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Bungie confirmed plans to make the current Season 1 Reward Pass feel more valuable for Marathon players by revealing new Runner Shell skins and other additions coming in April. Despite the rocky development cycle, Marathon has seemingly found its footing in 2026 thanks to a much more well-received Server Slam compared to last year's Alpha Test. The extra time has seemingly done the game good and while the experience isn't perfect, Marathon already seems to have found a passionate base of players.
After launching on March 5, the experience still hasn't been perfect, though Bungie has seemingly been quick to try and address issues that players have reported. In fact, the Server Slam test saw most players criticize the game's UI over readability issues. On the opposite end of the spectrum, fans have seemingly taken to the fact that Marathon has seemingly learned lessons from Destiny 2's microtransactions and won't charge for seasonal content, offer items that unlock content, or expire any Reward Passes after the season has ended. Even with the reduced FOMO elements, players have still noted some issues with Marathon's microtransactions.
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One particular issue that has continued to be brought up is just how unremarkable the Season 1 Reward Pass is, with many feeling the value of what is earned for the price it is being offered isn't worth it. Bungie has already moved quickly to address this particular feedback, previously announcing that the studio planned to make improvements and add more value to the things players can purchase, including the Reward Pass. The first step of that process was to fix Marathon's premium currency value, as previously buying a $10 pack of LUX would only grant 1,100, which wasn't enough to purchase a cosmetic skin at 1,120 and forcing players to buy more. Now, $10 will give the correct amount of 1,120 LUX and anyone who purchased a pack previously will be gifted another 20 LUX as compensation.
The second part of that plan was just announced over social media, where Bungie reveals how it plans to make the Season 1 Reward Pass feel more valuable. Previously, only 1 runner skin was available on the Premium track, the Achromatic Rush skin for the Vandal. After an update in April, the Thief, Assassin, Destroyer are getting new Runner Shell styles within the Premium track, while a Recon Runner Shell style is being added to the free track. Specifically, they appear to use the same monochrome stylings seen in the Vandal skin, being mostly black in color with patches of white here and there. To help balance the free rewards, Bungie is also adding a WSTR Shotgun Style and a Profile Emblem, both of which will also be added to the game during a midseason update in April.
However, that wasn't all that Bungie confirmed as players will have more ways to earn new cosmetics for the various Marathon Runner Shells simply by playing. The Disciples of Arachne Shell Styles are being readied for an upcoming update to Marathon and will be earned through the Codex. Bungie also gave players an early look at the skin design, showing Triage sporting a mix of black, white, and red, with just a hint of purple.
Image via Bungie
Reaction to the reveal appears to be pretty positive, though it'll be interesting to see if this change helps quell the current review bombing campaign Marathon is experiencing. While the UI and microtransaction issues were mentioned, others have complained that Marathon feels "too sweaty" with a fast time to kill and not being very friendly to casual players, while some have highlighted performance-related problems. There are even those Destiny 2 fans who remain disillusioned and ignored by Bungie after Shadow and Order was delayed and no roadmap of content for 2026 was provided.
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