Ever since the server slam, I've been deep in the Marathon trenches, and against some wiser instincts, I've remained faithful to my favorite Shell, Recon. In Bungie's sci-fi extraction shooter, Shells act as characters similar to Heroes in Overwatch or classes in other games. Recon has long been considered one of the weaker picks, despite its special skills for pinging enemies in unique ways. To make Recon more competitive, Bungie has teased what appear to be significant buffs to how this Shell operates, set to launch with patch 1.0.6 on April 14 as part of Marathon's mid-season refresh.
First up is Recon's prime ability, Echo Pulse, which pings all enemies within a certain radius. Soon, it will differentiate between AI-controlled UESC bots and actual players. It will also become harder for enemies to detect if they're within range of an opposing Recon's Echo Pulse (though the exact mechanics are still unclear). Additionally, players affected by Signal Jammer will now appear as UESC bots when pinged.
Recon's tactical ability, Tracker Drone—an explosive spiderbot that hunts players along its path—is also getting a much-needed upgrade. Currently, the bot often gets stuck on walls or in corners due to poor pathing, making it ineffective. Bungie plans to enhance its tracking behavior, allowing it to switch targets if its initial one moves out of range.
As part of the mid-season update scheduled for April 14, numerous changes are on the horizon. By popular request, Bungie decided to share a sneak peek, focusing on the upcoming Recon adjustments. For Recon enthusiasts like myself, these updates are a welcome sight, as the Shell's limitations became apparent in Cryo Archive, Marathon's challenging raid-like activity. Echo Pulse often proved irrelevant in chaotic firefights mixing UESC and enemy Runners, sometimes adding to the confusion. Meanwhile, Tracker Drone could turn the tide of battle but was frequently wasted in pathing loops, especially in areas with intricate layouts.
Why not just switch to another Shell? Loyalty is one reason. More importantly, Recon has unique perks: using a melee finisher on an enemy Runner reveals the entire enemy squad's location to you and your allies. It also has Traits like tracking enemy footsteps after breaking their shields or alerting you when you're pinged. A bit more utility in its core abilities could make a big difference. Every squad needs support, so I'm eagerly awaiting the day Recon gets the recognition it deserves.
Patch 1.0.6 will include many more changes, and Bungie will reveal additional details closer to its April 14 release. Earlier this week, update 1.0.5.2 addressed several issues, including an exploit where players could maintain slide-cancelling momentum by timing it with equipment swaps (Bungie also explained its design philosophy regarding such exploits).
For more on Bungie's extraction shooter, check out our full Marathon review, where it scored a 9 on our scale. Author Travis Northup praised it, saying, "The gunplay delivers everything you'd expect from a Bungie game, the loot and progression systems are addictive, the maps stay fresh even after hours of play, and the endgame activity along with uncovering the eerie lore is absolutely worth sticking around for."
