Marathon players will soon be able to fight through runs without rival squads hunting them. In its announcement, Bungie said the Symbiosis update arrives December 8 with Expedition, Phase 1 of a new PvE-only mode built around a three-run series. The mode isn't playable yet and goes live for all players when the update launches.
You can play Expedition solo or with a crew, facing new combat and environmental challenges without PvP threats, and Flash Boosts let you shape your build during a run. Bungie hasn't said yet how Flash Boosts are earned, spent or combined. It also hasn't said whether gear, rewards and difficulty will work the same way they do in the main extraction mode.
Expedition is the first concrete step in plans Bungie laid out in September. In a development update, the studio said players wanted more depth, more variety, stronger progression and better long-term reasons to keep playing. It promised permanent PvE in response. Expedition is Phase 1 of that plan. It keeps Marathon's PvE combat and hazards but takes out rival players, which may appeal to people who prefer cooperative encounters over PvP.
The update adds more than Expedition. Deathmatch (Beta) is an experimental PvP mode with short 3v3 Team Deathmatch matches, where two crews compete for points without risking their permanent loadouts. The new Bishop Runner shell is built around the idea of a fast, surgical, blade-wielding robot. New weapons include the V17 Flamethrower and the Maverick revolver. Fungal growth and alien life have transformed the Perimeter zone, opening new areas such as the underground Burrows and the submerged Reservoir. Runners will also face the Tick Queen, who lurks deep beneath the surface.
New players can try the game for free during Open Play Week, which runs December 8–15 alongside the Symbiosis launch.
The open question is whether a PvE mode will bring in players who like Marathon's world and combat but not its PvP pressure. Expedition is only Phase 1, and the real test starts December 8.
