Marathon Latest Patch Notes: Nerfs the WSTR Shotgun & Overhauls Matchmaking

Bungie has rolled out another impactful weekly update for Marathon, and this time, the spotlight is firmly on two contentious areas: shotgun dominance and matchmaking integrity. As of Tuesday, April 21st, the widely overused WSTR (Waster) shotgun has received a significant nerf, specifically targeting its two-shot kill potential against players equipped with blue shields or higher. In a move designed to introduce more counterplay in close-quarters engagements, the change forces a reload scenario against better-shielded targets while leaving green-shielded opponents vulnerable to the classic two-tap. Meanwhile, the development team has also addressed a regional matchmaking bug that was unintentionally placing a small subset of players into low-quality, high-latency lobbies—a fix that could indirectly shift the competitive balance for mid-to-high-level participants. These adjustments signal Bungie’s ongoing effort to fine-tune the sandbox, but early community reactions suggest the debate over fairness, skill-based matching, and weapon variety is far from over.

Breaking Down the WSTR Shotgun Nerf – What Actually Changed?

Let’s start with the weapon that has dominated Marathon‘s close-range meta for weeks: the WSTR (Waster) double-barrel shotgun. Prior to today’s patch, this firearm could reliably two-shot any player regardless of shield color—provided both shots landed at short range.

That effectively made it the default choice for aggressive “ape” playstyles on tight maps like Outpost and Cryo Archive, where narrow hallways and sudden corners force frequent close-quarters battles. According to Bungie’s weapon balance lead, Joseler, the goal was to “bring the waster more in line” so that it stops eclipsing other short-range options. As of now, the WSTR can no longer down an enemy equipped with a blue shield (or higher) in two shots. Against blue or purple shields, you will force a reload after two hits rather than securing a kill, giving the target a precious window to escape, heal, or counter-attack. However, players running green shields—typically those with less gear or less playtime—remain vulnerable to the two-shot kill. This creates a peculiar tiered balance: newer or under-geared players still face the same lethal threat, while veteran players with better shields gain a meaningful defensive edge. The community reaction has been sharply divided.

Some argue that a double-barrel shotgun should always two-tap by design; others welcome any reduction in the weapon’s suffocating prevalence. One thing is certain: mods that allow firing more than two rounds in succession (such as extended mag or rate-of-fire enhancers) will likely become even more valuable as players seek to circumvent the new damage ceiling.

Matchmaking Mayhem – The Regional Bug and What It Means for Your Lobbies

Beyond the shotgun adjustments, today’s patch addresses a growing frustration among Marathon‘s dedicated player base: inconsistent and often punishing matchmaking. Over the past week, numerous players—particularly those at very high season levels or skill tiers—reported excessively long queue times followed by lobbies filled with opponents from distant regions, resulting in laggy, uncompetitive matches. Bungie’s community lead, Ziggler, acknowledged the issue, describing matchmaking as “a complex series of wires and circuits” and confirming that a bug related to regional matchmaking had been identified. According to the developer, this bug was affecting “a very small set of players,” unintentionally placing them into matches they were never meant to be in.

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That fix is rolling out today. However, veteran Bungie fans were quick to point out a familiar pattern: similar matchmaking bugs have appeared repeatedly across Destiny and other Bungie titles, often surfacing mid-season when population dynamics shift. The more intriguing question—one that Bungie has never fully answered—is whether Marathon uses purely level-based matchmaking or incorporates hidden skill ratings. The wording from Joseler and Ziggler has fueled speculation that some degree of skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) may be active behind the scenes. For context, level-based matchmaking groups players by their account progression (e.g., level 50 versus level 100), while SBMM prioritizes performance metrics like kill/death ratio or win rate. If SBMM is indeed present, it would explain why high-skill players have been experiencing outlier matchmaking: the system may have been overcorrecting or breaking entirely when trying to find equally skilled opponents in a shrinking mid-season population. One player, Sir D, summed up the community’s skepticism: “Translation: we turn SBMM and level-based matchmaking up too high.” Whether the fix improves queue times or simply reshuffles the competitive ladder remains to be seen.

A Level 100+ Player’s Perspective – Will Lobbies Get Tougher?

One of the most insightful observations from the community comes from players well above level 100—the very demographic that the regional matchmaking bug supposedly impacted most. According to Houndish, a veteran Marathon content creator who has been documenting these changes, the last week has felt noticeably easier than usual. Despite being over level 100, he found himself frequently matched against players at levels 50 to 70 rather than his usual peers in the triple-digit range. His theory? The matchmaking bug was inadvertently pulling top-tier players (those with the highest skill or gear ratings) into isolated, hyper-competitive lobbies, effectively removing them from the general population.

That left mid-tier players like himself facing softer competition. If Bungie’s fix successfully resolves the regional bug, those high-level players should re-enter the broader matchmaking pool—meaning lobbies could suddenly feel more difficult for everyone below the absolute elite tier. “If I had to guess,” Houndish noted, “I think my lobbies are going to get more difficult after the updates today because I think more of these kinds of players will be back down in my tier of matchmaking more frequently.” This prediction highlights a recurring tension in Marathon‘s design: the game is inherently unbalanced by nature, not as a flaw but as a feature of its loot-driven, shield-tiered sandbox. Purple shields offer dramatically different damage resistance than green shields, and high-level players have not seen a green shield in ages. That means any matchmaking change that mixes tiers more aggressively could produce frustrating mismatches—but also faster queue times. Whether Bungie prioritizes competitive fairness or accessibility will likely determine how the player base feels heading into the back half of the season.

Community Voices – Divided Opinions on the WSTR Nerf and Shield Disparity

No major balance patch arrives without controversy, and the WSTR shotgun changes have ignited passionate debate across Marathon‘s social channels. Prominent community member Sir D fired back at the nerf, stating bluntly: “I don’t think it’s appropriate to make a double barrel shotgun incapable of two tapping. Higher account level players haven’t seen a green shield in ages.” This criticism cuts to the heart of the issue: for veteran players who have invested dozens of hours into climbing the gear ladder, every opponent they face is likely running blue or purple shields. That means the WSTR nerf effectively removes its two-shot kill potential entirely for high-tier play, rendering the weapon far less viable against equally geared opponents. Meanwhile, Defizzle raised a different concern, questioning why Bungie would target only the standard Waster while leaving slug shotguns and the ultra-rare Misa untouched.

“This change in a vacuum feels odd,” Defizzle wrote. “Surely we’re making changes to shotguns in general gamewide and not just nerfing the normal waster.” The implication is clear: if the goal is to diversify the close-range meta, Bungie may need a broader pass on all shotguns rather than singling out one dominant option. On the other hand, player Wholesome Melo offered a more philosophical take, observing that “there’s an additional power discrepancy between cheap kit and purple shield.” That observation underscores a fundamental reality of Marathon: the sandbox tuning is a revolving door. Every adjustment shifts power dynamics, and today’s fix may simply push players toward slug shotguns, faster-firing mods, or entirely different weapon classes like SMGs. What remains unclear is whether Bungie will monitor these ripple effects and respond with follow-up tweaks—or let the new meta settle on its own.

Marathon Latest Patch Notes Nerfs the WSTR Shotgun & Overhauls Matchmaking – FAQ