Marathon’s Nightfall Refresh went live on October 6 with a progression and economy reset. Bungie’s Update 1.1.9.2 notes name the progress that was cleared: Runner, Cradle and Faction levels; Priority Contracts; Rank; Vault Contents; and zone access. The patch also added the NuCaloric Rewards Pass at no extra cost for Marathon owners and adjusted how quickly players earn faction reputation.

Which progress the October reset removed

The reset covers several connected systems. Runner, Cradle and Faction levels return to their starting state, Rank is reset, Priority Contracts are cleared, Vault Contents are removed, and zone access is reset. These are the categories Bungie lists for the Nightfall Refresh. The notes do not say that every owned or account-level item was erased, so players should use the named categories rather than assume a broader wipe.

That distinction matters for anyone returning after the patch. A Runner build, faction rank or stored Vault loadout will need to be rebuilt. Bungie says the new pass is available without another charge to people who own the game.

Bungie linked the reset to problems in Season 2: Nightfall, where progression and rewards moved some players into the endgame faster than others. The studio said that gap made Extraction harder to enter and stopped the previous reset from working as intended. The September development update framed the October refresh as a way to give everyone a new starting point while the larger Symbiosis update continues in development.

Concept infographic grouping the Runner, Cradle and Faction levels, rank, Priority Contracts, Vault Contents and zone access named in the Nightfall reset.
Concept illustration of the progress categories Bungie listed for the Nightfall Refresh reset.

What changed after the wipe

The patch raises XP earned for defeating UESC forces and lowers the reputation needed for each Faction rank to fit the shorter Nightfall Refresh period. VIP reputation requirements were also adjusted to match the final standard rank requirement for each Faction. These changes affect the pace of rebuilding; they do not restore old Runner or Faction levels. Bungie does not give one universal completion time: the result still depends on the missions, Faction and play schedule.

Sponsored queues return from Thursday through Monday for the rest of the refresh. Sponsored Perimeter was first, running October 8–12. The schedule makes the current queue a short window, so check the in-game listing for the next destination rather than treating Perimeter as a permanent mode.

Bungie’s Oct. 6 notes also schedule Vault Breaker for October 20–November 9 and Ordnance Heist for November 10–23. The event armories and economy rules differ, and the notes change some offer limits for those events. Weekly login rewards will accumulate if a player misses a week, so returning later does not forfeit earlier sets.

C.A.R.R.I. also returns on October 20 and remains through the end of Nightfall Refresh. That date lines up with Vault Breaker’s opening, while Ordnance Heist follows in November. These are scheduled activities, so the patch notes are the place to confirm a later change before saving keys or materials for a specific week.

The first follow-up fixed two launch issues

On October 8, Update 1.1.9.3 removed incorrect information from the Nightfall Refresh explainer screen and fixed crashes on Night Marsh. That follow-up is separate from the reset itself. Players who saw a contradictory reset message on the explainer should rely on the named categories in the 1.1.9.2 notes.

The larger update is still scheduled for December

Bungie’s September 14 development update moved content planned for September into Symbiosis, scheduled for December 8. The studio said it was moving away from a strict seasonal calendar while it builds and tests larger features. The December update is planned to add permanent PvE, a refreshed Perimeter, a new Runner shell, a social space with a firing range, experimental Team Deathmatch and onboarding improvements.

The October reset is the live-game bridge to that work. For a returning player, the practical sequence is to confirm which listed systems reset, claim the free pass, then check the currently sponsored queue and its end date before planning a run.