Bored of constantly dealing with bubble shields in Cryo Archive? Enjoying knifing fools or picking them off like fish in a barrel with snipers? Well, great news – Bungie is going to adjust all of these things in its upcoming balance patches for Marathon.
Without explicitly detailing nerfs or how these aspects would be changing, game director Joe Ziegler said, “Some of these changes will be likely coming in the next patch, the next set will likely be arriving a week after.”
Describing bubble shields as “too easy to get, too powerful to use,” he also said that knives scale “too easily” in power level. Which is more than fair – I’ve seen players run into bubble shields with a knife and a dream, and emerge victorious against multiple foes. Of course, sniper rifles feel “too strong in all scenarios” and thermal scopes are “too present and dominant,” so they’re also getting some adjustments.
Not all of it is nerfs, however. The Vandal and Recon Shells will have “more oomph to match their counterparts,” hopefully making them more viable in higher-level activities. There’s also some new items on the way – one that “gives Solos a more common option when downed,” and another that provides a “more merciful option between crews.”
What could the latter mean? We’ll have to wait and find out, but Ziegler promises a “lot more goodies in the coming patches.” And if your particular area of interest isn’t specified, Bungie has a “big list of things we’re looking into that extends beyond this.” It will require more time to “figure out,” however, so stay tuned for updates.
Marathon is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, and despite plummeting player counts on Steam (alongside allegedly middling sales), we quite enjoyed it. Whether it will survive in the over-stuffed live-service era remains a toss-up, but a hefty amount of content is planned for later seasons.
