Marathon extraction mode is not being phased out, game director Del Chafe told players Sept. 30, a week after Bungie announced new PvE and experimental PvP modes for the shooter’s Symbiosis update in December, IGN reported.
Why fans worried about Marathon extraction mode
Bungie’s new roadmap raised concerns among some players that the game’s hardcore extraction format would take a back seat to the friendlier modes coming in Symbiosis. Those worries grew because the developer had already acknowledged that Marathon’s difficulty hurt it at launch, according to IGN.
Chafe addressed the issue in a post on the Marathon development team’s X account. “We want to be clear, Extraction is still a major part of Marathon, and we’re also going to continue updating it as we look to the future of the game,” he wrote.
What players told Bungie
Chafe also invited feedback: “We’d love to hear from you on what you’re enjoying about Extraction today, what you think needs work, and what you wish was there.”
Replies came quickly. Marathon streamer Drewsky pointed to spawn rushes and punishing death spirals as two of the biggest problems with the mode, IGN reported. Another user, nsorrey36, agreed, writing that “lobby wiping is the go-to strategy of the run.”
The road ahead for Marathon extraction mode
The Symbiosis update will add PvE missions and experimental PvP modes aimed at players who want something less punishing than extraction runs, where dying means losing the gear you brought in. IGN’s Jackie Thomas wrote that because Bungie appears to be taking feedback seriously, extraction could look quite different a year from now.
The Marathon changes come as Bungie also works on Destiny. Earlier this month, the studio said it is bringing back vaulted Destiny 2 content, a story Total Apex covered here. For more on the shooter’s rocky first year, read about the Marathon director’s admission about weapons and the patch that fixed Marathon’s guns, or browse more gaming news.
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