Bungie has posted a feedback sheet regarding the Marathon server slam, and surprisingly, it addresses almost every major gripe players have with the fledgling extraction shooter. Marathon has hit a tentative period following the access all areas server slam, which has left many players firmly on one side of the fence or the other.
The full game comes out next week, but Bungie has been quick to address key concerns right now based on feedback received from the server slam. That includes worries around the game’s overly complex UI and the lack of PvP-based clashes.
Bungie Recognizes PvP Woes in Marathon
In an article posted to social media, Bungie acknowledges six core issues with Marathon:
- UI Feedback
- PC Performance
- PvP Frequency
- Movement and Heat Generation
- Med and Ammo Economy
- Weasel Error Codes
When Marathon’s server slam opened, one of the more immediate concerns from players was around the game’s UI (User Interface), which is drastically complex. It’s a nightmare to understand right out of the gate, presenting a critical issue with onboarding. The team at Bungie said:
We are continuing to gather your posts and will keep iterating post‑launch (which, we’ll keep you posted on with regard to any future timelines once they’re available). Add your thoughts in the UI thread on our Discord so we can track them all in one place.
Another major worry was around the cadence of PvP clashes. Most players reported going an entire raid without even seeing other players, which is far from ideal for a PvPvE extraction game. It’s not at all like competing titles such as Escape from Tarkov and ARC Raiders, in which player-vs-player clashes are almost guaranteed.
The team wrote:
As we continue to keep an ear to the ground on this one, we’re further investigating total player density on non-beginner maps to cover all of our bases. If you’ve got any feedback – be it on Perimeter (Beginner), Perimeter, or Dire Marsh – we want to hear it!
In the first update post-launch, the team said that the player count on the game’s earliest maps had been boosted to promote more combat between players.
Movement and ‘heat generation’ have also been named as tricky areas. In Marathon, ‘heat’ replaces stamina, and the more aggressively you move, the faster you burn out and hit a wall. Many have reported that this happens far too quickly and the ramifications are far too impactful, and Bungie is investigating improvements.
Also, the lack of medical and ammo-based loot has been a gripe with players. It seems impossible to find meaningful amounts of ammunition around the map, and that’s a clear issue in a game with bullet-sponge AI enemies.
The Marathon server slam finishes tomorrow, March 2, and the full game hits the market on March 5. Do you think enough changes will be made to make it feel like a ‘better game’ at launch?
Let us know what you’re thinking on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Netflix is being removed from PS3 tomorrow
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.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
How did they not hear these things in the last couple years from beta players??
I’m sticking with Arc Raiders, screw this game unless its free
I honestly feel like they have good bones here. There is clearly something here that has potential to be great, and they are fine tuning it to meet that. Im honestly excited to see where we’ll be next week. I’ve preordered cause I have faith in bungie. It seems when they have their back to the wall is when they find a way to exceed expectations.
I’ve enjoyed it. I’m sick of arc, personally. Yes there are tweaks that need to be made ,but the bones are good.
It’s far too kitschy to succeed. Interesting lore but garbage in execution. Unnecessarily complex ui, very quick ttk, awful garish colours etc. Expected something closer to destiny than whatever that was.
Gonna fall hard I’m afraid.
I played it to be honest I don’t really care for it I love destiny I have played extraction shooters before and marathon is horrible ttk needs fixing the operator need to actually look good but they don’t the world is gorgeous looking has that realistic look the character just stand out to cartoony combat not good they took a story driven game and turned it into an extraction shooter which destroy the original dna sry to say this this game is ment for rainbow people guys look like girls the girls look like guys pvp is horrible the game all around just horrible and 90% of extraction shooters are free to play so marathon should be free to play people say they need money well Make destiny better and make destiny 3 the game I feel is going to fail the game maybe be high for a week and just go dead also how can anyone trust bungie after stealing people design and using it without there permission I play on PlayStation and Xbox but me personally as a PlayStation player Sony should have never bought bungie bungie became even worse. I hope bungie get shut down or Sony takes full control. It’s my constitutional right to say what I want.