All Archaean enemies in Rainbow Six Extraction: Abilities, strategies

There are a number of different Archaean enemies in Rainbow Six Extraction that you’ll come across. They have different abilities and weak points, so use our strategies to take them down with ease so you can complete the mission.

From bottom-tier Grunts right through to the Protean, each Archaean enemy in Rainbow Six Extraction is different. You’ll need a different set of tactics and strategies to take them down, but it can get a bit confusing when a horde is running at you.

Take some time to breathe and learn about what each of them do with our guide to all Archaean enemies in Rainbow Six Extraction here, so you have the perfect tactics at your fingertips.

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All Archaean enemies in Rainbow Six Extraction

• Apex
• Blinding Spores
• Bloater
• Breacher
• Grunt
• Lurker
• Protean
• Rooter
• Sludge
• Smasher
• Sower
• Spiker
• Tormentor

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Apex

Starting off the list with a very powerful foe in Rainbow Six Extraction, the Apex lives up to its name of being a high-threat predator. You can’t get too close either, as it’ll send out a shockwave if you do.

It’ll summon other Archaeans to fight at its side, so be sure to take down its allies before targeting the Apex when exposed. You’ll want to use explosives here too, as regular bullets won’t take it down quickly.

Blinding Spores

The Blinding Spores aren’t so much an enemy as they are an annoyance. The sticky spores can be found in areas across the map. As they attach to you, it reduces your vision until you are completely blind.

• Read More: All objective types in Rainbow Six Extraction

To get rid of them, get an ally to walk up and melee them off to sweep them away in a couple of fell swoops. Else, you can also get them to shoot them off.

Bloater

An Archaean with a toxic gas sack on its back, you can’t afford to let the Bloater get up close. Once detected, it’ll rush at you, so be sure to get your guns up and shoot the sack on its back quickly to disperse the toxic gas far away from your teammates.

Breacher

Akin to the Bloater, the Breacher will charge right at you head on, but this time the sack on their back carries explosives rather than toxic gas. Once again, you need to take it out at range by shooting it.

However, the Breacher can also do damage to other Archaeans, so if you see a big group, shoot the sack for big damage to everyone.

Grunt

The Grunt is the bog standard Archaean in Rainbow Six Extraction. There’s nothing really special about it ⁠— it runs at you fast once detected, but is also incredibly weak. Just shoot it in the head (that is where its weak spot is) and move on.

Lurker

The Lurker is a support Archaean. While not strong in itself, it buffs up other Archaeans by making them invisible, meaning you’ll need to use abilities like Pulse’s Cardiac scanner to see them.

However, even without the gadgets you can typically see the Lurkers vaguely as wavy lifeforms in your field of vision.

Protean

The ultimate Archaean enemy in Rainbow Six Extraction, you’ll only encounter Proteans in Gateway objectives. They are basically mimics of Operators with juiced up abilities, and evolve as combat goes on. Each Protean is different, so you’ll have to change your angle of attack depending on who you are facing.

Rooter

The Rooter will try and slow you down with a sticky substance fired at you, your teammates, and all around the general area. If you get hit, you’ll be immobilized and take damage. However, they are quite weak, and a couple of bullets should do the trick.

Sludge

Not to be confused with the Sprawl, Sludge is a glowing goo that divides itself as you shoot it. Walk over the Sludge (or under, it can drop from the ceiling) and it’ll deal damage to you. Just keep going at it until it’s no more, then move on.

Smasher

A big-ole behemoth of an Archaean, you’ll likely hear the footsteps of a Smasher before seeing one. It’s basically a tank, covered fully in armor ⁠— except for the weak spot on its back.

• Read More: How to upgrade Operators in Rainbow Six Extraction

Use that knowledge to your advantage and take it on two-fold, one teammate as bait, the other shooting behind. Alternatively, bait them into charging and shoot them while they recover on the ground.

Sower

The Sower is another supportive Archaean. Instead of dealing damage with its fists (although it does do that if you get close), the Sower sets mines off across the map that, when detonated, will blind anyone in its radius. It also has armor on its head, so be sure to attack it from behind or use explosives.

Spiker

One of the more powerful Archaeans in Rainbow Six Extraction, you’ll need to find some cover to protect yourself from the Spiker. It sets itself up like a sentry before firing off an array of spikes that deal decent damage. It will also hold up its other arm in defense, so wait for the spikes to rain out and then go in with the headshot.

Tormentor

Playing off of the Sprawl, the Tormentor can disappear seemingly into thin air (or thick sludge) and be tricky to track down. They also dish a ton of damage with their ranged attacks. You can’t shoot them in the Sprawl, so once they pop out aim for the head.

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That’s all you need to know about the different Archaean enemies in Rainbow Six Extraction, their abilities, and general strategies at taking them down.

Be sure to check the rest of our Extraction guides in anticipation of the game’s January 20 launch by going to our Rainbow Six page.