Bungie Introduces New Experimental PvE Mode in Upcoming Marathon Update

With Bungie scaling back its work on Destiny 2 and facing significant layoffs, all attention is now on Marathon to sustain the studio’s momentum. Next week, Bungie plans to shake things up in its extraction shooter with a new update introducing an experimental PvE mode called Vault Breaker.

The Marathon version 1.1.5 update, set to launch on July 21, will bring the Vault Breaker mode into play. This new feature will send Runners into the Cryo Archive for a fresh “roguelite PvE experience.” Players will face increasingly challenging Vaults across multiple runs, collecting Vault Data to enhance their Sponsored Kit or to invest in gear at the new Vault Breaker Armory, which offers weapons, items, and more to use in other adventures throughout Tau Ceti. Players can tackle vaults solo, in pairs, or as a full trio.

Here’s how Bungie describes the new mode:

Vault Breakers utilize hit-and-run tactics to master the secrets of the Marathon’s Cryo Archive. They travel light and target the Archive’s many vaults in search of valuable loot and deeper access throughout the deck.

Vault Breakers’ strategic deployments challenge the UESC’s jurisdiction aboard the Marathon—applying constant pressure to defend the zone against Runner incursions. They strike during “quiet” moments—while rival crews are focused on Tau Ceti IV—to keep the UESC off guard and to maneuver with more focus, free of the chaos of a contested zone.

Vault Breaker will be available from July 21 through August 4. A more comprehensive PvE mode for Marathon is on the horizon, expected to launch in season 3.

Marathon is currently playable on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X, with Season 2, Nightfall, in full swing.