Bungie lay out their Marathon season plans, which yes, includes forced resets for everybody

It was a little under a year ago that Bungie showed off Marathon proper and told us all it was coming out in September, only for everyone who had a chance to play it essentially say "ruh roh Raggy," leading to an indefinite delay. And here we are now! Within spitting distance of the shooter launching, a server slam that felt like being stuck in an Nvidia graphics card behind us, and now a word straight from the mouths of its developers about what seasons will be like.

For starters, according to this here posted blog, seasons will be about three months long, each containing new gameplay features, bits of gear, Runner shells, zones, events, and "more," whatever that might be. And this will all be free, apparently!. Bungie were also very clear about how much they're listening to you, as they noted that "Marathon's living universe and gameplay will continue to evolve across seasons, fueled by your feedback and your impact on the world of Tau Ceti as you uncover what happened to the lost colony and on the Marathon ship."

Unlike Arc Raiders, however, where your stuff getting wiped is optional, everyone will have to start "each season with nothing to their name and the constant threat of death in a world more lethal and powerful than you are." Completing contracts and making your way through faction upgrades net you stronger base stats and better gear you can pick up in the armory. But seasons do reset your overall contract and faction progression, level, and any gear you've accrued.

"It’s not just about what you loot, it’s about raising your power floor and the options available to you," the post explains. "Over time, recovering from a bad loss will get easier, and crafting your ideal build will be more accessible." Essentially, don't worry if you eat shit, you'll be able to get back up again soon enough. In terms of what you do keep from season to season, there's earned and paid cosmetics, and your codex progression carries over too.

Season one itself is called Death is the First Step, described as "the start of a new gold rush on Tau Ceti. It's the beginning of a proxy war between rival factions competing for power and answers to what happened to the 30,000 lost souls of the New Cascadia Colony. And as a Runner, you’re at the forefront of the expeditions."

As you and others play through the season, you'll eventually find away to board the abandoned UESC Marathon ship hanging above Tau Ceti, and then you'll gain access to a fourth zone called Cryo Archive, a much tougher end-game map. The second half of March will also see the arrival of ranked mode, with more details on that coming somehow even closer to launch. From the get go, though, you'll have access to six factions, six Runner shells, three zones, 28 weapons, and start earning cosmetics and achievements etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Season 2 was also teased, called Nightfall, which will apparently bring a nighttime version of Dire Marsh.

This approach to seasons obviously will not be for everybody! With Destiny being so loot driven, taking essentially the opposite approach while also encouraging you to go and seek it out feels like a risk that might not pay off. But the game isn't out yet! And the first season is months away from finishing, so, I suppose we'll check back in come summer.

Marathon is out later this week, on March 5th.