Marathon: Here’s What We Learned From Bungie’s Post-Server Slam Feedback

Over the weekend, former Halo and Destiny 2 developer Bungie opened up its upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon, to the public with a “Server Slam” that allowed anyone to hop in and try a limited (but extensive) offering of the game. As the Server Slam comes to a close today, with just a few hours to go until it’s over, Bungie has posted a feedback recap of how it went. 

This recap discusses the real-time changes made to Marathon during the Server Slam as well as some of the possible changes the studio is thinking about implementing in light of the feedback it received over the weekend. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given Bungie’s pedigree and experience in the live-service shooter space, the developer seems quite receptive to feedback and working with the community to improve the upcoming extraction FPS. 

“We’ve learned a lot from you, watched from the shadows as you’ve hit snags or found moments of glory, and taken notes the whole time,” Bungie’s recap post on X reads. “Your input during this time has given us a lot of items to sort through and we’ll be doing just that in the coming days, so thank you.” 

Alrighty, let’s break this recap down, starting with the new topics Bungie is looking into following the Marathon Server Slam. 

Additional Queue Options

Right now, you can queue into Marathon as a Solo player (either as the solo-only Rook shell or as a Runner in a solo lobby), or you can queue into a trio match with one friend or two friends. However, Bungie says it has heard the feedback from players requesting “duo dedicated lobbies.” The studio says this request has been logged and shared with the wider team. 

Unbinding Keys Altogether

Bungie says that, for players, especially those on console, there’s already been a steady feedback loop about the desire not just to rebind a key but also to clear a keybinding option altogether. This desire has been passed along to the wider team as well. 

Feedback Bungie Is Still Tracking On

• PvP Feedback: Bungie is reviewing Runner density on non-beginner maps in light of time-to-kill discussions, and player feedback regarding longer duels and more Runner contact.
• Med and Ammo Economy: Bungie says it is aware that players are using a lot of their early loadout budget on meds, noting that back-to-back fights can chew through meds and ammo reserves quickly, putting players in a tough position for the rest of the run. It says it has also heard from folks both for and against Depleted items, as well as how rewarding (or not) drops from AI enemies are – Bungie says it is keeping a close eye on all of this.
• UI Feedback: As someone who put many hours into the Server Slam this weekend, tracking what others were saying online, the UI and general organization of the menus are probably the biggest pain points in Marathon. Bungie says to keep the feedback coming, noting that it plans to continue iterating post-launch to ensure players can easily navigate menus, read what’s happening mid-fight, manage equipment effectively, and see pings without any noise.
• PC Performance: Bungie says it is digging into reports of high CPU use, low GPU utilization, FPS ceilings in the 80-100 FPS range, and frame hitches when runs get sweaty.
• Movement and Heat Generation: Bungie says it is seeing lots of discussion around slide feel, momentum, and heat, which builds up when sprinting or performing certain actions (and slowly cools down, though it can be sped up when crouching). The studio says the common asks are a smoother slide transition that lets downhill speed carry, and lowering heat on core movement for cleaner chases and disengages. It encourages players to keep the feedback coming regarding these topics. 

Fixes Made During The Marathon Server Slam

Below, we’ll list the fixes to Marathon that developer Bungie made in real time as the Server Slam ran this weekend. 

• In-Run Voice Chat Bug: Bungie says this is fixed, but if you still have issues hearing other players when you’re out on a run (whether that’s your party or other players via proximity chat), double-check your in-game input and output devices in the Social options menu.
• Lobby Size: Early on, players felt fights were too sparse, according to Bungie. It bumped the number of crews loading into Perimeter (Beginner), the easiest map and recommended for new players, to test the higher contact change. Bungie asked for more feedback on this change, adding that it will keep watching non-beginner maps as well.
• Mouse Input Lag on PC: Early in the Marathon Server Slam, some players using streaming/capture software experienced input lag with their mouse. Bungie says a fix was rolled out via Steam and that if it hasn’t been implemented yet, restarting the game should trigger the download.
• Names Changing to “Redacted”: In a bit of an awkward moment this weekend, some players discovered that innocuous terms, like “Arc Raiders,” which is Marathon’s biggest competition in the extraction shooter space, were censored. Bungie says it believes it found the cause of “normal names being changed and has been working all week to address and update things server-side.” 

That wraps up the Marathon Server Slam feedback recap. In the meantime, check out the rewards you will earn in Marathon when it launches on Thursday if you played in the Server Slam this weekend. If you played this weekend, let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below!