Bungie Updates Marathon with Melee, Shield Balance Tweaks

Bungie has rolled out update 1.0.5.3 for its extraction shooter Marathon, introducing balance adjustments to melee combat and the Bubble Shield while pledging further enhancements to combat cheating and toxicity in the game. The changes come about a month after Marathon's launch on March 5, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, as developers respond to growing player concerns over fair play in ranked matches.

The update targets key elements of Marathon's close-quarters gameplay. Melee attacks with the knife now feature a reduced lunge distance by 10 percent and a narrower targeting angle by 20 percent, making them riskier to execute. Bonus damage from the melee damage stat against enemy runners has been capped at 50, down from 100, while damage against non-player characters like UESC bots remains unchanged. Bungie stated that these modifications aim to emphasize thoughtful buildcrafting, noting, "Melee in Marathon is intended to be a high-risk but potent method to contest close-quarters weapons like shotguns and submachine guns." The goal is to ensure players invest more in upgrades to reach effective damage thresholds, preserving the knife as a powerful option...