TheRetroArcade
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Posts: 1,989
Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
More mid-week crashouts are on the menu.
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Marathon's endgame is great. There's the intense PvPvE puzzling of Cryo Archive, including a boss fight against the Compiler for unique gear, and then there's Ranked, which gives you the chance to loot and shoot your way up the ladder.
While the endgame systems are expertly designed, it's been far from simple to access them so far, with both Cryo Archive and Ranked being weekend-only affairs, give or take a day or two. In other words, if you couldn't play on the weekend, you'd miss out. And even if you could, you'd have basically been forced to pick one or the other. On the one hand, it made sense since both modes inevitably saw you emptying out the vault you'd built up throughout the week. On the other hand, it's an awkward schedule.
"We’ve heard your feedback," Bungie states in a post on X, "having Ranked and Cryo Archive overlap can make it difficult to decide where to spend your time and hard-earned loot."
With this in mind, Bungie is changing the schedule for both modes ahead of their second appearance:
As you can see, there's no overlap between the modes anymore and Ranked is largely a mid-week affair. Is it perfect? No, but it's an improvement, and Bungie admits this change likely still won't solve all the frustrations: "We know that no schedule is perfect, but we're here to listen and learn! As we see how this lands, we'll continue to keep your feedback in mind as we make any future adjustments."
Maybe I'm not thinking with my game developer 'optimise for engagement' brain, but I do wonder whether it's worth simply having Ranked permanently available, and only Cryo Archive being a weekly 'event', so to speak. It would certainly ease pressure on the tight schedule. And with the lower entry requirements to this mode, it still gives you a chance to gear up for Cryo Archive if you wish, or stick to grinding competitive if that's more your cup of tea. Is that not the best of both worlds for players?
Marathon best weapons tier list: Our top picksMarathon best characters tier list: Top Runner ShellsMarathon Ranked: More risk, more rewardMarathon roadmap: What's comingMarathon Lockbox Keys: How to get 'emMarathon upgrades: Which to pickMarathon DCON locations: Contract dropboxes
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Rory has made the fat...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
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Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
Marathon's endgame is great. There's the intense PvPvE puzzling of Cryo Archive, including a boss fight against the Compiler for unique gear, and then there's Ranked, which gives you the chance to loot and shoot your way up the ladder.
While the endgame systems are expertly designed, it's been far from simple to access them so far, with both Cryo Archive and Ranked being weekend-only affairs, give or take a day or two. In other words, if you couldn't play on the weekend, you'd miss out. And even if you could, you'd have basically been forced to pick one or the other. On the one hand, it made sense since both modes inevitably saw you emptying out the vault you'd built up throughout the week. On the other hand, it's an awkward schedule.
"We’ve heard your feedback," Bungie states in a post on X, "having Ranked and Cryo Archive overlap can make it difficult to decide where to spend your time and hard-earned loot."
With this in mind, Bungie is changing the schedule for both modes ahead of their second appearance:
As you can see, there's no overlap between the modes anymore and Ranked is largely a mid-week affair. Is it perfect? No, but it's an improvement, and Bungie admits this change likely still won't solve all the frustrations: "We know that no schedule is perfect, but we're here to listen and learn! As we see how this lands, we'll continue to keep your feedback in mind as we make any future adjustments."
Maybe I'm not thinking with my game developer 'optimise for engagement' brain, but I do wonder whether it's worth simply having Ranked permanently available, and only Cryo Archive being a weekly 'event', so to speak. It would certainly ease pressure on the tight schedule. And with the lower entry requirements to this mode, it still gives you a chance to gear up for Cryo Archive if you wish, or stick to grinding competitive if that's more your cup of tea. Is that not the best of both worlds for players?
Marathon best weapons tier list: Our top picksMarathon best characters tier list: Top Runner ShellsMarathon Ranked: More risk, more rewardMarathon roadmap: What's comingMarathon Lockbox Keys: How to get 'emMarathon upgrades: Which to pickMarathon DCON locations: Contract dropboxes
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Rory has made the fat...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?