The latest biggest day in Marathon kicks off tomorrow with the launch of season two, and there’s plenty of incentive for all sorts of players to give it a try.
Season two, Nightfall, will bring the extraction shooter’s first inventory wipe for players looking to fight from scratch all over again. But it’s also adding an experimental PvE-focused mode alongside its free-to-play week from June 2 to 9, as Bungie attempts to act on numerous sources of feedback.
The new mode, called Sponsored Survival, takes place on the new map Night Marsh, and it will begin with just one crew spawning in with Sponsored Kits. “They’ll start as the only players on the map and can explore, loot, and blast their flashlights without fear of repercussion… from PVP enemies anyways,” Bungie explained. “The UESC will still be there in full force, as will some new enemies that lurk in the shadows.”
But then, a wrinkle: “After a certain period of time, backfilled Rooks can enter the map and begin their own scavenging excursions,” Bungie said. “Perhaps they’ll remain lone wolves, or maybe they’ll team up with each other or the sole crew on the map—everyone’s goal is survival, and how you get there is up to you.”
Each match will last for 18 minutes, and the only way to get out alive is by using the final exfil. The crew and Rooks will have to either duke it out or negotiate their way to safety.
This mode definitely sounds like something I’m interested in trying out as a shake-up of the extraction formula. Bungie says that “this asymmetrical mode changes the dynamics of a run, taking the heat off of the lone crew for the first few minutes of the match, while also keeping some of the fun, social unpredictability that Rooks bring to runs.” Count me in.
Since this is experimental, though, it’s likely not guaranteed to stick around, but the devs say they will be gathering feedback. What will stick around, however, is progress and inventories for free-to-play players during the game’s Open Play Week if they choose to purchase the full game.
It’ll be crews of players (including the new Sentinel Runner Shell) vs. an army of Rooks when the new mode goes live tomorrow, June 2, and I’m itching to try it out already after taking a break for over a month.
