TheRetroArcade
Veteran
Posts: 1,975
Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
Make love, not war.
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
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
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!
A lot of the discussion around Marathon has been its emphasis on PvP. It couldn't be more polar opposite to Arc Raiders, where most matches feel like friendly walks in the park as everyone puts down their weapons and starts collecting mushrooms, toasters, and whatever else in unison. If you see another player on Tau Ceti, though, it's shoot first, ask questions later.
Well, that was the thinking pre-release, at least. In just a few matches since launch, I've already:
Honestly, I thought these small feats alone were impossible. But then I came across Reddit user Punk Saint's post in which almost their whole lobby chose peace and extracted together. And yes, there's proof—I wouldn't have believed it otherwise. "People just kept joining and coming over, [but] nobody shot anyone," they explain.
That many players with their guard down near an extract? I'm surprised no one attempted to murder everyone with a well-placed grenade. I think I would have tested what I could get away with.
While Marathon is noticeably more violent and PvP-focused than Arc Raiders, perhaps the 'make love, not war' sentiment is starting to spread somewhat. Right now, we're all out here just trying to complete some quests, no? When I'm looking for a terminal or specific item for a contract, I'm not bringing in my best guns and whatnot, and I'm not going out of my way to cause trouble for myself. In other words, avoiding bloodshed and perhaps even working together is often the winning strategy.
As players complete the available contracts and become more focused on getting and holding onto high-end gear, it'll be interesting to see whether the little friendliness we're seeing now disappears.
Marathon best weapons tier list: Our top picksMarathon roadmap: What's comingMarathon Lockbox Keys: How to get 'emMarathon upgrades: Which to pickIntroducing NuCaloric: Grab the employee IDIntroducing Traxus: Find the terminal
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Rory has made the fatal error of playing way too many live service games at once, and somehow still finding time for everything in between. Sure, he’s an expert at Destiny 2, Call of Duty, and more, but at what cost? He’s even sunk 1,000 hours into The Elder Scrolls Online over the years. At least he put all those hours spent grinding challenge...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
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
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!
A lot of the discussion around Marathon has been its emphasis on PvP. It couldn't be more polar opposite to Arc Raiders, where most matches feel like friendly walks in the park as everyone puts down their weapons and starts collecting mushrooms, toasters, and whatever else in unison. If you see another player on Tau Ceti, though, it's shoot first, ask questions later.
Well, that was the thinking pre-release, at least. In just a few matches since launch, I've already:
Honestly, I thought these small feats alone were impossible. But then I came across Reddit user Punk Saint's post in which almost their whole lobby chose peace and extracted together. And yes, there's proof—I wouldn't have believed it otherwise. "People just kept joining and coming over, [but] nobody shot anyone," they explain.
That many players with their guard down near an extract? I'm surprised no one attempted to murder everyone with a well-placed grenade. I think I would have tested what I could get away with.
While Marathon is noticeably more violent and PvP-focused than Arc Raiders, perhaps the 'make love, not war' sentiment is starting to spread somewhat. Right now, we're all out here just trying to complete some quests, no? When I'm looking for a terminal or specific item for a contract, I'm not bringing in my best guns and whatnot, and I'm not going out of my way to cause trouble for myself. In other words, avoiding bloodshed and perhaps even working together is often the winning strategy.
As players complete the available contracts and become more focused on getting and holding onto high-end gear, it'll be interesting to see whether the little friendliness we're seeing now disappears.
Marathon best weapons tier list: Our top picksMarathon roadmap: What's comingMarathon Lockbox Keys: How to get 'emMarathon upgrades: Which to pickIntroducing NuCaloric: Grab the employee IDIntroducing Traxus: Find the terminal
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Rory has made the fatal error of playing way too many live service games at once, and somehow still finding time for everything in between. Sure, he’s an expert at Destiny 2, Call of Duty, and more, but at what cost? He’s even sunk 1,000 hours into The Elder Scrolls Online over the years. At least he put all those hours spent grinding challenge...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?