Marathon First Impressions
Back in 1994, Bungie released Marathon, a Sci-Fi first-person shooter that would lay the foundations for the studio’s future games, Halo and Destiny. While these two games did not invent their respective genres, they became genre-defining titles. Now, Bungie has come full circle with 2026’s Marathon, a PvPvE extraction shooter that doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but could become a defining voice for the genre’s future.
Over the last few days, I’ve put around 15 hours into Marathon, and it’s been quite a tumultuous journey. In the span of just one weekend, I’ve gone from harboring a deep resentment of almost every aspect of Marathon‘s gameplay loop to suddenly being entirely smitten with most of what Marathon has to offer. It’s an incredibly drastic shift in opinion in a very short time, and honestly, it’s a behavior very unlike me.
All that’s to say, Marathon is a game of extremes. It will not be for everyone. But if you can make it past its grueling first few hours, Marathon could easily become your new multiplayer obsession.
How to Get all Free Weapon & Runner Shell Skins in Marathon
Marathon is definitely tough, but grinding gives players a bunch of free rewards. Here is how to earn free weapon and runner skins in Marathon.
Marathon’s First Few Hours Are Overwhelming to a Fault
Booting up Marathon for the first time throws players into an incredibly barebones tutorial. Players are very briefly taught how to loot, how to shoot, how to use their Runner Shell abilities, and how to exfil. But while players are given the core “how’s” behind Marathon‘s gameplay loop, they’re not really told the “why’s.”
When jumping into a beginner match on Marathon‘s first map, Perimeter, first-time players will likely have just a slight idea of what they’re expected to do, but more importantly, have virtually no clue why they’re expected to do it. Yes, players have been taught that Marathon‘s gameplay loop revolves around looting, but it’s unclear where that loot can be found, what items players should be prioritizing, or how this loot impacts their progression. While fans of fellow extraction shooters like Escape from Tarkov and Arc Raiders will likely head into Marathon with a general idea of what loot might be important in the long run, extraction shooter first-timers are undoubtedly going to struggle with the lack of obvious direction.
What’s sure to exacerbate this feeling of uncertainty is Marathon‘s, frankly, punishing difficulty. Marathon‘s robotic PvE foes do not hold back, and at least in my experience, neither do Marathon‘s real-world players. Unlike in Arc Raiders where there’s a chance of opposing teams cooperating, every social encounter I’ve had in Marathon so far has ended in a quick and brutal bloodbath. And of course, if you’re on the wrong side of that altercation, it’s game over for you and all of your gear. Extraction shooters, by their very nature, are all about high risk, high reward, but Marathon‘s first few hours don’t do a great job of highlighting that latter component.
There’s a plethora of lootable items in Marathon, and during the first few hours of gameplay, much of a player’s runtime is going to be spent awkwardly hovering the cursor over items to read their lengthy descriptions and attempt to decipher if they’re worth taking. Naturally, this puts a huge target on the player’s back and can quickly lead to an infuriating death. The same can be said for the various environmental interactions in Marathon‘s maps, none of which are properly explained to the player before activating, which can also easily lead to a confusing death. In its attempt to deliver a player-led, hands-off experience, Marathon might reward veterans of the extraction shooter genre, but it runs the very real risk of alienating newcomers.
Marathon’s Faction Missions Are The Game’s Linchpin
Thankfully, Marathon‘s Faction system offers a much-needed respite from the confusing chaos. One of Marathon‘s defining features, and easily one of the game’s biggest highlights, Factions are introduced gradually over the course of the game’s opening hours. Each Faction has a distinct vibe that bleeds into their missions, such as the Arachne Faction’s fascination with Runner vs. Runner combat leading to PvP-focused missions.
These Faction missions give players a clear goal to work towards every match, something that’s sorely needed in Marathon‘s opening hours. Even if players are still confused about the importance of certain items, are unsure how to handle firefights efficiently, and end up losing their gear and failing to exfil, they’ll at least have a clear set of objectives to complete and be rewarded for, regardless of whether they make it out alive.
That said, Marathon‘s first set of Faction missions are nothing to write home about. Gameplay-wise, they’re all relatively similar fetch quests or elimination contracts, and rewards-wise they’re a little lacking, with most offering the same handful of consumables and backpacks. But these missions still offer a vital sense of completion that’s necessary in order to keep Marathon‘s first few hours from feeling utterly overwhelming and needlessly unforgiving.
Embracing Marathon’s Chaos
Even with the addition of Faction missions and rewards, there’s a strong possibility that Marathon‘s opening hours will turn away extraction shooter newcomers. I myself was severely struggling to enjoy Marathon on launch day, and that was with a good understanding of what I was getting into. After a few hours, I had developed a bitterness towards Marathon‘s core gameplay loop, with its relentless cycle of punishment stamping any shred of enjoyment out of me. Admittedly, it certainly didn’t help that I spent these first few hours playing solo.
At that point, I wanted nothing more than to drop the game entirely, but I powered through. I put another hour in. And then another. And at around the six-hour mark, much to my surprise, I had my Frank Reynolds It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia “I get it now” moment. Seemingly out of nowhere, I realized that every aspect of Marathon‘s gameplay loop – the aspects I had disdained just a few hours earlier – had all suddenly clicked into place for me, and that the moment-to-moment chaos had turned from utterly overwhelming to wholly intoxicating.
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Marathon
With the Faction missions as my primary goal, I was able to center my runs around a clear set of objectives. Once those objectives were complete, I knew that the run was successful regardless of if I made it out alive, which gave me the mental room I needed to get to grips with Marathon‘s vast array of interconnected systems. I gradually learned about the importance of health consumables, ammo, and Faction upgrade materials, and naturally developed the ability to spot the items I needed as soon as I opened a container. That, in turn, paved the way for a deeper investment in each and every run.
This is also where Marathon‘s meta progression really started to shine. With a consistent flow of upgrade materials coming out of each run, I was finally able to invest in each Faction’s distinct progression tree. These trees offer two key types of reward. The first is a permanent upgrade (for the duration of the season), such as increased Vault size or faster loot speed, while the second adds a new item to the store. Over time, these unlocked items will raise the player’s power floor, slowly increasing their ability to head into a match with all of their desired gear, regardless of what’s in their Vault.
With a newfound understanding of the why behind Marathon‘s core loop and progression systems, every other element of the game started to fall into place as well. The already-satisfying gunplay of Marathon grew even more thrilling as I gained a better understanding of each of the game’s 28 weapons, and experimented with the vast array of attachments on offer. Similarly, both moment-to-moment exploration and general combat began to feel more natural and enjoyable as I learned the ins and outs of Marathon‘s seven Runner Shell classes, and found which ones suited my personal playstyle and my specific aims in that run. Discovering every interaction and point-of-interest on each of Marathon‘s three maps also became a deeply rewarding process.
There’s an undeniable sense of satisfaction that begins to rear its head when Marathon‘s intimidating first impression wears off. And it’s this emerging sense of satisfaction, heightened by the game’s intensity, that will have those enraptured coming back time and time again.
Marathon’s Presentation Sets It Apart
While it shares many gameplay similarities with its competition, Marathon‘s presentation is what immediately sets it apart from the crowd, with its art direction leading the charge. Along with the use of striking colors not often seen in a multiplayer shooter, Marathon‘s mixture of Alien-like retrofuturism, Bladerunner-esque technology, and cyberpunk-infused character designs grant the game a somewhat familiar but thoroughly distinct look.
This bold art direction weaves masterfully around Marathon‘s world-building. Though it’s mostly optional for those who want to jump straight into the action, Marathon features plenty of juicy lore for Sci-Fi fans to dive into, much of which is given center stage in the game’s Faction system via mission objectives and fully voice-acted debriefings. Marathon‘s crisp audio design and sparingly-used soundtrack also go hand-in-hand with the game’s lore and art direction to create a uniquely foreboding atmosphere that pervades the entire game, from the start-up menu and inventory screens to in-match exploration.
Marathon Has Plenty in the Pipeline
In the coming weeks, Bungie is adding a new ‘Cryo Archive’ map to Marathon, one set on the titular ship orbiting Tau Ceti IV. This map is said to feature even more fearsome threats than those already in the game, and is intended to be an end-game area that requires the use of high-tier loot, incentivizing the current loot grind. Ranked mode is also coming in the second half of March. These additions should be more than enough to keep Marathon fans playing for at least a little while, and though the looming threat of the seasonal wipe might turn some away, it could be exactly what Marathon needs to retain its fan-base.
As for myself, I still feel like I’m just scratching the surface of what Marathon has to offer 15 hours in. But the hooks have well and truly sunk in.
- Released
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March 5, 2026
- ESRB
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Teen / Animated Blood, Language, Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op