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Rainbow Six Siege Y11S1.2: All New Changes from the Designer's Notes
Rainbow Six Siege's mid-season balancing update, Y11S1.2, is on the way, and Ubisoft has dropped the Designer's Notes to give players a full breakdown of every incoming change. From overhauled operator utility to quality-of-life refinements, here's a complete rundown of what's coming.
Rauora Gets a Major Rework
Rauora is receiving one of the most significant overhauls in this patch, with Ubisoft looking to cement her role as a zone-control specialist.
Her D.O.M. Panel Launcher's range jumps from 15 to 25 meters, and the resource system has been redesigned — all four charges are now available from the start of the round, removing the previous cooldown-reliant playstyle entirely. This gives her far more freedom to set up fortified zones early, especially on larger or more open bomb sites where she previously struggled.
Her panels are also getting some much-needed biased changes depending on which side you encounter them on.
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Trigger opening time reduced to 0.5 seconds (from 1).
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Panel closing time for Attackers reduced to 1 second (from 3).
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Panel opening and closing time for Defenders increased to 6 seconds (from 3).
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Panel opening distance for drones reduced to 1 meter (from 2).
Jackal, Smoke, and Operator Updates
Jackal receives a meaningful vertical tracking improvement this patch. His Eyenox Model III will now detect and scan enemy footprints from below when the ceiling has been destroyed, making him far more consistent in multi-level engagements and giving him new angles to pressure roaming defenders. He also gains Frag Grenades, expanding his aggressive toolkit.
Smoke gets the Deployable Shield back into his loadout, giving him more setup flexibility when anchoring bomb sites. The change is straightforward but impactful, as it brings back an important tool to delay pushes and build tighter defensive holds without changing his core identity.
Refinement Changes Across the Roster
Ubisoft is rolling out a series of smaller refinements that focus on consistency and quality-of-life rather than major meta shifts.
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Clash sees her CCE Shield Mk2 Taser battery increased from 10 to 15 seconds, compensating for mobility changes made earlier in the season and helping her maintain pressure during defensive holds
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Frost's Welcome Mat limping time increases from 60 to 70 seconds, giving defenders a longer window to capitalize on a caught attacker and adding more tension for the trapped player
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Glaz gets a movement buff. The time to reach maximum Flip Sight distortion increases from 12 to 15 seconds, giving him more freedom to reposition while scoped
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Grim's Kawan Hive canister drop delay increases from 0.4 to 0.6 seconds, rewarding more deliberate gadget usage and making the swarm slightly easier to counter before it deploys
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Thunderbird receives a healing buff, with her Kóna Station regenerating 3 HP per second instead of 2, meaningfully boosting her impact in prolonged defensive holds
The Y11S1.2 update continues Ubisoft's approach of steady, targeted balancing, with big changes where needed and careful polish everywhere else.
Check the full update notes [here].
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Featured Image Credit: Ubisoft
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