Marathon seasons, explained

Seasons in Marathon will look somewhat familiar if you've played a live service game before, but Bungie's extraction shooter also has plenty of differences that may take you by surprise. Each new season will introduce plenty of new content, including but not limited to new "gear, runner shells, zones, events, and more," and what's even better is that this is all free.

So if you're looking for a complete rundown for how seasons work in Marathon, along with what to expect in Season 1, when it finishes, and everything else alongside it, we're here to help.

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Marathon seasons, explained

Here are the key things you need to know about each Marathon season:

• Each season is approximately three months long.
• Seasonal updates will add new gear, runner shells, zones, events, and more.
• All seasonal content is completely free.
• There's a new "battle pass" each season, but these are permanent, so you can continue unlocking rewards after the season finishes.
• Each new season will reset players' progress, meaning you'll lose your inventory, player level, and all contract and faction progression.
• You'll keep all cosmetics, achievements, and codex progression.
• As you progress in a season, you'll gain access to more upgrades and equipment in the armory.
• Every season will have a "different theme and a unique combination of new features, content, and stories."
• Seasonal updates will also come with balance changes to create space for new metas.

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What to expect in Marathon Season 1

Season 1 is live right now, as it started as soon as Marathon was released. It's subtitled "Death is the First Step," aka "First Step," and according to the official Bungie blog, it signals "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," the blog continues. "And as a runner, you're at the forefront of the expeditions."

What does this mean in gameplay terms? Well, the whole season is about runners collectively finding a way aboard the derelict UESC Marathon ship that hovers above the planet. When the community finally gets access, Cryo Archive, the fourth zone (aka map) will be available, which is considered to be the endgame. Expect puzzles, frozen vaults, and a brand new enemy that "even the UESC fears." Ranked mode will also be coming during the second half of March, which will offer exclusive rewards and a leaderboard to climb.

As Season 1 starts at the very beginning of the game, all of the launch content is considered to be part of the seasonal offerings, which includes:

• Six factions
• Six runner shells (aka classes)
• Three zones
• 28 weapons
• Countless mods, implants, and cores
• Loads of cosmetics and achievements

Season 1 should come to a close in early June, at which point, Season 2: Nightfall will begin. We'll no doubt hear more about Season 2 as we get closer to its start date, but we already know it will introduce a night version of the Dire Marsh zone, a new runner shell, more weapons, and the Cradle, which is "a new system designed to give you more autonomy over your runner shell's statistical strengths and weaknesses."

Completing quests in Marathon? Check out our guides for "Introducing: Traxus" and "Survival Directive," two of the more difficult early game contracts.