After five years of memes and mockery, Rainbow Six Siege's worst operator is now reborn as a firebombing maniac

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The reworked Russian returned to full action today, after more than a month on the test server.

Tachanka
(Image credit: Ubisoft)

After more than a month on the test server, the long-memed Rainbow Six Siege defender Tachanka is returning to action today with a military makeover that includes new weapons, a new voice, and a new disdain for doorways.

I mean, who needs a door when you can do this?

The new and improved Tachanka can now use the DP27 LMG—the big wall-buster on display up above—as his primary weapon, replacing the SASG-12 shotgun, and will also carry the incendiary grenade-firing Shumikha Launcher. The Shumikha has a five-round magazine which makes it very useful for rapid area denial, but it has to be reloaded one grenade at a time, so you'll want to be careful about when you let it run dry.

The Withstand passive ability (the same one used by Zofia) that Tachanka was given when he went live on the test server has been taken away, and unfortunately so has his original voice. "Due to unavoidable constraints, voice lines have been recorded with a new voice actor for Tachanka upon the release of his rework," Ubisoft explained. "We thank Anatoly Zinoviev for his past work as Tachanka's voice actor and for the passion he was able to provide to both the role and to the community."

It's a big overhaul, especially for a character who's been around from the very beginning, but it's also long overdue: Tachanka is so notoriously bad that he actually inspired a meme (which has shifted over the years from brutally ironic to genuinely affectionate—but still ironic) that even Ubisoft has embraced. 

So did we, when we took a shot at getting good with him a couple of years ago, an exercise in futility that we ultimately declared "an almighty mistake."

Worth noting that Tach 2.0 won't be seen in the highest levels of Siege until next year—new operators are usually unavailable in Pro League for 1 season after launching. Since this is a rework and not technically a new op, this is notable but not surprising.

The Y5S3.3.1 Tachanka Community Patch Notes are available in full below.

Shumikha Launcher

  • Tachanka’s RP-46 Degtyaryov turret has been replaced with the Shumikha Laucher.
  • This launcher shoots grenades that generate areas of fire 1 second after the first bounce.
  • The Shumikha Launcher is equipped with a fixed 5-grenade magazine. Tachanka has a total of 10 grenades available. Grenades are inserted one by one.

DP27 LMG

  • The DP27 LMG is now available as a primary weapon option for Tachanka and will be replacing the SASG-12.
  • This weapon allows players to open rotations on soft walls and destroy hatches.

Withstand Ability

  • After his time on the TS, Tachanka will no longer have the ability to Withstand.

Tachanka Voice Lines

  • Due to unavoidable constraints, voice lines have been recorded with a new voice actor for Tachanka upon the release of his rework. We thank Anatoly Zinoviev for his past work as Tachanka's voice actor and for the passion he was able to provide to both the role and to the community.

Bug Fixes

  • FIXED - Several issues with visuals and functionality on Shumikha Shells.
  • FIXED - Various SFX issues with the grenade launcher.
  • FIXED - Visual issues present with the grenade launcher.
  • FIXED - Several UI and store visuals with the Slava Korolyu Elite items and icons.
  • FIXED -Tachanka's Elite fire VFX from the MVP dance are present on his model in multiple maps.
  • FIXED - Frag bounce sound can sometimes play unintentionally.
  • FIXED - Tachanka's DP27 LMG currently has the full penetration attribute.
  • FIXED - DP27 does 48 damage instead of 49.
  • FIXED - There is a major visual obstruction when Tachanka guard breaks a shield with his DP27.
  • FIXED - The DP27 benefits from 1 additional round, despite being an open bolt machine gun.
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Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.