Mute is the kind of operator to fly under the radar when getting picked. Well, “under” isn’t really the right word because he’s probably more likely to remove himself from the radar entirely. He’s rather shy, making it all the more reasonable why his ability can stop both hard breachers and drones with one well placed device. With a couple of tricks up his sleeve, let’s get into what makes Mute the resident shy guy of Rainbow Six Siege.

Ability - GC90 Signal Disruptor

Mute starts any game with four jamming devices made to stop a handful of opposing gadgets as well as, more recently, to help Mute and his team stay incognito. Once a Mute jammer is placed, it will disable all enemy electronics within its radius of effect with a distinctive TV static sound buzzing in their ears (if it is in the radius). As of Year 4, Mute’s device will also now veil himself and allies from Lion’s scan and as well as hang up or deny phone calls from Dokkaebi's ability. This one-stop-shop ability is what makes Mute so fun to play as he’s a formidable anchor that can hide in plain sight. But once the attackers have made their way to you, it’ll be on your guns to do the heavy lifting.

Loadout

Primary: Mute has the MP5K submachine gun and the M590A1 shotgun at his disposal. The MP5K is generally considered the “correct” pick as it typically suits Mute’s playstyle a bit better than his shotgun lovinging brother Smoke. Where Smoke can make kill holes that can open his range for his gadget, Mute is decidedly less optimal with the close range weapon, at least in my personal experience. That being said, it can still be used for all of the general strategies that a shotgun brings in terms of soft breach and close quarters shooting. Still, the MP5K’s recoil is considerably better than most other SMGs, making it a nice choice to have when geared up with attachments.

Secondary: Between the P226 and the SMG-11, Mute has some potent pairings that seem intentionally made. The obvious couples would be to pick the MP5K with the P226 or the M590A1 and the SMG-11 to balance out the pros and cons that the pairs have. In other words, if you prioritize soft destruction over an automatic gun in the MP5K, by choosing the SMG-11 as your secondary, you’ll be rounding out your kit. There is an issue in this however as several seasons ago, many SMGs, including the SMG-11 were hit with an incredibly hard recoil nerf. This makes the SMG-11 mainly a very close quarters gun to us, which kind of ruins the point of having it with the shotgun. The MP5K and the P226 find a much more reliable balance, albeit a little more plain jane.

Utility: The choice between a bulletproof camera and a nitro cell comes with a little bit of preference, but it is much more dependant on the objective. If you’re playing on Chalet and you’re defending the basement, a well tossed Nitro cell from Great Room Stairs can clean up any attackers that are trying to breach the garage door. On the other hand, if you’re holding back and anchoring on point, a bullet proof cam can be incredibly useful in giving you a look at a blindspot, such as the bottom basement stairs on Oregon.

Tips

• Mute’s biggest asset is hard breach denial, of which he can do with any of his four jammers. It’s important to remember that this isn’t limited to just walls, as the hatch in Oregon’s basement objective can also be muted off with a jammer placed on the counter below the hatch.
• Sometimes it helps to be a team player. If you have a Mira or an Echo on your team and a jammer to spare, it can go a long way in helping protect Mira’s window from Twitch drones or both of them from Lions and Dokkaebis.
• Choke points are Mute’s greatest spot to be in. By muting off a wall or a hatch, you’re restricting the attacker’s means of pushing and in a sense, you’re bottlenecking them. With a well placed jammer, you can add that extra bit of squeeze to your vice by keeping them from droning that already sketchy hallway, making them either push in blind or reroute, which will cost them time.

Mute’s been in the game since launch and has helped shape Siege into the game that it is today. He caters to those who enjoy anchoring, but that’s not to say he can’t stretch his legs and go for a stroll after placing his jammers. He plays a great role on any team and is generally a good starting character to get the hang of playing “for the team”.