Marathon Fans Gear Up to Take Down 500 Million Robots, But Progress Is Slower Than Anticipated

We know that Marathon’s new Cryo Archive map is on the way, but the exact timing remains a mystery. This end-game “pinnacle” activity is set to be significantly tougher than anything players have encountered on Tau Ceti IV so far, and accessing it isn’t as straightforward as just picking it from a menu. Currently, the new area is locked until players complete an ARG, which involves taking down a staggering 500 million UESC security forces across all gameplay sessions.

There’s a really cool website tracking the community’s progress, and as of now, the “kill count” stands at 315,093,135. That leaves just under 185 million more enemies to eliminate. This total reflects the progress made since the game’s launch on March 5, suggesting that reaching the goal could take several more days, likely extending beyond the weekend when fans had hoped to see Cryo Archive go live.

A conservative estimate indicates that, at the current kill rate, it might take another week to trigger the update. It’s possible that the community event was designed with a larger player base in mind at launch, or perhaps the developers have some surprises in store as the weekend approaches.

Could UESC forces increase their presence across maps, pushing players to eliminate more of them? Or maybe new contracts will encourage a more aggressive approach to taking down bots. Since players are the most formidable foes in Marathon, encounters with UESC forces are typically brief to avoid unwanted attention.

If this sounds a bit like Helldivers 2’s evolving galactic warfare, you’re not wrong. The experience of logging in and being tasked with eliminating millions of bugs or automatons to reclaim a planet has become a familiar routine for that extraction shooter’s community.

While the developers claim to let events unfold organically, Helldivers’ quasi-Dungeon Master has been known to influence the outcome. It will be interesting to see if Marathon takes a similar approach. Either way, I know exactly how I’m spending my evening.