Marathon changes the way one of her best melee weapons, the WSTR Combat Shotgun, works, along with a number of improvements to the Cryo Archive map in general. While it may not have created the kind of buzz that would instantly redefine the extraction shooter niche, Bungie's Marathon is proving to be a durable and unique experience that is constantly being improved upon.
As of April 2026, most Bungie developers are working on it Marathon over Fate 2which means the game will receive more improvements over time. Not great news for this one Fate 2 fans, of course, but it is natural and expected that most of the development team will move slowly. The effects won't be immediately obvious, of course, so this latest update is fairly minor, albeit meaningful.
Marathon reportedly cost over $200 million to develop
A new analysis suggests that Marathon cost Bungie more than $200 million after its infamously long and controversial development cycle.
Fans of the WSTR Battle Shotgun can breathe easy as it hasn't been nerfed nearly as much as MarathonBiotoxic Disinjector has been nerfed. Instead, players are looking at surprisingly specific and targeted weapon upgrades. Specifically, there are two aspects of tuning. The WSTR itself gets a slight damage and drop buff, as well as a reduction to the crit multiplier. Perhaps most notably, the WSTR now also deals 75% more damage to AI-controlled targets, which is the most telling sign of what Bungie wants this weapon to excel at. His MIPS Slug Converter Prestige mod gets some geometry marking fixes and a massive crit multiplier increase: from 1.15x to 1.9x, but will have more projectile drop and reduced projectile speed, as well as a reduced aim assist cone.
Marathon handles its ending 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 started a process that ensures teams cannot bypass the security doors separating the wings without proper permission,” says the related patch note, where the team added vent covers to Biostock and Preservation that will prevent players from accessing these areas beforehand. “We will continue to monitor and keep an eye out for more cases like this to ensure we keep the fry in decent condition.” Since update 1.0.6.2. players must find Security Clearance 1 to open these holes if they infiltrated via Biostock or Preservation, making the Cryo Archive a bit safer to begin with.
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The 1.0.6.2 update is quite small compared to the MarathonApril's mid-season update, however, shows that Bungie is trying to really think things through Marathon's meta and game quarantines. The WSTR tweaks, for example, are impressively focused and tune the gun to its intended niche without cumbersome nerves. This is a great thing in theory, but it will also need to be verified in practice. The community may well find a way to break the new WSTR stats in weird and unexpected ways, so more improvements may emerge.
Even if Marathon is a huge departure from the series, there's no denying the weird, chill-horror DNA of the classic Marathon games are present and accounted for. Bungie has had a hard time of late, especially with that mod Fate 2 is trendy, so it's good to see its new flagship IP being treated with care for both the new player base and the legacy of the franchise as a whole.
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Marathon Update 1.0.6.2 Patch Notes
Item economy
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One free Cryo Archive Sponsored Kit is now up for grabs each week.
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Fixed an issue preventing turrets from spawning with the updated 6 Depleted Shield Charges and Depleted Patch Kits that sponsored kits now have.
Fight
Arms
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Combat Shotgun WSTR
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Damage increased from 78 to 85.
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Reduced critical multiplier from 1.15x to 1.05x.
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Slightly reduced the rate at which damage drops.
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Added 75% damage bonus against AI targets.
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MIPS Slug Converter Prestige mod
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Fixed an issue that caused the slug to hit geometry when aiming around corners, vents, ladders, or nearby cover.
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Increased critical multiplier from 1.15x to 1.9x.
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Reduced projectile speed and increased projectile fall.
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Reduced targeting cone radius by 48%.
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User interface and experience
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Fixed an issue where the enhanced shield was using the wrong basic shield icon. The boost icon now correctly shows a “+” inside the shield.
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Fixed an issue causing the Armory HUD to disappear when hovering the mouse over offered items.
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Fixed an issue that caused the Inventory Overflow screen to display a blank space instead of a grid.
Contracts
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Forward base
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Fixed an issue that could cause Runners to get stuck behind barriers in the Drone Wing when completing the Mida Truth/Lies 2/6 contract.
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zones
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Cryo archive
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Added vent covers in Biostock and Preservation that prevent timely access from the hub until Security Clearance 2 is unlocked. Security Clearance 1 is needed to open vents for those who soak on the Biostock or Preservation side.
- Note for developers: Our previous update started a process to ensure that teams cannot bypass the security doors separating the wings from each other without proper permission, this patch continues that effort. We will continue to monitor and keep an eye out for more cases like this to ensure we keep the spawns in decent shape.
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Fixed an issue that prevented scan terminals from reliably revealing the battery location on the map.
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General
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Fixed an issue causing inconsistency when using the push-to-talk toggle setting for crew voice chat on controllers.
Stability
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Fixed an issue that could cause players to receive an error when starting a run and be unable to join the game.
Localization
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Fixed an issue causing the CARRI description to display incorrectly in some languages.
- Released
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March 5, 2026
- ESRB
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Teen / Animated blood, language, violence, in-game purchases, user interaction
- Multiplayer
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Online multiplayer, online co-op
