R6 Flores Guide 2026: Best Loadout and Ratero Drone Tips
Turn every RCE-Ratero route into removed defender utility, safer entries and a cleaner execute. This guide covers the current T-95 addition, the faster post-detonation follow-up and the drone routes that matter in Ranked.
Is Flores worth picking in 2026?
Yes, when defender utility is the reason an attack keeps stalling. Ubisoft lists Flores as an Anti-Gadget and Intel attacker, which is exactly how he should be drafted. His RCE-Ratero Charge can scout forward, then attach to the nearest surface, gain a bulletproof shell and explode to remove nearby gadgets and soft surfaces. That turns Flores into a route maker: he changes what the defenders are allowed to rely on before the first attacker exposes themselves.
Flores is strongest on sites where one bulletproof device, shielded position, barbed route or stack of utility is protecting the final plant lane. His value is lower when the team has no clear execute or when every drone is sent at the first visible target. The objective is not to make every Ratero explode. The objective is to make the last 30 seconds easier for the entry and planter.
Use Ratero to remove the device, soft cover or denial layer that makes the intended take impossible.
The remote drone confirms a room and forces defenders to react before your body crosses the threshold.
A cleared device has little value if the team is too far away or has no gun prepared to take the new space.
Best Flores loadout: AR33, SR-25, T-95 and secondary gadget
Flores has three current primary options: the AR33, SR-25 and T-95 LSW. Ubisoft added the T-95 in Year 11 Season 1 specifically to add flexibility to his loadout. The primary choice should decide how you fight after the drones finish their work; the drone itself already covers the anti-gadget job. His secondary is the GSh-18, while the gadget choice is between Stun Grenade and Claymore.
AR33 + Claymore
- Primary
- AR33
- Secondary
- GSh-18
- Gadget
- Claymore
The most complete Ranked setup: reliable all-round gunfights while the Claymore covers the route behind a player busy on drone.
T-95 LSW + Claymore
- Primary
- T-95 LSW
- Secondary
- GSh-18
- Gadget
- Claymore
Use the newer LMG option when the round needs sustained cover after utility clearing and your route still needs flank protection.
SR-25 + Stun Grenades
- Primary
- SR-25
- Secondary
- GSh-18
- Gadget
- Stun Grenade
A deliberate pick for players already comfortable with a marksman-rifle rhythm and a close, planned execute.
AR33 versus T-95 LSW versus SR-25
Use the AR33 when you want the least complicated answer: you clear utility with the drone, then take normal attacker gunfights. The T-95 LSW is the flexible alternative for players who want to hold a longer sustained line after the Ratero has forced defenders away from cover. The SR-25 can be strong on clear, disciplined angles, but it asks more of your first-shot accuracy and makes hasty close-range follow-ups less forgiving.
| Question | AR33 | T-95 LSW | SR-25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Ranked use | Best all-round default | Strong if you value sustained pressure | Specialist option |
| After Ratero clears space | Take the normal entry fight | Cover the new lane for longer | Hold a deliberate angle |
| Best fit | Most Flores players | Support gunner or patient cover player | Confident marksman-rifle player |
| Gadget default | Claymore | Claymore | Stun only for a defined execute |
Claymore is the safer default because Flores spends time looking through the drone camera. Place it to protect the actual route that threatens you while droning, not just the most obvious door. Stun Grenades are useful when the team plans an immediate entry after the Ratero explodes and can explain exactly who uses the flash window.
How the RCE-Ratero Charge works now
The RCE-Ratero is a remote-controlled explosive, not a disposable scouting drone. Drive it toward a known objective, trigger it at the right surface and it will attach to the nearest surface, arm with a bulletproof shell and detonate. The result destroys nearby defender gadgets and soft surfaces. That sequence gives Flores a reliable choice between removing a device, opening a soft route or forcing a defender to abandon valuable cover.
Flores pilots the charge into position and scouts the route while it moves.
It attaches to the nearest surface and gains a bulletproof shell.
The detonation destroys nearby gadgets and soft surfaces.
Delay to exit the drone after triggering the explosion, reduced from two.
Arm where the blast matters, not where the drone first arrives
A Ratero that reaches a room is not automatically a good Ratero. Look for the final surface that puts the explosion next to the actual defender device, soft wall or cover. On a route with several rooms, it is often worth passing a low-value gadget to reach the denial that protects the site. The drone is a limited resource; make each route answer one clear question.
Do not drive straight down the first visible corridor. A defender can shoot a Ratero before it arms, so a predictable direct line often trades a drone for nothing. Use the prep drone, teammate calls and softer side routes to choose an approach the defender is not already holding. If the defender turns to shoot the Ratero, that also creates a timing for the nearby entry gun.
The three-step Ratero route protocol
The best Flores players announce the route before deploying. That prevents the common failure where one teammate expects utility removal, another expects a soft breach and nobody is positioned to exploit the detonation. Treat every Ratero as a short team call: target, path and follow-up.
Call the exact device, cover or soft surface. “Clear shield on plant wall” is better than “I am droning site.”
Use a path that avoids the defender’s expected gun and ends at the surface closest to the value.
One player is ready to enter, swing or breach as Flores leaves the drone after the explosion.
Keep Flores safe while he is on drone
Flores is most exposed while piloting. Before you deploy, choose a physical position with cover, tell the team you are on drone and make sure the Claymore or a teammate protects the route behind you. Do not operate a Ratero from an obvious exterior window, unsecured hallway or doorway that a roamer can reach without warning.
Once the drone is driving, the rest of the team should not be passive. A teammate can hold the entrance the Ratero is approaching, pressure a defender into looking away or listen for movement caused by the route. That is how Flores turns a remote gadget into a five-player action rather than a solo minigame.
“Ratero to blue shield, entry on boom” tells everyone what will change and when.
A drone exchange is never worth giving a roamer a free Flores elimination behind the team.
Back out, change path or use teammate pressure. Do not feed the same drone line repeatedly.
What Flores should destroy first
Flores is not simply an operator who destroys gadgets. He is an operator who removes the defender resource that is currently protecting the win condition. Before every drone, ask one question: if this explosion succeeds, what can my team do immediately that it could not do before?
Prioritize the device or setup that prevents the hard breach, blocks the plant lane or makes the planter instantly vulnerable.
Clear the item that lets an anchor keep a safe angle on the execute. This often creates the direct entry window.
Remove route utility when it stops the team from changing side or protecting the post-plant crossfire.
Do not spend a Ratero on a minor device if the site still has a larger problem your team must solve first.
A simple value test before you deploy
If the Ratero only destroys one item, would that item still matter after the plant? If the answer is no, preserve the drone unless the round has already reached a low-resource cleanup phase. A Ratero that clears a powerful site device may be worth more than a drone that chases a defender through two rooms and dies on the way.
Soft destruction is also value. Opening a lower wall, a floor edge or a piece of cover can create a fresh angle for the entry, expose a defender’s feet or change where the defuser can safely go down. Call the new opening immediately. The best route clear is wasted if the entry player does not know the geometry changed.
Turn a Ratero explosion into an entry and plant
The Y11S1.1 change matters because Flores can now exit the drone one second after triggering the explosion, down from two seconds. That does not mean sprinting blindly after every detonation. It means the team can synchronize the drone, entry gun and planter tightly enough that the defender has less time to rebuild the position or rotate utility into the gap.
Ratero removes the key site device; the closest teammate enters on the blast while Flores exits drone and takes the second angle.
Use the explosion to open or clear the cover that denied the plant, then smoke or cover the long line and place the defuser.
Drive the drone toward the anchor’s protected position while a teammate holds the escape lane. The anchor must choose the drone or the gun.
Save a useful drone for the final approach if the defender needs one specific utility-protected route to retake.
Who follows the drone?
The best follower is usually the teammate closest to the new lane with a reliable gun and a clear sightline. Flores can follow too, especially after the one-second exit improvement, but he should not be the only conversion player by default. Keep one gun ready before triggering the blast. Otherwise, the defender simply waits for the noise to finish and reclaims the space before anyone can use it.
Communicate the result in one short call: “shield gone,” “soft wall open,” “left cover clear” or “drone shot, hold.” That last call is important. A failed Ratero is still information about the defender’s location and attention. Let the team use that information instead of treating the lost drone as a silent mistake.
Best operators to pair with Flores
Flores becomes much stronger when teammates can exploit the utility he clears. Pair him with attackers who open new geometry, punish a defender who shoots the drone or protect the route while he is on camera.
Flores can remove the devices and protected positions that make the reinforced-wall execute too expensive.
Ratero forces a reaction while Montagne keeps a defender occupied and reports the safe follow-up lane.
Trax makes the newly cleared entry and post-plant rotations harder for defenders to reclaim.
Airjabs reduce flank pressure while Flores works a route and the team commits to the execute.
A defender cannot comfortably hold the Ratero route, flash pressure and entry gun at the same moment.
Calls create audio pressure while the Ratero identifies the best final surface and defender position.
Avoid treating Flores as a replacement for every utility role. He cannot be in drone view, hold the flank and take the entry fight simultaneously. Draft the support around him: one player protects the body, one player follows the blast and one player maintains the plan if the first route fails.
How defenders counter Flores, and how to adapt
The defender wants to make Ratero routes predictable, force the drone into an exposed lane and separate Flores from the teammates who would use the explosion. Your answer is routing discipline, protected positioning and a backup plan for the next drone rather than repeatedly driving into the same gun.
Defenders can shoot the Ratero before it arms. Use less obvious routes and teammate pressure to prevent a free angle.
Jammers and denial zones can stop a direct plan. Identify them with the prep drone and change the entry path.
A roamer can punish Flores while he is on camera. Work from cover and place the Claymore for the real flank.
Defenders spread devices so one blast cannot solve everything. Prioritize the item that gates the actual execute.
An anchor may wait for the drone noise to end. Keep an entry gun poised so the blast has an immediate consequence.
Visible low-value gadgets can lure drones away from the real site setup. Use the value test before committing.
Five mistakes that waste Flores rounds
If no teammate can name the intended value, hold the drone until the attack has a real purpose.
After a defender shoots one route, assume that lane is watched and change the geometry or timing.
Flores cannot help the execute if a roamer gets a free kill while he is staring at the drone camera.
Place it on the flank that reaches your drone spot, not on a random doorway far from the actual threat.
Use the faster exit to rejoin the round. Do not stay mentally in drone mode after the value has happened.
At the execute, pick the one device that changes the plant immediately instead of attempting a full site cleanup.
R6 Flores guide FAQ
Is Flores good in R6 in 2026?
Yes. Flores is a strong anti-gadget and intel attacker when a team needs to remove defender utility before the execute. He is most valuable when each RCE-Ratero drone has a planned target or route.
What is the best Flores loadout in 2026?
The AR33 with Claymore is the safest general Ranked loadout. The T-95 LSW is a flexible alternative for players who want a larger sustained-fire option, while the SR-25 is a deliberate choice for players comfortable with a marksman rifle.
How does Flores’s RCE-Ratero Charge work?
Flores remotely drives the RCE-Ratero Charge into position. When activated, it attaches to the nearest surface, gains a bulletproof shell and then explodes, destroying nearby gadgets and soft surfaces.
How quickly can Flores move after detonating a Ratero drone?
Ubisoft reduced the delay to leave the RCE-Ratero after triggering its explosion to one second in Y11S1.1, allowing Flores to follow his drone more quickly during a push.
Should Flores use the AR33, SR-25 or T-95 LSW?
Use the AR33 as the all-round default. Use the T-95 LSW when you want a flexible sustained-fire option after utility work, and choose the SR-25 only if its marksman-rifle rhythm already suits your aim and the map’s angles.
Should Flores take Stun Grenades or Claymore?
Claymore is the safer default for protecting a flank or outside route while Flores is on drone. Stun Grenades are better when the team has a specific close execute where a flash can help the entry follow the Ratero explosion.
What should Flores destroy first?
Destroy the defender device that blocks the team’s actual win condition: denial around a breach, a bulletproof device holding the plant lane, or utility that protects the final anchor. Do not spend a Ratero on a low-value target if a stronger execute problem remains.
How do defenders counter Flores?
Defenders can shoot a Ratero before it arms, jam or disrupt its route, and place utility where the drone cannot reach it safely. Flores counters that by droning the route first, using soft destruction paths and sending the drone when teammates create pressure.
Can Flores play after his drones are gone?
Yes. After the utility phase, Flores still has a full primary weapon, flank utility and the information gained from each route. The best Flores players convert the cleared space into a disciplined entry or post-plant role instead of treating the round as over.
