Bungie has added the first proper player-versus-environment mode to Marathon, and it is scheduled to leave the extraction shooter roughly two weeks after it arrived. Vault Breaker went live alongside the game's mid-season 2 update on July 21 and is set to close on August 4.
Bungie detailed the mode in a blog post ahead of the update, pairing it with a teaser trailer, Rock Paper Shotgun reported. Vault Breaker is built as a roguelite. Players infiltrate a location called the Cryo Archive, either solo or in a duo or trio, and work through vaults that grow harder over the course of several runs.
Runs pay out Vault Data, a new currency tied to the mode. It funds upgrades to a unique sponsored kit through a dedicated Vault Breaker armory, and it can also be spent on items and gear outside the mode itself.
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The two-week window is what has drawn the most attention. Bungie has described the mode as experimental, and the short run positions it closer to a test than a permanent fixture. A fuller PvE mode is planned for season 3, though the studio offered no details on that release.
The rest of mid-season 2
The update carries several changes beyond Vault Breaker. The iconography used for implants has been refreshed again, an effort to make items more immediately legible so players can loot and move on. The Cradle gains an evolution system that lets players prestige their stats and unlock runner-style shells.
- The assassin shell can now toggle its invisibility.
- The thief's drone highlights other players.
- A new toggle automatically equips sponsored kits.
Bungie has been iterating on Marathon through seasonal updates since launch. Vault Breaker is the first of those updates to move the game outside its player-versus-player core, even if only briefly.
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