Marathon Mid-Season Update Nerfs Meta Attachments and Rewards Pro-Social Extraction
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Bungie's latest Marathon update introduces the C.A.R.R.I. protocol to reward player cooperation, nerfs thermal scopes and claymore drone stacking, and adds new mid-tier loot and Recon shell buffs.
Bungie is shaking up the extraction shooter meta with the latest mid-season update for Marathon, targeting dominant weapon builds while unexpectedly rewarding players for being decent human beings. According to a detailed breakdown by Connor Makar over at Eurogamer, the update introduces the C.A.R.R.I. protocol. This new in-game system grants commendations to solo players and crews who assist rival runners with contracts or extract safely alongside them, which can then be spent on faction reputation boosts and salvage packs. It is a welcome push toward emergent social gameplay in a genre usually defined by ruthless betrayal.
Of course, the update also brings down the hammer on some of the community's favorite tools of destruction. Thermal scopes have taken a massive hit following their dominance since launch, with developers removing blue rarity variants from the loot pool, reducing the effective thermal range by 20 meters, and tightening aim-down-sight penalties. Meanwhile, the infamous meta strategy of stacking multiple claymore mines onto a single pickpocket drone for mobile explosive kills has finally been patched out, restricting players to just one mine per drone. Even with the nerf, though, promotional clips show the tactic still packs enough punch to ruin someone's day if they get too close.
On the loot and progression front, the patch introduces 11 new unique blue weapon drops across the Perimeter and Dire Marsh maps, giving mid-game players reliable gear to tackle tougher zones. Solo players also get some breathing room with the addition of depleted self-revive kits that automatically sell upon exfiltration, alongside mercy kits for reviving downed runners. Rounding out the changes, the Recon shell receives significant buffs to both its echo pulse and tracker drone abilities, giving information-gatherer mains new teeth in firefights alongside fresh Arachne-themed Codex cosmetics and new additions to the battle pass storefront. Original reporting comes via Eurogamer.
Tags: Marathon, Bungie, Extraction Shooter, Gaming News, PC Gaming
Original article: Eurogamer