With Cryo Archive seemingly on track to release next week in Marathon (depending on the progression of UESC bot slaughter), Bungie has outlined how Ranked play will work in the extraction shooter. Similar to Destiny’s Trials of Osiris, it’s only available on weekends, with the first scheduled to begin on March 21st and conclude on March 24th on Perimeter.
Each run will have a target score, and by meeting this, players will earn Ranked Points to progress through Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond and Pinnacle ranks. Each has three tiers for further distinction, and depending on your highest rank when the season ends, you’ll receive different rewards like titles, gun styles, Runner Shell styles and player backgrounds.
Of course, there are various requirements. Ranked is only available for level 25 players, and there are two queues – Low Stakes, where the minimum gear ante is 3,000 and High Stakes, where the ante rises to 10,000. Only the former is available for the first weekend, but the ante essentially determines both the teammates you’re matched with and against.
However, there are also HoloTags, which are required for runs and can be purchased or taken from other Runners. They also have different tiers with Low Stakes representing Bronze, Silver and Gold HoloTags while High Stakes encompasses Platinum, Diamond and Pinnacle. Depending on the tag’s rank, you’ll be able to loot or purchase the same (and all ranks beneath it).
So how does this all work? Simply put, hit the score target as determined by your HoloTags, which requires looting items and extracting once that’s done. Bonus RP is awarded when looting other HoloTags or Tag Chips from UESC enemies and events (with the total deemed “overperformance capacity”). Failure to meet the score target means no RP, and dying or not extracting means you lose RP.
Keep in mind that whatever you bring in isn’t factored into the score target. Higher-ranked HoloTags equal higher score targets and more overperformance capacity (meaning more potential bonus RP), but beware: The loss penalties are also higher. At Diamond and Pinnacle tiers, failure to extract means losing the exact equivalent of your score target.
It’s an intriguing approach overall, and even if only Low Stakes is available on the first weekend, we’re keen to see how things work. In the meantime, check out our review for Marathon, which is out now on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S.