Rainbow Six Extraction: How to Rescue MIA Operators

So, your latest incursion in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction did not go well and you’ve got to rescue MIA Operators. Your favorite Operator lost all their health, went DBNO, and you couldn’t reach them. Now they’re in a chemically induced coma, cradled in the arms of a weird throbbing tree, with only the cocoon of protective foam to keep them safe.

Fieldwork is hard! Fortunately, all is not lost, at least not forever. This Rainbow Six Extraction guide tells you how to rescue MIA Operators and get them back in your class rotation list. We know you didn’t mean to abandon your Operator in a field incursion like you are the mother to their Kevin McAllister, but these things happen.

How to Rescue MIA Operators in Rainbow Six Extraction

Operators go MIA for several reasons:

• If they go down (lose all of their health) during an incursion
  • Operators can get Don’t But Not Out (DBNO) status, giving you a chance to revive them. This isn’t an option playing solo.
  • Here’s how to get some health back to avoid that.
• If you leave the incursion by quitting out before it’s completed.
• If you don’t complete a mission in the allotted timeframe.

It’s possible to lose multiple characters in a single zone or across zones. If you want these MIA Operators back in your class rotation, you need to go back and rescue them. That means launching an incursion into the exact same zone where you lost them.

If you forgot where they went down and were captured by the chimera aliens, look for the red icon on the incursion tab. You can rescue Operators on any difficulty, so don’t feel obligated to crank up the challenge if you don’t want to risk another agent going MIA.  

Once you select your incursion, you are looking for the objective MIA Rescue. The objective can be in any of the three sub-zones. When loading into an area, the objective screen will tell you which sub-zone the MIA Rescue mission is. You can complete any proceeding objectives, or just head straight for airlocks to get to where your agent was lost as quickly as possible. 

When you arrive in the same sub-zone as your MIA Operator, you will need to find them. This is easiest to do with recon equipment, such as the scout drone.

Scour the map until you see the creepiest tree of all time. A large accumulation of the gooey, black Sprawl on the ground is a good sign you are in the right area. Eliminate any enemies in the vicinity, and then use your gun to clear the Sprawl, you won’t want it slowing you down.  

Walk up to your trapped Operator and follow the button prompt to start  a rescue attempt by pulling them down out of the tree. The Archæan tree will resist, and try to hold them in place. Make note of the large umbilical cord like structures on either side of the tree. At the end of each of these is an Archæans cell, which provided energy to the tree.

The cells are vulnerable when they light up. Shoot them to cutoff the energy supply. You can also shoot the light traveling across the cords to interrupt the energy flow. Keep pulling, stopping to destroy cells or deny incoming energy, and eventually the tree will surrender the operative.

You aren’t done! The Operative is still incapacitated. Now you need to carry them to an extraction point. Look for the helicopter icon on your screen, and make your march to your objective. You can only fire your sidearm while carrying the Operative, but if things get out of control, you may want to consider dropping them someplace safe while you bust out the big guns to clear a path.  

Once you arrive at the extraction point, place the Operator inside of the pod. The rescue attempt is over. They are now safe, ready to return to base. You can either extract with them, or proceed to any subsequent objectives.

The rescued operative may need to you complete another incursion or two before they have recovered enough to return to the field, but that’s a big improvement on being stuck in that tree. You will also gain a portion of the XP they had accumulated on their incursion prior to going MIA, which is nice.

If you fail a rescue attempt, the Operator isn’t lost, though they will lose some of their XP progression when returning to your class lineup. Hitting Level 10 for an Operator will keep them from losing XP in this way. 

Related guides

• Best Weapons to Try First
• Best Weapon Attachments for Survival
• Best Gadgets and Tech to Have in Your Kit
• Best Operators to Play As

And that’s how you rescue MIA Operatives in Rainbow Six: Extraction. As you play, you will inevitably lose Operatives. As long as you follow these steps, you will always get them back, no harm done. Load into the same zone, pull them out of the Archaean Tree, put them in the pod. We’ve got plenty more tips to help you and your squad defeat those pesky aliens, find them with our other Rainbow Six Extraction guides.