Rainbow Six Tachanka rework full reveal: release date, gameplay, more

Tachanka’s rework is coming to Rainbow Six very soon. After being revealed at the Six Invitational, Ubisoft has shared more details with the playerbase. We’ve got everything you need to know, from what he will look like, to when you can start playing him.

The Lord has arisen. Well, he’s about to, at least. Rainbow Six’s Tachanka is the first operator in line for a major rework in Ubisoft’s tactical shooter, and it’s right around the corner.

The cult hero’s overhaul was first revealed at the Six Invitational, to rapturous applause from the crowd. The turret wielding Russian might retain his legendary status, but picking him will no longer be a meme.

Ubisoft have dropped more details about Tachanka’s rework, and you’ll be able to get your hands on it soon. So soon in fact, that if you have the test server installed, you can start playing the Lord from October 8. Here’s what you need to know.

Tachanka rework details: new molotov gadget, more

Tachanka’s kit is heavily outdated in Rainbow Six. His static playstyle doesn’t fit with the dynamic of Siege. However, that’s all going to change when the Russian defender gets his rework.

• Read more: Everything we know about Tachanka’s rework in Rainbow Six

We’ve seen the major changes before. Tachanka will now wield a Shumikha incendiary grenade launcher instead of his turret. It’ll work similarly to Capitao’s bolts, helping lock down certain areas, but comes with two magazines of five and a high rate of fire to spread flames quickly. They also bounce.

“The incendiary grenade launcher not only fits his theme of like World War II, old weapons, but also adds a real interest into his gameplay that’ll move him from being a meme character to a meta pick,” game director Leroy Athanassoff told Dexerto.

He will instead get his LMG as his primary weapon. It comes with supreme destructibility, with the ability to open up soft walls and hatches with ease. It also packs a decent punch, although the fire rate isn’t anything to write home about. If that’s not tickling your fancy, you can also choose the 9x19VSN SMG.

• Read more: Rainbow Six hackers are playing the Tachanka rework early

Tachanka will have access to the PMM and GSH-18 sidearms, as well as Barbed Wire and Proximity Alarms as his secondary gadgets. These two gadgets work well in tandem with his new ability, where Tachanka can keep an ear out before firing off grenades to further slow pushes.

“Tachanka is still very much a backline anchor, but he has a bigger sphere of influence as he can now rain down literal fire from long range,” developer Chris Wallace explained in the October 7 reveal.

Tachanka has also inherited Zofia’s withstand ability, meaning that if you get caught up in the flames, you can get yourself back up without ally assistance.

The Lord himself is set to get an Elite skin too. He’s ripped off his top ⁠— but kept the helmet on ⁠— as he marks a new era with a new look.

When is the Tachanka rework being released in Rainbow Six?

The Tachanka rework is set to go live on Rainbow Six’s TTS on October 8. Usually new content is tested out for about three weeks on the test server, so you can expect his debut on live servers at around the end of October.

It’ll be a nice little content boost ahead of Siege’s next Operation, which is set to launch before the end of the year.