Rainbow Six Siege Operation Split Fire introduces Noor, a Defender built to challenge shield pushes, alongside a targeted Villa update, Legend Division, major weapon balancing, 3v3 Arcade, new events, and practical improvements for competitive and new players.
Operation Split Fire is the Year 11 Season 3 update for Rainbow Six Siege. Its biggest addition is Noor, an Egyptian Defender whose Horus Lance Launcher can pierce shields and destructible surfaces before spreading fire around the impact point. The season also changes how teams approach Villa, adjusts several influential Operators and weapons, introduces the high-level Legend Division playlist, and expands both Arcade and training content.
The most important theme is counterplay. Shield-led attacks now face a dedicated defensive answer, Dokkaebi’s reworked ability gives Defenders more opportunities to interrupt her, and several powerful weapons require more deliberate recoil and ammunition management.
Noor is an anti-entry and crowd-control Defender designed to stop shield Operators from leading a push without risk. His Horus Lance Launcher carries five projectiles. Each projectile can pierce a ballistic shield or destructible surface before releasing flames around the point it penetrates.
This makes Noor more than a conventional area-denial Operator. He can fire through soft walls, floors, or ceilings and pressure Attackers from an adjacent room. His projectiles can also be used with defensive surfaces such as Castle’s Armor Panels and Azami’s Kiba Barriers.
A Horus Lance impact causes a guard break against a shield Operator. The affected player can remove the projectile to stop the flames, but doing so creates an opening for Noor or a teammate to attack.
The shield player must choose between remaining near the fire, retreating, or temporarily giving up protection to remove the projectile. Noor is therefore strongest when teammates are ready to punish the reaction he creates.
The Horus Lance should not be treated as a guaranteed elimination tool. Its main value comes from disrupting formations, separating shield Operators from their support, denying plant positions, and forcing enemies away from protected angles.
Noor can choose between the following weapons and secondary gadgets:
Commando 9 assault rifle
ALDA 5.56 light machine gun
1911 TACOPS handgun
Bailiff 410 handgun
Barbed Wire
Deployable Shield
The Commando 9 supports flexible movement and controlled gunfights, while the ALDA 5.56 provides a larger magazine for sustained defensive pressure.
The Bailiff 410 is useful for creating rotation holes and adjusting the objective site. Barbed Wire strengthens entry denial, while the Deployable Shield gives Noor additional protection near a choke point or expected plant location.
Save at least one Horus Lance for the final attacking execute.
Fire through soft floors and ceilings to deny predictable plant positions.
Coordinate shield guard breaks with a teammate holding a crossfire.
Use the flames against regular Attackers hiding behind cover, not only shield Operators.
Avoid firing projectiles without a clear purpose or follow-up opportunity.
Combine Noor with additional movement-denial and disruption Operators.
Denari, Clash, Goyo, and Oryx can complement Noor against shield-heavy attacking teams. These combinations can slow the push, separate Attackers, or punish enemies forced to abandon their protected position.
Operation Split Fire does not completely rebuild Villa. Instead, it introduces a targeted update affecting the basement, garage, and nearby routes.
Most established Villa knowledge remains useful, but teams must relearn the redesigned objective and the paths supporting it.
The former Living Room and Library objective has been moved into the basement. The garage is now considered an interior space rather than an exterior area, changing how Attackers approach the east side of the map.
Supporting layout adjustments also improve movement, droning lanes, and connections between the affected areas.
Attackers can no longer rely on their previous first-floor Living Room and Library strategies when the new basement objective is selected.
Teams should reassess:
Drone entry routes
Vertical control positions
East-side pressure
Flank coverage
Defuser plant locations
Floor and ceiling destruction
Rotation control around the garage
Clearing the level above the basement objective becomes especially important. Defenders may use vertical denial, C4, utility, or Noor’s Horus Lance to interrupt a predictable plant without exposing themselves to the main attacking angle.
The redesigned garage also creates more opportunities for both teams to contest space. Attackers should drone it carefully instead of assuming it functions like the previous exterior area.
Defenders need new reinforcement priorities, rotation paths, crossfires, and fallback positions for the basement objective.
The interior garage can form part of a layered defense, but holding it too aggressively without a safe escape route may give Attackers an isolated opening elimination.
Teams should test the new sightlines before copying an old Villa setup. A strong defense should include:
Safe rotations between objective rooms
Vertical denial above likely plant locations
Utility protecting important entry routes
Crossfires covering the interior garage
Information tools monitoring the east-side approach
A safe fallback route for extended defenders
Noor fits the redesigned area particularly well because he can pressure shield pushes and plant attempts through nearby destructible surfaces.
Stadium Alpha, Stadium Bravo, and House also receive modernization work. The Shooting Range and tutorial environments receive graphical improvements as well.
These changes should not be confused with Villa’s targeted layout update. Villa receives meaningful structural adjustments, while the other listed maps primarily receive visual modernization.
Operation Split Fire adjusts Dokkaebi and Kali most noticeably. Lion, Kapkan, Echo, Aruni, and Tubarão also receive smaller changes.
Dokkaebi’s Jegeo Payload now requires her to maintain a connection with the selected target while the upload completes.
Interrupting the signal cancels the upload, and Dokkaebi’s tablet remains active throughout the process. This gives Defenders more opportunities to counter the ability while forcing Dokkaebi to commit attention and time to completing it.
Her Impact EMP Grenades have also been removed and replaced by Breach Charges.
Dokkaebi players should reconsider team compositions that previously relied on her to provide both the Jegeo Payload and Impact EMP utility. Another Attacker may now be needed to disable important electronic devices.
Defenders should communicate immediately when the payload begins. Moving into a protected position or using an available method to interrupt the connection can prevent the upload from completing.
Kali can now activate or deactivate the V-Lance without cancelling her aim-down-sights or lean state.
Her CSRX 300 also receives several changes:
Default magnification reduced from 5x to 3.5x
Long magnification reduced from 12x to 8x
Maximum ammunition increased from 36 to 51 rounds
Pump time reduced from 1 second to 0.8 seconds
First-person bullet trace duration reduced from 2 seconds to 1 second
First-shot multiplier increased
Hip-fire spread increased
Kali gains faster follow-up handling and more ammunition, but players still need deliberate positioning and precise weapon control. The lower magnification options may feel more practical across Siege’s typical engagement distances.
Returning Kali players should test both magnification settings before entering Ranked because the updated sight picture can significantly affect positioning and flick accuracy.
Lion: Scan warning reduced from 1.5 to 1.4 seconds. Defenders have slightly less time to stop moving before the scan resolves.
Kapkan: Entry Denial Device damage increased from 60 to 62. Traps punish careless entry more heavily.
Echo: Sonic Burst refill reduced from 16 to 15 seconds. Echo recovers denial pressure slightly faster.
Aruni: Muzzle Brake removed from the Mk 14 EBR. Players must reconsider their attachment and recoil setup.
Tubarão: Muzzle Brake removed from the AR-15.50. The rifle becomes less forgiving for players relying on the previous attachment.
The Lion, Kapkan, and Echo changes are relatively small, but each one strengthens the Operator’s main purpose. Lion gains slightly faster pressure, Kapkan punishes unchecked doorways more heavily, and Echo can use Sonic Bursts more frequently during longer rounds.
The SMG-12 and AR-15.50 receive meaningful reductions, while the SPSMG9 becomes slightly more lethal.
Weapon: SMG-12
Confirmed Split Fire change: Damage reduced from 28 to 16, magazine capacity reduced from 32 to 22, and maximum ammunition reduced from 129 to 111.
Weapon: AR-15.50
Confirmed Split Fire change: Damage reduced from 67 to 59 with increased recoil and platform-specific handling adjustments.
Weapon: SPSMG9
Confirmed Split Fire change: Damage increased from 33 to 35.
Weapon: Mk 14 EBR
Confirmed Split Fire change: Damage reduced from 60 to 56, with a higher first-shot multiplier on mouse and keyboard.
The SMG-12 receives the most noticeable overall reduction. Lower damage, a smaller magazine, and reduced reserve ammunition make uncontrolled sprays much more expensive.
Players using the weapon should prioritize:
Short controlled bursts
Head-level crosshair placement
Disciplined reloads
Close-range positioning
Avoiding unnecessary wall spraying
Switching weapons instead of forcing an empty magazine
Dokkaebi, Vigil, and Warden players should test the SMG-12 again instead of carrying their previous recoil habits directly into competitive matches.
The AR-15.50 retains strong single-shot potential, but its lower damage and increased recoil reduce its reliability during extended engagements.
The Mk 14 EBR also loses damage, while mouse-and-keyboard users must account for its increased first-shot multiplier. Players relying on repeated fast shots may need to slow their firing rhythm and allow the weapon to settle.
The SPSMG9’s damage increases from 33 to 35. This improves its close-range lethality without converting it into a reliable long-range weapon.
Players should continue using it around short sightlines where its fire rate and mobility provide the greatest advantage.
Legend Division is a Solo Queue-only playlist created for the highest-ranked Rainbow Six Siege players.
It does not replace the standard Ranked ladder. Instead, it adds another competitive level with regional leaderboards and stricter eligibility requirements.
Players must meet several conditions to enter:
Hold Champion rank in the current season
Have reached at least Platinum during the previous season
Maintain a positive reputation standing
Complete the required account-security checks
Meet ShieldGuard requirements when playing on PC
Eligible players lock their region when entering the competition. This prevents players from moving between regional leaderboards while attempting to improve their position.
Legend Division players receive a dynamic banner displaying their leaderboard position.
Players who finish inside the top 100 can receive a charm showing their final placement. Briefly reaching the top 100 is not sufficient. The position must be maintained through the final standings to secure the corresponding reward.
Because Legend Division is restricted to Solo Queue, players cannot rely on a regular five-player team. Individual communication, flexibility, adaptation, and the ability to support unfamiliar teammates become especially important.
PC players entering Legend Division must have the following security features enabled:
Secure Boot
TPM 2.0
Windows Memory Integrity or HVCI
Authenticator-based two-step verification
Players must also grant temporary administrative permission when ShieldGuard verifies the required settings.
Anyone unfamiliar with firmware or security configuration should use trusted operating-system and hardware instructions. Changing Secure Boot or TPM settings without understanding drive encryption and recovery-key requirements can create access problems unrelated to Siege.
The 3v3 Arcade playlist adapts Bomb into a smaller-team format.
Matches can last up to seven rounds, with the first team to four round victories winning the match. The Preparation Phase lasts 30 seconds, all Attackers and Defenders are available, and there are no Operator bans.
Operator attrition replaces the ban system. After a team wins a round with an Operator, that team cannot select the same Operator again. Operators used during a lost round remain available.
A three-player squad has fewer Operators available to cover entry, information, utility removal, flank control, and the objective. Flexible Operators therefore become more valuable than narrow specialists who depend on several teammates.
Each lineup should ideally provide:
Information gathering
Entry or area control
Objective utility
Soft or hard destruction where required
Enough flexibility to recover after losing a teammate
Do not approach 3v3 as Team Deathmatch. Drones, cameras, plant pressure, coordinated trades, and utility management still decide rounds.
Teams should also track which Operators the opposition has already consumed after winning rounds. This makes it easier to predict their remaining lineups and save strong Operator combinations for the most suitable objective.
Wasteland Circuit is Rainbow Six Siege’s first drone-racing event.
Players compete across multiple races, collect item balloons that interfere with opponents, and use boost balloons to accelerate their drones. Points are awarded based on finishing position, and the player with the highest combined score wins the circuit.
The event tests movement control rather than standard weapon mechanics. Success depends on:
Taking clean racing lines
Controlling speed through corners
Avoiding unnecessary collisions
Using item balloons at valuable moments
Saving boosts for sections where additional speed can be controlled
Holding boost constantly is not always the fastest approach. Excessive speed before a tight corner can cause a collision and lose more time than the boost provides.
Item balloons are most valuable when opponents are grouped together or approaching a difficult part of the course.
Doktor’s Curse also returns as part of Split Fire’s event content. Its expanded playable roster includes Mute, Grim, and Hibana. Players should verify exact challenges and rewards through the live event interface because event-specific reward tracks can differ from the core season systems.
Operation Split Fire includes several smaller changes affecting Quick Match, training, graphics, menus, interactions, and surrender voting.
Players below Clearance Level 10 now deal reduced damage to teammates.
This does not remove friendly fire. New players must still identify targets before shooting and avoid throwing explosives near teammates.
The adjustment is intended to provide additional room for beginners learning Operator appearances, weapon control, and basic positioning.
Quick Match now includes a minimap that helps players understand layouts and navigation.
Experienced players who prefer the traditional presentation can disable it through the guidance settings.
New players should use the minimap to connect room names, stairs, and routes with the actual environment. However, staring at the minimap during active engagements can still leave a player vulnerable.
Clear House and Field Training now include:
Casino
Emerald Plains
Stadium 2020
Stadium Bravo
House
Ram, Osa, Mozzie, and Brava are also added to the playable Field Training roster.
These additions provide more opportunities to practice destruction, shield positioning, drone control, anti-gadget interactions, and map navigation in a lower-pressure environment.
The Options menu has been reorganized with:
Clearer multi-level categories
Improved navigation
More discoverable accessibility settings
Compact menu components
Reduced scrolling
Relevant settings appearing in multiple categories
Players should review the reorganized menu rather than assuming a familiar option has been removed.
Adaptive Render Scaling is enabled by default across PC graphics-quality presets. Its purpose is to improve frame-rate stability and performance consistency.
Players should inspect this setting if the game appears softer or if resolution quality changes during demanding moments. Avoid immediately adjusting sensitivity or display calibration when the underlying issue may be dynamic render scaling.
Actions requiring players to hold an input now display a circular progress indicator.
This applies to interactions such as:
Entering rappel
Dropping the defuser
Releasing a hostage
Climbing hatches as Oryx
Picking up gadgets
The indicator makes it easier to judge whether an interaction has started and how close it is to completion.
The surrender vote interface has been redesigned so that the vote does not disappear before players can respond when a round ends unexpectedly.
A team can attempt to surrender when it is behind in rounds or when a teammate has remained disconnected for at least six minutes.
Several older Operators become cheaper to unlock in Operation Split Fire:
Ram: 10,000 Renown or 240 R6 Credits
Skopós: 15,000 Renown or 360 R6 Credits
Denari: 20,000 Renown or 480 R6 Credits
Players should choose between these Operators according to the role missing from their roster.
Ram provides vertical destruction and environmental pressure. Skopós offers information and positional flexibility through the V10 Pantheon Shells. Denari controls movement using connected laser traps.
Shield disruption is Noor’s headline role, but the Horus Lance can also deny plants, clear protected positions, and attack through destructible surfaces.
Selecting Noor only when Montagne or Blitz appears wastes much of his wider area-denial potential.
Noor carries five projectiles, but poor early shots can leave him without denial during the final attacking execute.
Use early Lances when they secure important space or create a punishable opening, not simply because an Attacker has been detected.
The targeted update changes the basement objective and east-side approach.
Reinforcements, rotations, drone routes, vertical control, and plant-denial positions should be rebuilt around the updated layout.
The SMG-12, AR-15.50, Mk 14 EBR, and CSRX 300 no longer behave exactly as returning players expect.
Test recoil, ammunition limits, magnification, and attachment availability before taking an old loadout directly into Ranked.
Villa receives meaningful layout changes. Stadium Alpha, Stadium Bravo, and House receive visual modernization.
Confusing the two can cause players to discard useful map knowledge unnecessarily.
The beginner system reduces friendly-fire damage for accounts below Clearance Level 10. It does not make teammates immune.
Trigger discipline and safe explosive placement remain essential.
Operation Split Fire is Rainbow Six Siege Year 11 Season 3. It adds Noor, updates part of Villa, introduces Legend Division and 3v3 Arcade, delivers balance changes, adds seasonal events, and improves training, settings, and onboarding features.
Noor is a Defender specializing in anti-entry and crowd control. His Horus Lance Launcher disrupts shield Operators, denies space, and interrupts plant attempts.
Noor carries five Horus Lance projectiles. They can pierce ballistic shields and destructible surfaces before releasing flames around the impact point.
Yes. The affected shield Operator can remove the projectile to stop the flames. However, the removal action creates an opening for Noor or another Defender to attack.
The Living Room and Library objective moves into the basement, the garage becomes an interior area, and nearby routes and droning lanes receive supporting layout adjustments.
No. Legend Division is a Solo Queue competitive playlist with rank, reputation, account-security, and PC platform-security requirements.
No. It is a smaller Bomb variant with a shorter Preparation Phase, no Operator bans, and an attrition rule preventing a winning team from immediately reusing the same Operators.
The SMG-12 and AR-15.50 receive major reductions. The Mk 14 EBR is adjusted, the CSRX 300 receives several handling and scope changes, and the SPSMG9 gains a small damage increase.
Operation Split Fire changes Rainbow Six Siege through focused tactical adjustments rather than a complete systems reset.
Noor challenges shield-led attacks, Villa gains a new objective flow, and the strongest weapon changes reward controlled aim and better ammunition discipline. Legend Division gives elite solo players another competitive goal, while the new Arcade, event, minimap, and training features create additional ways to learn and practice.
Players who retest familiar weapons, rebuild their Villa setups, and understand how to create or deny openings around the Horus Lance will adapt most effectively.
Split Fire’s individual features may appear separate, but they share a common purpose: providing clearer counterplay and creating more meaningful tactical decisions for both Attackers and Defenders.
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