This month, I reached a long-sought milestone in Bungie's Marathon. By gathering six of its scarcest items, I could try and ultimately defeat the Compiler boss in its raid-like encounter. Relief washed over me after nearly 185 hours invested to finish the game's top activity. The next day, I stepped away from it for the first time.

I had logged into Marathon almost daily since its March debut and needed a pause. Approaching a Bungie title as a demanding second job feels familiar. This holds true for me and countless Destiny veterans who endured repetitive grinds, random loot pursuits, and tough raid fights in the studio's earlier looter shooter. Thousands of hours across the Destiny series prepared me for Marathon's familiar mix of addiction and mixed emotions, blending affection with irritation. Yet the speed at which those phases unfolded caught me off guard.

Framing online game sessions as a strained relationship might point to personal issues rather than game flaws. Still, my story echoes others. Three months after launch, Marathon's player counts have dropped sharply. Its harsh design, intricate risk-reward mechanics, and occasional brutal difficulty now frustrate even dedicated fans.

Marathon places excessively high barriers before its players

Bungie's design strength lies in blending intricate mechanics with top-tier gunplay and striking visuals. When these elements align, the result thrills, creating an ideal cycle of immediate feedback within a broader journey of personal growth and goals. Marathon delivers on gunplay and visuals. Its systems, however, paired with the high-risk all-or-nothing extraction format, erect overly steep obstacles for players.

Season 2 arrives in days, set for June 2. It brings a full wipe of player progress: every piece of loot vanishes, faction ranks reset, and everyone begins anew. This also gives Bungie a shot at reshaping the story around Marathon.

For the studio, pressure runs high. Earlier this month, Bungie revealed it would halt active work on Destiny 2, closing a major chapter after over 12 years since Halo. Supporters feel let down and now channel frustration toward Marathon, arguing it diverted resources from Destiny 2 updates or a potential Destiny 3. Bloomberg later noted Bungie plans staff cuts tied to ending Destiny 2 support.

The studio's path forward hinges more than ever on Marathon, a game marked from the start by weak results. The live-service game's staying power now fuels worry and debate in the Marathon community, where players discuss missteps, possible fixes, and whether the decline threatens their new pastime. Matters have escalated to the point that the official subreddit restricts player count talks to one dedicated megathread. Destiny 2's end has only intensified every discussion about Marathon's outlook.

Image: Bungie

Having committed fully to Marathon, I can identify at least one core problem. Marathon demands too much: excessive time, pointless effort, and repeated setbacks. It proves too challenging, not only for newcomers but for all. The game struggles to attract fresh players and shows growing neglect toward those who remain. I want my invested hours and work to feel valued, yet disappointment often follows.

Every online multiplayer game balances attracting casuals with preserving competition and skill depth. Still, no title has shifted from early excitement to survival mode this fast. The game's Reddit space features players writing lengthy personal reflections, breakdowns, and direct admissions about Marathon's issues. These voices are not at fault. Marathon carries real problems that block normal enjoyment.

Marathon carries real problems that block normal enjoyment

The extraction genre Marathon belongs to centers on setbacks. Players must avoid letting gear fear, the worry over losing rare items, dictate play. The design trains you to accept lost guns, wasted time, and missed chances from poor luck, stronger foes, or stacked lobbies. One quick choice can end a run, and that is the nature of it. What happens to one squad can happen to another. A basic loadout in Marathon can yield strong rewards with smart play.

Yet Marathon pushes these elements further. It does so through the punishing ranked mode, also hit by cheating and team collusion via voice chat; the confusing climb of its progression; tight limits on upgrade resources; and heavy reliance on chance.

Marathon grows tougher with more playtime due to level-based matchmaking and rising stakes in high-end activities. Consider the vaults for the Compiler boss. Each needs a key from another map, so players must battle teams and extract safely. That key then goes into the Cryo Archive map to open a vault, a complex puzzle that reveals your position and draws attacks. Six such vaults of rising difficulty are required just to reach the Compiler, which demands a rare keycard each try. The grind is so intense that skilled players sell Compiler clears online.

The progression and loot setup mean less playtime lowers survival odds, worsening as a season continues since others gain better stats, weapons, and cash for key items like heals and ammo. One odd choice is the season-long effort to buy purple shields, something I have not unlocked after over 200 hours. The sense that runs feel pointless, like random chance or guaranteed loss, pushes players away. This shrinks the base further and speeds up what the community calls Marathon's skill-based death spiral.

The sense that runs feel pointless, like random chance or guaranteed loss, pushes players away

Bungie has worked to address Marathon's issues. Game director Joe Ziegler wrote a candid season 1 review. He described the game as overwhelming to learn, noted its intense tone, and admitted it was hard to find relaxed moments that make Marathon a place to linger rather than a pure competition arena.

The team has outlined big season 2 updates. A blog post stated progression should feel like steady steps forward, not an imposing climb. Season 2 will speed faction ranks, shift runner upgrades into a new Cradle build system, and add tweaks for better flow, rewards, and reduced harshness.

A major addition is experimental modes that lower or remove competitive PvP to appeal to Destiny fans. This recognizes that while Marathon is an extraction shooter, it may need to expand beyond genre limits quickly for broader reach like Destiny. Showing serious intent, Bungie will make the game free for the first week of season 2, with progress saved if players purchase it later.

These moves mark solid progress. If Bungie can refine Marathon's core loop to feel faster, fairer, and smoother, I expect to return. Whether they draw back disappointed Destiny players or those who reject extraction shooters remains uncertain. What is clear is that Marathon rests on a strong base and merits a real chance to grow, especially with the studio betting more of its future on it. The pieces exist. Bungie simply needs to get out of its own path.

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Nick Statt