At a certain point in an extraction shooter wipe, embarking with a free loadout can feel like an uphill battle. No matter how vigilant you are, the chances of encountering players equipped to the nines are high. Meds can vanish in the blink of an eye, leaving you hoping for a swift exit back to safety. In Marathon, where backpack space is already at a premium, the decision to stock up on consumables during a run becomes increasingly challenging.
Updates to Meds and Inventory Management
However, the latest patch from Bungie brings a glimmer of hope for players navigating these treacherous waters. The update has enhanced the Standard Sponsored Kits, increasing the quantity of meds they contain and expanding their stack size. Specifically, the Depleted Patch Kits and Depleted Shield Charges, which represent the lowest rarity of meds, have seen their stack size doubled from three to six. This adjustment means that Standard Sponsored Kits now come with a more generous supply of these essential items, and recruits are dropping them more frequently.
While this change may appear modest at first glance, its impact on survivability could be significant. Players scavenging for loot or specific items to unlock upgrades will find themselves with a better chance of making it out alive. Moreover, the increased stack sizes allow for more inventory space dedicated to high-value items.
The prospect of venturing out with a free loadout, particularly for solo players, becomes even more appealing. Of course, if you cross paths with a highly skilled opponent on the Marathon maps, the odds may still be stacked against you. Yet, if you can evade the line of fire, the expanded supply of meds offers a chance to take calculated risks, potentially leading to greater rewards per run. As someone who relishes the thrill of scavenging, I find this update particularly exciting.
Quality-of-Life Improvements
In addition to the enhancements to med availability, Bungie has addressed several bugs in this patch. Another quality-of-life improvement that complements the changes to meds is the refinement of the radial menu’s accuracy. Bungie humorously notes that this adjustment aims to minimize the instances where a frag grenade is inadvertently thrown at the player’s feet instead of deploying a bubble shield. This improvement should also help players avoid mistakenly attempting to heal when they intended to select a Shield Charge.
While this update may be small in the broader context of the game, it is likely to encourage more players to embrace the free loadout experience. This shift could pose challenges for those heavily armed players seeking easy targets, but it should create a more favorable environment for newer and less affluent players—a trade-off that seems worthwhile in my perspective.
