After years of development, a large delay, and a successful Server Slam, Bungie’s new extraction shooter, Marathon, is finally here. The $40 first-person shooter has arrived on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, and it features a slew of content for players to explore. Even if you played the recent Server Slam, none of your progress carries over, so you have to start all over from scratch and build your vault back up from nothing.
Whether you’re a new player hopping into the game for the first time or you’ve put in dozens of hours through playtests, Marathon is a complex shooter with loads of different mechanics and strategies that can make the difference between living and dying. While you do go through a small tutorial at the start of the game, many of the advanced mechanics aren’t explained in-game, which can leave you vulnerable to AI or real enemies.
To help boost your survival chances in Marathon, we have seven beginner tips that are sure to improve your gameplay and help overcome the game’s steep learning curve.
Use your free loadouts
One of the most common elements of any extraction shooter is the free loadouts you can utilize to your advantage. These loadouts equip you with basic weapons and supplies and cost nothing, meaning there’s no risk to you if you drop into a map with one and end up dying. In Marathon, these free loadouts can be acquired through any Faction shop in the Armory and added to your vault. From there, you can equip it and head into a drop with the bare essentials.
During these types of runs, you want to scavenge for all kinds of loot, avoid enemy teams, and try to extract as safely as possible. Using the free loadouts lets you build up your stash in Marathon with no extra risk. They’re also great for quickly completing a contract for a faction and then extracting from the map.
Crouch to decrease heat meter faster
If you’ve played any Marathon, you know about the heat meter. This essentially acts as the game’s stamina bar, and the more you sprint, slide, or jump, the higher your heat meter will build. If you reach the maximum amount of heat, you can’t perform any kind of advanced movement mechanic until the entire meter dissipates.
While this is a frustrating mechanic to get accustomed to, there’s an easy way to make your heat meter decrease: crouching. If you simply crouch for around 5-10 seconds, your entire heat meter will dissipate. However, if you stand and keep trying to walk, it will take nearly twice as long for the meter to fully decrease. So if you ever get in a situation where you max out your heat meter, just crouch for a few seconds, and you’ll be as right as rain.
