Bungie recently confirmed that Marathon‘s Mid-Season 2 update will add a brand-new PvE mode to the sci-fi extraction shooter. Called ‘Vault Breaker’, this new Marathon PvE mode will be available from July 21, but players will need to be quick if they want to experience it, as it’ll only be playable for two weeks.
Bungie first confirmed that Marathon was getting PvE modes during the game’s Season 2 reveal at the start of June. The first of these modes to arrive was ‘Sponsored Survival’, which saw teams making their way through the Night Marsh map while AI foes and solo Rook Runners tried to take them down. Vault Breaker was announced as Marathon‘s second experimental PvE mode, and Bungie has just given a full breakdown of what players can expect when it arrives on July 21.
Marathon’s PVE Vault Breaker Mode Will Only Last Two Weeks
A true PvE experience, Marathon‘s Vault Breaker mode will see players making their way through the infamously challenging Cryo Archives map, facing off solely against AI enemies. The general goal of Vault Breaker is for players to infiltrate a vault, steal the loot inside, and escape as fast as they can. Vault Breaker will feature a roguelite structure, meaning that once players have successfully completed a vault, they’ll be able to take on progressively trickier missions for greater rewards.
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Unlike past experimental Marathon modes, players will not be taking their own hard-won kits into a match of Vault Breaker. Instead, players are required to take in a special Vault Breaker Sponsored Kit, which will be found under the new Vault Breaker Armory tab in the Events section of the main menu. At first, the Vault Breaker Sponsored Kit will feature just one standard weapon and a handful of standard equipment. But as players progress through Vault Breaker’s roguelite mission structure, they’ll earn Vault Data that can be used to upgrade the kit in a variety of ways. Alternatively, Vault Data can also be used to purchase equipment that can be used in Marathon‘s other modes.
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Image via Bungie -
Image via Bungie -
Image via Bungie
Four unique Codex Challenges will be added to Marathon in its Mid-Season 2 update, all of which are tied to the new Vault Breaker PvE mode. These challenges task players with completing a match of Vault Breaker, and successfully solving and exfilling from three specific vault missions. Completing each of these rewards grants players a unique cosmetic item, with a weapon charm, profile emblem, profile background, and Circuit Breaker weapon style all being available.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
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The big catch with Marathon‘s Vault Breaker mode, however, is that it will only be available for two weeks, with it going live on July 21 and terminating on August 4. In its most recent community post, Bungie warns players that they should prioritize Vault Data in their inventory during the next two weeks as once the event ends the currency will expire. Bungie used the same community post to also detail some of the weapon balancing changes coming in Marathon‘s Mid-Season 2 update on July 21. Most notably, the WSTR shotgun is getting a sizable buff and the D54 Battle Pistol is getting a nerf.
- Released
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March 5, 2026
- ESRB
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Teen / Animated Blood, Language, Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact