Marathon day two check-in: Into the Outpost, an overpowered shotgun, and why I love doors

Welcome back runners. Are we calling each other runners? Honestly, let's not. What's up people playing Marathon. I've sunk 10 hours into this dang extraction shooter so far and the deeper I dig this hole, the more I'm into it.

I'm still having a blast with PvP, especially when playing trios. During the day, when friends with real jobs are at work, I'm rolling mostly solo to replenish my basic bartering goods. There's a lot more sneaking around in solo matches—crouch walking through compounds, knifing bots in the back, and entering buildings through windows when possible. I'm now noticing little touches in the solo experience that feel like a deliberate response to how these stealth scenarios can often play out in other games.

Take doors: opening one makes a loud "thud" no matter how you slice it. There's usually no way around opening at least one or two if you're the first one to a compound. I'm learning it's smart to close exterior doors behind you, because it then forces anyone trying to sneak in to announce their presence. It's a nice, thought-out dynamic that gives the proactive looter a solid chance against rats.

A few other observations from day two:

Outpost

Holy hell, this third map is something else. Outpost is the map we couldn't play in the server slam. It unlocks at level 12, and I suggest you go into your first time with a 3-stack. Its overall footprint is smaller than Dire Marsh and Perimeter, but that's because the whole thing is one giant compound surrounded on all sides by walls, containers, and UESC patrols. It's a trip.

Outpost is also the only current location with a map-wide hazard: "anti-organic" phosphorus-like barrages periodically coat everything exposed to the sky. Running through it drains health.

I've yet to thoroughly explore the sub-compounds of Outpost, but it's clear that Vandal's double jump will come in handy here. Lots of verticality, lots of cover, lots of options. If you've played Arc Raiders, this is totally Marathon's Stella Montis. Close-quarters, chaotic, and bloodthirsty.

Maybe this shotgun is a bit much

What I like about Marathon's short time-to-kill (at least at this early stage where few people have meaty shields) is that lopsided fights aren't all that daunting. Hit your headshots, take enemies by surprise, and you can turn a 1v3 into a 1v0.

I managed it for the first time last night with the help of Thief's grapple hook and the double-barrel shotgun. PLEASE IGNORE THE MOMENT I ALMOST BUNGLED THE FIGHT BY HITTING MY MAP KEY—YOU DID NOT SEE THAT PART.

As much as I'd like to chalk up the turnaround to quick thinking, the shotgun did a lot of the work. This thing has been a PvP problem solver since the Server Slam, and it's no coincidence that I keep seeing it popping up in clips online. A single blast at point-blank is enough to down a player at full health and grey shields, and I haven't yet decided if that's absurd, or in line with how relatively uncommon the gun is and expensive its MIPs ammo.

Let the ARGs begin

In case you missed it, the Marathon community uncovered a puzzle that's seemingly leading toward Cryo Archive—the mystery fourth map that Bungie says will be similar to a Destiny raid. Terminals that were previously offline on Perimeter have come online and they're spewing creepy audio logs by Durandal, the rampant AI from the original Marathon games.

I know I'm late to the party having not played Destiny all these years, but this is pretty fun, huh? I didn't realize until recently how well Bungie's brand of marginal storytelling gels with the extraction shooter. The presence of these secrets is almost like introducing another type of quest: Are you going on a supply run, completing a contract, or hunting for secrets?

I'll check back in on Monday after a nice full weekend on Tau Ceti.