“Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege” has been on the market for 5 years now, and it’s safe to say that it’s still alive and well. Even though it’s not as popular as “League of Legends” or “Counter Strike: Global Offensive”, it has its community and at least 1 major tournament every 3 months. In December 2017, the game reached over 70 million players across all platforms. (PC/Xbox/PS4) So, if you haven’t tried this game yet, you might want to start, and in this guide, we’ll explain how the ranking system works.
Our Rank is actually one of the more reliable indicators of our skill level, and the system in Rainbow Six: Siege might seem to be a bit counter-intuitive sometimes. Without a proper understanding of how this whole system works, you can often find yourself frustrated or unsure about your skills, so if you’re planning to climb high ranks in this game, our guide will make things much easier for you. Let’s get started!
Rainbow six siege ranking system: Basic information about ranks
In Rainbow Six: Siege, we have 7 divisions. In order from the lowest to the highest:
– Copper
– Bronze
– Silver
– Gold
– Platinum
– Diamond
– Champion
The Copper, Bronze, and Silver divisions each have 5 tiers, Gold and Platinum have 3, and Diamond and Champion have 1, giving us a total of 23 ranks. Each rank has a specific MMR (Matchmaking Rating) value that you must achieve. Here’s an example of how it looks like:
(image source: reddit.com)
If you’re new to Rainbow Six: Siege or coming back to the game after a long break, you’ll have to play 5 placement matches; once you’ve completed them, the algorithm will assign you a specific rank.
Rainbow six siege ranking system
TrueSkill algorithm explained
Your MMR is calculated by the TrueSkill algorithm.
We could say that the TrueSkill algorithm is inspired by two popular rating systems – ELO points (found in e.g., table tennis, baseball, and games such as Counter Strike: Global Offensive) and Glicko (found mainly in board games, Chess, Go, and games such as Dota Underlords). This system was developed and patented by Microsoft for the use of Xbox Live. The algorithm’s creators claim that TrueSkill is better than ELO and Glicko in games with more than two players.
The most important aspects for this type of calculation will be:
- The ranks of the other players involved in the match
- The result of the game (win or loss
- Your team stats.
Your individual stats have basically no value.
A little example of how that works in practice:
If you’re playing against a team with a higher average rank than yours, and the game ends with your victory — there are good chances for gaining more MMR and promoting to a higher rank. If, on the other hand, you lose, you won’t lose that much at all, and players from the enemy team won’t have much of a chance to get promoted. TrueSkill algorithm will still reward them with some MMR points, but it’s fair to say that it will be a very nominal reward.
The Ubisoft game developers explain that they want Rainbow Six: Siege to stand out for the importance of teamwork, so they consider the TrueSkill algorithm system to be the best for the game.
According to the stats from r6db.net, the average rank of a Rainbow Six: Siege player is Gold 3, and the rank distribution looks like this:
(image source: r6db.net)
- Rank resets
At the end of each season, there’s a rank reset for all players across every platform. After the season starts, you’ll be unranked. To get your rank back, you’ll have to play 10 placement games, after which the TrueSkill algorithm calculates your deserved rank. The algorithm doesn’t consider your previous rank, so we could say that you’ll be climbing from scratch.
How to climb effectively?
If you want to climb ranks in Rainbow Six: Siege, you should focus on the teamwork aspect. Your individual skills don’t matter that much in this ranking system. At higher ranks, a pre-made team is almost a requirement. Play a bit, find a team at a similar level to yours, and climb ranks together. You should also avoid playing when you have internet connection problems. An unexpected disconnect can cost you and your team more MMR than a regular loss.
Summary
Thank you for your attention, we hope you found this guide helpful.
Best of luck with to you and your team in the ranking games!