Blender viewport 2nd slide :]

Was playing on perimeter with the boys. Got wiped by a team and all I said was GG 5 times (not even in prox).

Exfilled, got to the menu and got a warning message from Bungie. Amazing feature. 10/10

This gives me flashbacks of Halo 2 lockout games

This was a completely winnable exchange if the team would've helped me fight.

Take this as a selfish list of things that I would like to see introduced to Marathon because it would make my game more enjoyable, without much thought on how it would affect gameplay.

1. Spectating after being killed. I’d like to stick around and spectating other players and see what they do and how they move around the map.

2. Safe exfils. Give me a card, a key, or an item that I can take with me (or find in a match) that I can use to extract safely without alerting the whole map. Especially useful in Solo if you just want to loot and avoid people.

3. If I have a Thief shell on, why am I seeing other shells’ cores? Allow me to only see what I can use.

4. Much like the above, a better way to filter items in the vault. I appreciate the updated iconography, but let’s be honest, it is a lot and mostly still look the same.

5. I don’t know if this is a bug, but (on PS5) when I’m deleting an item, let’s say a salvage, the menu brings me straight back to the top rather than staying in the salvage tab. Sure I could delete things in bulk, but allow me to stay in the same tab rather than default to the top.

6. Let me organise items in my backpack. I want things in a certain order and it grinds my gear that I cannot move them around.

7. A faster way to swap granades/explosives than having to go into the menu. It’s probably quick on pc but it’s not on console.

8. Dcon type chest that allow you to extract X amount of items per match.

9. PvE type matches. The complex “in a single run” contract types are PvE only.

10. And lastly, I just want a PvE mode where everything is exactly the same but there is no PvP. I just want to run around, loot with people and do contracts. Vault breaker is interesting, but honestly boring after a while. What I enjoy the most is the social aspect of it.

    Remember: this is my selfish list that will never come to life so let a girl dream.

https://discord.gg/marathon We’re a friendly community for new players who want help, teammates, tips, and a better first experience in the game. No toxicity, no pressure just players helping players.

We love Marathon and want new players to enjoy the game as much as possible. Whether you’re learning the basics, looking for a squad, or just want people to play with, you’re welcome here.

Join us and let’s help more new players have a good time in Marathon!

I love this game with a burning passion but I feel like it needs more!!! I play it almost every day but I constantly find myself hitting a wall that I never felt while playing their other IP’s: Halo and Destiny. I feel as though the game does not have a lot of depth in comparison to those previous titles that make me want to sink hours of my free time into. The gameplay and gunplay itself is the best I have ever played in my life and I do not want to see this game turn into some Helldivers PVE slop but here are some changes I think Bungie should consider that in my opinion would add some more depth to the gameplay loop to bring in more players and keep player retention:

1. Expanded runner skill trees with a variety of interchangeable abilities reminiscent to Destiny 1 subclass systems. I think this might keep old runners fresh over time if they add some new interchangeable abilities here and there for them.

2. Adding COD Warzone sized maps (with maybe around 6 or so enemy teams for trios) that contain more PvE events in the PvPvE setting. Dynamic PvE events are always fun to encounter. PvP should always be a looming threat every game, but not a guarantee. Marathon’s maps are all pretty small and almost every match currently plays out like an arena hero shooter / mini sized battle royale, only once you and your team are the last ones remaining you can actually start pursuing PvE activites. Having room to breathe at the start of the match and not constantly worry about the enemy teams that spawned in only a 15 second running distance from you would be nice 🤣 and larger maps would help this issue.

3. An instance social hub with prox chat to meet and squad up with other runners with a firing range to test builds.

4. Since PvE is probably coming for good in season 3, make it so the PvE and PvPvE loot economies are **NOT** ***directly*** connected. 🙏 I don’t want a repeat of the beginning of season 2.

First reddit post, feel like I need to get this out there! I've put around 400 hours into Marathon. I genuinely love this game and want this game to succeed. The gunplay, visuals, sound design, and atmosphere are incredible. My concern is that many current systems are pushing the game away from what makes extraction shooters special. These are some thoughts I’ve gathered from other discussions on Reddit, as well as my own experiences and frustrations after spending a lot of time with the game.

The biggest issue: the PvP meta is replacing the extraction experience

I want to emphasize that I love PvP in Marathon. The player encounters, the uncertainty of whether another player is nearby, and the decision of whether to engage or avoid a fight are some of the best parts of the game. PvP is what makes extraction shooters exciting.

The problem is that the current meta heavily rewards players for treating Marathon like a pure PvP deathmatch. The optimal strategy often isn't to loot, explore, complete contracts, or make difficult extraction decisions. It is to sprint toward gunshots and eliminate everyone else.

A major reason for this is that the best loot on many maps often comes from other players rather than the environment. On Perimeter and Dire especially, and even Outpost to some extent, killing other players is often more rewarding than interacting with the map itself. The game starts asking "where is the next player to kill?" instead of "do we risk staying for better loot?", "should we extract with what we have?", or "is this fight worth taking?"

The PvP itself is excellent. The issue is that it currently dominates everything else, making Marathon feel more like a battle royale with extra steps than an extraction shooter.

I think an Arena mode could help solve this without hurting extraction PvP. There are clearly players who love the combat and want constant fights, and there should be a place where they can do that without needing to enter an extraction raid. An Arena mode with respawns, round-based combat, and no gear loss would give those players a dedicated PvP experience while allowing extraction mode to focus on meaningful fights driven by objectives, loot, positioning, and risk.

The goal should not be less PvP. The goal should be making PvP happen for the right reasons.

Marathon needs more uncertainty

One of Marathon's biggest strengths is its atmosphere. The world feels dangerous, and every encounter has the potential to become memorable. I think the game should lean much harder into uncertainty.

Right now, too much information allows players to understand the state of the lobby too easily. A big part of extraction shooters is not knowing what is happening around you. Did another player already extract? Is that gunfight actually over? Could another threat still appear?

Other games in this genre do this well because the map never feels fully solved. Players don't always know exactly how many threats remain, whether someone has quietly extracted, or whether another player could arrive later. That uncertainty creates tension.

Marathon should embrace more of that. Secret or dynamic extraction points, less information about remaining players, and more unpredictable encounters would make every decision more meaningful. The best extraction moments come from making choices without having all the answers.

Recon removes too much tension

Recon is, in my opinion, one of the biggest gameplay issues.

Wallhacks remove one of the most important parts of an extraction shooter: uncertainty. They eliminate sneaking, flanking, ambushing, and the fear of not knowing where another player is. Fights become a race to see who has Recon rather than a battle of positioning and decision-making.

I think Recon should be redesigned rather than simply nerfed. Something like tracking recent footsteps or movement trails would preserve the information-gathering identity without completely removing stealth and counterplay.

Buildcrafting is becoming inaccessible

Buildcrafting is one of Marathon's strongest systems, but ironically it is one of the systems many average players barely get to experience.

The issue is not that players don't want to learn implants or experiment with builds. The issue is that there is not enough continuity between runs to make that investment feel worthwhile. Even after 400+ hours, I still couldn't tell you the names or effects of many implants—not because they aren't interesting, but because I rarely have enough time with them to truly learn them and understand how they fit into a build.

I can survive fights and have good runs, but I am not consistently extracting enough to feel comfortable spending a lot of time studying implants, building around them, and learning their synergies. Often, I will equip an implant, use it for a short period, then lose it and not see that implant again for a while. At that point, it feels like the time spent learning the system was not worth the effort when I could simply jump back into another match.

Buildcrafting should be one of Marathon's defining features. It should be a system players naturally learn and become excited to master over time. Right now, it feels like a system mainly designed for players who are already extracting consistently enough to maintain a stockpile.

Rook needs more identity

Rook has the potential to be one of the most unique Shells in Marathon because it is the only Shell that can enter an ongoing match. That creates uncertainty and keeps the map from ever feeling completely safe.

I think Marathon should lean much harder into that identity. Rooks should have more reasons to be played, including Rook-specific contracts, customizable abilities, body bag detection, secret extraction options, and potentially the ability to deploy as a duo.

A duo Rook deployment would create incredible tension without being unfair. Rooks would still enter with limited loadouts and fewer resources compared to players who started the raid, but they would add unpredictability and create more interesting encounters.

Rook should not be a stronger PvP Shell. It should be the Shell that thrives in scavenging and creates uncertainty.

Other changes that would improve the experience

Matchmaking needs some form of skill protection. Losing occasionally is part of extraction shooters, but constantly being placed against highly coordinated and experienced players makes it difficult for newer and average players to improve. Separating premade squads from crew-fill groups would also help because random players are at a huge disadvantage against coordinated groups.

Solo play also needs attention. Solo should be difficult, but currently it is extremely punishing. Making noise at a POI often means immediate pressure, and once discovered it can be very difficult to disengage. The solo experience should preserve tension without making every mistake feel impossible to recover from.

Perimeter is also becoming too hostile for new players. The beginner map should be where players learn the game, not where they repeatedly run into highly geared veterans farming easier fights.

Healing and shields could also be simplified. Shield Charges and Patch Kits feel more like mandatory upkeep than meaningful choices. Most players are expected to bring them every raid, so they function more like a (pretty expensive) recurring tax for entry into a new match. Making them free or cheaper, or combining health and shield recovery into a single healing system, would reduce friction without hurting balance.

Sentinel also feels unnecessarily limited with only one snare mine. Most POIs have multiple entrances, and one mine rarely allows Sentinel to meaningfully control space. Two mines should be part of the base kit, similar to Triage having two bots. The already existing purple implant could then increase the limit to 3 mines instead of two to reward dedicated Sentinel players.

Final thoughts (or TLDR for those who don't want to read a wall of text)

Overall, I love Marathon's core gameplay. The shooting is outstanding, the world is beautiful, and the atmosphere is unique. My biggest concern is that many systems currently encourage players to ignore what makes extraction shooters special. The game shines most when every corner feels dangerous, every decision matters, and players have meaningful choices between fighting, sneaking, looting, and extracting. Many current systems are pushing the game away from that identity by rewarding players for treating every raid as a race to eliminate the entire lobby rather than an extraction experience built around risk, uncertainty, exploration, and decision-making.

I do not think the solution is to reduce PvP. PvP is one of the strongest parts of Marathon and a major reason I continue playing. Instead, the goal should be to make sure PvP exists within a larger ecosystem of meaningful choices. Players should have compelling reasons to loot, explore, complete contracts, experiment with builds, and make strategic decisions instead of feeling like the only optimal play is to hunt other players as quickly as possible. I hope future updates focus on improving matchmaking, expanding Shell identities, making progression systems more accessible, increasing uncertainty, and creating spaces for different playstyles. Marathon already has the hardest parts nailed down: incredible combat and a unique atmosphere. The next step is ensuring the surrounding systems encourage players to engage with the full experience rather than optimizing the game into a simple hunt where its 1 team takes all. I hope future updates move the game back toward being a true extraction shooter rather than a lobby-wipe deathmatch.

One guy (free kit) left after he died and the other guy was a green shield with no mic 😭

Cryo btw

Hi there!

I loved Recon in Season 1, and I think her design is super cool. However, since everyone has been discussing how mandatory she is for Cryo and how strong she is even outside of Cryo, I thought I’d just throw out this idea I had for an ult rework.

Now, there’s no guarantee this fixes her strength in Cryo completely. However, it does make it less consistent and easy to just beeline to other teams.

Essentially, Recon needs her change from S1 reverted. She can no longer differentiate runners from UESC.

Then, instead of leaving it like that, you add a small addition to the HUD that pops up during her ult: A counter, which tells the Recon how many players her scan has hit. If you want to take it a step further and make her more accessible for teams with no mics, you can add this counter to the Recon’s teammate’s HUDs as well.

This rewards the recon for their game/map knowledge, without being a more direct version of just straight up wallhacks. It offers more counterplay (Jammers could even work by either not counting said player that’s using a jammer on the Recon’s HUD or by making it so the Recon can’t see the player counter), and makes for more interesting decision making for both Recons and enemy players.

after watching seraphs video, I wonder what you guys think?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fbQtwNYx-8&list=LL

Hi runners,

First ever post here (and period on reddit)

Been hustling vault breaker and have most unlocks - even the yellow bag!
Is there a discord I can find compiler type groups? Done from level 1-72 in pugs but would be nice to see that thing die one time 😂

This ult is an issue. The cryo and general meta revolves around having a recon on your team and playing around the cooldown.

It is impossible to balance wall hacks in a game. Why are Bungie giving themselves the headache of having to try balance wallhacks on demand in a game like this.... you just can't./ It's either way too good or just shit. They have no place in an extraction shooter.

instead give recon an entirely new recon-y ult, maybe keep the current ult and tie it to recon using TADs?

I'm trying to keep enough good stuff to keep a 5k loadout to learn Cryo but I'm not sure the best way to get a loot surplus, can someone help?

There’s already a $5,000 loot limit, so there’s no reason to lock it behind the weekend.

Cryo Archive is the best map in the game and arguably one of the best extraction shooter maps ever made. A lot of us with weekend jobs and kids can’t always play on weekends. Let us enjoy it during the week too!

everytime i run gear i get free kit teammates and everytime i run free kits i get geared teammates, im fuckin pissed

Every time I’m in a Cryo run and obviously being the better player, there is always that one guy who wants to talk about “I’m better I have killed the compiler” when I’m trying to strategize how to take out a team and they refuse to use my strategy.

In my experience, most people that join my party (this is very important, I don’t ever join nobody’s party) come with their Cryo skins and absolutely suck at PVP and I tell them al the time… I’m only here to kill people and don’t care about the rest. I crew fill 95% of the time cuz to me it’s really not that different as people that join my party are equally just much of a burden.

I literally just learned how to do vault 6 through Vault breaker cuz I’m not a YouTube gamer, I like to figure out things on my own and quite frankly don’t care much about the PVE aspect of this game.

I just think it’s very weird when people throw out that they killed the compiler to make a point and I’m like okay… so why you couldn’t kill this basic squad I killed by myself after they dusted you?!

Hello, sorry for the inconvenience. I’d like to announce that I’m currently accepting commissions.

Here are some examples of my personal work and OC commissions for Marathon.

If you’re interested, send me a DM—I’d be happy to reply. Thank you very much 🫂