While it may not have meaningfully boosted Steam player counts, Marathonâs new Cryo Archive zone has been received positively by players. The feeling of rushing through the UESC ship, struggling to understand its mechanics while battling other Runners, has proven quite addictive, despite the high risk.
However, Bungie isnât sitting on its laurels. Director Joe Ziegler acknowledged feedback on several aspects of the end-game zone and said the team would be discussing the same. These include its current schedule (itâs currently weekend-only), the lack of solo play, and making Subroutines a more guaranteed Vault drop (which is essential for accessing the boss).
Now, this doesnât mean theyâll be addressed immediately. âAny of these may take some time to figure out, so I canât guarantee quick solutions here, but weâll definitely discuss these topics as a team this week,â said Ziegler.
Interestingly, he concluded by thanking players âfor sticking with us as we evolve the gameâ and fighting âthe good fight against the cyborgs, robots, and aliens!â âRobotsâ obviously refers to the UESCâs forces that you spend an inordinate amount of time slaughtering while âaliensââŚwell, if you know the original trilogyâs lore, then you know what that refers to. There arenât currently any cyborgs in the game.
Perhaps a tease for the future, especially as Bungie further expands on the lore and whatever awaits in the Marathon? Time will tell. Season 2: NIGHTFALL is still a ways off, kicking off in June and introducing a new setting for Dire Marsh. It will also include new weapons, Contracts, mods, cores, Runner Shell, and The Cradle for further customization.

