Now that we know how seasons work in Marathon, what can you expect in Season 1, beyond the previously confirmed maps? Well, death, and no, that’s not an exaggeration. According to Bungie, Season 1 is titled “DEATH IS THE FIRST STEP” and serves to introduce the Factions, as they investigate New Cascadia Colony on Tau Ceti IV.
However, players can also board the UESC Marathon, which serves as the location for the end-game Cryo Archive. The catch? The community will need to work together to unlock it. How? It must be your time playing a Bungie game, but “figuring it out” plays a huge role, and it won’t be easy.
Ranked Mode goes live in the second half of March, and though more details are pending, there will be “exclusive rewards.” Other content includes a new weapon and implants alongside balance tuning, events, and quality-of-life features. And while two maps will be available at launch, the third, Outpost, goes live on March 6th, and you need to reach Runner Level 12 to gain access. Otherwise, you can look forward to seven Runner Shells, six Factions with all their Contracts and progression trees, 28 weapons, Achievements and earnable cosmetics.
Season 2: NIGHTFALL, which starts in June and ends in August, sees the UESC “stepping up their security measures” and will include a night version of Dire Marsh. A new Runner Shell, weapons, Contracts, mods, and cores will also be available alongside The Cradle, which will “give you more autonomy over your Runner shell’s statistical strengths and weaknesses.”
Season 3 is marked as “REDACTED”, but it will run from August to November. And with each new season, Marathon will “grow and evolve.”
“As we build upon each season, Marathon will continue to grow and evolve. The game and world today and a year from now should feel meaningfully different as we add new features and go on the journey of discovering what happened to the colonists of Tau Ceti… and what happens when you dig up secrets that are better left buried,” said Bungie.
Launching on March 5th, Marathon will be available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. And while it isn’t mentioned, you can look forward to further iterations on the controversial UI. Just don’t expect its overall look to change anytime soon.
