Bungie has shared new details on Marathon’s post-launch plans ahead of its March 5 release, confirming that all seasonal updates will be free for players and outlining a roadmap that stretches well beyond launch. The sci-fi PvPvE extraction shooter will debut on PlayStation 5 and other platforms, with the studio positioning launch as only the beginning of a longer seasonal journey.
According to Bungie, Marathon will operate on a seasonal model that resets player progression at the start of each new season. At each reset, players will begin with empty vaults, a structure designed to keep competition tight and loot meaningful. While gear and seasonal progression will refresh, identity-based elements such as unlocked titles, Codex progress, and earned or purchased cosmetics will carry forward between seasons.
As players complete contracts and earn faction upgrades during a season, they will unlock stronger base stats and improved gear through the Armory. Bungie states that this progression system is intended to gradually raise each player’s power floor, making it easier to recover from losses and refine preferred builds over time.
At launch, Marathon will include six Runner shells, access to the Rook frame in scavenger mode, six factions, and 28 weapons alongside mods, implants, and cores. Players will explore three zones at release: Perimeter, Dire Marsh, and Outpost. Additional features at launch include contracts, earnable cosmetics, achievements, and narrative elements delivered through the Codex.
Season 1 will expand the experience with a new Ranked competitive mode and the introduction of Cryo Archive, described as the game’s first endgame zone. Set aboard the abandoned UESC Marathon ship, Cryo Archive focuses on close-quarters combat and puzzle-driven encounters. Crews will navigate frozen corridors filled with cryopods and derelict facilities while cracking secure vaults, managing environmental hazards, and confronting rival teams. Bungie indicates that the zone will culminate in encounters tied to some of the ship’s most dangerous secrets.
Looking further ahead, Season 2, titled Nightfall, will escalate the conflict. The UESC will respond directly to player activity, introducing new threats. Planned additions include a new Runner shell codenamed Sentinel, new weapons, mods, and cores, as well as a system called The Cradle, which will allow players to further customize their Runner shell’s statistical strengths and weaknesses. A nighttime variant of Dire Marsh will also debut, adding reduced visibility and increased UESC presence to the zone.
While details for Season 3 remain undisclosed, Bungie emphasizes that Marathon’s world will continue to evolve across future updates. With free seasonal content, regular resets, and expanding zones and systems, the studio is framing the March 5 launch as the first step in what it hopes will be a long-term live service experience on Tau Ceti IV.
