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Marathon Update 1.0.5.3 Nerfs Melee, Reworks Bubble Shield, and Fixes Key Exploits

The studio says melee should remain potent through meaningful build investment.

Overview

  • Update 1.0.5.3 went live Tuesday on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, delivering targeted balance changes and stability fixes.
  • Knife combat now lunges about 10% less and has a roughly 20% tighter auto‑targeting window, and the Melee Damage stat now adds up to 50% extra damage against other players instead of 100%.
  • Damage against AI enemies stays the same, which keeps PvE knife use intact while toning down the close‑quarters player‑versus‑player meta.
  • The Bubble Shield is rarer at Superior tier, has 33% less health, no longer takes extra damage from Volt weapons, and gains 17% more resistance to UESC fire.
  • Bungie also patched grapple slide‑cancel movement exploits, fixed Vault and Armory display and refresh issues, and corrected a Cryo Archive exfil timer reset, while stating a zero‑tolerance stance on cheating with expanded detection and reporting tools on the way.