I’m not one for video game marketing drip-feeds, but everything we’ve seen of Marathon since it emerged from its 2025 playtest delay has had me more and more excited. The latest trailer from Bungie provides developer breakdowns of each of the extraction shooter’s classes, and while I have no idea if they’ll be interesting in practice, the footage sure looks cool.
“Each Runner shell is built around a different gameplay archetype, such as intel gathering, combat disruption, or combat healing,” reads a new blog post from the Destiny 2 maker. “With distinct silhouettes, shells allow you to evaluate player threats and strategize your next steps on the fly. Each Runner shell’s playstyle can be customized using the cores, implants, weapons, and mods you bring on your runs.”
Even before getting into each of the six character classes and their abilities, the new gameplay footage has would-be fans impressed. “It is insane how much better this looks than the alpha test,” read one of the top comments on YouTube. “This game looks better than every extraction shooter,” wrote a viewer on X. Whether it actually plays better than every other extraction shooter, including Arc Raiders, will be the big test.
There are seven runner shells with the following main abilities:
Archetype: Combat specialist
Armed with a personal defense barricade, missile systems, and movement thrusters, Destroyer shells are designed to bring the fight to enemy threats.
Archetype: Intel specialist
Recon shells excel at identifying threats and tracking movements using echo pulses, tracker drones, and holographic footstep trails.
Archetype: Combat anarchist
Vandal shells traverse ground at incredible speeds, using their advanced movement and knockback cannon to disrupt combat.
Archetype: Covert acquisitions
With enhanced visors and piloted butterfly drone, Thief shells can locate and acquire loot, then use their grapple to push an advantage or make an escape.
Archetype: Field medic
Triage shells help keep themselves and allies alive using deployable healing drones, onboard reboot abilities, and combat buffs.
Archetype: Scavenger
The Rook frame is designed for scavenger mode, a unique way to play Marathon. As Rook, you’ll drop into a match that’s already in progress as a solo player. You won’t be able to bring a loadout, but you also aren’t risking anything, which makes Rook an excellent option for scavengers.
Each runner can be outfitted with cores and implants to augment abilities and stats. Cores will be unique to each runner class, while implants can be mix and matched across all types. The idea is that different builds will push runners into unique playstyles. For example, Vandal could equip a triple jump and speed boosts for more mobility, or go with an arm cannon that can be used to launch players into the air and ground-stomp for AOE damage for a more offensive-leaning shell.
Bungie isn’t ready to spill the beans on how cosmetics will work just yet. Fashion has become a pillar of modern multiplayer shooters, as well as the microtransaction lifeblood that fuels their ongoing development. “We’ll talk about the ways you can customize your shells visually in the future, including more details on the earnable cosmetics you’ll unlock through the Codex and other ways,” the studio wrote today.
But over 50 apparent early cosmetic shell options for each runner have reportedly already leaked from a recent test build, including some that will be exclusive to the Deluxe Edition. The base version of Marathon is priced at $40 and coming sometime in March 2026. We don’t have the specific release date yet, either. For now, the drip-feed continues.