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Marathon: Seasons
Learn how seasons work in Marathon and what to expect when a new season launches.
The Important Details
- Seasons in Marathon last about three months and will introduce new gameplay, including gear, Runner shells, zones, events, and more, which will be free for all players to access or earn–no expansions or DLC required.
- Each season of Marathon brings a clean slate for the whole community with progression resets, including everyone’s gear, contract progression, faction progression, and player level.
- Players retain achievements, cosmetics and milestones (such as the codex progression).
- Each season of Marathon will have a different theme and a unique combination of new features, content, and stories that continue to evolve the world and gameplay.
March 3, 2026
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SEASONS OVERVIEW
- Marathon operates on a seasonal model, with each season running approximately three months.
- Each season introduces:
- New gameplay systems
- New gear and Runner shells
- New zones and events
- Balance updates and quality-of-life changes
- Ongoing story progression tied to Tau Ceti IV
- The world of Marathon is designed as a living ecosystem.
- Player activity, community progress, and feedback influence how the game evolves over time — particularly as the mystery of the lost colony and the UESC Marathon ship unfolds.
- All seasonal gameplay content is free to access or earn. No expansions or DLC are required.
HOW SEASONS WORK
- Each season begins the same way: nothing.
- All players start fresh.
- No gear.
- No upgrades.
- A hostile world that is stronger than you.
- From early runs on Perimeter to high-risk endgame activities like Cryo Archive and Ranked mode, survival is a progression of mastery.
THROUGHOUT THE SEASON...
- Throughout the season:
- Complete contracts.
- Upgrade factions.
- Improve base stats.
- Expand Armory options.
- Raise your power floor.
- As your power floor rises:
- Recovering from a bad run becomes easier.
- Build crafting becomes more flexible.
- Higher-risk contracts and zones become viable.
- Competitive Ranked climbs become meaningful.
- By season’s end, players often reach a point where risk appetite spikes, running premium gear knowing a full reset is coming. Then the cycle begins again.
SEASONAL RESET
- Each season includes a full progression reset.
- Resets apply to:
- Gear
- Contract progression
- Faction progression
- Player level
WHAT CARRIES OVER?
- What carries over:
- Cosmetics (earned and purchased)
- Titles
- Seasonal milestone rewards
- Codex progression
- Liaison contract unlocks (no need to re-unlock factions)
WHY THE RESET?
- Bungie advises that these resets are intentional. They:
- Keep the game dangerous
- Maintain the value of loot
- Create clean re-entry points for returning players
- Prevent long-term power stagnation
- Each season is designed as a zero-to-hero arc… new strategies, new metas, new discoveries.
SEASON 1: DEATH IS THE FIRST STEP
WHAT IS SEASON 1?
- Also known as FIRST STEP, Season 1 marks the beginning of a new gold rush on Tau Ceti IV.
- Key themes:
- A proxy war between rival factions
- The mystery of the 30,000 lost colonists of New Cascadia
- Runners operating at the center of escalating expeditions
- Core Season 1 Progression
- Explore Tau Ceti IV’s hostile surface
- Discover access to the derelict UESC Marathon ship
- Unlock the fourth zone: Cryo Archive (community-gated orbit access)
- Engage in endgame vault runs and security puzzles
- Confront unknown entities aboard the Marathon
- Ranked Mode
- Unlocks mid-March
- Exfil with high-value loot
- Climb the competitive ladder
- Earn exclusive seasonal rewards
- Additional Season 1 additions include:
- Events
- Balance updates
- Quality-of-life improvements
- New implants
- New weapons
- Additional surprises
LAUNCH CONTENT
- Full faction and contract progression
- Six factions (including Sekiguchi Genetics)
- Six launch Runner shells (including Thief)
- Three launch zones (including Outpost)
- 28 weapons
- Mods, cores, implants, and build-crafting systems
- Earnable cosmetics and achievements
- Codex storytelling progression
- Note: Outpost unlocks one day after launch, once players reach Runner Level 12.
THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
SEASON 2 is NIGHTFALL
- Season 2 begins to reflect the consequences of player activity.
- The UESC will escalate security measures in response to increased Runner interference on Tau Ceti IV.
- Each season moving forward will introduce:
- A distinct theme
- New story beats
- System adjustments
- Meta shifts
- Expanded progression layers
- NIGHTFALL Highlights
- Nighttime variant of Dire Marsh
- Increased UESC presence
- New Runner shell
- New weapons, mods, cores, contracts
- The introduction of The Cradle
- The Cradle is a new system designed to provide greater control over Runner shell statistical customization, allowing players to shape strengths and weaknesses more intentionally.
- Bungie advises that Marathon one year from launch should feel meaningfully different from day one.
- Seasonal evolution is central to the design philosophy.
A SHARED JOURNEY
- Community feedback has played a direct role in shaping Marathon’s systems, pacing, and direction, particularly following the Server Slam.
- Marathon launches March 5 on Tau Ceti IV.
END
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