Marathon Update: Free Cryo Archive Sponsored Kit Now Available Weekly

Marathon has adjusted its item economy, now granting players one free Cryo Archive Sponsored Kit each week to ease access to the weekend-only endgame zone, the Cryo Archive.

Cryo Archive amplifies the hardcore extraction shooter experience with strict requirements. In Marathon, failing to exfil means losing all gear, including weapons and consumables. But Cryo Archive demands even more: your loadout must be worth at least 5,000 credits to enter.

Players had requested Bungie to make Cryo Archive more accessible by offering the free loadout originally provided at launch on a weekly basis. Now, that change is live.

Former pro Counter-Strike player Shroud commented during a recent stream: "Cryo Archive is insane. It's the most elaborate extraction shooter map I've ever seen. The loop is truly special. But is it too elaborate? Too complex? Too grindy? Can your average 9-5 player handle it? I don't know."

Update 1.0.6.2 also fixes an issue where Rooks weren't spawning with the same six depleted Shield Charges and Health Kits as other runners, and addresses several UI bugs.

Notably, the WSTR combat shotgun has been tweaked again. After last week's nerf, its damage increased from 78 to 85, critical multiplier reduced from 1.15x to 1.05x, and it now deals an additional 75% damage bonus against AI targets.

Players are pleased with the free weekly kit, hoping it boosts the raid's player population. They also appreciate Bungie's willingness to re-buff weapons instead of leaving them useless after nerfs.

One player speculated: "I'd bet the server stats for the WSTR were worse than expected post-nerf. When it struggles to two-tap a white shield bot or a downed runner, it's too heavy-handed. The +75% damage to bots proves that." Another responded: "Still wish they nerfed fire rate instead of damage. A double-barrel that doesn't hit hard feels wrong. Fire rate nerfs would be more elegant to align it with Misriah and circuit breaker, and reduce stack overflow reliance."

A long-time Bungie fan joked: "I'll never forget what they did to my sweet Halo 2 pistol. It never returned to its former glory."

These changes follow last week's update that doubled the carry capacity of Depleted Patch Kits and Shield Charges per slot to reduce punishment for new players. The week before introduced the CyberAcme Runner Reinforcement Initiative (C.A.R.R.I.), rewarding solo Runners and coordinated crews for completing contracts and exfilling together.

Full patch notes are available below.