Ubisoft has released the Rainbow Six Siege Y11S3 mid-season update Designer’s Notes, detailing balance changes affecting Noor, Solid Snake, Valkyrie, Tachanka and several other operators. The update brings Horus Lance Launcher follow-up changes for Noor, a new firing mode for Tachanka’s Shumikha Launcher, a precision charge reduction for Solid Snake, and a secondary weapon addition for Valkyrie, alongside refinements across the roster.
Noor Gets Horus Lance Launcher Follow-up Changes
Noor receives release follow-up adjustments to his Horus Lance Launcher, designed to strengthen his shield countering capabilities and survivability. The changes aim to make the ability more reactive and punishing when ballistic shield operators make positioning mistakes, while rewarding players for the risk of equipping it.
- Drilling time on ballistic shields, soft surfaces and solid (non-destructible) surfaces reduced to 1.5 seconds (from 2 seconds)
- Guardbreak strength on projectile impact against ballistic shield operators increased to 100% (from 30%)
- Equipping now uses Quickdraw animations, with equip timing reduced to 0.4 seconds (from 0.9 seconds)
- Impact damage against an operator increased to 80 (from 50)
- Hitbox improvements for better accuracy and consistency
- Damages ballistic shield operators while in the removal animation
Tachanka’s Shumikha Launcher Gains an Impact Firing Mode
Tachanka’s Shumikha Launcher receives a new firing mode that triggers Incendiary Grenades on impact. The existing bouncing behavior is preserved, giving players a choice between two modes depending on the situation. Ubisoft says the goal is to lower the skill floor required to use the launcher effectively while improving responsiveness in precise or time-sensitive scenarios. The bouncing mode remains available for layered denial and indirect space control.
Solid Snake Nerfed, Valkyrie Gets the Glaive-12
Solid Snake’s Soliton Radar Mk III sees a reduction in precision mode charges, dropping from 4 to 3. The adjustment encourages more deliberate usage and clearer target prioritization.
Valkyrie gains the Glaive-12 as a secondary weapon. It is intended to help her create lines of sight more quickly and from further away, without increasing her overall power level.
Refinements: Capitao, Clash, Osa and Fire Damage
The update includes refinement changes, described as small adjustments that don’t aim to alter an operator’s overall power level or shift the meta.
- Capitao: Fire bolt expansion delay reduced to 0.9 seconds (from 1 second)
- Clash: Taser slowdown strength when enemies run away from her increased to 10% (from 5%)
- Osa: Talon-8 Clear Shield deployment restrictions reduced
- Fire damage: Increased to 14 HP (from 12 HP). Ubisoft lists Capitao, Dokkaebi, Goyo, Noor, Tachanka and Gas Pipes as affected
Ubisoft says the fire damage increase is meant to reinforce the threat and clarity of fire-based hazards, so that standing in or crossing them carries more immediate consequences.
Barbed Wire Now Counters the BU-GIs
Barbed Wire becomes a more reliable counter to Ram’s BU-GIs. The gadgets now become entangled in the wire, stopping completely and self-destructing. The change rewards defenders for proper gadget placement, while Ram players are encouraged to plan deployment paths more carefully and account for defensive setups.
The Designer’s Notes also include Win Delta vs. Presence and Top Operator Bans charts for PC and console, which are shared as images.
Source: Ubisoft Designer’s Notes published via Steam on October 15, 2026.