Most Powerful Weapons In Rainbow Six Siege

There are quite a few different weapons in Rainbow Six Siege, and until players become experienced with this game, it's going to be pretty tough to tell which weapon is good and which needs to be left behind. The huge skill gap in Siege is partly the reason for this. No matter how good a player's weapon may be, other players are just going to be winning gunfights against them because of their knowledge of the game. That doesn't mean that the weapons absent from this list can't be perfectly effective, of course. But in a scenario where everything is even, weapons on this list are likely to win out against weapons that aren't.

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These weapons are not just ranked by their possible damage output, but also by their ease of use. It doesn't matter if a weapon has incredible damage per second if it's nearly impossible to keep its shots on target. With the best guns in Rainbow Six Siege, players can decimate their opponents in no time flat.

Updated on March 9, 2025, by Mehrdad Khayyat: Just before the huge evolution of the game with Siege X, Operation Prep Phase in Year 10 Season 1 introduces a new attacking operator along with a brand-new secondary weapon that is almost as good as a tiny SMG that packs a strong punch.

It didn't take Reaper Mk 2 long to make its way to the powerful weapons in the game, as it deals a good amount of damage while also coming with a big enough clip that makes it even safer to use than secondary SMGs.

25 Reaper Mk 2

Big Magazine Clip With Impressive DPS Rate

Coming with its very own default sight, Reaper Mk 2 is currently the best machine pistol in Rainbow Six Siege, being far more comfortable than the old C75 Auto. While the crosshair on Reaper MK 2's sight could be a bit hard to get used to, especially without a center dot, it still deals a significant amount of damage per second, though the fire rate is in the range of an assault rifle.

What makes Reaper MK 2 a reliable weapon after the built-in sight is the huge clip size. Each magazine on this machine pistol comes with 34 bullets. This is 24% bigger than C75 Auto and twice as big as the magazine size for SMG-11. So, with this pistol, the player does have more room for mistakes with no need to reload after every kill.

The biggest downside of Reaper MK 2, however, is its recoil pattern. The weapon has a very harsh horizontal recoil after the initial burst, which makes it really difficult to control, even more difficult than SMG-11. Using a Compensator as the muzzle attachment slows down the horizontal recoil significantly, but it is still a weapon that requires more practice to master, especially for sustained fire.

Last but not least, Reaper MK 2 has a very quick ADS time, and this number can be lowered to 0.34 seconds with a laser sight attached, which makes it a very solid option for quick reactions while rushing into a site.

24 SC3000K (Zero)

High Damage And High Rate Of Fire In Spite Of Harsh Recoil

An assault rifle with some serious firepower, no one should be sleeping on the SC3000K. Spraying this bad boy in a room full of hostiles is a recipe for a bloodbath. Just make sure to keep an eye on the weapon's remaining ammo before going in guns-blazing.

It might not be as rapid as some of the other assault rifles on this list, but its impressive damage more than makes up for this. It's a great weapon that players can use to mount pressure on their opposition, but players should keep in mind that being a one-man army with any weapon in Siege isn't recommended, especially since players can be dropped in record time if they get overwhelmed by the opposition.

23 SMG-11 (Smoke, Mute, And Amaru)

The Best Secondary Weapon Ever

The SMG-11 is the best secondary weapon to ever exist in Rainbow Six Siege, especially for defenders. While shotguns are quite useful in defensive scenarios, players must sacrifice their primary slot for a shotgun without bringing anything good for mid-range and long-range gunfights.

SMG-11 perfectly fills in that gap. Thanks to the recoil system upgrade, it is now easier to control SMG-11 than before, though players still need to kill with burst fire, as the weapon doesn't have enough ammo in the reserve. The combination of an SMG-11 and a shotgun is the deadliest arsenal players can ever face in an attacking round, as their opponent holds two powerful weapons for both close-range and long-range battles.

22 Six12 SD (Lesion And Nokk)

The Best Shotgun For Roamers

Thanks to the shotgun overhaul in Rainbow Six Siege, one of the weakest weapons in the game has turned into a solid run-and-gun weapon. Even now, Six12 SD doesn't get the love it deserves, but that is mostly due to an old assumption that players think Six12 SD doesn't deal enough damage.

Its magazine-based bullet entry makes Six12 SD the best shotgun for roamers. Players are no longer required to toss in their bullets one by one, and that's a much-needed feature for roamers. Some may say SPAS-12 has the same feature too, but how could anyone turn a blind eye to 20 more damage units per shot with the Six12 SD?

21 ACS12 (Alibi, Maestro, And Azami)

A Devastating DMR In Shotgun Clothing

Rainbow Six Siege categorizes ACS12 as a slug shotgun, but it used to operate more like a marksman rifle thanks to its incredibly long effective range. And that was the reason why all slug shotguns received a nerf with a Year 9 Season 4 patch, resulting in the player base losing interest in using them as before.

That being said, ACS12 is still a devastating weapon in close-and-mid-range gunfights, but the problem is that the damage drop-off for all slug shotguns has been reduced, which affects the weapon's capability to score easy kills when watching long angles, though a headshot is still a headshot!

20 552 Commando (IQ And Grim)

The Best Weapon To Train Horizontal Recoil Control

Monika "IQ" Weiss is a powerful attacking operator that players are surely going to have a blast with. This is mainly due to her powerful assault rifle, the 552 Commando, which is now shared with Grim too. Although the recoil may be a bit much to deal with at first, those who get the hang of it will find the 552 Commando to be a reliable weapon.

Featuring three firing modes, the 552 Commando is a highly versatile firearm. It feels great to use, and victory is almost guaranteed with players who know the ins and outs of this weapon. On PC, recoil can be even more manageable as long as players adjust their aim accordingly, turning this firearm into a dealer of death that most opponents will give a wide berth.

19 556XI (Thermite And Osa)

A Solid AR For Newcomers

Thermite and Osa are recipients of this brilliant Swiss assault rifle. Its great damage and decent stopping power make it a great weapon in any situation. As long as players adapt the proper tactics, the 556XI should drop most foes like flies in the blink of an eye. The weapon's relatively low recoil ensures a more precise shot, especially when aiming at enemies from mid-range.

It can fire using both Automatic and Semi-Automatic modes, giving players more options when it comes to engaging the enemy. Given how malleable players need to be to deal with the dynamic nature of the firefights in Rainbow Six Siege, it's easy to see why so many players love this weapon.

18 Type-89 (Hibana)

An Excellent DPS Held Back By Intense Horizontal Recoil

Introduced in the Operation Red Crow expansion pack, the Type-89 is a reliable gun wielded by Hibana that will help players in a tight spot during matches... Although it certainly has its drawbacks that can turn any situation into an unfavorable one in a heartbeat.

While the fire rate and high damage of this weapon are certainly a boon, the criminally small magazine size means that players can quickly find themselves out of ammo in a firefight, which can spell doom for their fate in the match. This problem can be curbed if players rely on their teammates and make their shots count, which is the norm that should be followed in any round of Siege as is. Even if they adapt to the small magazine size, it will take players some time to control that crazy horizontal recoil.

17 R4-C (Ash)

The Best Run-And-Gun AR

Another weapon that's received a nerf (though this nerf is much less recent), the R4-C is an incredible weapon, especially knowing that it has retained its ACOG. Ash's primary role as an entry fragger requires her to have a pretty stellar weapon, and the R4-C more than fills that role.

It has a nice fire rate and manageable recoil. Because Ash typically moves around the map with some serious speed, having a consistent weapon like the R4-C that allows players to run and gun with ease is perfect. Of course, players shouldn't throw caution to the wind, since there's nothing more humiliating than trying to treat Rainbow Six Siege like they would in a game of Call of Duty... Only to be gunned down in a comical manner.

16 MP5 (Doc, Rook, And Melusi)

A Solid SMG For Newcomers

One of the weapons on Defense with access to the ACOG, the MP5 isn't only useful because of its zoom; it's a very good weapon in its own right. While the argument can certainly be made for using the P90, especially if players plan on using that weapon entirely at close range, the MP5 beats it in all-around performance.

The MP5 has some great stability and a very nice rate of fire, making it easy to get headshots at any range, thanks in part to that ACOG. It's easily one of the most satisfying weapons to use in the game and a favorite of many Siege fans.