If there's any game with a steep learning curve, that game is Rainbow Six: Siege. It may not have introduced the idea of zero respawns or regenerating health, which made all the COD players who picked Siege up in 2015 think twice about rushing in with no regard for damage, but Siege is still a unique game.
That being said, there are plenty of people who jumped on the Siege wagon when it came out (and still more continue to jump on with an ever-growing player base) who didn't realize what it would take to level up. There are benefits to leveling up in Siege. These days, you have to be level 5 to start a custom game, and a level 30 to play Ranked games, so it's better to level up fast!
10 Situations
Situations are the only game mode you can engage in on Siege without an Internet connection. They're also one of the best ways to get familiar with the mechanics of Siege. There are a few cons to this method, however. For one thing, the maps in the Situations playlist don't get the same updates and patches the maps in the regular gameplay playlists, so you can't get to know the maps as they are in the game. For another, the Situations do a bad job of imitating how fast-paced and high-tension games can be.
9 Terrorist Hunts
Finishing all the Situations with three full stars gets you some renown, but to get more, you'll have to start playing actual game modes with other people. Terrorist Hunts are another good way to get used to the game's mechanics and the game's very realistic gun mechanics.
They're faster-paced than the Situations, and you can play Terrorist Hunts with other people and on multiple levels of difficulty. Playing with other people is definitely something you'll have to get used to if you want to get comfortable with and level up in the game.
8 Warm-Up in Custom Matches
Once you've played enough Terrorist Hunts and feel ready to start playing in Quick Matches, you may consider warming up in a Custom Match before jumping right into a game.
Custom Games are great because they last as long (or short) as you want them to, and if you have friends you already want to play with, you can play on the same team or against them instead of total strangers. One downside is that sometimes, you don't have enough friends to fill a game, so the Custom Match gives you an inaccurate depiction of a real game.
7 Play with Other People
Speaking of playing with friends, this is one of the very best ways to level in Siege. Siege is a highly team-oriented game that requires plenty of communication. The in-game chat function is a great tool for gamers playing with people they don't know that automatically picks up a player's voice as long as their mic is on, but it's always better to talk to and play with people you actually know.
If you have friends you trust and thrive with when playing together, ask them if they want to squad up so you have people you can communicate with.
6 Mains
Ubisoft has prided itself on developing realistic gun mechanics for Siege. While this is great for immersive gameplay, it does make it hard to get used to playing the game. The operators in the game, especially the original ones, all have loadouts unique to them, so if you want to get good at controlling recoil, it's a good way to do so. In addition to getting used to a certain operator's guns, you also get familiar with their speed and unique gadget when you main them. Be careful when maining, though. Only one player can pick an operator at a time, so if someone picks your main, you'll want a backup.
5 Memorize Maps
Leveling up in Siege isn't just about memorizing how to play the operators. Siege comes with a playlist of maps, just like Call of Duty and other multiplayer FPS games do, but Siege is all about defending (or attacking) an objective, so it's important to memorize which room is next to, under, or on top of which, as well as familiarize yourself with certain lines of sight.
Attackers can benefit from memorizing different paths to an objective so they can run from or sneak up on defenders. Defenders can benefit from memorizing rotations and great flanks, but none of this is possible without memorizing the maps.
4 Watch Kill Cams
There's little more frustrating than when you think you're doing well or very aware of all the enemies' locations when suddenly the next thing on your screen is a kill cam. However, if you're not too busy button-mashing your way past the kill cam, take a second to watch it. You might learn a thing or two about holding angles, creating peepholes, flanking, and dodging bullets. Often when another player kills you, it's because they're better at the game than you. That doesn't have to make you angry; you can learn from it.
3 Unranked
Once you've mastered the art of playing the game in Quick Matches but don't feel like you're ready for the Ranked playlist just yet, consider playing some games on the Unranked playlist.
Ranked games are some of the best ways to earn renown, but they're longer and have a few different mechanics than regular old Quick Matches do, so you might want to get used to them before immediately jumping into a Ranked match. Unranked games are also a good way to warm up before you play Ranked games, and they can also give you something to do while you wait for your squad to log on.
2 Use Your Drone
If there is one thing that separates casual Siege players from the professionals, it's droning. You should never enter a room in Siege without first droning it out and making sure there are no enemies in the room. The last thing you want is to be caught by surprise by an enemy after breaching a window barricade. It also helps you scope out any Kapkan traps or Frost mats to be aware of before breaching. If spawn-peeking seems to be a problem for you, drones are also a good way to avoid getting sniped upon entering the game. Once you've figured out all the good spawn-peeking locations, simply post your drone up at these locations and watch for enemies.
1 Ubi Club Challenges
Sometimes, you don't know which operator you want to try next or you don't really feel inspired to play. Or maybe you just want a way to earn a bunch of renown, which helps you rank up and dress your favorite operators and their weapons in some nice, new cosmetics. Either way, completing Ubisoft Club challenges is the best way to do this. It's easy to connect your Club to your Siege, and each challenge will give you something to do to earn some really great rewards, giving you some secondary goals to chase to keep you interested in the grind.