The release of Marathon, the upcoming extraction shooter by iconic development studio Bungie, is just over the horizon. With this exciting date approaching, an open beta has finally been announced, which the developers are calling a server slam.
The open beta will run from Feb. 26 to March 2, which cuts it extremely close to Marathon’s release date on March 5. While the open beta obviously gives a chance for players across all platforms to test out Marathon, Bungie is also providing special rewards for anyone that participates.
How to earn rewards in Marathon’s open beta
To earn all the available awards during the server slam, players will simply need to play, complete missions, and level up. The final rewards are unlocked at Level 30, which could mean a significant time investment depending on how difficult it is to grind levels.
| Open Beta Mission / Level Threshold | Rewards |
|---|---|
| Introduction Mission | Unique Emblem and Player Background |
| Complete First Mission | Standard Arrival Cache: (Standard implants (6x), Standard Runner shell cores (4x), Standard weapon chip mods (6x), Weapons: Overrun and Hardline) |
| Reach Runner Level 10 | Enhanced Arrival Cache (Green): Enhanced implants (6x), Enhanced Runner shell cores (2x for each shell, 12x total), Enhanced weapon chip mods (4x), Weapons: Enhanced Magnum and Enhanced Hardline) |
| Reach Runner Level 30 | Deluxe Arrival Cache (Blue): Deluxe and Enhanced implants (3x each, 6x total), Deluxe and Enhanced Runner shell cores (1x each for each shell, 12x total), Deluxe and Enhanced weapon chip mods (2x each, 4x total), Weapons: Deluxe Magnum and Enhanced Volley Rifle, Backpack: Deluxe Base Backpack) |
How to play the Marathon open beta
The open beta will be available to all players on the current generation of PlayStation and Xbox, as well as on PC. While players will be able to try the game out for size without forking over any cash just yet, they won’t be accessing the entire game.
What content will be available in Marathon’s ‘server slam’
According to the official Bungie blog, there will only be two zones available, Perimeter (described as “an edge-site expansion on the colony’s outskirts”) and Dire Marsh (“the colony’s agricultural research hub”). Inside these maps, players can take contracts for five factions, each of which will have their own progression tree and early levels. The factions are CyberAcme, NuCaloric, Traxus, MIDA, and Arachne.
Five Runner shells will be available, alongside the solo scavenger experience Rook. These Runners are Destroyer, Recon, Vandal, Triage, and Assassin. Mysteriously, the Thief Runner shell won’t be available in the open beta.
While the open beta is cutting it a little close to release, the game does look promising to fans of extraction shooters, and being able to earn rewards before launch is just the cherry on top.
