Rainbow Six Siege Operation Split Fire Adds Defender Noor and Lands September 1
Ubisoft revealed Operation Split Fire, Year 11 Season 3 of Rainbow Six Siege, at a panel today, and set the launch for September 1. It arrives on PlayStation, Xbox and PC — through the Ubisoft Store, Steam and the Epic Games Store — and is included for Ubisoft+ subscribers.
The headline addition is a new Defender named Noor, an Egyptian operator built to break up shield pushes. That is the first thing worth understanding, because Siege has not had a straight anti-shield answer on defence for a long time.
What Noor does in Operation Split Fire
Noor is a two-speed, two-armour Defender carrying the Horus Lance Launcher. It fires five projectiles that punch through shields and destructible surfaces and then ignite. Ubisoft's description of the shield interaction is specific: the projectile burrows into the shield and then spouts flames directly back towards the Attacker holding it.
Because the lances go through destructible material, they also work on deployables — Castle's armour panels and Azami's Kiba barriers among them — and can be fired from an adjacent room, or through a floor or ceiling.
His loadout is:
- Primary: Commando-9 assault rifle or Alda 5.56 LMG
- Secondary: 1911 TACOPS or Bailiff 410
- Secondary gadgets: deployable shield or barbed wire
The balance changes that will actually move the meta
Three changes stand out from the season briefing. Kali's scope ranges drop to 3.5x and 8x, down from 5x and 12x, which is a direct cut to her long-lane sightlines. Dokkaebi can now take Breach Charges in place of EMP Grenades, giving her a soft-breach option she did not have.
Ubisoft also confirmed that DMRs and the SMG-12 are getting adjustments to damage, recoil behaviour and ammo capacity, but has not published the per-weapon numbers yet. Treat the direction as confirmed and the magnitude as unknown until the patch notes land.
Villa's bomb site is moving downstairs
The Villa update is a mid-season change rather than a day-one one. The Living Room/Library bomb site moves down to the basement to create an alternative objective, and the Garage is converted from an exterior space into an interior one — a real change to how that side of the map is approached, not a texture pass.
Separately, Stadium Alpha, Stadium Bravo, House, the Shooting Range and the Tutorials are getting visual upgrades. Those are presentation changes, and Ubisoft has not described them as layout reworks.
Two limited-time modes, with dates
- 3v3 Arcade Mode — September 8 to 21. A smaller-squad format running the week after launch.
- Wasteland Circuit — September 23 to October 12. A drone-racing event with custom tracks, so a full break from the usual round structure.
Both are windowed, which matters if you only play in bursts: miss the dates and the mode goes away rather than joining the permanent playlist.
Legends Division is for Champions only
The other structural addition is Legends Division, arriving mid-season for Champion-level solo queue players. Ubisoft describes it as having tighter security measures, its own rewards and a fully visible leaderboard. If you are not at Champion, this one does not apply to you, and Ubisoft has not said whether the entry bar will move later.
On unlock costs, the season page lists Ram at 10,000 Renown or 240 R6 Credits, Skopos at 15,000 Renown or 360 R6 Credits, and Denari at 20,000 Renown or 480 R6 Credits. Noor's own price is not stated on that page.
If you follow shooter seasons across platforms, the Modern Warfare 4 beta adding a playable campaign mission is running in the same window, and Microsoft's Gears of War: E-Day open beta on Xbox Series X|S and PC opened this week too. For a comparison of how another live-service game is handling balance right now, our breakdown of League of Legends patch 26.16 covers a similar round of nerfs. And if you want something to play on a phone with the same controller, we tested Android games with full gamepad support.
Nothing in the reveal touched Siege's platform availability, pricing model or the Y11S2 content already live. Season 3 goes live September 1.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Operation Split Fire release?
Rainbow Six Siege Year 11 Season 3, Operation Split Fire, launches on September 1. It is available on PlayStation, Xbox and PC via the Ubisoft Store, Steam and the Epic Games Store, and is included with a Ubisoft+ subscription. Ubisoft has not published a Test Server date on its season page.
Who is Noor and what is his gadget?
Noor is a new Egyptian Defender, described by Ubisoft with he/him pronouns, rated two-speed and two-armour. His gadget is the Horus Lance Launcher, which fires five projectiles that pierce shields and destructible surfaces before igniting. When a lance hits a shield it burrows in and sprays flame back at the Attacker.
What weapons does Noor use?
Noor can take the Commando-9 assault rifle or the Alda 5.56 LMG as a primary, and the 1911 TACOPS or the Bailiff 410 as a secondary. For secondary gadgets he has the deployable shield and barbed wire.
Is Kali being nerfed in Y11S3?
Yes. Her scope ranges are being reduced to 3.5x and 8x, down from 5x and 12x, which shortens the range at which she can comfortably hold long sightlines. Dokkaebi is also changing, gaining the option to carry Breach Charges instead of EMP Grenades.
What is changing on Villa?
The Living Room/Library bomb site moves down to the basement to create an alternative objective, and the Garage becomes an interior space rather than an exterior one. Ubisoft has scheduled the Villa update for mid-season rather than the September 1 launch.
