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Rainbow Six Siege Sets Up a New Legend Division and Maps Out Operator and Hostage Changes

OFFICIAL Written by GPN · Nov 8, 2026, 5:35 PM ET · Rainbow Six Siege · Gaming

Ubisoft has published a new Community Checkpoint for Rainbow Six Siege, setting out how the team is responding to player feedback on ranked play, operator balance, and the modes that are coming back. The update, dated November 2, 2026, covers a new top tier for solo ranked players, a change to how ranked maps are chosen, a set of balance changes from the mid-season update, and the return of Hostage mode.

Legend Division

The biggest change is Legend Division, a permanent solo queue playlist that arrived with the mid-season update. Ubisoft said it was not delayed and was introduced as planned, and it will stay available.

Entry is deliberately narrow. Players need to be at Champion rank at the time, to have reached Platinum or higher in the previous season, to be at Clearance Level 200 or above, and to hold Reputation Standing at level 3 or higher. They also need the R6 Shieldguard Secure Platform, Secure Boot, and 2-Step Account Verification switched on.

Ranked Map Pool

From next season, the ranked map pool will stop rotating on a seasonal basis. Instead, the team will use what it calls a best of approach, deciding which maps are added, which are removed, and which are reworked. The aim is to keep the pool focused on the maps that work best for ranked play, rather than changing it every season.

Operator Balancing

The mid-season update in Operation Split Fire includes a long list of operator changes. Noor's Horus Lance Launcher now drills through soft surfaces in 1.5 seconds, down from 2 seconds, its direct impact damage rises to 80 from 50, and its equip time drops to 0.4 seconds from 0.9 seconds.

Tachanka's Shumika Launcher can now switch to an Impact Mode, while Snake's Soliton Radar drops from 4 charges to 3. Valkyrie gains the Glaive-12 as a secondary weapon, Capitão's fire expansion delay falls to 0.9 seconds from 1 second, and Clash's slowdown increases to 10 percent from 5 percent. OSA's deployment restrictions have also been reduced.

Fire damage has risen to 14 health per tick, up from 12, and now affects Tachanka, Goyo, Capitao, Dokkaebi, Noor, and Gas Pipes. Barbed Wire now stops BU-GI, the operator used by RAM. Mira and Zofia have no updates planned for now, while the team is testing a nerf to the TCSG and will make further tweaks in update 3.3, including to Denari.

Hostage Mode

Hostage mode is on its way back. Hostage and Secure Area will return to casual play in Year 11 Season 4, and Hostage is planned to return to competitive play after it has been through Testing Grounds. The next Testing Grounds, after Half Reinforcements, will feature the Hostage mode rework.

3v3 Arcade

Operation Split Fire also includes a limited-time 3v3 mode. It is a smaller, faster-paced take on the game, built around three-player teams.

What Comes Next

The update also sets out two roadmap changes. The Attacker Secondary Gadget has been cut, and Operator mastery is moving to Year 12 Season 1.

Facts gathered from

• news.ubisoft.com

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