REACT technology. This will help you in managing Lion’s ability better.
