Marathon's new update reduces grenade stacks

Marathon has recently rolled out an update aimed at one of the game's most talked-about issues: excessive grenade use. The patch is designed to reduce the stack size of several grenade types, responding to player frustration over a so-called ‘grenade meta’ where explosives were being used far more often than traditional gunfights.

Grenade stack changes

The most notable change in the update is the drastic reduction to grenade stack sizes. The maximum stack size for EMP, flechette, chemical, frag, and heat grenades has been lowered to one. As a result, players can now carry roughly half as many grenades in their inventory as they could before the update.

Changes to claymores and utility grenades

Claymores have also been adjusted, with their stack size reduced to two per stack. That means players using sponsored kits and 'The Rook' now only get two claymores instead of the previous three. On the other hand, utility grenades such as proximity sensors, smoke grenades, and ammo crates have kept their stack size at three per stack, since they are not intended for repeated use in combat.

Impact of the update on gameplay

With these changes, the development team hopes to reduce the impact of grenade spam on gameplay. While players can still use powerful grenades, the frequency with which they can throw them will be lower. That should help bring the pace and flow of combat back toward the traditional shooting style that forms the core of this first-person shooter.

Alongside the grenade changes, the patch also introduced other improvements and bug fixes, including upgrades to the C.A.R.R.I. weapon arsenal and a fix for a UI issue related to enemy eliminations. These updates are a step toward improving the overall gameplay experience in Marathon.