Marathon’s PvP is becoming more chaotic after Bungie released a recent update that improves the game’s overall audio. However, the community response has been largely polarizing, with many players calling on the studio to revert the changes.
Marathon’s Audio Change Causes Community Controversy
Marathon Players Are Facing Aggressive PvP, Calling Bungie to Revert Changes
Marathon’s most recent update, Patch 1.0.04, went live yesterday and introduced significant changes to the game's PvE balance. However, its PvP has become "increasingly aggressive" after Bungie increased the audio range of gunshots and firefights, resulting in more community drama.
The recent audio update was not exactly what Bungie had hoped for, as some players called out the developers on Marathon's forums that they don’t want to be "ambushed" by a random third-party team in the middle of a firefight simply because gunshots can now be heard from much farther away.
Users on Marathon’s official subreddit have been exchanging opinions, opening a floodgate of discussion about the game’s unexpected change. One thread even highlighted that players "can no longer shoot a single bullet" without risking a firefight, as the louder gunshots could attract teams using the game’s selection of free loadouts, potentially creating an unfair advantage.
The same thread has urged the developers to "revert" the audio range to its previous state until a better balance can be found. Gunfights in Marathon’s launch build weren’t particularly loud, which, according to new players’ first impressions, partly explains why PvP encounters were relatively rare. Most engagements stayed localized within each map’s POIs (points of interest). With the recent change increasing the audio range, however, more players (especially bloodthirsty Runners) are now drawn toward nearby firefights, leaving others frustrated about being pulled into battles they never intended to join.
In a game like Marathon, situational awareness is the bread and butter of its extraction-shooter gameplay loop. Like the other extraction shooter in the market, ARC Raiders, constantly listening for enemy footsteps and AI activity is essential; otherwise, players risk getting ambushed with little idea of what just happened.
Marathon’s Fourth Map, the Cryo Archives, Beckons
Following the major Marathon patch released yesterday, Bungie is gradually teasing the game’s fourth map, the Cryo Archives. Puzzle and secret hunters were recently part of the game’s long-running ARG (Alternate Reality Game), which involved deciphering computer terminals scattered across the first three maps. After weeks of investigation, players were led to a mysterious website featuring camera footage from inside the Marathon ship.
Just yesterday, the community appears to have finally solved the ARG conundrum, unlocking a special reward: three unlisted private YouTube videos offering brief glimpses inside the derelict Marathon ship. The footage is accompanied by an audio log narrating the colony ship’s first plunge into Tau Ceti IV and hinting at its imminent fall from grace.
Bungie has since made the ARG videos available to all players, suggesting that the upcoming map may arrive sooner than expected. While no exact release date has been confirmed, the previously mentioned "mid-March" window remains, giving players time to prepare for the Cryo Archives’ challenging endgame encounters.
Marathon is out now on PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S. Check out more Marathon content at the link below.
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Marathon Subreddit Users Complain About Latest Audio Change
Another Popular Post from the Marathon Subreddit Complaining About the Change
