Operatives are civilians that the player can recruit and play as in Watch Dogs: Legion. Each operative comes with a specific deck of traits, as defined by their class. Most operative classes contain multiple decks of traits, which new operatives will randomly receive when they spawn; however, some classes contain only one possible deck, such as Construction Worker and Getaway Driver. There are also unique operatives with predetermined deck or even predetermined appearance and background, such as operatives rewarded by borough uprisings, DudSec and Bare Knuckle League boss fights. It is possible for an operative to have no trait as well.

Most operative classes randomly spawn in the street, but some elusive classes only have a chance to spawn at specific locations during specific times, for example, Beekeeper and Professional Hitman. Albion operatives with P9 Silenced and/or Combat Roll trait also spawn only at specific locations, namely SIRS HQ and U.S. Embassy. Operatives performing exercises at spawn, usually jogging, yoga or kick-up at parks, have a chance to spawn with Physically Fit trait in addition to traits defined by their deck; this allows unique decks to be created that would otherwise be impossible.

An operative's race, and thereby their appearance, is influenced by the location they spawn at: operatives in Camden, especially if near Chinatown (London), are more likely to be East Asian; operatives in Tower Hamlets, especially if near East London Mosque, are more likely to be South Asian; operatives in other locations have roughly equal chances to be of any race. Most operative classes allow both male and female operatives to spawn, but Royal Guard and some unique operatives have predetermined sexes.

List of operative classes in Watch Dogs: Legion, excluding unique operatives^[1]:

Class	Image	Common Traits
Albion Affiliate		Uniformed Access (Albion) Baton P9 P9 Silenced
Albion Captain		Elite Kamikaze Drone Uniformed Access (Albion) Baton P308
Albion Grenadier		Uniformed Access (Albion) Baton Desert Eagle GL-06
Albion Grunt		Uniformed Access (Albion) Baton P9 Vector .45 ACP
Albion Overwatch		Uniformed Access (Albion) Baton M249
Albion Rusher		Elite Combat Cloak Uniformed Access (Albion) Bandana M590
Clan Kelley Affiliate		(Melee weapon) (Ranged weapon) (Vehicle)
Clan Kelley Captain		Uniformed Access (Kelley) AK47 Studded Truncheon
Clan Kelley Grenadier		Elite Seeker Spider Uniformed Access (Kelley) REX 357 APGL
Clan Kelley Grunt		Uniformed Access (Kelley) P9 MP5 Lead Pipe
Clan Kelley Overwatch		Elite Turret Spider Uniformed Access (Kelley) NEGEV Crowbar
Clan Kelley Rusher		Uniformed Access (Kelley) Bandana Wrench M590
Police Officer		Uniformed Access (Police) LTL Stun Gun Baton Bail Out Police Contact
Retired Police Officer		LTL Stun Gun Baton Albion Vendetta
Anarchist		Smoke Grenade Studded Truncheon Bandana
Bare Knuckle		Mouth Guard Grappler K.O. Punch Kinetic Charger Shockwave Strike Strong Counters
Beekeeper		Bee Swarm Overcharger Anti-Shock Suit
Construction Worker		Uniformed Access (Construction) Cargo Drone Wrench Nail Gun
Drone Expert		Shock Drone Drone Betray Hack Dive Bomb
Football Hooligan		Rally Cry Tough Drunk
Getaway Driver		Getaway Car Anti-Chase Clear The Way Crowbar
Hacker		Viral Hacking Shock Hack Key Steal
Livestreamer		Camera Drone Famous
Living Statue		Statue Pose
Paramedic		Uniformed Access (Medical) Ambulance Triage
Professional Hitman		Desert Eagle G36 Gunkata Combat Roll
Protest Leader		Megaphone Tear Gas Bandana
Royal Guard		Uniformed Access (Buckingham) G36
Spy		P9 Silenced Spy Watch Spy Car
Stage Magician		Pocketwatch
Street Artist		Paintball Gun Paint Bomb
DJ		Killer Beat Feedback Loop Fast Hacking (Vehicle)
Drone Killer		[Possibly cut content]
First Responder		AR Medical Shield Hydraulic Rescue Tool
Tough Guy		[Possibly cut content]
Activist		Albion Vendetta Kelley Vendetta
Artist		(Vehicle) Paintball Gun Paint Bomb
Driver		(Vehicle) Clear The Way Evasive Driving
Entertainer		(Emote/Perform) Studded Truncheon Loyalty Card Famous Shopaholic
Finance		Lead Pipe Skilled Investor Crypto Skimmer
Gun Owner		(Ranged weapon)
Illicit		M590 Hard Drinker Tough Drunk
Law		Bail Out Police Contact Light Sentence Signing Bonuses
Mechanics		Uniformed Access (Construction) (Melee weapon) LTL Stun Gun Bandana Sweeping Talos Scope
Media		News Drone 6G Data Plan Fast Hacking LTL MP7
Medical		Uniformed Access (Medical) LTL Dart Gun Priority Care Triage
Melee		Grappler K.O. Punch Kinetic Charger Shockwave Strike Strong Counters
Military		(Ranged weapon) Combat Roll Gunkata Explosive Shield
Misc		(Melee weapon)
Retail		Signing Bonuses Loyalty Card Vehicle Detailing Shopaholic
Science		LTL Dart Gun Tear Gas Bandana Explosive Shield
Sports		(Melee weapon) Mouth Guard Physically Fit Good Patient Famous
Tech		Crypto Skimmer Drone Betray Hack Shock Hack 6G Data Plan Fast Hacking Key Steal
Transient		Panhandler (Emote/Perform)
Vehicle Owner		(Vehicle) Anti-Chase Evasive Driving