Bungie dropped Marathon's first major post-launch patch on March 11, 2026. Update 1.0.0.4 cuts UESC enemy health across the board, pulls back significantly on thermal scope range, reworks how Rook functions in Crew play, and ships a long list of bug fixes.
UESC Enemy Health Cuts
Standard UESC enemies lose roughly 10 to 15 percent of their health in this patch, and UESC boss shield HP drops by 25 percent. It's the single biggest balance shift in the update.
Bungie addressed the change directly in a developer note, framing it as a resource problem rather than a difficulty one. The goal is to make bullets and meds go further in both Solo and Crew runs without gutting what makes UESC dangerous. The team was clear that the friction UESC enemies provide is by design, and that direction isn't changing.
Thermal Scope Nerfs
Thermal scopes got hit hard in 1.0.0.4. Visual clarity on targets has been reduced, and the maximum range for thermal highlights has been cut for every weapon type:
| Weapon Category | New Range | Old Range |
|---|---|---|
| Pistols | 40m | 55m |
| Rifles, LMGs, and SMGs | 60m | 65m |
| Precision Rifles | 80m | 100m |
| Snipers | 100m | 180m |
Sniper thermal range takes the largest hit in raw numbers, losing 80 meters off its previous ceiling. The rifle/LMG/SMG category sees the smallest reduction at just 5 meters.
More Loot on Perimeter and Starting Ammo Buffs
Perimeter now has more potential spawns for Med Cabinets and Munitions Crates, giving players more chances to find health and ammo during runs. Starting ammo has also been increased in the MIDA, CyberAcme, and Arachne free Sponsored Kits.
UESC Grenadiers will drop EMP grenades less often than before.
Rook Changes
Several bugs affecting Rook have been fixed. Backpacks were sometimes getting deleted when exfilling with Rook, and Rook's position wasn't showing up correctly on the map screen. Both are resolved.
CyAc reputation earned from exfilling with Rook has been increased, and Rook now receives the same Faction reputation bonus from all sources that solo players get. That parity didn't exist before this patch.
Rook's WSTR shotgun now spawns as a Compromised item, meaning players need to use a Matter Fixative during the run to exfil with it. For anyone who relied on keeping that shotgun, there's now a resource cost attached.
Overrun Ammo Boost
The Overrun weapon's default ammo capacity increases by 5. Bungie didn't provide additional context for the change.
Contract Changes
Objective nav points now appear at 20 meters by default, doubled from the previous 10 meters. That applies across all contracts.
The NuCaloric Contract had a bug where enemy Crews could hear NuCal contract voiceover audio and subtitles from far away. That's been patched. The Traxus Contract's UESC Commander encounter has been made less difficult.
Broken Wing Access on Outpost Temporarily Closed
Bungie has disabled the switch access route into the Broken Wing on Outpost. In their words, the entrance was trivializing access to the Pinwheel. Tuning changes are in progress to preserve the spirit of the silent entry while better matching the risk and reward players should expect from the Pinwheel.
All other Pinwheel entrances remain open, including a second silent method. The Broken Wing switch route will return once Bungie finishes the adjustments.
Store Fixes and a Small LUX Bundle Bump
A couple of cosmetic store bugs are gone. Bundle prices were displaying incorrectly in some cases, and individual items were showing a "Savings" tag on preview screens when no discount was active. Both have been corrected.
The LUX bundle also gets a small bump. The bonus Silk goes from 100 to 120, bringing the full bundle to 1,000 + 120 Silk.
Combat and Bug Fixes
Players could sometimes die instantly from stepping on certain world geometry. That bug has been fixed. Another issue caused shield break screen effects to loop non-stop when a heal over time and damage over time effect were active simultaneously. That's also resolved.
Gunfire and explosions are now audible from a greater range.
Stability and General Fixes
Bungie fixed a rare dedicated server crash, along with several client crash issues. Other general fixes in this patch:
- Locked doors that prevented players from completing the new player intro mission are now fixed.
- The Perimeter (Beginner) description on the Zone Select screen has been updated.
- The Text Chat window no longer gets stuck open.
- Crashes related to IME keyboard input, including when typing quickly, have been fixed. Some issues with third party IME software may still remain. Bungie is continuing to investigate and suggests switching to the Windows IME as a temporary workaround.
- The IME keyboard has been repositioned to sit closer to the Text Chat window.
- The extended black screen during map loading is gone.
Overview
Patch 1.0.0.4 is Marathon's broadest update since launch. The UESC health cuts and thermal scope nerfs are the most significant balance changes, but the Rook adjustments, the Compromised WSTR shotgun requirement, and the Broken Wing closure carry real weight for players who've built around any of those. Perimeter gets more loot, free Sponsored Kits start with more ammo, and a string of stability and UI fixes clear up several issues that have been present since launch.
