Hands On: Marathon’s New Season Is Impressive, But Probably Not Enough

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There is undeniably a lot riding on Marathon right now.

Destiny 2 is coming to an end, and a new Destiny game isn’t currently being made, so Bungie really needs a success. While I personally think Marathon is a Game of the Year contender, it hasn’t been as commercially successful as they’d hoped.

I was really looking forward to the second season of Bungie’s Marathon, called Nightfall. After playing a few times, I’m impressed – not so much with the new stuff they added, but with how much they’ve improved the overall experience.

The latest update to Nightfall includes a nighttime version of the Dire Marsh map. When I first heard about this change for the season, I wasn’t sure if it would be significant enough to make a real difference.

I’m not completely sure if it succeeds, but I really appreciate how the nighttime version of Dire Marsh feels like a totally separate game mode. It’s genuinely dark, which isn’t just for looks – it truly captures the scary atmosphere of the game, and that’s something I love.

Bungie has added several tools to help players see in the dark, including flashlights, special bullets, grenades, flares, and scopes that highlight enemies. I especially liked the tension created by managing light – both from using my own flashlight and from venturing into brightly lit, dangerous areas.

The new Runner class, called Sentinel, offers some great defensive tools. It includes features like the Defender System, which can stop grenades, and the Snare Mine, which slows down opponents. I especially like the Prey Tracker – it’s like a personal drone that reveals enemy movement. While I don’t expect Sentinel to drastically change the game, it’s a welcome addition to the available characters.

The game now includes two new guns: the KKV-9SD, a pistol-grip SMG, and the D54 Battle Pistol. The SMG feels particularly strong and could shake up the current preference for shotguns that we saw in the first season. I liked the Battle Pistol during my playtime, but the SMG is the real star.

Honestly, after playing the new Marathon season for a bit, what I’m loving most are the little improvements they’ve made. It’s so much better being able to jump into Faction quests or check out the Codex during loading screens. They’ve also made the Vault a bit less clunky, and seriously, finally being able to actually read what my mods and implants do is a game-changer!

The most impressive part of the game is how you improve your character. While the initial release of Marathon was challenging, I actually liked that it took effort. However, losing matches didn’t give you much reward in terms of credits or experience. After playing for around 35 hours during the first season, I had only reached level 34.

I’ve been playing Nightfall and quickly reached level six in about an hour, earning over 7,000 credits. This means I should finally be able to buy shield recharges.

The most significant change is the addition of the Cradle, a unified system for improving your Runners’ stats. Previously, these stat boosts were hidden within Faction upgrades, making them hard to follow. Now, the Cradle organizes all stat bonuses and perks into a single, easy-to-use skill tree with six different categories.

You can improve skills like Resistance to increase how quickly you repair yourself and withstand hardware damage. Invest enough points, and you’ll also get a bonus that slows down how fast you lose health when knocked down.

You can still improve your tree by finishing Faction missions, but now you can also get XP by dismantling gear you don’t need. Plus, you’re now free to change how you’ve assigned your stat boosts without any penalties.

As a player, I’m really liking how the recent changes to Faction upgrades let you focus on getting cool stuff from the Armoury. It makes the whole leveling-up process feel way easier to understand and more satisfying. Honestly, I even appreciate the seasonal resets in Marathon now, because it feels like you’re always working towards something new and achievable.

I was worried about losing all my hard work, because I don’t have much free time to play. But this new season lets me start over with clear goals, which is a relief. It’s easy to get lost in complicated game systems when you haven’t played for a while. This has been a long-standing problem with Destiny.

I’m excited to explore more of this new season, and it’s clear Marathon is improving Nightfall. While I don’t think it will be enough to win back former players, it’s disappointing. Bungie is making a great game even better, and I recommend giving it a try, especially since it’s free to play right now.

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2026-06-04 02:07