Welcome to Marathon — Bungie's latest extraction shooter is live with 88k peak players and ranked mode coming soon. Here's your essential starter guide.
**Pick VandalCombat First** — Start with Vandal shell for your first matches. Double Jump lets you escape bad situations vertically, Combat Flow boosts speed after kills, and 150/35 HP/Shield is forgiving. Vandal ranks A-tier in both solo and squad ranked play.
Core Weapon Loadout — M77 Assault RifleAR with Barrel Mod extends range to Long — this is the highest-impact ranked mod combination. Pair with CE Tactical SidearmPistol for backup. Light Rounds are common, making ammo management easier.
Essential Mods to Learn — Barrel Mod on M77 creates the top ranked configuration. Magazine Mod increases capacity on SMGs and shotguns for ranked firefights. Chip Mod provides core performance boosts — always prioritize higher rarity in ranked for stronger baseline stats.
Ranked Preparation — Holotags set your extraction score target. Death means losing both gear AND rank points. Practice extraction routes now before ranked launches. Vandal's mobility helps hit Holotag targets and escape safely.
Avoid Common Mistakes — Don't use RookFlex Pistol in ranked — it's underpowered. TriageSupport ranks D-tier solo but S-tier squad, so avoid solo queue with support shells. Learn map sightlines early — Optics become crucial at Platinum+ for long-range engagement.
Next Steps — Once comfortable with Vandal, consider ThiefStealth for S-tier solo ranked extraction or DestroyerCombat for S-tier squad objective control. Both require more game knowledge but offer specialist advantages in ranked play.
