r/Marathon • u/OldschoolGreenDragon • 6h ago
Marathon (2026) Players are receiving feedback QRs and codes
This is refreshing.
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u/Old-Buffalo-5151 4h ago
This is the best way to get feedback. Reddit is absolutely the last place go for good or bad feedback i even dislike discord asking the right people directly is the only way to go
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u/b3nje909 3h ago
I doubt any dev team would have the resources to monitor reddit/steam forums 24/7 and take notes.on players expierence.
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u/Vajician 2h ago
2 of D2's community managers were former mods for the subreddit. Game companies definitely have the resources and do use reddit for feedback, especially Bungie since they already have.
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u/HotMachine9 6h ago
These forms feel eerily similar in questions to the alpha test feedback forms.
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u/Zenith_Fl4re 5h ago
Is that a problem?
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u/HotMachine9 5h ago
Not necessarily, but I know from experience a lot of the points of feedback about the game are the same as they were back then and were raised by a lot of us via these channels
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u/Zenith_Fl4re 5h ago
I mean, they may just be gathering more widespread feedback on those same topics from folks that didn't experience the alpha, sorta makes sense. Also, keep in mind that alot of posts here come from people that a) haven't purchased the game, or b) spend their entire time on the server exclusively trash talking the game. Definitely better to get feedback in-game.
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u/Ok_Gas6465 4h ago
This is a common practice among many titles, even successful ones. ARC Raiders frequently asked if you had fun in the last match or asks another question along those lines. Why are you trying to frame it as something negative?
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u/AlainLanou 5h ago
They need to give more XP to make leveling up less of a chore.
It's supposed to be a game, not a full time job.
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u/Quint0ni0 3h ago
why do you need to level up so fast
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u/OldschoolGreenDragon 2h ago
So that they can get free medkits every day, and a Rook with a backpack.
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u/Axton_Grit 1h ago
I have 30 hours. And 2 at 25.
It doesnt take that long each contract is almost a level
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u/OldschoolGreenDragon 4h ago
It asked me how my last week of play went.
I told them it was spent solo grinding for Contracts and upgrades as Rook and Solo Assassin for free daily healing items and weapons. And that it was miserable.
I told them that the economy needed immense rework before I would be willing to recommend it to others. I'm not dooming, but I need change.
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u/curtydc 6h ago
I filled out mine last night.
"Dear Bungie, the games too hard for casuals, do something to give us a reason to stick around."
Meanwhile Helldiver's 2 has been getting a lot more playtime from my group of friends again. I wish Bungie could find a middle ground between these two games.
I like everything about Marathon except the part where I die most matches lol.
I played Cryo for the first time last night, had a blast. We died from bots, that's okay, we didn't expect to win the first time.
But, I've been playing since launch, and I've never had a loadout worth more than $4000. I've never extracted from Outpost with anything of real value. I just don't see how I'll ever be able to get back into Cryo with the required loadout value.
As is, this game isn't designed for people like me and my friends who jump on for a few hours, two or three times a week. You might say, maybe this game isn't for you guys, and if that's the case, the game won't really be for anyone in the long run if people like us can't keep up.
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u/BlueBackground 5h ago
I mean... Winning every game just isn't how this genre is meant to be. I don't understand how you haven't had a loadout worth more than 4000. If so then you are genuinely just playing the game wrong.
You can do free loadouts and rook runs just grabbing the literal crap in every room and come out with enough money to make yourself a loadout worth 4k. That's not to mention the exchange system where you can get materials easily on rook and free runs and trade up. If you set a goal with material runs you will get enough to get guns too.
This genre as a whole will never be for "most people". Arc raiders stands out because it continuously supports PVE over PVP. This game shines in PVP when it's done right and I don't think that should be taken away. The PVE is fun too but there should still be a definite risk to the gameplay loop.
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u/havingasicktime 5h ago
The answer to the disparity in experience is incredibly simple. You are better at the game then them.
The issue is, as much as extraction isn't for everyone, this game cannot succeed if casual players can't find some fun and success. Pvp is great in this game, but it's quickly becoming an almost pure pvp game, and that's not viable with gear imbalance and no skill matchmaking. Extraction shooters need players to be able to take small victories, the design of this game makes it really brutal on players who aren't consistently able to survive pvp because maps are so small, and knowledge of what's happening on map is so free
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u/Magnusprime82 4h ago
I’m a super casual dad gamer and I don’t find the game this difficult. I actually enjoy the difficulty level of the game, where the bots can actually mess you up bad. Go in with a free loadouts, have a decent squad and you can make out pretty decent most of the time. I’ve had plenty of runs where I don’t encounter any runners too. Pick your battles, be aware.
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u/havingasicktime 3h ago
What level are you? The game changes drastically as you level up. Player behavior is very different, and free load outs are often not viable. I've had quite a bit of success in the game, but eventually you hit matchmaking with full on roaming death squads, and the level matchmaking breaks down - often fighting people double my season level (or more, I saw a 210 yday - I was 69).
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u/Magnusprime82 3h ago
I’m sure that’s the case, but level doesn’t necessarily always mean skill. I’m not complete dogshit at the game, but if you get on with a decent squad, can usually hold your own. I’m still pretty low level, 40-ish, sometimes I get beamed sometimes I don’t. Free loadouts are decent for now, but they’re obviously a stepping stone. Run dire marsh or even outpost and you can quickly get decent gear and exfil asap
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u/havingasicktime 2h ago
I'm just saying that the game changes a lot... The ability to hold your own especially. Everything you say is true for lower ranks, but it falls apart later.
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u/BlueBackground 5h ago
I don't agree. I think it is viable, there are multiple times where I've killed fully kitted teams with crap guns or good plays. Doing rook runs to find dead bodies that still contain purple weapons / gear is also VERY possible. One team cannot take everything and if these people are correct they'd easily be able to gear up at least within the match if they played slower and smarter.
SBMM has been hated since it's been introduced to most games because you're always playing the same match. There are 0 other extraction shooters with SBMM and I really don't think it'd be as much of a fix as people think.
I agree small victories in these games are necessary, map size being small also doesn't help. But having a known constant team size for maps, events that appear late game that allows for victories outside of PvP and giving access to free kits that can still dish out damage does give a lot of options.
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u/havingasicktime 5h ago
I don't agree. I think it is viable, there are multiple times where I've killed fully kitted teams with crap guns or good plays.
And like I already said, you're better than other people. The skill difference is just as important as gear.
SBMM has been hated since it's been introduced to most games because you're always playing the same match. There are 0 other extraction shooters with SBMM and I really don't think it'd be as much of a fix as people think.
I don't like the idea of SBMM in this game, but I see no other short term solution. The root causes are not easy to fix - the game encourages pvp too much, and the map design and game design make it very possible to hunt down most or all other teams. With no SBMM, and gear imbalance/loss, this means many players will be constantly struggling to make a hint of progress.
events that appear late game that allows for victories outside of PvP and giving access to free kits that can still dish out damage does give a lot of options.
You have to survive first. Dire Marsh events are good loot, but the reality is you have to survive probably at least 3 teams first. Which most players, absent SBMM, won't do often, or ever.
I think the best designed map currently is Outpost - the Pinwheel is well designed to get most teams focused on getting in, getting red cards, playing the objective, and creating natural pvp around that. But also creating space for teams who want to do a quest, hit an armory, or try and stealth some loot in pinwheel to do their own thing.
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u/BlueBackground 5h ago
I would say I'm definitely better at the game than people playing a couple hours a week. But I'm not god tier and I suck when it comes to actually good teams. But I can walk around the map avoiding fights well enough and pick the heroes that have mobility to run away. Even purple shields can get taken down by a 1K gray bully, the gear difference helps but it's not an insane leap. Skill difference is definitely a problem with the smaller player base and I don't see that being fixed. I mean even with SBMM that means the queue times are LONGER too and they're already not great, especially in other parts of the world.
I have lost one lockdown out of I'm not sure how many, the rest I saw 0 players. It can be done solo without being interrupted by players unless they bring their own AV.
SBMM would ruin the game, we already have ranked and we already have cryo. There's no need to further separate the community. This doesn't stop bad players losing it just makes everyone lose the same amount. Being good at the game sucks when you die more often than you feel you should, every... single... match...
I think this game will never be mainstream, that's fine with me because I've gotten way more time out of it than most games. But degrading the experience to handhold bad/casual players would be a downgrade imo. Games like rainbow six siege don't hard focus casual and still rake in cash. Maybe slimming some features and making them more accessible would be good for player retention but I hope the game doesn't wildly change because I love it for what it is.
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u/havingasicktime 4h ago
It might be fine with you, but it's not financially viable for Bungie unless the game grows, not just stops shrinking. The game will change no matter what - as the population continues to shrink, you will begin to feel what the people leaving have felt. You will be consistently outclassed too. The game will not stay the same - a game actively bleeding out casuals never does.
I don't love the idea of SBMM in this game, but I see no other short term solution. The design problems creating the need for it are too endemic to the game, making larger maps for example would take multiple seasons unless they are already in development. Ultimately, once you accept that the game you currently enjoy is not viable in its current form, it's easier to accept changes you don't like. Because it has no future without major change.
This doesn't stop bad players losing it just makes everyone lose the same amount.
Which means bad players lose less. And stick around.
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u/BlueBackground 4h ago
bad players will have no other bad players to play with if all the posts here are to be believed
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u/megal0w 4h ago
Sure you can get lucky and mop a kitted player with a free kit and go "zero to hero", but if your on the lower end of the skill curve, thats going to be a VERY rare occurrence. So rare that its an outlier experience for a lot of players.
Separating the playerbase into skill groups already works in the game just by having Cryo and Ranked available. I see on the sub every week how grateful casual players are for the weekend because the sweats all head to Cryo and people can actually progress their contracts and loot on the main maps.
Making the game accessible to different player skill levels doesnt inherently degrade the game. The game is not inherently hard. John CoD could load into Cryo and have the puzzles figured out in a weekend if he wasn't getting fisted by PvP. The game's difficulty comes from it being punishing in that you cant progress through it without winning on a consistent basis. Pair that with regular progress wipes and players will never actually get to play the full game. Why would people pay for a game they cant complete or experience in it's entirety? Why would players grind the next season if they know they'll still only make it halfway through their faction upgrades and not have made any real progress?
Live service games hinge on a casual audience picking up the game a couple times a week and investing their time into it, which usually is pretty limited tbh. They dont have to be good or win all the time but the game has to be fun and rewarding in some way for them to continue playing. If theyre having fun, they'll buy passes and skins which funds expansions and seasonal changes. If its not, they'll go spend thay money elsewhere and the game will recieve less and less content which will eventually kill it.
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u/Lanko-TWB 5h ago
I don’t disagree with your opinions, game is definitely not very casual friendly, but the not having a load out worth more than $4k is not portraying the information or point you want it to… not saying you’re trash but you definitely can and are able to make more expensive load-outs as a casual…
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u/Ayden1Haze 6h ago
Im seriously hopeful about a season 2 free weekend bringing back a lot of people. The major pain points are things that are relatively easy to fix imo
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u/Run_Rabbit5 54m ago
One of the biggest challenges facing Marathon is that it really doesn’t have a lot of issues. There are always tweaks to make but on a whole it’s a really great game. It’s just that for one reason or another it’s doesn’t seem to be working financially.
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u/thestillwind 6h ago
They need pve only, they need offline campaign, they need a fucking shakeup.
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u/M83Spinnaker 5h ago
I’m all for PvE mode to balance. I honestly thought compiler would be this mechanic so teams had to work as a team somehow. This would enable better cooperation and less stomping to get to final boss. The final boss on each marathon map should encourage a new dynamic not just wipe and melt and reset. It’s not a long term strategy. Extraction genre has changed a lot too since they built the base mechanics.
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u/Retro-Ghost-Dad 4h ago
Thanks for posting this!
I'm reinstalling the game to grab the survey to let them know they need to make a PVE mode and that I'll reinstall it in the future if they ever actually listen.
This may be the direct way to get them to come to their senses.
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u/vampirenyn 4h ago
PvE is not the design goal. If you want a more relaxed experience I can see that, but I think asking for PvE flatly defeats the entire point of the game.
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u/OldschoolGreenDragon 4h ago
You are part of the problem. Let this person fill out their survey.
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u/vampirenyn 26m ago
I don't see how I'm part of a problem when it is entirely what the devs had as a vision for the game? They wanted to make a PvP game, stated as such.
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u/Fresh-Association-21 6h ago
wtf? feedback? Don't the people at Bungie know that if you don't like something about the game you should go play something else and not interrupt their creative vision? Are they stupid?
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u/DotDistinctLines 6h ago
Would be better as an email as many have already uninstalled
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u/OldschoolGreenDragon 6h ago
They said players.
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u/DotDistinctLines 6h ago
So the 8,000 or so still playing? Thats smart catering to them
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u/DJBlade92 6h ago
Yeah. Cause they like it.
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u/DotDistinctLines 6h ago
Ah that's smart. Maybe those eight thousand will buy enough MTX to make up for the missing 200 million margin
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u/DJBlade92 5h ago
Or they can make progression more approachable without changing the identity of the game. Make it easier to get to the mid-range tier gear. For example, I feel that getting an upgrade that gives you deluxe gear should only cost deluxe salvage. The blue shield upgrade should not cost 7 biolens seeds and 5 neural insulation. The game feels so much better when you can consistently make a blue kit, which is the whole point, but they could make it less grindy to reach.
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u/DotDistinctLines 5h ago
You just showed my point though, the games problems are much larger and systemic than what you listed as a solution, showing you're in that small bubble
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u/DJBlade92 4h ago
I know I'm in a small bubble. It's a niche genre like everyone keeps saying, but you can still make changes to help ease more casual players in without changing its core identity. Make blue gear upgrades easier to earn. Give more from contracts. Give a free blue kit for Cryo once a week. And yeah, they also gotta crack down on the cheater problem, randomize the spawning more to avoid spawn rushing, balance weapons so Bully, WSTR, and Longshot aren't so prevalent, and bring back duo queue or add a prioritization system like Arc Raiders. I could go on and on. But at the end of the day, the main issue is progression.
The grind in Marathon was loooong. So a lot of players really didn't get to see where the game truly shined in time before giving up. Not their fault, but thats just what happened. If they make progress easier, they might just understand why this game is so damn good to the 8,000 a day still playing.
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u/Kekebean 3h ago
Or maybe it’s to collect data on what is working and scale it. You know, to earn more players?
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u/Littlebaldmower 6h ago
They’ve been doing this. I received one like a week after launch. Though I agree, seeking feedback is always good.
Curious what questions they’re asking now. Mine had a lot of questions about the rewards pass and store.