Bungie’s Marathon has been making waves over the past few days, and it’s clear that fans are hungry for more. As we wait for the game’s closed beta to go live on April 23rd, players have been all over social media talking about Marathon's potential—sometimes going borderline toxic.
As someone who’s eagerly anticipating Bungie’s take on the extraction-shooter genre, here’s what Marathon could learn from Destiny 2 to avoid the same pitfalls in the long run.
Engaging Gameplay Loop
I have over two thousand hours in Destiny 2, and I can confidently say I saw everything the game had to offer even before hitting the hundred-hour mark. It’s always the same “shoot this, get that, do this” kind of mission structure, which got stale well before I hit a thousand hours. Bungie—and, by extension, the Marathon team—clearly know Destiny 2’s biggest flaw is its repetitiveness. Hopefully, Marathon can fix that in its approach to the extraction shooter formula.
The good news? The PvE and PvP content mix already feels like a solid starting point. This isn’t just a one-and-done adventure—there are limitless possibilities if they do it right.
Mitigate Cheating
Everyone knows Destiny 2’s Crucible and Trials of Osiris are still full of cheaters, and despite Bungie’s efforts, they haven’t completely solved the issue. Since Marathon is built on the same Tiger Engine that’s powered Destiny 2 since the beginning, it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that its anti-cheat tech will be wildly different.
That said, Marathon does have an advantage—it won’t be free-to-play, at least not at launch. Paywalled content, especially in a premium game, creates a natural barrier discouraging some cheaters. We’ve all seen what happens with F2P titles like Apex Legends and Valorant, and Marathon might dodge some of those headaches early on.
Ease the FOMO
Bungie has already confirmed that Marathon will use a Seasonal Pass model, which strongly hints that they’re borrowing from Destiny 2’s live-service playbook. What we don’t know yet is how deep that inspiration goes. On the bright side, it could just be cosmetics, weapon skins, and a few resources. The worst-case scenario is powerful, limited-time weapons locked behind paid battle passes.
FOMO has always been a big driver in live-service games, and Bungie’s not exactly innocent here. If Marathon can tone that down—or better yet, adopt something like Marvel Rivals’ seasonal model, where even expired Battle Pass content is still unlockable. That would be a huge win for players.
No More Telesto
Every Destiny 2 player knows that Telesto might just be Bungie’s closest thing to a sentient creation. Jokes aside, this weapon has been breaking the Tiger Engine for years, causing bugs and game-breaking chaos that even Bungie couldn’t fully understand. Telesto became a household name, a digital boogeyman that struck fear into both players and developers. Every patch brought the fear of “What will Telesto break this time?”
With Marathon running on a more advanced version of the Tiger Engine, here’s hoping there won’t be another Telesto in sight. Ideally, weapons will be polished and balanced from the start… unless, of course, Telesto 2 sneaks in.
Consistent Storyline
Marathon fans have been starving for more lore since Bungie dropped the original game in 1996. With the return of the Tau Ceti IV colony and a brand-new narrative backdrop, the time is ripe for Bungie to build a compelling story full of rampant AIs and extraterrestrial threats.
Destiny 2 had its storytelling highs, but it also got convoluted fast. With Marathon, Bungie has a blank slate—and a chance to hook both new and returning players with a story that’s rich, digestible, and deep enough to dive into, but not so confusing that MyNameIsByf has to drop a five-hour explainer.
These are just five things I hope the Marathon team learns from its past. Despite the negativity swirling around the game, I truly want Marathon to succeed. Marathon arrives on PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S this September 23rd, and it requires no PSN account to play if you’re not on PlayStation 5.