Marathon Pre-load Now Live, Season 1 Detailed

Bungie is going all-in. They not only released the launch trailer for their extraction shooter Marathon, but also revealed the game’s first season details—and made pre-load available across all platforms.

Marathon Pre-load Now Available

Days before launch, players who pre-purchased Marathon can now pre-load the game on PS5, Xbox Series X, or PC. I’m downloading the full game as of this writing, and Steam lists it at just 16.3 GB. This may increase slightly once fully installed, but it’s far from the 50–100 GB sizes common for modern shooters.

Marathon Season 1 Details

Bungie has detailed the first season of Marathon, titled Death is the First Step, which begins the moment the game goes live on March 5.

Not all maps will be available on day one. Perimeter and Dire Marsh will be accessible immediately, while Outpost will remain locked until the following day, requiring players to gear up and reach Runner level 12.

The fourth map, Cryo Archive, will remain locked until “the community unlocks the way into orbit.” The exact requirements are unclear, but this is classic Bungie as they love keeping things mysterious at end-game content. Likely, progression on Outpost or maybe other maps will tie into Cryo Archive’s release. More details will emerge soon.

All six Runner Shells will be available at launch, along with the Scavenger Shell Rook, all six factions, and their upgrade paths. Season 1 will also include 28 guns and an in-season event called C.A.R.R.I.

Later in the season, the game will receive a mid-season update with a new gun, new implants, and tuning based on player feedback and the evolving meta.

How long is Season 1?

Season 1 will run for three months. Since this is an extraction shooter, Bungie confirmed that all player equipment, stash, and progression will be wiped at the end of the season, resetting the playing field for Season 2.

This is standard practice for most extraction shooters, ensuring a fresh, challenging experience and resetting the in-game economy, similar to Escape from Tarkov.

Season 2 Teased

Bungie also teased Season 2, titled Nightfall. This season will introduce a nighttime version of Dire Marsh, a new system called The Cradle, a new Runner Shell, new threats, weapons, mods, and more.

The description hints that whatever players encounter in Cryo Archive could influence other maps:

NIGHTFALL will bring a nighttime version of Dire Marsh, where you’ll fight to survive when the lights go out, UESC reinforcements flood in, and the a~~~~~%^&*()_+{}:"<>?~~~. Season 2 will also bring our next Runner shell along with new weapons, mods, cores, contracts, and more.

Bungie is clearly committed to giving Marathon its best shot in a crowded shooter market. No one wants another Highguard scenario, and after 20 hours in the game’s Server Slam, I’m cautiously optimistic.

Marathon is an extraction shooter that feels like it sits between Arc Raiders and Escape from Tarkov. It’s a punishing game whether you play solo or with a team. The goal is to jump into one of the four maps and complete objectives while dealing with AI enemies and other players who are likely shoot-to-kill. Die, and you lose not just the weapon and gear you brought, but also anything you picked up during the run.

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About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.