Marathon’s New Gameplay and Development Insights

In a new video for fans, the “Visions of Marathon” ViDoc, players learn more about what Bungie has been working on, including fixes and hands-on experiences with the beta.

Players are well aware that Bungie’s next title, Marathon - an extraction shooter set on the lost colony of Tau Ceti IV - places players in the role of a bio-cybernetic Runner. The game’s development has faced challenges and has not gone as smoothly as the team intended. After a series of plagiarism issues, Bungie was forced to release a full statement regarding stolen art assets, and some players struggled to connect with the game.

Bungie decided to step back and address these concerns. As part of the ViDoc, Bungie developers took feedback from players and were pleased to showcase the updates coming to Marathon when it releases in March. Players who purchase the game for a targeted price of $39.99 (subject to change) will have access to new maps, new Runner shells, events, and more with Season 1 - UESC Marathon’s Cryo Archive - kicking things off.

Another feature that more live service games are beginning to include is a season pass that does not expire. A one-time purchase will allow you to keep access to the battle pass without worrying about running out of time to complete it or losing rewards you haven’t obtained. Bungie plans to reveal more with a future roadmap closer to launch.

Let us know in our Discord if you will be jumping into Marathon when it releases in March.

Some of the other highlights fans can get excited about are:

• New features since alpha, including...
• Proximity chat
• Solo queue
• Rook, a Runner shell used to scavenge matches in progress
• The world and fantasy of Marathon
• Ways we’re doubling down on the dark, gritty, and grounded sci-fi world
• Your role in Marathon–you are the Runner, and you transfer your consciousness into different shells designed with unique capabilities
• Improved visual fidelity and immersion, including...
• Dead Runners drop as corpses that decay over time
• Deepened environmental storytelling
• The role of audio
• Introduction to Marathon’s four zones (maps)
• Three surface zones–Perimeter, Dire Marsh, and Outpost
• The first zone on the UESC Marathon–Cryo Archive, an end-game challenge
• Loot and customization
• Weapons and mods, including ways to customize your gun in unique ways (like turning the Battery SMG into the Needler)
• Runner shell archetypes and ways to customize your playstyles
• Factions and progression
• Factions and the jobs they’ll ask you to do in game, like MIDA requesting you blow up a UESC dropship
• Faction upgrade trees and the capstone rewards you’ll earn each season
• The Codex, a collection of your achievements and narrative discoveries; progress to earn exclusive cosmetics and lore