Marathon Season 2 begins June 2, and developer Bungie has now detailed all the ways its new Night Marsh map will have players jumping at shadows. For those who have been Marathon-curious but afraid to make the leap, the game will also be free to try June 2-9.
Playing Marathon, particularly solo, can be an intense game of cat and mouse–one that often feels like a survival-horror game as you scavenge for supplies and attempt to avoid hostile runners looking to end your run prematurely. In a lengthy blog post diving into what all is coming as part of Season 2, Bungie detailed how the game’s Night Marsh map will further lean into that gameplay.
While Night Marsh is essentially a reskinned version of the game’s existing Dire Marsh map, there are a significant number of changes between them. The map is, of course, now set at night, but other changes include the fact that exils are locked, and a new area that can be accessed beneath Complex, Complex Control.
The fact that the map will be set at night is the main change and will completely alter how encounters play out. Bungie said it’s designed to be more of a “survival-horror experience,” with fewer players and more environmental threats to deal with. Adding to the spook factor are some new tools players can use to cut through the darkness in the form of a flashlight, Vector ammo and grenades that highlight and illuminate the environment, signal flares, and Darksight scopes (meant to aid in traversing the map at night, not pinpointing enemies, Bungie clarified).
Escaping Night Marsh will be a challenge in and of itself, as players will need to gather Certs from fallen UESC enemies in order to access resource caches and to exfil. Those Certs will also be used to access Complex Control, where Bungie promises new “enemies, mysteries, and powerful loot awaits.”
Night Marsh is just the tip of Marathon’s Season 2 iceberg, with the new season also introducing a new Runner Shell, the defense-focused Sentinel. The first new shell to be added to Marathon since launch, the Sentinel is built around locking down areas and providing defensive buffs.
Its Prime ability, Defender System, will automatically destroy enemy grenades and missiles for a limited time while boosting weapon handling for nearby teammates. Sentinel’s Tactical ability puts down a proximity mine that snares hostiles in place, while their Traity ability activates a short range, motion-tracking system that pinpoints nearby moving targets on radar (not all that dissimilar from Halo by the sound of it). Lastly, Sentinel’s passive, Castle Doctrine, grants increased resistances after taking splash damage as well as improved weapon handling for close-range weapons when surrounded by enemies.
Both of Marathon Season 2’s new weapons are designed to synergize nicely with Sentinel. The KKV-9SD is an SMG with a built-in suppressor and an extremely fast rate of fire. Season 2’s other new weapon, The D54 Battle Pistol, is a three-round burst weapon designed to be great for close-range fights and 1v1 duels.
There are plenty of other changes coming as part of Season 2 as well, including faster progression, reworked Faction skill trees, a dedicated duos queue, and the new Cradle progression system that allows players to convert unwanted loot into stat boosts. You can check out Bungie’s blog for the full breakdown.
For those who check out Marathon during its free week, the game will be on sale across all its available platforms, and progress made during the free period will carry over to the full game. If you are a player returning to Marathon for Season 2, Bungie previously detailed how its seasonal wipes will work, explaining what does and doesn’t carry over between seasons.
While Marathon continues to evolve, with Bungie promising new PvE modes to come as part of Season 2 and beyond, the studio’s other game, Destiny 2, is winding down after nearly a decade . Bungie announced Destiny 2 would receive its final content update on June 9. The game will still remain playable but will not receive new content. With development on Destiny 2 ending, a recent report states Bungie will be hit with “significant layoffs” in the near future.
