Although Rainbow Six Siege is a challenging tactical shooter, good aiming alone is not a prerequisite for achieving a high rank. This is shown by a statement from the developers regarding player matchmaking rating (MMR). It states: Good communication can even be more important.
The developers explain: In a new dev blog from July 31, the developers of Rainbow Six Siege discuss the player matchmaking rating, also known as “Matchmaking Rating” (MMR). They break down exactly which factors are important for increasing it.
They point out that kills are not the most important aspect of the game. Even though it is cool to take out all opponents solo like a ninja, it is not a prerequisite for getting better.
What is MMR? The term refers to a rating that determines which teammates and opponents you match up with in a game. The MMR affects which players are considered to play with you.
In rough terms, it indicates how “good” you are at the game. With a higher MMR, you belong to the better players, while with a lower one, you belong to the worse players. The MMR also determines your rank on the leaderboard.
The rating is always calculated the same, but you get different values for ranked modes and unranked modes (“Quick Match” and “Without Rank”). On the leaderboard, your MMR also determines which friends you can play with. The difference should not be too large here.
Victories are more important than kills
How do I increase my MMR? In the blog, the developers explain that you can increase your MMR in various ways. The most important factors are whether you win or lose a round and how large the difference is to the rating of your opponents.
This means specifically: If you win against much stronger opponents, you gain significantly more points. If you lose against weaker opponents, you incur significant penalties. Leaving a game prematurely, even due to a disconnect, is always considered a loss if you do not rejoin.
If you play more frequently, your actual rank can be better assessed. There will be fewer fluctuations in winning and losing points. Those who play more will take longer to rank up but will also drop ranks more slowly.
Kills and your score at the end of the match have no impact on the MMR. A victory without a single kill is always better than a loss with 20 kills—even if you have not died a single time.
How do I win in Rainbow Six the best way? According to German professionals, the key to victory in Rainbow Six Siege is communication. This means that you significantly increase your chances of winning if you play with your team by:
- communicating the positions of opponents
- coordinating attacks with your teammates
- supporting your teammates with cameras and gadgets—even if you are already dead in the round
- remaining friendly—a “tilted” player will never play better
Even if you are bad shots and just can’t hit anything with the guns, you can take on an important role as a good planner for your teammates. A coordinated attack or a well-planned defense can hardly be countered by any team—unless they plan better.
What effects does this have? Since you can determine how high you rank up through victories, you can theoretically rank into the highest leagues even without kills. However, keep in mind that many rounds are won by eliminating all opponents. So the reality won’t be completely pacifist, but kills are simply not the most important thing.
This is illustrated by an example from the GSA League, the regional e-sports league of Rainbow Six in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. There, a player single-handedly dismantled one of the best teams in Europe. However, this performance was not enough for victory in the end.
