Bungie has rolled out Marathon Update 1.0.9, and this one is more than a simple bug-fix patch. The update adds a new Warden Hunt event, boosts XP gains, makes Cryo Archive more available near the end of Season 1, and brings a long list of balance changes across combat, mods, Runners, zones, and quality-of-life systems.
The highlight part of this update is the arrival of Warden Hunt, which gives players more reasons to jump back into Perimeter, Dire Marsh, and Outpost before Season 1 wraps up. Bungie is also making progression feel faster with bonus XP, while slowing down Self-Revive and toning down a strong Ares Railgun Prestige mod that was causing problems in PvP.
Marathon Update 1.0.9 Adds Warden Hunt
The main new addition in Marathon Update 1.0.9 is Warden Hunt, which will remain available until the end of Season 1. Bungie says Wardens can now spawn at new points of interest across Perimeter, Dire Marsh, and Outpost.
Warden Hunt also makes locked room keys much more reliable. According to Bungie, locked room keys are now guaranteed to drop from Wardens for the rest of the season. Key Templates have also been changed from Fragile to Compromised, which should make them feel less punishing to use.
On top of that, every run now has a guaranteed chance for a zone event to occur, including events like Lockdowns and Intercept. That is a smart change for the final stretch of the season, since it gives players more activity density and less downtime between meaningful objectives.
XP Gains Are Getting a Big Boost
Update 1.0.9 also increases progression speed in a noticeable way. Bungie is adding 50 percent Runner Level XP and 50 percent Faction XP during Warden Hunt.
Marathon can be punishing when runs go badly, so faster XP gains make the season-end grind feel more forgiving. It also gives returning players a better reason to jump in before Season 2 begins.
Cryo Archive Sponsored Kits will also refresh daily in the Armory, which should make loadout access feel more active during the final season window.
Cryo Archive Is Becoming Available Every Day
Starting May 21, Cryo Archive will be available every day until the end of Season 1. Bungie confirmed that regular Cryo Archive will run from May 21 to May 23, Ranked Cryo Archive will run from May 24 to May 27, and Cryo Archive will return again from May 28 to June 1.
It gives Ranked players a short but focused window to test themselves in the ranked Cryo Archive, which could become one of the more intense late-season activities.
Self-Revive Gets Nerfed
One of the most important balance changes in Update 1.0.9 is the Self-Revive nerf. Bungie has increased the revive time at both ends of the Revive Speed stat. When Revive Speed is at 0, Self-Revive now takes 16 seconds instead of 12. When Revive Speed is at 100, it now takes 12 seconds instead of 7.
Self-Revive can be incredibly powerful in tense fights, especially when players can get back into the action too quickly. This change should make it harder to recover safely without team support or good positioning.
It also makes revive speed investment less extreme at the high end. Players can still benefit from the stat, but the fastest Self-Revive timing is no longer as aggressive as before.
PvE XP Rewards Are Going Up
Combat progression is also getting buffed. Bungie increased XP rewards for several enemy types, including drones, UESC units, Commanders, and Wardens. UESC Wardens received the largest jump, going from 15 XP to 50 XP.
| Combat XP Change | Old XP | New XP |
|---|---|---|
| Transport or Scan Drones | 5 | 10 |
| UESC Grenadiers, Assault, Sniper, and Ghost | 7 | 10 |
| UESC Commanders | 10 | 15 |
| UESC Wardens | 15 | 50 |
If Wardens are going to be a bigger part of Season 1’s endgame activity loop, they need to feel worth fighting. The XP increase should make those encounters feel more rewarding instead of just risky.
Ares Railgun Impact Shockwave Gets Hit Hard
The biggest mod balance change is aimed at Impact Shockwave for the Ares Railgun. Bungie says the Prestige mod no longer downs players equipped with blue shields or better in one shot. The explosive damage against players has also been reduced by 75 percent.
This is a major nerf, and it sounds like Bungie is trying to reduce frustrating one-shot situations in PvP. Marathon’s combat already has high stakes because of extraction pressure, so anything that deletes players too quickly can feel especially harsh.
Rook Gets Temporary Season 1 Help
Rook is getting several changes in Update 1.0.9, and some of them will last until Season 2. Bungie says Rook now starts with Deluxe Patch Kits, Shield Charges, and Deluxe Shield Implants until Season 2. Signal Mask also remains active longer while sprinting, and AI footstep detection range has been reduced while Signal Mask is active.
The Signal Mask changes are especially interesting because they improve stealth and movement around AI threats, which fits well with the new Warden Hunt focus.
Rook also had a tooltip issue fixed, which incorrectly stated that Season Level 3 was required to unlock the Runner.
Marathon Update 1.0.9 Fixes Several Runner and Mod Issues
Update 1.0.9 also includes several smaller but important fixes. Bungie fixed an issue that allowed players to revive crewmates while performing a finisher. Thief also received a fix for items dropped from the Pickpocket Drone clipping through red UESC barriers.
The Biotoxin Disinjector received an audio fix, while the Pocket Change chip no longer grants ammo after defeating ticks. The Common Enemy chip tooltip was also corrected for the enhanced green rarity version.
Zone Fixes Clean Up Perimeter, Dire Marsh, Outpost, and Cryo Archive
Bungie also fixed several zone-specific issues across Marathon’s maps. In Perimeter, players should now properly gain CyberAcme reputation when extracting UESC Crisis Supplies, and Intercept event reputation should go to the entire crew instead of only one player.
Dire Marsh also received reputation fixes for Lockdown events and Anomalous Matter. Outpost had an audio issue fixed in Pinwheel, while Cryo Archive received fixes for Thief bypassing red UESC barriers from Cargo to Index and missing HUD location names.
Update 1.0.9 Also Improves UI and Controller Settings
Marathon Update 1.0.9 includes a handful of user interface and experience improvements. Bungie fixed an issue where the exfil countdown timer could fail to appear when entering an active enemy Runner’s exfil circle. Quick pings should also no longer be intercepted by clear door curtains.
Bungie also added ten additional controller aim sensitivity levels to Settings, according to a correction added to the patch notes.
Marathon Update 1.0.9 feels like Bungie trying to make the final stretch of Season 1 more active, more rewarding, and a little cleaner. Warden Hunt gives players a new reason to chase high-value encounters, daily Cryo Archive access adds more consistency, and the XP boosts make progression less punishing before the season ends.
