Ubisoft Reveals Rainbow Six Siege Operation Split Fire with New Defender Noor and 3v3 Arcade Mode

Ubisoft revealed Operation Split Fire as Year 11 Season 3 of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, dropping during the Esports World Cup on August 15, 2026. According to official announcements reported by Pizza Fria, Mimood, and Laranja Cast, the update introduces Egyptian defender Noor, major operator balances for Kali and Dokkaebi, and structural layout overhauls for the Villa map to reshape competitive tactical play.

Defensive Breach Control with Noor and the Horus Lance

The headline addition to the roster is Noor, an Egyptian defender engineered to disrupt standard attacking metas. Equipped with the Horus Lance gadget, Noor can apply direct pressure to opposing players through destructible walls, reinforced floors, ceilings, and shields. This capability is explicitly designed to counter shield-wielding operators, offering defenders a potent tool for area denial and plant interruption.

Loadout choices for Noor give players flexible engagement profiles. For primary weapons, she can select between the Commando-9 assault rifle and the Alda 5.56 light machine gun. Secondary options include the TACOPS 1911 pistol and the Bailiff 410 revolver, complemented by barbed wire or a deployable shield for utility positioning.

Operator Rebalancing: Kali, Dokkaebi, and Utility Tweaks

Operation Split Fire implements sweeping adjustments across multiple operators to refine competitive balance. Kali’s CSRX 300 sniper rifle receives modernized 3.5x and 8x magnification options, alongside a reduced action time and an expanded magazine capacity. Furthermore, deploying Kali’s LV Lance will no longer interrupt her aiming or leaning animations, drastically improving her fluid weapon handling during high-pressure gunfights.

Dokkaebi undergoes a substantial rework aimed at coordinated team play. Her Jegeo Payload now demands a continuous connection until the upload sequence finishes. This modification opens active counterplay windows for operators like IQ, Mute, and Solis to disrupt the hack. Additionally, Dokkaebi’s impact EMP grenades are swapped out entirely for breach charges.

Minor adjustments round out the roster updates. Lion’s scan warning timer sees a reduction, Echo’s Sonic Burst recharges at a quicker pace, Kapkan’s entry traps tick up from 60 to 62 damage, and Claymores increase output from 150 to 155 damage.

Map Overhauls and the Villa Layout Transformation

Ubisoft Montreal is launching its first targeted map rework of the initiative with Villa in Season 3. The underutilized Living Room/Library zone relocates permanently to the basement level, establishing entirely new defensive holding spots and site layouts.

Visual modernization expands across other environments as well. Stadium Alpha, Stadium Bravo, and House receive visual upgrades, while the Shooting Range and tutorial modules get fresh polish to assist both veteran and rookie queues.

New Playlists, Arcade Formats, and Limited-Time Events

Competitive structures grow with the addition of a new ranked playlist alongside an Arcade 3v3 mode. Following the prior 1v1 tests, the 3v3 playlist cuts down team sizes for faster, tighter rounds while preserving the core tactical mechanics of Siege.

Seasonal events fill out the remaining roadmap. The Wasteland Circuit arrives as a temporary event centered entirely around drone racing across tracks packed with obstacles and shortcuts. Later in the autumn, the annual Halloween event Doktor’s Curse returns, expanding its playable operator roster to include Mute, Grim, and Hibana.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege remains available across PC via Steam, Ubisoft+, Uplay, and Epic Games Store, alongside PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.