- Primary Subject: Marathon
- Key Update: Bungie confirms no aggression-based matchmaking and no secure container at launch.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: February 12, 2026
- Quick Answer: Marathon intentionally avoids lobby filtering and safe loot protection to preserve tension, unpredictability, and high-stakes extraction gameplay.
The argument that Marathon might be going too hardcore at launch mostly comes from comparisons to other extraction shooters, particularly ARC Raiders.
ARC implemented what players came to call “aggression-based matchmaking,” a system that subtly tracks combat behavior.
If someone frequently initiates fights or ambushes others, the system tends to place them in lobbies with similarly aggressive players.
On paper, that sounds like a way to protect more cooperative or PvE-focused players. In practice, the system became contentious when players discovered they could avoid PvP temporarily to get placed in more relaxed lobbies before turning hostile.
Instead of sustaining tension, the system occasionally diminished it, creating environments that could be exploited.
Why Is Bungie Avoiding Aggression-Based Matchmaking?
According to Game Director Joe Ziegler, Bungie has decided not to implement matchmaking rules in Marathon that divide aggressive players from non-combat players.
There is no hidden system categorizing you based on whether you shoot first or attempt to cooperate. It’s a deliberate design choice that mirrors the studio’s philosophy, as Ziegler notes that uncertainty is key to survival gameplay.
In Marathon, you are not meant to know whether the runner you encounter intends to trade, team up, or eliminate you.
The emotional stakes of each run are driven by that constant suspicion and unpredictability.
Removing that ambiguity through filtered matchmaking would fundamentally change the atmosphere Bungie is trying to create.
If There’s No Filter, How Can Players Avoid Constant PvP?
Marathon avoids being a full-on PvP chaos simulator, thanks to tools Bungie implemented that let players decide how engagements play out.
Proximity voice chat enables real-time interaction, giving players the chance to cooperate briefly, exchange supplies, or help revive defeated rivals.
These mechanics don’t require cooperation, but they allow it, as Bungie aims to create a morally gray survival space where alliances, betrayals, and standoffs are shaped by players instead of strict systems.
Does the Lack of a Safe Container Make Marathon More Hardcore?
The perception that the game is “hardcore” is further reinforced by Bungie not implementing a secure container or safe pocket feature at launch, which in other extraction shooters typically lets players retain key loot after death.
Marathon will not have this at release. Bungie has stated that they designed alternative progression systems so players can continue advancing even after setbacks, but the absence of guaranteed item retention increases the stakes of each run.
It fits the broader design vision, which centers on scarcity, danger, and real consequences. However, Bungie has also made it clear that seasonal updates could introduce a safety-container-like system in the future if player feedback suggests it’s necessary.
Even so, starting without a safe container nudges Marathon into hardcore territory, not due to tougher moment-to-moment combat, but because the emotional cost of dying is higher.
When there’s no guarantee you’ll at least walk away with something, every fight and risky detour feels more significant, especially for newer or solo players still learning routes, timing, and when to back off.
It encourages a safer early-game meta, where players focus on extracting, minimizing risk, and shooting first if they don’t want to take chances.
That said, I don’t think it’s a bad launch decision if Bungie genuinely has strong “backup progression” systems that keep you from feeling like one death wipes an entire evening of progress.
If they nail that balance (where losing hurts, but doesn’t stall you out) the lack of a safe container could actually make the game feel more distinctive and more tense in a good way.
The biggest concern is perception and early player retention, because if the first season feels like all downside with no safety net, many players won’t stay long enough to see improvements.
So I’d call it a bold choice that can pay off, but it needs fast tuning and clear progression pacing to avoid feeling punishing instead of thrilling.
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