A week after release, Marathon update 1.0.0.4 has gone live for Bungie’s new extraction shooter game. The developer had previously indicated that it was looking to respond to player feedback with a variety of fixes and tweaks to the game, and this new patch introduces some substantial changes to Marathon’s solo experience.
While the game is best experienced in a group, solo options do exist, and there’s even a Runner shell–Rook–specialized for dropping into sessions all on your lonesome or when you want to stock up on supplies. With this patch, players using a Rook shell can expect to receive the same amount of bonus Faction reputation for exfiltrating that solo players receive, and an issue where the Rook’s position was not being displayed on the map screen has been resolved. To keep things balanced, Rook players will spawn with a compromised WSTR shotgun, which will require them to use a Matter Fixative during a run if they want to exfil with it.
Bungie has also reduced the health of most UESC enemies on the map, which it says is being done to alleviate some of the resource burden in both Solos and Crews when it comes to engaging these dangerous units in battle. “The goal here is to allow your bullets and meds to go further without reducing too much of the UESCs’ bite,” Bungie added. Other annoying bugs that have been patched include one where players could sometimes die instantly in confinement events, while various weapons have been adjusted.
Item economy has also received a boost, as the amount of starting ammo in MIDA, CyberAcme, and Arachne free Sponsored Kits has been increased, and more Med Cabinets and Munitions Crates will spawn on the Perimeter map. The range from which gunfire and explosions can be heard has also been increased, so you might not want to get too trigger-happy. You can see the full patch notes below.
If you’re looking to explore Tau Ceti IV, you can also check out GameSpot’s Marathon guides. You can click the links to see how you can complete the confusing Data Reconstruction contract, how to unlock each Marathon faction, and how to increase your backpack inventory size for when you want a lucrative run.
Marathon Update 1.0.0.4
Item Economy
- Increased the number of Med Cabinets and Munitions Crates that can spawn on Perimeter
- Increased the amount of starting ammo in MIDA, CyberAcme, and Arachne free Sponsored Kits
- Reduced the frequency UESC Grenadiers drop EMP grenades
Combat
- Fixed an issue where players could sometimes die instantly in confinement events
- Fixed an issue where the shield break screen effects could constantly play when you had a heal over time effect and a damage over time effect on you at the same time
- Increased the range gunfire and explosions can be heard from
Weapons
Thermal Scopes
- Reduced visual clarity on targets with thermal scopes
Adjusted max distances for thermal highlight:
- Pistols: 40 meters (down from 55)
- Rifles/LMGs/SMGs: 60 meters (down from 65)
- Precision Rifles: 80 meters (down from 100)
- Snipers: 100 meters (down from 180)
Overrun
- Increased default ammo capacity by 5
Runners
Rook
- Fixed an issue where backpacks could be deleted when exfiling with Rook
- Fixed an issue where Rook’s position was not being displayed on the map screen.
- Increased CyAc reputation gain from exfilling with Rook
- Rook will now have the same Faction reputation bonus for exfilling that solo players receive
- Rook’s WSTR shotgun will now spawn as Compromised
- Compromised items require use of a Matter Fixative during the run to exfil with the item
UESC
Reduced health of most UESC enemies and shield HP of UESC bosses by a small amount
DEVELOPER NOTE: With this change we hope to alleviate some of the resource burden in both Solos and Crews when it comes to engaging UESC in combat. The goal here is to allow your bullets and meds to go further without reducing too much of the UESCs bite. We see the feedback loud and clear that players appreciate the friction that our UESC combatants provide and we have no plans to change that direction.
Contracts
- Increased default distance objective nav points appear from 10m to 20m
Introducing NuCaloric Contract
- Fixed an issue where enemy Crews could receive NuCal contract VO audio and subtitles from a long distance away
Introducing Traxus Contract
- Reduced the difficulty of the UESC Commander encounter
Zones
Outpost
- Temporarily disabled switches access route to the Broken Wing on Outpost
DEVELOPER NOTE: We are temporarily disabling the “Broken Wing” entrance into the Pinwheel while we make some tuning changes to it. In its current state it trivializes entrance into the Pinwheel. We are making some tweaks to maintain the spirit of the “silent” entrance while better matching the risk / reward of the Pinwheel. Runners can continue to take advantage of all other ways into the Pinwheel (including the additional silent method) in the meantime.
Rewards Pass and Store
- Fixed an issue where Silk balances were not updating correctly without restarting the game
- Fixed an issue where bundle prices could be displayed incorrectly
- Fixed an issue where cosmetic items might incorrectly say “Savings” when they are full price
- Increased the LUX bundle from (1000 + 100) to (1000 + 120)
Stability
- Fixed a rare issue that could cause dedicated server crashes
- Fixed several issues that could cause client crashes
General
- Fixed an issue where doors would lock preventing players from finishing the new player intro mission
- Updated the description of Perimeter (Beginner) on the Zone Select screen
- Fixed a bug where the Text Chat window could get stuck open
- Fixed a crash that sometimes occurred when attempting to use an IME Keyboard
- Fixed a crash that sometimes occurred when typing quickly with an IME Keyboard
- DEVELOPER NOTE: Some issues may still remain with third-party IME software and we are continuing to investigate. Windows built-in IME may be a temporary workaround for users who are experiencing issues while we work on a permanent fix.
- Players will no longer see an extended black screen during the map load sequence
