Big update for Marathon players today. Bungie shipped patch 1.0.5, which quietly added the new Cryo Archive map to the game files, tightened up some annoying audio behavior, and rebalanced a bunch of things that were making runs feel unbalanced.

Cryo Archive is in the game, but you probably cannot play it yet

Bungie confirmed Cryo Archive has been added to the build, but it is not freely accessible. The community has been solving in-game and out-of-game puzzles that are expected to unlock the map. In other words, the map exists, but you still need to do some detective work and meet strict requirements before you can queue into it.

Entry conditions for Cryo Archive

  • Reach Runner level 25
  • Complete liaison contracts to unlock all six factions
  • Have a loadout value of 5,000 credits per run

The first two are straightforward if you have played a decent amount. The 5,000 credits loadout minimum is the big change. That requirement forces you to bring valuable gear and take real risk every run. It also means you cannot enter with a sponsored kit and likely cannot use Rook to cruise through unless the bot gets an exception.

WSTR shotgun gets a significant nerf

The WSTR double-barrel shotgun that dominated early PvP and PvE has been scaled back. Bungie intends for it to remain devastating at point-blank range, but it will lose effectiveness quickly as range increases, and several handling and aim assist elements were adjusted.

  • Reduced leftward motion during firing recoil
  • Increased spin ready duration before it can be interrupted by firing
  • Redistributed damage falloff: near-max damage at point-blank, but much faster falloff beyond that
  • Smaller aim assist cone and reduced aim assist influence on pellet spread during travel

In short, WSTR will still one-shot at very close range, but you will need to get closer and be more precise to make it count.

Opportunist mod adjusted

The Opportunist mod, which previously allowed guns to fire with effectively infinite ammo while your shields were down, now has an activation cooldown. That change ends the long stretches of infinite WSTR spam and makes ammo management relevant again.

Quality of life and audio fixes

Patch 1.0.5 also includes some small but meaningful changes. You can now activate exfil beacons while downed. Depending on the downed timer you may still bleed out before extraction completes, but having this option helps solo players, especially if they have a Triage drone active.

Also, Bungie lowered the distance at which you can hear other players while they are in combat. This reverts a recent change that turned lobbies into constant combat noise, and should make Dire Marsh runs less chaotic.

What this means for players

Expect the meta to shift. The shotgun will still reward close-range play, but outside melee range it should feel less oppressive. Opportunist no longer enables endless firing windows. Cryo Archive promises a more high-stakes map experience because of the 5,000 credit loadout gate. If you like low-risk, low-value runs, that map is not for you.

Overall, this patch tones down some of the most extreme behavior and sets the stage for the next big map drop, while leaving room for clever players and teams to take advantage of the new challenges.

Image credit: Bungie