Marathon players are debating the merits of a recent balance patch which has, among other things, made UESC enemies easier to kill.

This change, one part of wider balance changes implemented yesterday, reduced the health of PvE enemies by roughly 10 - 15 percent across the board. It also reduced the shield durability of PvE boss and mini-boss enemies by 25 percent.

Bungie stresses in a comment attached to this change: "The goal here is to allow your bullets and meds to go further without reducing too much of the UESCs bite. We see the feedback loud and clear that players appreciate the friction that our UESC combatants provide and we have no plans to change that direction."

The response to this change in particular has been mixed. Some, who struggled with this part of the game, found refuge knowing their future runs would be a little less perilous.

"Seeing the discourse on UESC nerfing and I see this is [a] net-win overall," wrote Jake Parker on Twitter. "Enemy density is largely the bigger issue with losing fights than pure damage and aggression alone. For solos, this means better survivability in the long run, while trios still need to coordinate attacks on enemy groups to survive without branching off on their own."

There were some, however, who had grown fond of the particular level of threat generated by even the scrubbiest of UESC drones. As content creator Mactics put it: "Maaan why did they nerf the PvE? I grew to really love how much of a threat they posed, it made the game feel so challenging and interesting".

The emphasis that PvE was still going to be a challenge was present from developers on social media too. Game director Joe Zigler was sure to expand on the decision, writing: "The nerf to AI health is somewhat minor, but focused on you spending less ammo to take them down (saving you more ammo) and rewarding you for seeing them first (especially in solo). They still deal the same damage, so don't let them catch you unaware."

Or, as senior community manager Bruno Louviers succinctly put it: "UESC is still a menace, don't worry".

So is this a good change or bad? Let's break down both arguments. The benefits as stated in the patch notes are genuine - regular enemies did have a tendency to eat up resources. While not necessarily a big deal for those bringing in their own custom loadout this may not be a major issue, but for those entering the fray with basic sponsored kits, it was a common occurrence to find yourself out of ammo in a matter of minutes. Or rather, minute.

Pair this with the context that the MIDA, CyberAcme, and Arachne starter kits recently was buffed, providing more ammo to use alongside the given weapons contained within, and it starts to make sense.

The problem of resource drain also shines when playing solo, especially when trying to take down certain boss-type enemies while doing so. As a solo player, try taking down one of the Prestige tier Warden bosses across the maps. Not only did the high-tier shields take a kicking, but the health pools almost ensured a major drain on bullets in your bags. Even if you were playing Destroyer with their Search and Destroy Prime ability.

These enemies are still tough, but the likelihood that taking one down would be a total resource vampire is lessened somewhat. From this perspective, a nice change. Though, if Bungie is taking suggestions, maybe a nerf on the UESC convoy health would be an olive branch for the solo runners out there.

Okay, so what about the negatives with this? While it was true that ammo burn against even small groups of UESC was making firefights burdensome for those - especially sponsored kit users - one has to wonder what atmosphere this created for the average player during a run? Better yet, what behaviors did it encourage?

For me (using a sponsored kit), I had to learn to use my knife to quietly (and cheaply) dispatch robotic goons. I had to keep tabs of my ammunition throughout the game - either building up a horde before a big fight or deciding I shouldn't tackle a purple-shielded mini-boss. It made every single fight consequential - and while I'm sure they still are - it does dull the edge on their fangs a little. Whether is worth doing in favour of better early-match momentum is something we'll have to keep eyes on.

Also, given the size of these changes, you do notice considerable shifts in the danger elite enemies face. Take the Assault Trooper for example - the big lads with energy shields. Before the patch, blasting through the frontal shield and killing it in a single magazine was a tall order! It was possible, with weapon attachments and good aim for headshots, but it could prove tricky. Now, I've found it rather easy to take these tanky foes down.

Such are the challenges of live service balance, I suppose. Though, given Marathon's place as a balanced middle-ground between the relative accessibility of Arc Raiders and the brutal ruthlessness of Escape from Tarkov, it'll be interesting to see how Bungie retains this delicious vibe of arduous lootin' and shootin'.