Marathon's PvE Only Vault Breaker Mode Changes the Extraction Rules

After teasing a dedicated PvE-only game mode for Marathon before the launch of Season 2, Bungie officially revealed details for Vault Breaker, along with when players can finally try it out. It’s a precarious time for Bungie, as its long-running live service game, Destiny 2, comes to an end, leaving Marathon as the new bread winner for the studio. Unfortunately, Marathon has yet to find its footing, with Bungie trying new things to attract a bigger crowd of players.

Although Marathon‘s re-reveal early this year appeared to excite players, the launch numbers weren’t sustainable as the player count has seemingly dipped in the weeks and months that followed. As such, Bungie has been trying to get a bit more creative with the game, not only responding to fan feedback very quickly, but also adding experimental playlists to Marathon, new content to check out, and continued quality of life improvements to keep players happy. Season 2 may be the biggest change yet as Bungie is now trying to attract more players with the introduction of PvE style modes.

Marathon’s Next Play Is Not As Obvious As It Seems

As Marathon continues to struggle finding a strong player base, Bungie making a drastic change in direction might be the key to survival.

Marathon Reveals Vault Breaker Details

As part of Marathon‘s Season 2 reveal, Bungie confirmed that two new PvE modes would be coming to the game. At launch, players could try out the experimental mode Sponsored Survival, which had a single crew infiltrating the Night Marsh map, with solo Rook players being added in over time to add a little bit of tension to the NPC enemies. However, later in Season 2, Bungie promised a dedicated PvE-only playlist, and with the midseason update approaching, Bungie has given fans a deeper dive into how the mode will play.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)

Known as Vault Breaker, players will be exploring Marathon‘s endgame Cryo Archive map when the midseason update arrives on July 21. Open to full crews, duos, or even solo players, they’ll be taking on a series of vaults that grow progressively harder over time. However, this mode also seemingly changes the rules of the game, as not only does Vault Breaker have its own unique progression system, but players will only be able to queue up through a special Sponsored Kit.

On top of that, any items and loot that the players find, can’t be extracted, which is a massive departure from the core rules of Marathon. Instead, players will be taking a new currency called Vault Data with them, which can be exchanged for upgrades to the Vault Breaker Sponsored Kit, and gear that can be used in other game modes. The change was implemented to allow players to explore Cryo Archive without “flooding the economy” with low-risk, high-powered loot.

What’s That Weapon?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

What’s That Weapon?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)

With Marathon struggling to find a major audience, perhaps Vault Breaker is the shake-up that the game needs. Season 2 of Marathon didn’t launch the way many wanted, so Bungie is essentially trying to play catch up once again. However, Vault Breaker seems to be just the start of what Bungie has planned for the remainder of Season 2, with the post teasing plenty more quality-of-life changes and new feature additions. The Cradle is also receiving some new features, increasing progression speeds and allowing players to “prestige” once maxing out their stats to earn unique cosmetics as well as one additional max energy point.