Marathon Update 1.1.9.4: Fixes Only, Wipe Meta Next

Marathon Update 1.1.9.4 is a cleanup patch with no balance changes. The official notes list four fixes. The Convoy Drone Codex no longer requires you to finish its objectives on Outpost. Players can no longer get stuck repeating the same Night Marsh CyAc Guidance contracts. A Nucaloric - Consumer Goods Armory upgrade tooltip now correctly names the ◇ Risk/Reward - Legs - Deluxe implant instead of Evasive Maneuvers. The Nightfall Refresh explainer screen no longer shows incorrect information.

No weapon, shell, or mod numbers moved. The patch landed Oct 13. The creator material we gathered this cycle doesn't cover it either, so we won't characterize sentiment.

We are leaving every tier where it was. The last real balance pass was 1.1.9.2, and its effects are already priced in. Echo Pulse now fires in a cone instead of an omnidirectional sphere, and it staggers non-Runner combatants on first hit. Biotoxic Disinjector - Hybrid's beam went from 13 to 16 per tick, which Bungie lists as the fastest non-shotgun time-to-kill in the game at 0.75s against 200hp. The grenade mode is now semi-auto at 50 ammo per pull. ⬢ D54 Battle Pistol - Pistol and Magnum MC - Pistol took damage cuts.

Our Read

The reader who keeps waiting for a patch to reshuffle the list is looking in the wrong place. With a bug-fix-only drop, the thing moving the meta is the wipe: Runner, Cradle, and Faction levels all reset. Our own ratings put Thief - Stealth at S-tier solo and Triage - Support at S-tier squad. Those ratings don't depend on a patch. They depend on what each shell can do when everyone is under-leveled.

Bungie lists Cradle XP up 30% for the Nightfall Refresh and most Armory Credit costs down 30%. UESC damage to runners in Solo playlists is down 20%, and UESC aggression is reduced there too. Cradle Energy is spent across six tracks at roughly one per Runner level, so everyone starts with almost nothing to spend.

The cheapest perks are the ones that matter first. Quick Vent unlocks at 3 Endurance, Scab Factory at 3 Resistance, Head Start at 4 Recharge, TAD Boost at 4 Support, and Loot Siphon at 5 Dexterity.

Cryo Archive returned in Week 2, on Thursday October 15, and now ends on Mondays instead of Sundays. Sponsored Queues run Thursday through Monday, rotating Perimeter, then Marsh, then Night Marsh. Vault Breaker returns in week 3.

Our Read

Sponsored kits level the field, so shell and Cradle choices matter less there. Standard Extraction is where early-wipe Cradle decisions pay off. When Cryo Archive is open, expect squad value to concentrate in Triage and Destroyer - Combat, which our tier list rates S-tier squad. That is a forecast.

The next shift comes from Cradle breakpoints filling in over the first weeks, not from this patch. Check back after Vault Breaker returns on October 20. If tiers move, it will be because of usage, not notes.