How to save and rescue MIA Operators in Rainbow Six Extraction

Rainbow Six Extraction takes the gameplay and Operators from Rainbow Six Siege and adds terrifying alien parasites players must defeat as they make their way through incursions. Successfully escaping can be difficult, especially at higher difficulties, and failing to escape results in your Operator being left behind and marked as MIA. 

Losing your favorite Operator can be devastating, but all hope isn’t lost. Every Operator can be rescued by returning to the same mission area, although the Archaeans will do their absolute best to stop you. Understanding how to save and rescue MIA Operators in Rainbow Six Extraction before jumping into the mission can help you get in and out with your missing Operator with ease. 

Before we explain how to rescue your Operators, let’s break down how they go MIA. Every Operator starts an Incursion with full health (unless they’re recovering from previous incursions) and cannot regain health while on a mission. You can find medkits scattered around each zone, but these provide temporary boosts. This means that once you hit 0 HP, your character will enter the Down But Not Out phase, requiring a teammate to revive you. If you enter the DBNO phase a second time, you’ll be knocked out, and your teammates must carry you to an extraction zone to escape. If your team leaves you behind, or if the entire team is eliminated, your Operator will be marked as MIA. 

If you prefer playing solo, remember there is no DBNO phase as there aren’t any teammates around to revive you. Going down results in your Operator instantly becoming MIA, so be extra cautious on solo runs. 

Knowing how an Operator goes MIA can help you avoid being knocked out and prevent you from having to rescue them later. Always keep track of your health, and take advantage of every health kit you come across. Ping them for your team if you’re at full health to ensure all players make it out alive. Carrying a teammate to the extraction zone is dangerous and puts you at a disadvantage. Also, don’t be afraid to extract early if you’re not prepared for the next area. Escaping with less XP is always the better choice than going MIA. 

Now, if you find yourself with an MIA Operator, you’ll have to go back into the same mission area to rescue them. They won’t be available in the Operator selection and will be listed as MIA. You also won’t receive any of the XP earned on the incursion where they went missing until you rescue them. 

When you select the mission, one of the objectives will be replaced with rescuing your missing Operator. The Operator will be held in an Archaean Tree with terrifying appendages in an area covered in Sprawl. Listen for a beeping noise to find the Operator’s location, or keep an eye out for a room with a large amount of Sprawl. 

Once you find the Operator, you have to pull them from the tree manually. The tree will fight back, and a bar will appear, showing your progress. The tree will use Anchor Points attached to the wall to keep the Operator restrained, meaning players must destroy these points before they can rescue their Operator. 

You can shoot the tentacles before they attach to the wall or directly destroy the Anchor Points when they open. The red circle on the left side of the bar will slowly empty, and a notification will let you know when you can pull the Operator out. 

This tug of war process can be tedious, and teams must work together to successfully rescue an MIA Operator. One player should be pulling out the Operator while the others cover them and destroy the tentacles and Anchor Points. The yellow diamond in the center of the bar will move left or right to show who is winning the tug of war battle, and successfully moving the diamond to the right will free the Operator. 

Red symbols on the left side of the red circle represent the Cells coming from the tentacles and Anchor Points. If players don’t destroy the Anchors or tentacles before the symbols hit the red circle, the tree will grow stronger, extending the process. 

After successfully pulling the Operator from the tree, you’ll have to carry them to the extraction zone. Once they’re rescued, they’ll return to active status on the Operator page, although they’ll need time to heal. You’ll also receive the XP from the initial excursion as a bonus for rescuing them.

Don’t panic if your Operator goes MIA. Rescuing them is simple, and they’ll be back in the fight in no time. Also, if you manage to somehow lose your entire Operator roster, the first one that went missing will become available. You should probably rethink your strategy if it gets to this point, however.