Ubisoft has outlined several upcoming changes for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege as Year 11 approaches its final season. Starting with Y11S4, seasonal Ranked map rotations will be removed in favour of a more consistent pool of approximately 15 maps, including the nine maps used in professional competition. Hostage and Secure Area will also return to Quick Match, while the popular limited-time 3v3 Arcade mode is scheduled to make another appearance.
The latest Community Checkpoint also details the balancing changes introduced with Operation Split Fire’s mid-season update, including improvements to Noor, Tachanka and Clash, alongside adjustments to Snake and several other Operators. Ubisoft is preparing additional changes for Denari, Jackal and the Commando in update 3.3, while the upcoming Testing Grounds will introduce Half Reinforcements. A Hostage mode rework is also planned for a later Testing Grounds session, although its potential return to Ranked has not been confirmed.
Rainbow Six Siege Community Checkpoint Patch Notes and Updates
Legend Division Requirements
- Legend Division is now available as a permanent solo queue playlist.
- The playlist is designed for Champion-ranked players seeking a more competitive environment.
- Players must meet the following requirements to participate:
- Have R6 Shieldguard Secure Platform enabled.
- Have Secure Boot enabled.
- Enable two-step account verification.
- Currently hold Champion rank.
- Have a Clearance Level of at least 200.
- Have achieved Platinum rank or higher during the previous season.
- Maintain Reputation Standing level three or higher.
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- Legend Division uses a more competitive ruleset than standard Ranked.
- Ubisoft will continue monitoring player feedback to determine whether further adjustments are necessary.
Ranked Map Pool Changes
- Seasonal Ranked map rotations will be removed starting in Y11S4.
- Ranked will return to a more consistent selection of maps rather than replacing maps each season.
- The new approach will prioritise maps considered most suitable for competitive play.
- Each Ranked season will feature approximately 15 maps.
- The map pool will include the nine maps currently used in professional competition.
- The change is intended to give players more time to learn maps and develop consistent strategies.
Operator and Gameplay Balance Changes
Noor
– Horus Lance Launcher:
- Reduced drilling time from 2 seconds to 1.5 seconds on soft surfaces, ballistic shields and hard surfaces.
- Increased Guardbreak strength against ballistic shield Operators from 30% to 100% when struck by a projectile.
- Reduced equip time from 0.9 seconds to 0.4 seconds through Quickdraw animations.
- Increased direct impact damage against Operators from 50 to 80.
- The launcher now damages ballistic shield Operators during their shield removal animation.
- Improved general hitbox behaviour.
Tachanka
- Added a mode-switching ability to the Shumika Launcher.
- The launcher now supports two firing modes:
- Impact Mode:
- The default firing mode.
- Projectiles explode when they strike any surface.
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- Bounce Mode:
- Projectiles do not explode when colliding with fragile objects such as glass or paper.
- Projectiles pass through fragile objects.
- Fire is directed towards the floor from the impact point.
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Snake
– Soliton Radar MK III:
- Reduced precision charges from four to three.
Valkyrie
– Added the Glaive-12 as a secondary weapon option.
Capitão
– Reduced the delay between fire expansions from 1 second to 0.9 seconds.
Clash
– Increased the slowdown effect applied to enemies running away from Clash from 5% to 10%.
Osa
– Reduced deployment space restrictions:
- Frontal space requirement reduced from 1.1 metres to 0.25 metres.
- Vertical space requirement reduced from 6.25 metres to 0.6 metres.
- Space required behind the player reduced from 0.3 metres to 0.005 metres.
Fire Damage Changes
- Increased fire damage from 12 HP to 14 HP.
- The adjustment affects fire associated with:
- Tachanka.
- Goyo.
- Capitão.
- Dokkaebi.
- Noor.
- Gas Pipes.
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Barbed Wire
– Barbed Wire now completely stops the BU-GI OF RAM.
Upcoming Operator Balance Changes
Y11S4 TCSG Adjustment
- A nerf to the TCSG is planned for Y11S4.
- The change follows feedback from the community.
- Specific balance values have not yet been announced.
Update 3.3 Balance Changes
- Update 3.3 will introduce additional adjustments to:
- Denari.
- Jackal.
- The Commando.
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- Ubisoft describes these as relatively small changes intended to have a meaningful gameplay impact.
- Specific adjustment values have not yet been provided.
Future Balance Update Schedule
- Update 3.3 will be the final update following the current approach to smaller .1 and .3 balance patches.
- Starting next season, .1 and .3 updates will contain fewer but more substantial gameplay changes.
- Season launch and mid-season patches will continue to include larger sets of balance adjustments.
Mira and Zofia
- Ubisoft is testing gameplay prototypes for Mira and Zofia.
- The prototypes are intended to improve how enjoyable the Operators are to play while maintaining balance.
- No balance updates for either Operator have been confirmed.
Y11S4 Testing Grounds
Half Reinforcements
- A new Testing Grounds event will arrive during Y11S4.
- The event will introduce Half Reinforcements as an experimental gameplay feature.
- Half Reinforcements are intended to create new possibilities for:
- Defensive site preparation.
- Site construction.
- Team strategies.
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- The feature will be tested separately from regular live matches.
- Players will be able to provide feedback through an in-game QR code and survey.
- Ubisoft will use the results to determine whether the feature requires changes before any potential wider implementation.
Future Testing Grounds Plans
- Testing Grounds will play a larger role in evaluating experimental gameplay changes.
- The developers intend to use the mode to test new features and revisit existing ideas.
- Player feedback will help determine which concepts are suitable for the main game.
- Not every feature tested through Testing Grounds will necessarily be released.
Hostage Mode Changes
Hostage Rework
- A Hostage mode rework is currently in development.
- The rework will appear in a future Testing Grounds session after Half Reinforcements.
- Ubisoft has already incorporated feedback from players and content creators into its development.
- The upcoming test will allow a wider group of players to evaluate the changes.
Potential Return to Ranked
- Ubisoft has a long-term plan to explore bringing Hostage back to competitive Siege.
- Any return to Ranked will depend on the results of Testing Grounds and community feedback.
- The developers want to ensure the mode offers:
- Balanced gameplay for attackers and defenders.
- Meaningful strategic depth.
- Fair competitive conditions.
- An enjoyable objective-based experience.
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- No confirmed date or commitment has been made for Hostage returning to Ranked.
Quick Match Playlist Changes
- Hostage will return to Quick Match in Y11S4.
- Secure Area will also return to Quick Match.
- Both modes will become part of the regular playlist rotation.
- Ubisoft intends to use their return to evaluate player engagement and inform future improvements.
3v3 Arcade Mode
Y11S4 Return
- The limited-time 3v3 Arcade playlist will return in Y11S4.
- The mode was introduced during Operation Split Fire.
- It features:
- Three-player teams.
- Shorter rounds.
- Faster match pacing.
- Tactical gameplay built around smaller team compositions.
- An attrition-based element.
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- Ubisoft reports that the playlist became one of Siege’s most successful limited-time modes.
- Its popularity and strong player retention contributed to the decision to bring it back.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege was released on 1 December 2015 and is available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. The game was developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft.
What do you think about the upcoming Ranked map changes and the return of Hostage and 3v3 Arcade? Share your thoughts in the comments!
