Marathon‘s first big post-launch update is coming next week, but Bungie is already rolling out one important hotfix to address a major complaint about the extraction shooter’s microtransaction economy. Lux, the premium in-game currency, will now come in the right amount to purchase an entire skin rather than falling just short and forcing you to buy extra. It’s one of many dark patters in the storefront some players have complained about, and Bungie is promising more changes as part of next week’s patch to address ammo, patch kit shortages, and other issues.
Currently, Lux is bought in bundles. Like most live service games, the more Lux you buy at once, the more “bonus” Lux you get as part of the package. Buy 1,000 Lux for $10 and you actually get 1,00 extra for a total of 1,100. But a runner skin you might want to buy actually costs 1,120. So you’re only option is to tack on another $5 for only 500 more Lux or splurge on the $20 package and be stuck with a lot of Lux left over.
This was one of the major complaints in a post about microtransaction dark patters that’s been making the rounds on Reddit since the game launched. But it was far from the only one. Marathon players have also been underwhelmed by the paid battle pass rewards, including the lack of any Lux that can be earned back from grinding them, as well as consumable stickers that can only be applied to items once.
Bungie has taken the first step in addressing these complaints by changing the Lux amount for the $10 package from 1,100 to 1,120 so players don’t have to spend extra. Players who already bought that bundle will get 20 Lux credited to their accounts. “In addition to this, we’ve seen the rest of your feedback about Marathon’s purchasable cosmetics,” Bungie wrote at the end of day two for Marathon‘s launch. “We want to ensure that when you spend in Marathon you feel like you are getting great value and discussing ways to improve this experience.”
More ammo and patch kits on Perimeter
Bungie also previewed other significant changes coming to Marathon by way of the game’s first post-launch patch next week. There are three big ones, and they’re all aimed at making the game more approachable and newcomer friendly, at least in the beginning. The first is more generous nav points on the map. An objective marker will now pop up when you’re within 20 meters of it as opposed to just 10 meters.
Ammunition has also been a big complaint, with players quickly running out of firepower after only one or two engagements and struggling to find more when scavenging. To fix this, Bungie is jacking up the number of Med Cabinets (heals) and Munitions Crates (bullets) that spawn on Perimeter, Marathon’s starting map.
MIDA, CyberAcme, and Arachne free sponsored kits will also give you more starting ammo once the patch is live. That should make it possible to go a few more fights before running out. That means fewer instances of getting jumped by other players when all you have is a knife, but also potentially a lot more fire fights and overall aggression from other teams, at least on Perimeter.
