Marathon’s Big PvE Update Is Starting to Look a Lot Like Destiny

Since Marathon was released this March, developer Bungie has spent the majority of the year updating and tweaking the extraction shooter to make it more welcoming to a wider audience. This is largely part of a push to evolve the game after the studio revealed it hadn’t met initial expectations. Following the Nightfall refresh in October, the game is set to change even more with the upcoming Symbiosis update on Dec. 8. Bungie has just shared a ton of new details and some of the additions seem very familiar.

While we already knew the broad strokes of the Symbiosis update, Bungie has given more insight into what players can expect in a post on the official PlayStation Blog. Perhaps the most interesting introduction is Expedition, a new PvE-only mode with roguelite elements. Players will be able to take on this new mode solo or with a crew and face environmental challenges without needing to worry about other players gunning them down mid-run. Bungie calls this phase one of its PvE efforts, so expect more in future updates. A Team Deathmatch mode will be available in beta as part of the latest update, pitting two crews of three against each other in bite-sized matches that won’t risk your permanent loadouts.

Bungie also detailed Limbo, the new social space for Marathon. This will be an area where players can run around, test weapons and gear, and generally just hang out with each other without combat. Limbo sounds a lot like Destiny‘s social spaces (such as The Tower), which served as hubs where players could interact with one another. Adding this to Marathon brings the extraction shooter much more in line with Bungie’s FPS MMO-like title. The introduction of more varied game modes beyond the initial extraction mode from the game’s launch only adds to the comparison.

More Marathon Symbiosis features and Open Play Week

Players will also be able to test out the new Bishop Runner shell when Symbiosis launches. The latest shell is built around fast movement and blade-wielding melee combat. The introductory map Perimeter is getting a major overhaul in Symbiosis as well. The underground Burrows and submerged Reservoir will be new playable spaces on the map. Additionally, Runners will encounter the Tick Queen as a new fight.

To celebrate the release of Symbiosis, Bungie announced that it will be holding an Open Play Week from Dec. 8–15. During this time, you’ll be able to download and play the game on PlayStation 5 or PC, though you will need a PS Plus account on PS5 to access multiplayer. It seems like Bungie wants to make Marathon a much more palatable game that caters to different types of players who may have been turned off by the PvPvE gameplay. With the chance to test out Marathon‘s new update for free, now might be the best time to dive into the extraction shooter.