Bungie has pushed the first significant update for Marathon today, which as we pointed out earlier in the week includes a few key quality-of-life fixes, like how you'll be able to spot your objective from 20 meters away instead of 10 meters, and it also includes the previously discussed changes to its microtransactions.
The other two previously mentioned quality-of-life changes are also included. The number of med cabinets and munitions cabinets that spawn on Perimeter has been increased, and the starting ammo count for MIDA, CyberAcme, and Arachne free sponsored kits has been increased.
What we didn't know about that's also included in this update are some balances to audio design, thermal scopes, and some changes to the Rook class.
For starters, the most significant change is arguably the audio adjustment. You'll now be able to hear gunfire and explosions from farther away than before, meaning any noise you make while fighting other Runners or UESC bots is much more likely to draw attention.
As for thermal scopes, Bungie has made it a little more difficult to clearly see enemies through thermal scopes and reduced the distance at which you can spot an enemy with a thermal scope. If you've been playing Marathon each day since it launched six days ago, you know this is a much-needed change. It was far too easy to pick enemies off from major distances, especially if you had a thermal scope on a sniper rifle.
Now, the range for where enemies will clearly appear on your thermal scope on Pistols is down from 55 meters to 40m, the range for Rifles/LMGs/SMGs is down from 65m to 60m, the Precision Rifle range is down from 100m to 80m, and the Sniper Rifle range is down from 180m to 100m.
Lastly, the Rook class, the class dedicated to solo runs that's meant to be a way for you to scavenge resources without risking your own gear, got a couple of buffs (and one nerf). You'll get more CyberAcme reputation XP now when you extract as a Rook, and you'll get the same reputation bonuses that solo players who exfil as one of the core six Runner Shells. The Rook's WSTR Shotgun, however, will now start as a Compromised weapon, which means you'll need to use a Matter Fixative if you want to exfil with it - otherwise you'll lose it even after a successful exfil.
And of course, the update also comes with a slew of bug fixes.
On top of the microtransaction changes that went live today, Bungie also revealed that it will be adding new rewards to the battle pass (called the 'Rewards Pass in-game) as a response to the feedback it received from players who found the battle pass - both the paid and free routes - lacking in their rewards.
These new rewards will go live sometime in the middle of April, so there's still some waiting to be done, but as we've pointed out before, it's good to see how quickly Bungie is working to react to player feedback and address the issues it hears about the most.
Firstly, Arachne Shell Styles are going to be added. The faction that mostly revolves around killing other Runners was the only one that didn't have its own dedicated Shell styles, and thankfully, that's changing next month. We're also getting new skins for the Thief, Assassin, and Destroyer shells in the paid battle pass track, and a Recon skin added to the free battle pass track. A new skin for the WSTR Shotgun and profile emblem are also being added to the free track.
Bungie added that it is thankful to players for constantly providing feedback so it knows where it needs to react quickly. "From the start, our goal with Marathon has been a real partnership with this community - and the respectful, candid feedback you've shared has already made a difference," Bungie begins. "When you take the time to be thoughtful and constructive, it helps us move faster and make better calls, and we're committed to acting on that as quickly as we can."
"So thank you for showing up the way you have. Keep telling us what you love, when we’ve missed the mark, and keep being the kind of community that makes this worth building. And in the meantime - keep doing what Tau Ceti demands: be ruthless out there and never stop debating what a Rook’s life is really worth."
Prior to launch, Marathon was estimated to have sold 250K copies on Steam alone. Though it may not have the most impressive concurrent player count numbers, the stream of positive user reviews on Steam is not insignificant, and it's clear that Bungie has made something that is resonating with players.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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