Marathon fans just experienced whiplash following the news that Sony took a massive impairment loss on Bungie, yet still plans to support the game. With the knowledge that Season 2 is likely still on track to release despite the game’s disappointing sales, many lapsed players may be content to mark their calendars and keep the game on the shelf until then. After all, like most extraction shooters, Marathon has entered into a rough period where casual players struggle to keep up. At least, it had entered into a rough era, as a recent change worked wonders to give free kit players a fighting chance.
Marathon players that have gotten tired of feeling like they have no chance against purple-shielded groups may have been waiting for the reset, but if they continue to do so, they’ll be missing out on a particularly fun era for the game. With the reset just 4 weeks away, people will soon be taking in their best loot to empty their vaults, meaning there’s a chance for players to get their hands on some rare weapons they may not have used before. And fighting these geared-out players no longer feels impossible, as one of the adjustments made to starter kits in update 1.0.6.3 puts all Runners on more level footing. It’s so good, in fact, that it should inform faction upgrades from here on out.
Marathon Director Says Bungie Has ‘Years-Long’ Story Plans
In discussing Marathon’s future, creative director Julia Nardin reveals that the studio has plans for the game’s narrative for years to come.
Marathon’s Green Free Kits Are Its Smartest Change Yet
While Marathon’s short time-to-kill theoretically gives players a fighting chance in any fight, having no shield and losing against a squad that’s fully kitted out understandably feels unfair. And while the steep uphill battles and tough grinds for long-term buffs are crucial to extraction shooters, several weeks in, metas have emerged that only the most dedicated players can make use of. It’s for that reason that something needed to change to level the playing field, but instead of waiting for the big seasonal content drop to do it, Bungie acted faster and addressed the issue via higher rarity free kits.
Scratch & Peek
Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as
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Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as possible.
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Having a base shield, a few decent guns, and some stronger healing items makes it so that good positioning and clever usage of Runner abilities are enough to win battles that might have seemed impossible with white kits. For casual players without vaults to empty, this late-season adjustment makes a world of difference, as contracts feel more doable and PvP encounters feel less one-sided. While this quality of free kits shouldn’t be the norm all the time — greens lose their value if they’re always the default, and they should be desirable again at the start of a season — it’s a great approach to the final month before a reset takes place. The positive response to the change should tell Bungie something, too; this being that players would love a way to boost their free sponsored kits.
Instead of the skill tree capstones being built around powering up Marathon’s Rooks — a solo option not all players take advantage of — it would be great to see them geared toward making Sponsored Kits feel less miserable to run. This way, players can turn that white Sponsored Kit green piece by piece as they make their way through priority contracts and faction upgrades. Through a Cyberacme capstone, they could get a green backpack, Arachne could provide green guns, MIDA could grant Runners explosives, Nucal could hand out green heals, and Sekgen could equip Shells with white cores. Marathon’s free green kits weren’t just a well-timed change that proves Bungie has its finger on the pulse of the game’s community, but they could be the gateway to more appealing capstones to chase for non-Rooks. Yes, they could still be free for all two months into Season 2, but players who grind could earn them a few weeks in so that they have an easier time filling their vaults.
Marathon Season 2 is expected to launch in June and run through August, though the precise release date is currently unknown.
Marathon’s 1.0.6.3 Update Makes Other Great Changes
Not only should Marathon fans worried about being outmatched consider coming back ASAP thanks to this brilliant bit of balancing, but it’s also worth highlighting the other smart changes in this particular update. Activities on every map now have a chance to drop Prestige salvage, making them something worth fighting over and giving players who are too scared of Cryo Archive a chance at some high-end upgrades. Additionally, the grenade spam meta has been halted thanks to the prevention of stacking, and the CARRI armory has been made more valuable via better salvage crates and weekly resets for superior keys. So, while it’s understandable that players could have gotten frustrated with Marathon and planned to stay away until Season 2 because of that, this update has ensured it’s now worth giving the game another go before the big reset.
- Released
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March 5, 2026
- ESRB
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Teen / Animated Blood, Language, Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
