You can also spend money on things that aren't cars, and thus could possibly not want to buy a particular car. You spend your faction rep on upgrades only.

Faction rep isn't spent, it merely unlocks the ability to purchase an upgrade. Purchasing an upgrade costs credits and salvage that could be used to barter in exchange for other items such as weapons, gear, and consumables.

Is buying a car a choice, when you can just buy all of them?

But you can't. You can only earn so much money in life. In game, the exp you can earn is unbounded and you can reach the max required to buy everything.

You can also spend money on things that aren't cars, and thus could possibly not want to buy a particular car. You spend your faction rep on upgrades only.

The faction upgrade trees feel super meaningful, both in terms of leveling up your runners and unlocking vendor stock, and there's a lot of choice for the player to decide what the focus should be.

Is it really a choice, when you can fully upgrade all of them?

Marathon feels like the total opposite experience. The faction upgrade trees feel super meaningful, both in terms of leveling up your runners and unlocking vendor stock, and there's a lot of choice for the player to decide what the focus should be. Want easy access to healing items and consumables? Focus on NuCaloric. Want to be a grenade throwing maniac? Mainline MIDA. Add in the fact that literally everything you do from killing enemies and runners to looting specific containers will give you XP for one faction or another, and you're always making progress for something no matter what you do.

It's not just that I can chose to develop toward my playstyle. its; that when I develop the faction, I unlock a new way to play. And so far almost all have been fun for me to do.

The thing that made me quit Arc Raiders was just that the loop got stale. It felt like it lost its purpose a bit. I know everyone loves how cooperative that game became, and while it was interesting and fun at first, it ultimately made the game sort of boring. It got to where you could load into a solo lobby and join basically every player in taking down the Queen or whatever. Add to that that the upgrade tree was just not interesting, nothing felt like it made a meaningful difference. The only driving force of the game became collecting trash to level up your workbenches and finding blueprints, and it sort of just became a slog.

Marathon feels like the total opposite experience. The faction upgrade trees feel super meaningful, both in terms of leveling up your runners and unlocking vendor stock, and there's a lot of choice for the player to decide what the focus should be. Want easy access to healing items and consumables? Focus on NuCaloric. Want to be a grenade throwing maniac? Mainline MIDA. Add in the fact that literally everything you do from killing enemies and runners to looting specific containers will give you XP for one faction or another, and you're always making progress for something no matter what you do.

More importantly, though, are the contracts. While the main loop is definitely resource and gear acquisition, I'm impressed by how much the contracts add. I really feel like the factions are sending me out to do something specific to further their goals. While they do all sort of end up being, "go here, hit the button, kill the commander, go somewhere else, hit the button," there's enough flavor in all of it to make them end up not feeling like I'm just doing the same thing over and over.

That standout is just how fun the game feels. I honestly think this may be the best PvP Bungie has ever made, even if that maybe takes a bit to show itself. At the beginning it was easy to feel like it was too easy to just die without even realizing what was going on, but as I've learned the maps and become more comfortable with the different weapons and shells, that doesn't feel like the reality. Even with the quick time to kill, there's enough cover in the maps that you can pretty much always reposition and reset an encounter. I've had quite a few really drawn out squad fights that were really fun. Honestly, it feels a lot like Apex Legends, and that's a good thing. And things can get really chaotic if everything converges the right way with multiple squads and a bunch of UESC in the area.

My only complaint remains investment time for the upgrades. I'm sure part of it is that I just don't play super efficiently--the combat in the game is so fun that I sort of don't care what's in my backpack, I'm always down to take on that other squad if the opportunity presents itself. But it still feels like progress is maybe a touch on the slow side. That is ultimately a minor complaint, though, as I don't feel like I'm a huge disadvantage because of it.

I just thought this was a decent read. I credit Jeff with convincing me to give the game another shot after the open test weekend. He's a bit of an old curmudgeon at this point in some ways--he doesn't really seem to like most of the big AAA video games, so I tend to sit up and take note when he just straight up says "this game fucking rules," which he's been doing on his podcast every week since the game launched.

Who knows what goals Bungie and Playstation have, but that doesn't seem like a lot. I try not to care about that sort of thing (beyond it just being interesting information), but I really hope Marathon can sustain. I hope it does well enough to justify continued support beyond just next season or something, because damn I really love the game, and I'm excited to see how they use seasons to continue the story and keep the game fresh with new stuff.

They announced that the AI Subroutine RNG is going away, and now they are a guaranteed drop, so that removes a large source of RNG from the equation.

What's everyone running? This is the rare game where I think I actually enjoy playing every shell. Vandal is my favorite so far, though--I love her mobility. Although, I spent a few matches in solos last night as Recon to great success. So many people try to rat as Assassin in solos, so being able to just ping them and hunt them down works really well. I had a match last night with 7 Runner kills and ended up basically alone on the map towards the end. Thief is the only shell I'm not absolutely in love with. I had the same problem with the Apex character that had the drone--I just don't like leaving my actual character to control something else. The grapple is great, though.

Also, minor nitpick, but I hate the name changes. Glitch and Void and Blackbird were just much cooler names.

If anyone else is looking for a teammate, feel free to add me. F000CH #3449. This game has grabbed me in a way that no multiplayer game has in quite a while, like maybe not since the launch of Apex Legends.

I think the Assassin infos shotgun knife camping ratting whatever needs something done about it to make solos better. I hear it's not an issue in trios, but I don't have much experience there. it really is like 90% of my deaths. And it's not a fun way to die.

I have mostly played Triage (I love a support class) and assassin. This week I have been doing destroyer exclusively and finding a lot to like about it.

I played a bunch of Recon in the server slam and liked it, but once it went live I realized it really needs help. The spider drone is beyond stupid to be almost useless. The pinging is less informative than a TAD. The best part of her is the passive, but that is useless in solos.

I liked thief, but I was not very good at it? Flying the drone seemed very imprecise and I was just fumbling around. I wondered if it was a controller thing. I also find the Drone UI confusing. But Theif had a hard meta for a while so it can be played well.

I have literally not touched Vandal. I want to, but just have not gotten to it yet. I agree, there is something for me to like in every shell, which is a hell of an accomplishment.

1. Rook puts you into a match half-way through so you have quicker runs to build your vault.
2. solos only will put you in with other solos, but Rook goes in with trios. If you are being a scavenger, more players means more bodies to find and pick over.
3. lower risk. The rook is set up for loot collection with a free backpack and depending on faction progress, claymore stacks, shields, shotguns, etc. everything you get cost you nothing. The free faction kits are not as good and limit how much you can bring out in addition to longer matches means much less efficient looting.
4. You are underestimating the value of the robot camo. It means you can use the guarded exfil point with basically a group of armed guards. Easier exfil means more likely to get the loot out.

I still think there is a LOT that is not well understood about CA, if understood at all. As that stuff gets recorded and disseminated it will get a bit easier. There is also a sense - like the pinwheel - that you are choosing to take on the harder parts of it. I think the real issue is so far the strategy for getting what you need seems to be mostly taking it from the corpses of other teams.

Just saw a video where nine people teamed up to kill the Compiler. That gives me hope, if only I can be friendly enough! Given my experience in Marathon thus far, that's gonna be tough. Trusting one stranger is hard enough, much less six.

One thing I don't like is RNG seems to play a big part. I'm patient when it comes to grinding a raid, once we think we've got the steps figured out and we're just practicing execution. I think it's harder to be patient waiting for the right dice roll.

They announced that the AI Subroutine RNG is going away, and now they are a guaranteed drop, so that removes a large source of RNG from the equation.

I feel weird just busting into someone's crew or party just to find out I'm not welcome. They could really improve this part of it.

Never be shy about joining me. I'll try not feel awkward if I need to tell you I was holding a spot for someone else, and I hope you won't feel awkward.

We won’t feel awkward, we’ll just know who your real friends are.

Ha! I make plans ahead of time sometimes. Otherwise, you're always welcome on my fireteam. Vortech, too!

I feel weird just busting into someone's crew or party just to find out I'm not welcome. They could really improve this part of it.

Never be shy about joining me. I'll try not feel awkward if I need to tell you I was holding a spot for someone else, and I hope you won't feel awkward.

We won’t feel awkward, we’ll just know who your real friends are.

I think my biggest complaint is it's pretty hard to join up with people.

It's hard to tell if someone is in a group, and if the group is full. The join button is there even when people are not joinable (which is most of the time) there's no ability to join a crew if they are in a match (Apex and others will just have you waiting in a lobby until they are done.) Invites are buried and easy to miss. People show as bungie friends online when they are in D2 (I think that is what that means? either way my attempts to invite them are not working)

Agreed. From day one in D1 I think you could see who was playing with who and got an idea what they are doing. You can surmise the same sometimes by looking at the map and time left for people, but why make it detective work?

I feel weird just busting into someone's crew or party just to find out I'm not welcome. They could really improve this part of it.

Never be shy about joining me. I'll try not feel awkward if I need to tell you I was holding a spot for someone else, and I hope you won't feel awkward.