On Tuesday, March 17, 2026, Bungie took the servers for its extraction shooter Marathon offline, kicking off a scheduled period of maintenance that had players temporarily locked out and eagerly awaiting the latest round of improvements. The downtime, which began at 5:00 AM PDT and was expected to last until approximately 9:00 AM PDT, was not just routine housekeeping—it was the prelude to the anticipated rollout of update 1.0.5, a patch designed to address some of the community's most persistent complaints and streamline the gameplay experience. According to MP1st, the update was set to be accompanied by patch notes released near the conclusion of the maintenance period, providing players with a detailed breakdown of what to expect as they logged back in.
The update, as detailed in the official Marathon Week 2 patch notes, brings a suite of changes aimed squarely at making life easier for both new and veteran players. Chief among these is a dramatic increase in the size of vault stacks for consumables, ammo, salvage, and grenades. Bungie’s comparison between the new and old systems reveals a tenfold boost in stack size—a change that’s sure to be celebrated by anyone who’s ever found themselves drowning in Volt Batteries or forced to spend precious minutes rearranging their inventory after every raid. This move, as reported by multiple outlets, is seen as a way to "help declutter our storage" and significantly reduce the frequency with which players must engage in tedious inventory management.
For many, Marathon’s early game has felt like a stop-start affair, with the rush of action between raids often interrupted by the need to empty vaults or claim uncollected faction rewards. As one player described it, "I have more unclaimed faction rewards than I can count, and it's getting a bit silly at this point." Bungie’s decision to up vault stack sizes is expected to cut down on this "chaff," allowing players to spend more time in the thick of the action and less time doing what some have called the "Marie Kondo" routine on their digital lockers.
The implications of this change stretch beyond mere convenience. With less pressure to constantly farm Unstable Diodes in popular areas like Perimeter and Outpost, the update could help distribute player activity more evenly across the map, potentially smoothing out the action and giving less-trafficked points of interest a chance to shine. For newcomers, the expanded vaults might make it easier to move beyond the game’s beginner zones and venture into more challenging territories like Dire Marsh—something that’s proven daunting for many up to now.
Veteran players, meanwhile, may find the late-game grind less punishing. Vault expansion upgrades in Marathon have historically grown more expensive while offering diminishing returns in terms of extra space, making it tough to hold onto prized gold weapons or rare loot. Bungie’s generous approach to loot has made the game stand out among extraction shooters for its ability to remove what’s often called "gear fear"—the anxiety that comes with risking hard-earned items in every raid. "You shouldn't be afraid of losing your loot, because it feels like there's always a trove of it ready to be redeemed to replace it," one fan remarked. The expanded vaults, then, are more than a quality-of-life tweak—they’re a statement about the game’s philosophy and its commitment to keeping things fun rather than punitive.
Of course, inventory management wasn’t the only issue on Bungie’s radar for update 1.0.5. The studio also addressed feedback about a controversial change to audio distance, which had previously increased the range at which players could hear combat. While some embraced the heightened tension and the opportunities for third-party intervention—likening it to "gladiators in the colosseum"—others felt it disrupted the balance between stealthy looters and aggressive squads. Bungie acknowledged that the adjustment was an "overcorrection" and pledged to revisit the mechanic in a future update, stating, "we're still aligning on how to ensure the best player experience and will deploy changes in an upcoming update." For now, players are advised to "keep an ear out" for further tweaks as the team works to strike the right balance.
Performance improvements are also on the way, with Bungie promising to tackle high-end PC issues that have affected a segment of the player base. While the specifics weren’t detailed in the pre-release notes, the commitment to ongoing optimization is likely to be welcomed by those running top-tier hardware who’ve nonetheless encountered stutters or frame drops during intense firefights.
Another notable fix targets a credit farming exploit involving the Rooks faction. Previously, some players discovered they could rack up bonus credits by simply loading into raids and exiting immediately—a loophole that Bungie has now closed. From here on out, earning credits will require players to "do things the ol' fashioned way," as the patch notes put it, restoring a sense of fairness to the game’s progression systems.
The timing of the patch is also notable in the broader context of the extraction shooter landscape. On the same day as Marathon’s downtime, ARC Raiders—one of its closest competitors—rolled out its own update featuring new cosmetics and gameplay changes. The parallel releases underscore the fierce competition in the genre, with both studios racing to refine their offerings and keep their communities engaged.
For those tracking the maintenance window, Bungie laid out a clear schedule: downtime started at 5:00 AM PDT, with expectations that the servers would be back online by 9:00 AM PDT. However, as is often the case with live service games, the studio warned that delays could occur and promised to keep players updated should the maintenance run long or unexpected issues arise. The patch notes for update 1.0.5 were slated for release near the end of the downtime, giving players a chance to digest the full list of changes before jumping back in.
Looking ahead, Bungie’s approach to community feedback and rapid iteration suggests that Marathon will continue to evolve in response to player needs. The willingness to admit missteps—such as the audio distance "overcorrection"—and the proactive stance on issues like inventory clutter and exploits reflect a studio that’s listening closely and adjusting course as needed. As the extraction shooter genre heats up, these qualities may prove as critical to Marathon’s long-term success as any single patch or feature.
With update 1.0.5 now in the hands of players and more refinements promised on the horizon, Marathon seems poised to deliver a smoother, more accessible, and ultimately more enjoyable experience for all who dive into its high-stakes raids—vaults blessedly uncluttered, and the action never far away.