What to expect in Rainbow Six: Extraction?

It has been a rocky road for Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction – the game that was previously subtitled as “Quarantine” and then just for a really brief period was known with another subtitle “Parasite”, though that was never confirmed officially by the studio, it has been in the works for quite some time.

After it was announced at E3 2019 it somehow faded into the background and obscurity since it did not spark back up until the middle of this year. But a few subtitle changes and delays later it has now finally been revealed with some incredible trailer footage and new mechanics.

It would release in just a few months, and to be more precise the Rainbow Six Extraction release date is set for January 20th 2022 with an included buddy pass.

So let’s talk about the biggest new details we have found out about this addition to the series.

A setup for the devastating outbreak effects

Rainbow six extraction is set three years after a cataclysmic event, when a meteor unleashed a deadly parasite onto the world. Even though it was initially thought for it to have been contained, Chimera – as the parasite is named started to emerge all around various cities in the US.

To respond to this new global threat Elisa “Ash” Cohen, Dr. Elena Maria Alvarez and Dr. Jordan “Thermite” Trace came together and formed the REACT team (the acronym meaning Rainbow Exogenous Analysis & Containment Team ). This organization combats the threat and is compiled of some highly-trained professionals of various paths and background, to make sure the parasite is no longer posing any danger to humanity. Let’s get a bit more familiar with these creatures and how they operate!

The Archaens and their dangerous versatility

Rainbow Six Extraction is in PVE mode rather than just a PVP type game. Each match is going to face three players with aliens in various locations. We were shown some of the most popular enemy sorts, with several different kinds of strengths and weaknesses that players would have to exploit via using different helpful gadgets and hi-tech weapons.

There are going to be 10+ main enemy archetypes such as Grunts, Rooters, Spikers, Lurkers, Tormenters and Breachers that all have various abilities and positions in the maps, and as their names suggest – a specific role in the combat that you would have to react and adapt to in order to survive and not get captured by them. There are also Bloaters and Sowers that could entrap or harm your squad so you should be careful about them too!

The biggest of them so far is the Apex type which was revealed in the Rainbow Six Extraction earlier this year and is especially dangerous, so be cautious with them nearing close to you!

The team behind Rainbow Extraction are also leaving some hints for an even greater threat when you get to an undisclosed certain point in the campaign. These creatures would start to mimic and behave like your team of professionals. High level of precision and ability to manage in difficult situations are recommended when you get to encounter them, as they are ranking higher than your average in-game enemy types! But have no fear, this is the point we get to go into more detail about our selection of highly skilled operators. The whole selection is not yet cleared for civilians, but from the data we have collected we can assure you that the team consists of truly capable and finely selected members!

The operators are not lacking in their role types either

The heart and soul of Rainbow 6 Extraction are the operators; in this edition we again meet some of the familiar faces from previous titles, as well as some newly introduced additions to the elite REACT pack.

The title is going to have a total of 18 operators at launch. Each of them have their unique play style and are bringing a different balance to the game’s outcomes, building up the replayability of R6 Extraction with a few notches for sure, since if you assemble a different set of team members you get different solutions to any critical situation that might fit better or even worse in some cases. Make sure you do your selections with a few criteria in mind; healing, force and tactics, since they are all important aspects of your success in missions. The different classes come equipped with member-specific weapons, gadgets and abilities that could be vital for your survival and progress, so you should make truly informed choices.

So far not all of the members have been revealed, there are six still covered and shrouded in mysteries, so let us give you the short briefs for the members of REACT that are announced up to now and at the writing of this text.

The reviving specialist and Russian microbiologist Finka comes with a SPEAR 308 Assault rifle, as well as a nanobot-driven boost that she is able to use and distribute among her teammates to make them more reactive and agile in combat by increasing their focus and stamina.

Then there is Pulse, whose background comes from the FBI and is able to detect various points of interest and routes leading to alien nests thanks to his HB-7 Cardiac sensors and carries a M1014 shotgun for a hefty hit on any nest he encounters.

Doc is a medical helper to other team members, but is also invaluable when it comes to tactics related to eliminating threats with a high dosage of firepower from his SG-CQB shotgun. He is able to heal himself and others on his side with the STIM Pistol and even revive teammates when they were brought down.

Sledge is the heavy that carries a CABER tactical hammer that he can use to destroy walls and thus making new paths or ways to progress in the danger zone or stun parasites with some brute force hits. He comes paired with a M590A1 shotgun for an even stronger punch.

Alibi is deep diver in the undercover game and is able to deploy PRISM hologram decoys to distract, scan or lure enemies in the area and then use her Mx4 Storm SMG to fill them up with bullet holes as they fight off the imaginary.

Vigil is a more mysterious asset on the team who is capable to disrupt enemies and become undetectable to them whenever he pleases. His knowledge and expertise on electrical engineering brought him to the REACT forces as the stealth specialist. He uses an Electronic Rendering Cloak (ERC) for some tactical superiority in battle.

Next on the list is Hibana who is a highly trained infiltrator and her remotely operated sticky explosives and comes equipped with a serious X-KARIOS Grenade launcher and a TYPE-89 Assault rifle. In case you need a breach, she is the person to arrange for it happen with her precise detonations on any surface.

Ela can throw proximity mines and GRZMOT stun enemies and uses the Scorpio EVO 3 machine gun as a primary weapon. She is a bit of a gamble on the team as she is not so obedient and could be unpredictable at times, but you can sure bet that she is going to survive even the toughest situations.

Lion is quite familiar with the outbreak as he has been in the stir of the action since the first encounters in New Mexico. He masterfully detects all the area movements even through walls with an EE-ONE-D drone, making it easier to roll ahead and use his trusty V308 assault rifle on the surprised aliens around the corner.

Smoke is a prominent self-taught expert in biology and chemistry that did not hesitate to join the forces of REACT. By being quite well-familiar with the effects of his specially designed Z9 toxic gas grenades on the parasite aliens, he is surely going to bring damage to any enemy that is amid his deadly toxin, and the L85A2 rifle is going to do the rest.

Nomad is renowned for her endurance and athleticism in previous background experience working for GIGR, which is a mountain infantry battalion of the Royal Gendarmerie. She knows her way around any terrain or environmental obstacle that might emerge and with her AIRJAB repulsion grandees she is able to hold of enemies at bay and then use her AK-74M with high precision.

Gridlock operates on her own when necessary. She is quite autonomous in her endeavors and knows a lot about robotics and mechanical systems due to her background in SASR. The TRAX Stinger anti-personnel traps she uses to slow down enemies come paired with a serious physical damage. Her other weapon of choice is the F90 Assault rifle.

This concludes the list of the revealed Rainbow Six Extraction characters with six remaining to be announced, so now let’s go through to the locations it will all happen and take place at.

The containment zones await your arrival

The maps where you are going to be taken in Rainbow Six Extraction to do these challenges and battles are 12 in total, they are known as Containment zones in-game. Spreading across four different major US states; New Your, San Francisco, Alaska and the town of Truth, each having specific locations and a different feel and atmosphere.

Each incursion is designed in a way to provoke quite a bit of replayability, since they are going to include procedurally generated challenges and in-the-field variables, but also because the more you progress through the more the level of the game difficulty ramps up against your team. They are infested with so many enemy nests and obstacles that would challenge your elite team all throughout this entry of the Rainbow Six franchise.

A “missing in action” function has joined the gameplay

A definitely interesting system function that is included in this title by Tom Clancy , each zone has several sub-zones that have various missions you have to accomplish, after each one of them the game is going to ask you whether you would like to extract your team and get your rewards collected up to now or go deeper to face some progressively tougher challenges for a better supply of rewards, but if things go south an operator might get “missing in action”, then you would have to find a secure way to rescue them in order to continue in the game. This is a high-risk and high-pay setting that could benefit you greatly or cause much more severe headaches while trying to evacuate your fallen teammate and carry them through a myriad of threats.

Rainbow Six Extraction crossplay and cross-progression are on

The game is going to support half a dozen platforms. Ubisoft has confirmed crossplay, as well as cross-save and cross-progression which come as a tradition at this point, across all of these platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox X/S series and PS4/PS5 as well as Stadia.

The Rainbow Six Extraction pre order is going to give players access to some exclusive items including equipment, gadgets, skins or weapons and charms. Anyone who has played the previous title Rainbow Six Siege and then the following Rainbow Six Extraction will get the Operators in the previous prequel title.

There are going to be two versions of Tom Clancy's franchise newest game; a Standard Rainbow Six Extraction price at 39,99€ and a Deluxe 49,99€ edition coming with the Obscura pack and React Strike pack for even more skins, charms and gear as well as a 10% discount for the in-game shops. Both of them are currently in PRE-ORDER at Ubisoft’s official website. But make sure you look around the Yuplay online store as well for any exclusives that might pop-up.

A nearing Rainbow Six Extraction launch at the start of next year

With the launch just at the start of next year we are barely containing our excitement. Hopefully we are going to get more information about the game and the rest of the characters over that short time, as well as information about the post-release support by Ubisoft. How much is Rainbow Six Extraction going to offer just remains to be unveiled in the coming weeks but the team behind it should be able to provide and replicate the same type of services as they have been doing so far, since in our opinion they have done an outstanding job for the previous entries in the franchise.