Bungie has announced that a huge change is coming to its sci-fi extraction shooter, Marathon. The gaming studio just shared a roadmap detailing the future of Season 2 and beyond. For players who have been struggling with Marathon’s brutal PvP matches, the future looks bright.
Bungie is launching a new PvE mode called Vault Breaker. The new Marathon PvE Vault Breaker mode launches next month and removes the threat of rival players. It is the exact breath of fresh air that many fans have been begging for.
Bungie Adds New PvE Mode ‘Vault Breaker’ to Marathon
PvE Extraction Action. Image Credit: Bungie
The new Marathon PvE Vault Breaker mode officially launches on July 21. This mode lets you explore the dangerous Cryo Archive map without worrying about enemy teams hunting you down. You can jump in completely alone, bring a friend, or queue up with a full three-person crew.
The main objective here is simple but highly challenging. You will fight your way through a series of increasingly difficult vaults. Your ultimate goal is to reach the final vault and conquer the mysterious Compiler boss. To keep things balanced, Bungie is introducing unique rules for this mode.
You must use a special Sponsored Kit to even enter. Even tougher, any weapons or gear you find inside will be destroyed upon extraction. However, you will not leave empty-handed. Clearing vaults rewards you with a new currency called Vault Data.
You can successfully extract this currency and spend it to upgrade your Vault Breaker kits. Even better, you can use it to get powerful gear for the game’s standard modes. This smart system lets players learn the endgame map layout safely. It also prevents low-risk, high-tier loot from ruining the main PvP economy.
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Marathon Mid-Season Update
The Cradle Teaser: Image Credit: Bungie
Vault Breaker is not the only thing arriving on July 21 in the Marathon Update. The mid-season update, which some fans are calling Season 2.5, brings deep progression changes. The biggest shift hits the Cradle Evolution system.
This acts as a prestige system for maxed-out characters. Once you max out your Cradle, you can reset it back to zero. Doing this grants you an extra maximum Energy point. It also unlocks rare cosmetic items, including brand-new Runner shell styles.
The Cradle Progression Interface: Image Credit: Bungie
To make this loop more rewarding, Bungie is speeding up overall Cradle progression. You will level up much faster than before. Additionally, the patch adds highly requested player profile stats.
You can finally track your long-term performance and show off your achievements to the community. Bungie promises more quality-of-life improvements and balancing tweaks as the release date approaches.
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Bungie Teases Marathon Season 3
While July looks packed, Bungie is already looking toward the fall. The developers officially confirmed that Marathon Season 3 kicks off on September 22. This upcoming season aims to overhaul the entire early-game experience for new and returning players.
The centerpiece of Season 3 is a massive revamp of the Perimeter map. Bungie is adding entirely new zones, fresh enemy encounters, and altered gameplay loops. This should make early runs feel entirely different.
On top of the map redesign, players can look forward to a brand-new Runner shell. Fresh weapons and innovative equipment choices will also shake up the current meta. Marathon has faced some hurdles with player retention since its launch earlier this year. Many players found the strict PvP extraction loop too punishing.
With this new PvE mode, Marathon can now appeal to a wider range of players. Whether Vault Breaker can re-establish Marathon as the leading extraction shooter remains to be seen. But players are looking forward to the July 21 release with great excitement.
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