Bungie has pushed out the Marathon mid-season patch for Season 1, and it ended up larger than the studio initially let on. Alongside long-promised Recon class improvements, the update adds 11 new weapon variants, a commendation system, three universal weapon chips, five implant perks, and a new consumable called the Mercy Kit that lets players revive people outside their crew.
The Marathon mid-season patch drops 11 new Deluxe variants into the loot pool across all maps. These are blue-rarity uniques with fixed names and inherent stat bonuses that cannot be replicated through attachments. Bungie gave one example: the BR33 “Victory Lap,” a Volley Rifle variant stacking bonuses to stability, range, accuracy, reload speed, move speed, ADS speed, equip speed, and aim assist. Any blue unique found on a map will likely outperform a hand-crafted loadout.
Recon buffs and the Marathon mid-season patch Mercy Kit
The Recon class can now tell the difference between bots and players when scanning the map, making the class far more relevant in live matches. The tracker drone received reliability improvements as well.
The Mercy Kit is the more unexpected addition. It works only on players outside your squad and cannot be self-applied, so its sole function is to extend goodwill to rivals or negotiate with Rooks. All Rooks now spawn with a Mercy Kit by default. How often it drops in standard loot remains unconfirmed, but the mechanic opens a non-lethal path out of encounters that previously ended one way.
New chips, implants, and the CARRI Protocol
Three new universal weapon chips arrive with this Marathon mid-season patch. Common Enemy causes damaged enemies to take increased damage from all nearby Runners for a short time. Pocket Change drops ammo of the equipped weapon type on quick reloads after a kill or down. Exit Buddy grants movement speed to you and nearby allies after downing or eliminating an enemy.
Five new implant perks join the pool: Group Therapy, Herd Immunity, Fight Club, Divebomb, and Evasive Maneuvers. All five provide team-wide bonuses triggered by combat actions, following the pattern of rewarding active squad coordination.
Bungie also launched the CARRI Protocol, a limited commendation system running through the end of Season 1. Players earn CyberAcme Commendations through contracts and spend them at the C.A.R.R.I. Armory for weapons, Reputation Packs, and other rewards.
Nerfs to the Bully SMG and sniper equipment
The Bully SMG, Marathon’s dominant weapon through most of Season 1, took nine aim assist reductions. Falloff ranges, magnetism distances, and the error cone all moved toward making the gun less forgiving at range. Bungie left base damage untouched, but the changes should close the gap between the Bully and the rest of the weapon pool.
Thermal scopes and the Longshot sniper also received nerfs aimed at reducing dominance in open areas like Dire Marsh. Deluxe thermal optics are gone from loot tables entirely. The Superior SP Scope III now penalizes aim assist and range on top of its existing ADS speed penalty, and its thermal highlight range dropped from 100m to 80m. The Longshot’s rate of fire fell from 90rpm to 60rpm, and rapid shots now carry an accuracy penalty.
On the cosmetics side, additional battle pass rewards are live, Arachne shell skins are available through sponsor kits, and head, body, and leg implants now display visually distinct icons in the vault. The Marathon mid-season patch is available now for all Season 1 players.