Marathon Season 2 Guide: Nightfall Reset, and What Carries Over on June 2nd

Marathon Season 2: Nightfall is shaping up to be far more than a standard seasonal reset. Alongside the June 2nd wipe, Bungie is introducing major progression changes, experimental PvE modes, new ranked rewards, the Night Marsh zone, and some of the biggest gameplay adjustments Marathon has seen since launch. Whether you’re trying to maximize your final days of Season 1 or prepare for the reset itself, there’s a lot changing heading into Nightfall.

In this guide, we’ll cover:

• Marathon Season 2 release date and reset details
• Everything that gets wiped and what carries over into Nightfall
• The best things to do before the June 2nd season reset
• Update 1.0.9 changes, guaranteed events, and loot buffs
• Cryo Archive availability, ranked finale details, and free Sponsored Kits
• The Compromised Key rework and new Deluxe Key drops
• Ranked rewards, weapon styles, and Season 2 Sponsored Kits
• Bungie’s new PvE-focused experimental modes and Duos playlists
• The Night Marsh zone, Sentinel Runner Shell, and The Cradle system
• Faster faction progression changes and Bungie’s plans for Marathon’s future

Marathon Season 2 Release Date

Marathon Season 2: Nightfall launches on June 2nd alongside the game’s first full seasonal reset. If you have unspent Credits, stored packages, or gear sitting in your vault, now is the time to use them.

The Season 1 Finale: Update 1.0.9

Update 1.0.9 turns the final days of Season 1 into what the community has taken to calling a “Lootpalooza.” The update cranks up reward frequency across the board, giving players far more chances to farm high-value gear before the reset hits.

Guaranteed Map Events and Keys

For the remainder of the season, Wardens now drop locked room keys on every run, and the following map events will occur consistently:

• Intercepts
• Lockdowns
• Warden Spawns
• Convoys
• Anomalies

This means consistently reliable access to high-tier loot if you can clear the encounters.

Increased UESC Presence

The uptick in runner activity has triggered a security escalation across Tau Ceti IV. Expect higher enemy density throughout maps, new Warden encounter points at various points of interest, and increased aerial activity. UESC dropship flyovers and crash sites on the Perimeter offer new opportunities to grab high-value supplies, though the UESC has deployed additional countermeasures to shut those runs down.

Rook Stealth Buffs

The Rook shell is receiving a utility upgrade. Signal Mask now stays active longer while sprinting, and the detection range for footstep noise while masked has been reduced. Avoiding UESC detection is meaningfully more viable now, which makes Rook a stronger pick heading into the final stretch.

Key Template Overhaul

Key templates are shifting from “Fragile” to “Compromised.” Instead of being destroyed when a runner goes down, Compromised keys can now be charged by collecting Matter Fixatives from commanders and other elite enemies. This change rewards aggressive play and discourages passive camping. Compromised keys can also be looted from defeated rival crews, and Deluxe keys now have a chance to drop from any wall safe on the map.

Cryo Archive and Ranked Finale

Daily Access and Sponsored Kits

Starting May 21st, the Cryo Archive is available every day until the June 2nd reset. To take some of the sting out of entering what players have affectionately called the “Lose Everything Factory,” a free Cryo Archive Sponsored Kit will land in your in-game mailbox daily during this period. It’s a decent window to attempt the Compiler without burning your best gear.

Ranked Grand Closure

A special Ranked version of the Cryo Archive will serve as the Season 1 ranked finale, running from May 24th at 10:00 a.m. Pacific to May 28th. The standard version of Cryo Archive will be offline during this window.

Ranked entry requirements:

• Runner Level: 25
• Low Stakes Loadout: 3,000 value
• High Stakes Loadout: 10,000 value

The Seasonal Reset: What Carries Over Into Nightfall?

Almost everything tied to progression and physical inventory will be wiped when Nightfall begins on June 2nd. The season reset is designed to place all players back on equal footing before new content drops.

What Gets Reset

• Runner and ranked levels
• Faction Level and associated upgrades
• Credits and standard currencies
• All items in Inventory and Vault
• All items, rewards, and messages in the Mailbox
• Unclaimed reward packages from Factions or the Codex

What Persists

• Achievements
• Cosmetics — styles, titles, and emblems are permanent. Any unclaimed earned cosmetics will be automatically added to your account
• Reward Pass progress carries over into Season 2
• Faction Access — previously unlocked factions remain accessible with no need to repeat liaison contracts
• Lux and Silk are exceptions to the currency wipe and carry over unaffected
• Codex challenge progress (excluding levels) and combat feats remain
• Permanent sub-routines carry over — players who unlocked access to things like Vault 6 retain that progress, though physical keys still need to be reacquired

What You Should Do Before June 2nd

• Spend all Credits — they reset to zero
• Open every stored package and mailbox item before the cutoff
• Use your best weapons now instead of hoarding them
• Push to Runner Level 75 to secure all four tiers of Season 2 Sponsored Kits
• Farm Cryo Archive daily while access is open

Ranked Rewards and Season 2 Sponsored Kits

Rank Emblems and Titles

Rewards are based on the highest rank you reached during Season 1. Rank emblems are not additive — reaching Diamond earns you the Diamond emblem only, not every tier below it. Ranked titles work differently: a title like “Gilded Survivor” earned in Season 1 can be used in Season 2, but you’ll need to reach Gold again to keep it for Season 3.

Weapon Styles

Specific ranks unlock permanent weapon cosmetics:

Gold runners unlock the Collection Pack “Destroyer” Shell Style at Gold III, Platinum runners receive the Toolkit Stryder M1T Weapon Style at Platinum I, Diamond runners get the “Bully” SMG weapon style at Diamond I, and Pinnacle runners earn the Animated Repeater Skin alongside the Ascendant Survivor title at Pinnacle I.

Season 2 Sponsored Kits

Your final Runner Level in Season 1 determines what you receive at the start of Nightfall via the Codex. These rewards are additive — hitting the highest level earns you all four Cyber-Acme Sponsored Kits, not just the top one. Runner Level 75 secures the Superior tier kit and everything below it.

Bungie Is Expanding Marathon Beyond Hardcore Extraction

Bungie clearly wants Marathon to appeal to more than hardcore extraction fans.

According to Game Director Joe Ziegler, Season 2 is about supporting different intensity levels instead of forcing every session into high-stakes PvPvE. The developers acknowledged that constant extraction tension can become mentally draining over long sessions — and Season 2 is Bungie’s attempt to address that directly.

Lower-pressure options are coming for players who want Marathon’s world and gunplay without the constant threat of losing everything. Competitive extraction isn’t going anywhere. But Season 2 feels like Bungie admitting the original extraction-only formula was too narrow.

New Experimental PvE Modes

Season 2 introduces two experimental modes aimed at testing entirely new ways to play.

The first launches with Season 2 and focuses primarily on PvE while keeping a lighter layer of PvP interaction. Bungie hasn’t detailed the full mechanics yet, but the mode is expected to offer a less aggressive environment for players who want Marathon’s survival and looting systems without constant rival crew pressure.

Later in the season, a full cooperative PvE mode follows. Instead of the standard extract structure, this version centers on crews completing larger objectives together across multiple matches.

If these modes support vendor progression, players may be able to level up and gather resources at lower risk before entering main extraction queues. That changes the on-ramp for new players considerably.

Experimental Duos Are Returning

Bungie also confirmed that experimental Duos playlists will return during Season 2 after seeing strong engagement in earlier tests.

This matters for players who felt stuck between solo play and full three-player squads during Season 1. Duos offer a middle ground — fewer chaotic three-way fights, but still enough tension and teamwork to feel like Marathon. Combined with the new PvE options, Season 2 is shaping up to support more distinct ways to engage with the game than Season 1 ever did.

Bungie Is Trying To Reduce the Gear Gap

One of the major goals behind faster progression in Season 2 is closing the gear gap that widened throughout Season 1.

As the season went on, newer and casual players increasingly struggled to compete against fully geared veteran runners. Bungie’s faction progression buffs are designed to shorten the grind, improve mid-game pacing, and make it easier for returning players to re-enter without immediately feeling outmatched.

The experimental PvE modes also contribute to this. If players can safely level vendors and learn maps before entering high-stakes queues, Marathon becomes far more approachable. That’s the loop Bungie appears to be building toward.

Marathon’s Future Could Include More PvP and Genre Experiments

Bungie has also hinted at expanding experimental playlists beyond PvE. The developers discussed the possibility of more focused PvP experiences down the line — modes that edge toward arena shooter or battle royale territory. Nothing beyond Season 2 is confirmed, but Bungie stated that successful playlists could eventually become permanent. It’s a broader vision than what Marathon launched with, and Season 2 is how they start testing it.

Preview: Season 2 Nightfall

Season 2 launches June 2nd with a solid injection of new content.

Season 1 drew complaints about progression pace, limited build depth, and a one-size-fits-all intensity level. Nightfall appears to be Bungie’s direct response to most of those. New environments, a proper build customization system, faster leveling, and experimental modes all land together.

New Zone: Night Marsh

The new Night Marsh zone is a nighttime variant of Dire Marsh, and it leans hard into darkness gameplay. Expect black skies, long stretches of near-zero visibility between lit points of interest, and a horror-adjacent atmosphere that makes standard Dire Marsh feel tame by comparison. Glowing POIs mark where the valuable loot concentrates, but navigating the dark stretches between them is where runners will make or break their runs.

The Cradle

A new system that lets players customize runner shell stats for the first time. This is the biggest mechanical addition of the season — it adds a layer of build depth that the base game was missing and pairs directly with the new Sentinel shell.

New Runner Shell: Sentinel

Season 2 introduces a brand-new Runner Shell called Sentinel. Bungie hasn’t fully detailed its toolkit yet, but Sentinel is one of the headline additions of Nightfall alongside The Cradle and Night Marsh. The combination of a new shell and stat customization through The Cradle pushes Season 2 significantly further toward build specialization and playstyle experimentation than anything Season 1 offered.

Additional Content

• An expanded weapon arsenal
• Faster faction progression with increased faction experience gains — especially important given how aggressively the mid-game grind slowed down during Season 1
• Quality-of-life updates based on player feedback

Full reveals for Season 2’s specific mechanics are expected during the week of May 25th.