In the final feedback form published by Bungie after the Marathon server slam, the team revealed an investigation into the potential for duo-exclusive lobbies. In Marathon, users can play solo, queue as a duo, or play as a trio, but there’s no dedicated duo option.
This has been picked up by Bungie as a point of contention, with many users requesting the feature to give themselves an easier time of things. Being a duo against guaranteed trios is never fun, and prospective fans of the new extraction title want to level the playing field a little.
Marathon Duos Could Be Coming at Launch
Marathon is set to hit the market in just two days, building on the semi-success of the recent server slam test. The ‘demo’ pulled in tens of thousands of players and racked up high viewership figures, but some pointed out that the player count withered pretty quickly.
In a post on social media, Bungie summed up everything it had learned from the server slam, uncovering everything the team is working on before the game launches. That includes the complex UI, concerns around PvP cadence, the economy system, and issues with ‘heat generation’ and general movement mechanics.
Another thing that was talked about was ‘Additional queue options‘.
The team wrote:
Currently you have the ability to run as a Solo (be it as Rook or as a Runner in a solo lobby), or you can queue in with a duo or a full trio – but we have heard the feedback about duo dedicated lobbies. This has been logged and shared with the team.
This isn’t any kind of promise that duo lobbies will surface, but it’s one step closer for those who want the feature. Admittedly, strict lobby sizing of this nature is something more reserved for battle royale titles, as most extraction games promote an unpredictable model that ensures you never know the size of the team you’re running into.
The best example of this is Escape from Tarkov, the spearhead extraction title that has been around for almost a decade. In Escape from Tarkov, you can run into a solo player or a five-man stack in the same lobby without any prior knowledge. The game doesn’t pick and choose who is matched with whom based on team sizes.
Would you want to see a duo feature implemented in Marathon? Let us know what you’re thinking on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that legacy Minecraft source code has leaked
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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