Marathon: new changes and grenade issues

Marathon, Bungie’s popular extraction shooter, continues to evolve with new updates and gameplay adjustments. However, one persistent issue — grenade spam — is still affecting the experience for many players.

Grenade issues

One of the most urgent problems in Marathon since launch has been grenade spam. This behavior, where players keep throwing grenades to overwhelm opponents, has caused frustration in the community. Bungie has acknowledged the issue and promised further adjustments to grenade stack sizes. At the moment, there are no hard limits on how many grenades a player can carry in Marathon, aside from backpack capacity. That has led to a rise in grenade use in competitive modes.

Recently, a player named BogOnMyDog shared a video showing a tactic for surviving by quickly throwing five grenades at an enemy team. The approach has not only surprised the community, but also sparked criticism over game balance. The debate around grenade balance has led to suggestions for a grenade limit, which could make fights feel fairer.

Cryo Archive and weekly updates

In an effort to make Marathon more accessible, Bungie recently further adjusted the game by allowing players to claim one free Cryo Archive Sponsored Kit each week. This gives everyone a chance to take part in the challenging Cryo Archive, which requires a loadout worth at least 5,000 credits. The change was a response to player feedback calling for more accessibility in this difficult mode.

Cryo Archive has proven to be one of the toughest areas in the game. It remains a punishing experience; if players fail to exfil at the end of a round, they lose everything they brought in, including weapons and consumables. Bungie has listened to the community and implemented the update to make Cryo Archive easier to enter, which could help grow the player base.

Weapon balance and regular updates

Alongside the addition of the Cryo Archive Sponsored Kit, Bungie has also made some changes to weapons in Marathon. The WSTR combat shotgun, for example, received a damage increase from 78 to 85. This was done in response to player feedback that the weapon had become too weak after a previous nerf. A new 75% damage bonus against AI targets has also been introduced, which should improve the shotgun’s effectiveness in team situations.

Bungie has suggested methods for continuously improving weapon balance, including reverting items to earlier states when necessary. This shows Bungie is actively engaging with community feedback to ensure the game remains both challenging and playable.

These recent changes and updates in Marathon show that Bungie is taking player feedback seriously. Despite the challenges and frustrations, interest in the game continues to grow thanks to improvements that increase accessibility and refine balance.