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- Season 2 adds experimental mode Sponsored Survival, a more PVP-lite option that begins as a largely PvE experience for one crew.
- After a set time, solo scavengers called Rooks join, creating asymmetrical encounters where crews face multiple Rooks as the map fills.
- Crews require a Sponsored Kit loadout to keep stakes low, while Bungie plans later tests for full PvE and more PvP modes.
Bungie has detailed a new mode for Marathon that should hopefully scratch the PvE itch, even if there’s a bit of PVP involved.
Season 2 of Marathon is launching today, and Bungie has detailed some of the changes you can expect from it in its Open Play Week blog post. Earlier this month, Marathon game director Joe Ziegler detailed some modes coming to Season 2, with one being PvE with “a touch of PvP,” while a full-blown PvE mode will be launching later down the line. And now we finally know what “a touch of PvP” actually means, as Bungie has revealed the new experimental game mode, the “more PVP-lite and low-risk way to play”: Sponsored Survival.
In Sponsored Survival, the game will start with a single crew in the Night Marsh completely free to do what they like on the map and loot everything in sight without any issues from other players, although it’s not going to be a cakewalk as the UESC will still be stationed around the map alongside “some new enemies that lurk in the shadows.” So for that squad, the game starts out as a PvE mode.
However, “after a certain period of time,” the map will begin to populate with Rooks (which are solo players focused on scavenging) who are backfilling the lobby. And while these Rooks are going to pose a potential threat to the main squad, in a three versus one situation, I don’t fancy their chances.
Bungie explains, as far as the balance goes, “This asymmetrical mode changes the dynamics of a run, taking the heat off of the lone crew for the first few minutes of the match, while also keeping some of the fun, social unpredictability that Rooks bring to runs. Crews are required to bring a Sponsored Kit loadout to play, which keeps the stakes low for the crew, while also giving Rooks the peace of mind of knowing there’s no fully kitted-out teams on the map.
As for full PvE and PvP modes, Bungie promises “We’ll also be testing a PvE mode in the latter half of Season 2, with more experiments to come later, such as perhaps a more purely PvP-focused mode.”
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