Rainbow Six Siege Operation Split Fire Guide: Y11S3 and Patch Notes

Operation Split Fire is Rainbow Six Siege X Year 11 Season 3, and it launched on September 1, 2026. It added Noor, a Defender whose Horus launcher burns through shields, reworked Villa, brought a 3v3 Arcade mode and big weapon nerfs, and the October 15 mid-season update buffed Noor and opened the solo-only Legend Division above Champion.

Updated November 7, 2026.

This guide rewrites Ubisoft's official Split Fire season page and mid-season update in plain English. For the bigger picture, head to the Rainbow Six Siege hub.

When did Operation Split Fire start and when does it end?

Split Fire launched on September 1, 2026, and the mid-season update went live on October 15 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Ubisoft says the Legend Division runs through December 1, but a formal season end date and the name of Year 11 Season 4 have not been announced.

Who is Noor and what does she do?

Noor is a Defender built to stop shield pushes. She carries the Commando 9 or ALDA 5.56 with a 1911 TACOPS or Bailiff 410, plus a Deployable Shield or Barbed Wire. Her Horus Lance Launcher fires 5 projectiles that pierce shields and destructible surfaces, then erupt into flames, even through floors, ceilings and neighbouring rooms.

The mid-season update made her much stronger:

• Drilling time down from 2 seconds to 1.5 seconds.
• Guardbreak against shield operators raised from 30 percent to 100 percent.
• Equip time cut from 0.9 to 0.4 seconds.
• Direct impact damage against operators up from 50 to 80.
• She now damages shield operators during the shield-removal animation.

What changed on Villa?

Ubisoft redesigned the basement and garage, turned the garage into an interior space, and moved the Living Room and Library bomb site downstairs. Flow, drone routes and sightlines were adjusted around those changes. Villa is also part of the current Pro map pool, so expect to see it often in ranked.

Which balance changes matter most?

The launch patch hit several popular weapons hard:

• SMG-12: damage 28 to 16, magazine 32 to 22.
• AR-15.50: damage 67 to 59 with more recoil. Tubarão also lost its Muzzle Brake on this weapon.
• Mk 14 EBR: damage 60 to 56 and Muzzle Brake removed.
• CSRX 300: lower zoom, more ammo (36 to 51) and a faster pump.
• Dokkaebi: her payload now needs a constant connection, and she swaps Impact EMP Grenades for Breach Charges.
• Small buffs: Kapkan damage 60 to 62, Echo refill 16 to 15 seconds, SPSMG9 damage 33 to 35, Lion scan warning 1.5 to 1.4 seconds.

The October mid-season update added more:

• Fire damage up from 12 to 14 HP, which affects Tachanka, Goyo, Capitão, Dokkaebi, Noor and gas pipes.
• Tachanka's Shumika Launcher can switch between Impact and Bounce modes.
• Valkyrie gains the Glaive-12 as a secondary.
• Clash's slow on fleeing enemies doubles from 5 to 10 percent.
• Osa's shield has far looser placement limits, and Snake's radar drops to three precision charges.

What else is new this season?

• 3v3 Arcade: a limited-time mode with a 30-second prep phase, no bans and operator attrition, so you cannot reuse an operator after winning a round with them.
• Cheaper operators: Ram is now 10,000 Renown, Skopos 15,000 and Denari 20,000.
• Quality of life: the minimap is available in Quick Match, players under clearance level 10 deal reduced friendly-fire damage, and Adaptive Render Scaling is on by default on PC.
• Training: Ram, Osa, Mozzie and Brava are now playable in Field Training.

What does this mean for ranked?

Shield-heavy attacks face a much tougher Noor, and fire damage is more dangerous everywhere. Ubisoft also says Split Fire is the last season using the current ranked map rotation system. Read our Rainbow Six Siege ranks explained guide for the full Ranked 3.0 rules, and our how to rank up in Rainbow Six Siege guide for operator picks that suit this patch.