Rainbow Six Siege Blackbeard: what he can do and how to use him

Blackbeard is another DLC operative in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege and sadly has seen many changes since he burst onto the scene. There's a lot to learn about his guns and personal shield which will be covered in this guide, as well as how he can best support the team.

Blackbeard operator guide

Named after the famous pirate, Blackbeard sports a wonderfully full face of facial hair. His main purpose is to be the first person in when another player breaches a room, soaking up some of the bullets that will inevitably come your team's way. He does come with some major caveats though, so newer players may wish to read on before looking at more general tips and tricks at our Rainbow Six Siege guide hub.

Blackbeard's Stats

Armour: 2
Speed: 2

Blackbeard's Weapon Loadouts

Blackbeard's gun options pose an interesting issue. The MK17 CQB assault rifle can run out of ammunition very quickly when used with the shield, while the SR-25 marksman rifle is a single shot, semi-automatic weapon that is more accurate with higher damage, at the cost of mobility. Since Blackbeard is slower when holding up the shield, there's a lot more to consider here, but it's down to your choice. His sidearm is limited to the D-50, which packs a punch but also has huge recoil.

Blackbeard's Gadgets

His gadgets include the breach charge and the stun grenade. While the shield doesn't prevent you from being blinded by looking at the stun grenade, the use of it is a viable option. That said, the breach charge is probably your gadget of choice as you can blow up a wall and move in with your shield raised to take out a couple of opponents.

Blackbeard's Skill

Aside from an absolute ripper of a beard, he is also equipped with the TARS MK 0-Transparent Armoured Rifle Shield. This gives around 50 hit points of protection per shield. These can be swapped when the shield is about to break, seen in the HUD. The downsides to this are that while you do have two of them, the shield makes him move as slow as a speed 1 character. This also doesn't protect teammates and makes recoil even harder to manage.

Should I pick Blackbeard?

Like a swashbuckling pirate, Blackbeard is a bit gung-ho with his ability. He can be devastating in the right circumstances, but he can also get himself into a huge amount of trouble too. As the defenders have plenty of traps laid, a more subtle approach may reap more rewards. He's definitely not as bad as Tachanka is for the defenders however.

Some operators aren't created equal and while Blackbeard has limited use, there are plenty of others that have more useful tricks. Check out our main Rainbow Six: Siege operators guide which has links to each individual operator, as well as an overview on the more universally useful ones and which ones beginners should consider learning.