Rainbow Six Siege's claim to fame is its realistic tactical combat. Players can't emote during combat or tag the map with invisible spray cans. R6's designers wanted to put tense, team-oriented gameplay at the forefront of their game. Once Rainbow Six Siege cemented its place in gaming history, the devs then began adding 'Elite Sets' into the mix.

RELATED: 10 Reasons You Keep Dying In Rainbow Six Siege

We're going to look at ten of the best Elite Skins for Defending Operators, ranked in no particular order. Yes, we're aware of the 'pay to win' accusations attached to certain skins in the game. But we're not basing this list on which skins debatably provide tactical bonuses. Nah, we're just here to spread the gospel about ten Defender skins that we think look great. And if you learn something in the process then, that's a win in our book too.

10 Pulse's Lucky Seventh Skin

Jack Estrada trained his butt off to join an FBI SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) Team. Coming from a military family and idolizing his father, Jack couldn't find a reason not to continue the family tradition. After becoming an intelligence officer, Jack earned the codename Pulse and became an expert at psychoanalyzing people based on their micro-expressions.

It's funny that we mentioned the topic of psychoanalysis because Pulse's 'Lucky Seventh' skin resembles Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver. The film isn't kid-friendly or safe for work at all, but it's very cerebral and poignant. The resemblance is likely a coincidence, as Pulse's skin references the US' 7th Armored Division from WWII.

9 Jager's Flying Ace Skin

Thanks to the likes of Attack On Titan and Pacific Rim, most probably know that Jager means hunter by now. Marius Streicher joined the GSG 9 to become an elite huntsman; one that tracks down terrorists and war criminals for a living. To that end, Jager employs his 'Magpie' defense systems.

Jager's Flying Ace skin takes inspiration from WWII era German Air Force fighters. Before joining the GSG 9, Jager worked as a helicopter technician. Marius likely feels a sense of kinship with his predecessors and wears this outfit to pay homage. Jager also likely wears this uniform as a form of Vergangenheitsbewältigung. That long and totally-not-made-up word roughly means the "overcoming the past."

8 Mute's F Squadron Skin

Mute, birthname Mark R. Chandar, hails from York, England. A science whiz with a knack for electronics, Mark enrolled in the University of Cambridge by the time he was fourteen! He spent years working on a bleeding-edge security system before he joined the esteemed British SAS (Special Air Service.)

Mute's elite skin references F Squadron British Royal Air Force fighters. F Squadron refers to the No. 1 RAF Squadron. The members of this team were among the first men to pilot a VTOL (Vertical Take-off and Landing) aircraft. The members of F Squadron are legends to their contemporary successors. Mark's showing his support with high flying skin!

7 Rook's Gendarmerie Skin

Rook is one of the most popular Defending heroes in R6; his armor packs keep teammates alive and his guns are great for close quarters. Born Julien Nizan, Rook joined the GIGN (Gendarmerie Intervention Group) Born Julien Nizan, Rook joined the GIGN (Gendarmerie Intervention Group) at the ripe old age of 18. Rook is one of the slower Operators in the game, but more than compensates for his meandering speed.

RELATED: Rainbow Six Siege: 10 Tips To Defending Better

Unlike most of the other elite skins in Rainbow Six Siege, Rook's isn't a callback to one of the World Wars. Rather, Julien sports a suit of old-school GIGN body armor. As you can tell, the retro suit is bulkier than its contemporary replacement. Still, it looks great and will keep its wearer alive in a firefight.

6 Bandit's Axle 13 Skin

Born Dominic Brunsmeier, Bandit joined the GSG 9 after he and his twin brother Cedrick both turned eighteen. Dominic's first few years in the force were uneventful but still eye-opening. Though he mostly handled a lot of paperwork, he learned the ins and outs of working as a counter-terrorism officer.

Bandit's elite skin breaks away from the tradition of war inspired costumes that are pervasive in R6. Instead, we imagine that Dom suits up in this outfit on his off days. Bandit wouldn't look out of place in a racing game with this skin on. Here's hoping Axle 13 Dom makes a cameo in the next installment of The Crew series.

5 Valkyrie's War Photographer '72

Meghan Castellano was a powerful swimmer with the potential to become an Olympian. Before she could get her shot, a car accident ended Meghan's athletic prospects. Determined not to give up, Meg joined the US Navy and became a SEAL (Sea, Air, and Land) soldier - earning the codename Valkyrie in time.

Valkyrie's elite skin is probably the most controversial on this list. The color of Meghan's Black Eye cameras changes when a player uses the War Photographer '72 skin. On some maps, the Black Eyes blend into the environment - causing 'pay to win' allegations to circulate in the R6 community. In truth, the color change probably hurts new, inexperienced players the most. Long-time players will likely anticipate the placement of Valk's Black Eyes and plan accordingly.

4 Doc's Trench Medic Skin

Gustav Kateb has an interesting interpretation of the Hippocratic Oath - namely, the "first, do no harm" maxim. Nevertheless, Gustav is one of the most skilled field medics in the GIGN, earning him the codename Doc. If you like to provide medical support in team-based games, you need to buy Doc ASAP, as he's currently the only healer in the game!

To show pride in his profession, Doc wears an outfit inspired by the French's Trench Medics from World War I. These soldiers were especially brave as the Geneva Conventions didn't exist during WWI. Most French Medics spent their time fighting on the Western Front - trading and evading fire with the Germans.

3 Frost's Huntress Skin

Tina Lin Tsang hails from the snow stricken land of Vancouver, British Columbia. Growing up in such a climate helped Tina acclimate to surviving in the cold. Moreover, enlisting in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) at eighteen taught her how to thrive in such climates. Sometime during her career, Tina took up the mantle Frost and joined JTF2 (Joint Task Force 2.)

Tina's elite skin references her fighting style - Frost uses very sophisticated gadgets to hunt her opponents, making her huntress of sorts. Frost synergizes well with Operators that can obscure parts of the map, like Smoke. She also pairs well with other Defenders that place traps, a la Lesion.

2 Kapkan's Vympel Skin

In the upper echelons of R6, it isn't enough to win. One of the main reasons players buy elite skins is to style on their opponents - beating their enemies and looking good while doing it! Kapkan is one of the best Defenders for trolling and titling your opponents off the face of the Earth. His weapons and playstyle make him an infamous Operator - merely picking him can serve as an act of disrespect towards your opponents!

RELATED: 20 Games That Trolled Players For Rage Quitting (And 10 That Ban Them Completely)

Maxim Basuda is a member of Russia's elite Spetnaz force. His skin references the Vympel unit - a group so dangerous, that they're known as the KGB's Sword!

1 Lesion's Nano-Tox 32 Skin

Liu Tze Long grew up literally scrimping and scraping for cash early in life. He and his father used to breakdown old boats and salvage them for parts. When Lui's father needed more money, the 19-year old aided in China's mine-clearing program to quickly make cash. Liu discovered that he had a gift for handling hazardous munitions, worked his way up to the SDU (Special Duties Unit,) and took up the codename Lesion.

Lesion's elite skin looks like something Tony Stark built! This outfit stands in a league of its own. It breaks away from the trend of War inspired skins and sports a design heavily influenced by sci-fi!

NEXT: 10 Tips For Getting A Better Rank In Rainbow Six Siege