Marathon Update Makes Adjustments to Popular Weapon and Cryo Archive Map

Marathon is changing how one of its best close-quarters weapons, the WSTR Combat Shotgun, works alongside a number of tweaks to the Cryo Archive map at large. Though it might not have made the kind of splash that would redefine the extraction shooter niche right away, Bungie’s Marathon is proving to be a resilient and unique experience that is constantly being improved upon.

As of April 2026, the majority of Bungie developers are working on Marathon over Destiny 2, which means the game is only going to get more improvements as time goes on. This isn’t great news for Destiny 2 fans, of course, but it is natural and expected that most of the dev team would slowly move over. The effects won’t immediately be obvious, granted, and so this latest update is fairly small, albeit meaningful.

Fans of the WSTR Combat Shotgun may be able to breathe easy, as it’s not being nerfed nearly to the same extent as Marathon‘s Biotoxic Disinjector was nerfed. Instead, the players are looking at a surprisingly particular and pointed tweak to the weapon. There are two aspects to the tuning, specifically. The WSTR itself is getting a slight damage and fall-off buff, as well as a reduction to the critical multiplier. Perhaps most notably, the WSTR is now also going to deal 75% more damage against AI-controlled targets, which is the most telling sign of what Bungie wants this weapon to excel at. Its MIPS Slug Converter Prestige mod is getting some geometry tagging fixes and a massive critical multiplier increase: from 1.15x to 1.9x, but it’s going to have more bullet drop and a reduced projectile velocity, as well as a reduced aim assist cone.

Marathon handles its endgame via the Cryo Archive map, so the fact that Bungie is tweaking it with gloves on shouldn’t come as a surprise. “Our previous update began the process of ensuring teams cannot bypass the security doors separating the wings from one another without appropriate clearance,” says the related patch note, where the team added vent covers to Biostock and Preservation that disallow players from accessing these areas ahead of time. “We’ll continue to monitor and be on the lookout for more instances like this to ensure we keep spawns in a fair state.” As of update 1.0.6.2. players need to find Security Clearance 1 to open these vents if they infiltrated via Biostock or Preservation, making the Cryo Archive slightly safer early on.

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Update 1.0.6.2 is fairly small all in all compared to Marathon‘s mid-season April update, but it shows Bungie is trying to really think things through for Marathon‘s meta and gameplay sandboxes. The WSTR tweaks are impressively focused, for example, and tune the weapon into its intended niche without heavy-handed nerfs. It’s great stuff in theory, but it will need to be proven in practice as well. The community may well find a way to break WSTR’s new stats in strange and unexpected ways, so there may yet be more tweaks coming down the line.

Image via Bungie

Even though Marathon is a massive departure for the series, there’s no denying that the weird, fridge-horror DNA of the classic Marathon games is present and accounted for. Bungie’s had some rough times as of late, especially with the way Destiny 2 has been trending, so it’s good to see its new flagship IP is being handled with care both for the new player base and the legacy of the franchise as a whole.

Marathon Update 1.0.6.2 Patch Notes

Item Economy

• One free Cryo Archive Sponsored Kit can now be claimed each week.
• Fixed an issue preventing Rooks from spawning with the updated 6 Depleted Shield Charges and Depleted Patch Kits that sponsored kits now have.

Combat

Weapons

• WSTR Combat Shotgun
  • Increased damage from 78 to 85.
  • Reduced critical multiplier from 1.15x to 1.05x.
  • Slightly reduced the rate at which damage falls off.
  • Added 75% damage bonus against AI targets.
  • MIPS Slug Converter Prestige mod
    • Fixed an issue that caused the slug to hit geometry when aiming around corners, vents, ladders, or nearby cover.
    • Increased critical multiplier from 1.15x to 1.9x.
    • Reduced projectile velocity and increased bullet drop.
    • Reduced aim assist cone radius by 48%.

User Interface and Experience

• Fixed an issue causing the reinforced shield to use the incorrect base shield icon. The reinforce icon now correctly shows a “+” inside the shield.
• Fixed an issue causing the Armory HUD to disappear when hovering over offered items.
• Fixed an issue that was causing an empty space to show instead of a grid in the Overflow inventory screen.

Contracts

• Outpost
  • Fixed an issue that could cause Runners to get stuck behind barriers in the Drone Wing while completing the Mida Truth/Lies 2/6 contract.

Zones

• Cryo Archive
  • Added vent covers in Biostock and Preservation that prevent early access from the hub until security clearance 2 is unlocked. Security clearance 1 is needed to open the vents for those who infil on the Biostock or Preservation side.
    • Developer Note: Our previous update began the process of ensuring teams cannot bypass the security doors separating the wings from one another without appropriate clearance, this patch continues that effort. We’ll continue to monitor and be on the lookout for more instances like this to ensure we keep spawns in a fair state.
  • Fixed an issue that prevented scan terminals from reliably revealing battery locations on the map.

General

• Fixed an issue causing inconsistencies when using the push-to-talk toggle setting for crew voice chat on controllers.

Stability

• Fixed an issue that could cause players to receive an error and be unable to join the game when starting their run.

Localization

• Fixed an issue causing the C.A.R.R.I. commendation description to display incorrectly in some languages.

Released

March 5, 2026

ESRB

Teen / Animated Blood, Language, Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op