Marathon game director Joe Ziegler revealed that the endgame weapon known as the Biotoxic Disinjector, a popular endgame weapon, is proving to be too strong and has been nerfed across the live servers. Live service games, such as Marathon, are constantly changing over time and as new content gets added, it’s only natural for balance adjustments to become required to put things back into balance.
This announcement continues to reinforce how reactive Bungie continues to be regarding Marathon. While continuing the live-service trend that Bungie has been known for, Marathon tends to operate slightly differently from previous games like Destiny 2. Including a typical seasonal structure, Bungie hasn’t been afraid to test out new features on the fly, including adding a Duos mode to Marathon just weeks after the game launched. The mode, while still experimental, was simply added to the live servers without forcing players to wait for a dedicated patch during the game’s weekly reset. These live updates are now being used to make changes on the fly as well.
Marathon Teases Major Changes Coming In April’s Mid-Season Update
Bungie gives players a sneak preview of Marathon’s huge mid-season update, highlighting a couple of changes, including tweaks to the Recon Shell.
Marathon Makes Live Changes to Biotoxic Disinjector
In a post on social media, Marathon game director Joe Ziegler announced a live nerf for the Biotoxic Disinjector weapon, calling it “Strong!…too strong.” The endgame-level weapon seemingly proved to be a little too good, further empowering the top players who were able to get their hands on it as the grenade function could potentially one shot players, bouncing off walls and sticking to them. In a tight, close quarters map like Marathon‘s Cryo Archive, these weapons could eviscerate rooms very quickly, without giving opposing teams a chance to fight back. Essentially, this seemingly helped the rich get richer, as only the top players who are able to take down the level’s major threat would be awarded one.
No patch notes necessary in this case, as Ziegler confirmed that the nerf is essentially a blanket damage reduction of 35% across the board. However, this update hasn’t closed the door on further adjustments in the future, as Ziegler warned that this change may not stick long term, but wanted to do something to essentially curb how dominant the gun is for those who own and use it. Interestingly enough, many responding to the post indicate that the weapon feels largely the same after the changes, while others took the opportunity to offer their own suggestions, like making the grenades cost more ammo or adding self damage for those too close to the explosion radius.
In many cases, especially for Bungie’s previous games like Destiny 2, nerfs and adjustments like this would typically be saved for a regular patch on a set date. However, instead of waiting, Bungie made adjustments to the weapon on the live servers on April 3 at 6pm PT. Discussion surrounding the weapon became too much to ignore as it created a bigger gap between those at the top with it and everyone else who can’t get their hands on it.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
Biotoxic Disinjector is Marathon‘s first endgame weapon, a contraband hybrid trace rifle-style gun that can also lob grenades as a secondary fire option. Despite the fact that the weapon can be looted from downed players who currently have it equipped, the only way to reliably get it is by jumping into Marathon‘s Cryo Archive map, which is only available for a limited time each week. Players will need to work their way to Vault 7 and take down the Compiler boss located there. For besting the tough enemy, players will gain access to high-end loot, including the Biotoxic Disinjector and ammo for it.
- Released
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March 5, 2026
- ESRB
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Teen / Animated Blood, Language, Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
