Marathon Reportedly Has Permadeath, Injuries, And Limited Oxygen Supply

A new report about Marathon has revealed potential features of the upcoming multiplayer shooter, including injuries, the match structure, and player customization.

A report from Insider Gaming both unveiled new features and clarified pre-existing knowledge. As previously revealed, Marathon is an extraction shooter a la Escape From Tarkov. You drop in with friends, pick up loot and valuables, complete missions, and attempt to get home before dying. You can queue in by yourself or with up to two other players, but you will still face three-player teams, as well as AI-controlled enemies. After you extract, you can spend earned XP on upgrades.

However, Marathon is a space shooter, so it has some unique features. Every player has a limited supply of oxygen. As soon as you lose all your oxygen, you will begin taking damage. It's imperative to extract before you run out, but you can also find canisters around the map or buy them before heading into a match. You can also get injured, with the location of injuries affecting your abilities. Being shot in the waist can affect your oxygen supply while being concussed will blur your vision.

Marathon also has a perks system that may help mitigate some of these obstacles. These perks will offer things like faster revives, less oxygen usage, and quicker movement in water. You can also pick up more powerful abilities like night vision. According to the report, Bungie is planning for the game to have permadeath, but you will only lose loot like weapons, artifacts, and currency, as well as implants... sometimes. The report contained no further details of what implants are. Perks are never lost.

The report alleges that Bungie has ambitions to make this "the ultimate live service." The team is aiming to have single-digit load times from finalizing your loadout to playing in the game. Bungie is allegedly working on three maps for Marathon, but it is unknown what will be available when the game launches.