The next major moment for Marathon arrives today with a new update and the debut of its PvE mode, Vault Breaker - Eurogamer.net

What the report says

Eurogamer reports that Bungie is adding Vault Breaker, an experimental player-versus-environment mode for Marathon, as part of the game’s Season 2 mid-season update arriving today. The mode is being introduced with a new gameplay trailer and will run for a limited two-week period, ending 4 August.

Vault Breaker is described as a separate roguelite-style mode rather than a PvE setting applied to Marathon’s existing modes. It is set on the Cryo Archive map and can be played solo, in pairs or in three-player squads, with no Runner level requirement. Players raid Vaults, fight UESC enemies and decide when to extract as the challenge increases over the course of a run.

Progression inside Vault Breaker is mostly self-contained. Players use Vault Data to improve a Sponsored Kit selected for the mode, since custom player loadouts are not supported there. Gear brought into or earned within Vault Breaker cannot be carried into Marathon’s regular modes, and extracted equipment is converted into Vault Data apart from event currency and rewards. Eurogamer notes one connection to the wider game: Vault Data can also be spent in the Vault Breaker Armory on items and gear usable outside the mode.

The update matters because it marks Bungie’s next notable content beat for Marathon while the studio prepares a fuller PvE mode for Season 3, details of which remain undisclosed. Eurogamer also notes recent turbulence around the project, including director Joe Ziegler’s departure from Bungie and layoffs that affected both Destiny and Marathon developers.