TheRetroArcade
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Posts: 2,021
Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
Loot and extract alive to make it big on Tau Ceti.
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I'll admit, I was sceptical of Marathon's Ranked mode at first. How do you even make a proper competitive system in an extraction shooter, where a win and a loss aren't quite so easily defined? Well, Bungie's done it. Though to get it all to work, it's quite complicated.
You earn and lose points to go up and down ranks as you'd expect, but there are a lot more layers on top, with new systems like Holotags, gear ante, and matchmaking pools. But with unique seasonal Ranked rewards up for grabs, you'll want to know how it all works. One thing's for sure, you'll want the best guns in your hands and characters in your crew to improve your odds.
Firstly, Marathon's Ranked mode is only available on the weekends, and you must be level 25+. Each weekend, a different planet-side map will be spotlighted, so Perimeter, Dire Marsh, or Outpost—no Cryo Archives, thankfully.
Importantly, all team sizes are matched together in Ranked. What this means is that if you're a solo player, you can be put in matches against three-player groups, unlike the standard solo queue. As you can imagine, that makes it much harder as a solo.
There are six ranks, each with three tiers to progress through:
It's quite complicated, so here are the basics:
You need to meet certain gear values to even enter a Ranked match (no free loadouts), and this dictates your queue type
You must have a Holotag, which determines your team's score target during a match
Loot enough to meet your target and extract to gain rank, or die and lose rank
The higher tier your team's Holotags, the more Ranked Points you stand to earn but the harder the challenge
When you queue for Ranked, you'll have two matchmaking options: Low Stakes and High Stakes. These are two entirely separate queues based on your minimum 'gear ante', which is the value of your equipped gear when entering a match. You can see your current loadout value in the loadout or ready-up screen.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Low Stakes:
High Stakes:
A 3,000 gear ante equates to roughly a set of green gear with a few blues in the mix, while a 10,000 gear ante is equivalent to multiple blue and purple items. This includes consumables, just saying. In other words, it can get quite pricey to compete in Ranked, though...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.
You are now subscribed
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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!
I'll admit, I was sceptical of Marathon's Ranked mode at first. How do you even make a proper competitive system in an extraction shooter, where a win and a loss aren't quite so easily defined? Well, Bungie's done it. Though to get it all to work, it's quite complicated.
You earn and lose points to go up and down ranks as you'd expect, but there are a lot more layers on top, with new systems like Holotags, gear ante, and matchmaking pools. But with unique seasonal Ranked rewards up for grabs, you'll want to know how it all works. One thing's for sure, you'll want the best guns in your hands and characters in your crew to improve your odds.
Firstly, Marathon's Ranked mode is only available on the weekends, and you must be level 25+. Each weekend, a different planet-side map will be spotlighted, so Perimeter, Dire Marsh, or Outpost—no Cryo Archives, thankfully.
Importantly, all team sizes are matched together in Ranked. What this means is that if you're a solo player, you can be put in matches against three-player groups, unlike the standard solo queue. As you can imagine, that makes it much harder as a solo.
There are six ranks, each with three tiers to progress through:
It's quite complicated, so here are the basics:
You need to meet certain gear values to even enter a Ranked match (no free loadouts), and this dictates your queue type
You must have a Holotag, which determines your team's score target during a match
Loot enough to meet your target and extract to gain rank, or die and lose rank
The higher tier your team's Holotags, the more Ranked Points you stand to earn but the harder the challenge
When you queue for Ranked, you'll have two matchmaking options: Low Stakes and High Stakes. These are two entirely separate queues based on your minimum 'gear ante', which is the value of your equipped gear when entering a match. You can see your current loadout value in the loadout or ready-up screen.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Low Stakes:
High Stakes:
A 3,000 gear ante equates to roughly a set of green gear with a few blues in the mix, while a 10,000 gear ante is equivalent to multiple blue and purple items. This includes consumables, just saying. In other words, it can get quite pricey to compete in Ranked, though...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?