Is Marathon's time-to-kill too fast, or am I too Arc Raiders-pilled?

Is Marathon’s time-to-kill too fast, or am I too Arc Raiders-pilled? | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these Third Person Shooter Embark’s plans to rework Arc Raiders’ account-wiping Expeditions: ‘We didn’t have time to shift the system to what we intend to do next’ Third Person Shooter Embark explains why it jacked up the cost of crafting Wolfpacks in Arc Raiders, concedes some players aren’t happy about it FPS If you’re hoping to make friends in Marathon like you can in Arc Raiders, expect a knife in the back FPS Hours before its open preview weekend, Marathon is suddenly very close to the top of Steam’s top sellers list Third Person Shooter The latest Arc Raiders patch makes Rocketeers way more important Third Person Shooter Embark admits Arc Raiders’ bosses are dying too fast because ‘they’re not intended for the full server to go up against’ and ‘we gave players too effective abilities’ Third Person Shooter Arc Raiders design director says players ‘never worked together’ in testing, but the emergence of care bear lobbies ‘encourages us to lean toward giving opportunities to have friendly interactions’ Third Person Shooter Arc Raiders full interview: ‘Nobody whatsoever thought we’d have this many players’ FPS If your mouse input is totally busted in Marathon right now, I may have the fix Third Person Shooter Arc Raiders’ matchmaking isn’t ‘binary’, says design lead: ‘There’s no such thing as a friendly lobby or an aggressive lobby’ FPS The many-boxed roadmap represents everything I hate about shooters right now FPS Marathon: Everything we know about Bungie’s sci-fi extraction shooter Third Person Shooter Arc Raiders promises severe repercussions for cheating after Marathon twisted the knife on its recent woes: ‘Serious infractions now carry stricter consequences’ FPS Marathon briefly censors ‘Arc Raiders’ in chat, just like Activision and EA did, and it was probably another accident because it was quickly and quietly fixed FPS ‘An absolute eyesore’: Marathon’s biggest issue seems to be its poor UI design that’s confusing players, ‘I have no idea where I’m at, what I’m looking at’ PopularNEW: PC Gamer Clips!Resident EvilArc RaidersBest PC gearGame Quizzes Games FPS Marathon Is Marathon’s time-to-kill too fast, or am I too Arc Raiders-pilled? Features By Morgan Park published 27 February 2026 I’m finally embracing what Marathon is actually going for. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Bungie) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter PC Gamer Get the PC Gamer Newsletter Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday GamesRadar+ Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you’re going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Signup + Every Thursday GTA 6 O’clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O’clock experts. Signup + Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what’s on the horizon. Signup + Every Thursday The Setup Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more. Signup + Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo’s new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play. Signup + Every Saturday The Watchlist Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we’ve got you covered. Signup + Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter MORGAN PARK, STAFF WRITER (Image credit: Future)This week: Finished the original Mass Effect for the first time ever, and wished I liked it more.I have to grapple with the fact that, when it comes to extraction shooters, I’ve developed Arc Raiders tunnel vision.In 24 hours with the Marathon server slam, I keep catching myself expecting Bungie to do things the same way as Embark, because who wouldn’t want to imitate the game that’s officially taken the genre mainstream? I want Arc Raiders’ overgenerous free loadouts, I want its easy-to-avoid drone enemies, I want its friendly lobbies.Approaching Marathon with that mindset was a recipe for a rough first day: a lot of squad wipes, unforced errors against UESC bots, and confusion around its buildcrafting that’s descended from MMO-lites like Destiny. I kept getting frustrated by Marathon’s time-to-kill, which is wicked fast if you’ve just come off of 100 hours of Arc Raiders. With most guns, you need less than a magazine to down players from full health. Related articles If you’re hoping to make friends in Marathon like you can in Arc Raiders, expect a knife in the back Marathon’s free loadout option will have limitations that some Arc Raiders fans keep asking Embark for Marathon’s creative director says Bungie ‘wanted to push the boundaries of what an extraction shooter can do with its story’ as it goes head to head with Arc Raiders’ evolving world That pissed me off at first. I had this scandalized reaction that Marathon shouldn’t be the sort of game where the squad that spots the other squad first can open the fight with a free kill and push that advantage. But now that I’ve played some matches with friends on mic and deployed basic communication and tactics, I see the vision. We’re taking encounters slower, jogging more often t