Tau Ceti is gearing up for a second season.
If you’ve been hoarding loot in Marathon waiting for the “perfect time” to use it, Bungie has some bad news and honestly, some pretty good news too. Season 2: Nightfall is officially landing on 2 June, bringing the extraction shooter’s first full seasonal reset alongside a darker new map variant, faster progression, expanded customisation options, and a packed line-up of end-of-season events leading into the new update.
The announcement arrives during a rough period for Bungie, after Sony recently acknowledged financial losses tied to Marathon underperforming expectations. Even so, Bungie is clearly not slowing down support down yet, with the studio confirming a full Season 2 reveal showcase during the week of 25 May.
Marathon
Release date: 5 March, 2026
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (via Steam)
Developer: Bungie
When does Marathon Season 2 Nightfall begin?
Marathon Season 2: Nightfall officially launches on 2 June. Bungie has also confirmed that a larger gameplay showcase revealing more details about the update will air during the week of 25 May.
Before the new season arrives, players will still have a couple of weeks to grind out Season 1 rewards, climb Ranked, and take advantage of the boosted loot events rolling out with Update 1.0.9 from 19 May onwards.
What resets in Marathon Season 2 Nightfall?
The biggest change coming with Nightfall is Marathon’s first-ever full seasonal wipe. Bungie says the goal is to give every Runner a clean slate and “equal footing” heading into the new season, which means that a huge chunk of your progression is about to disappear on 2 June.
Things affected by the reset include:
- Runner Level
- Ranked Level
- Faction levels and upgrades
- Credits and most currencies
- Inventory and Vault items
- Purchases unlocked through Schemas
- Messages, rewards, and returned gear in your Mailbox
- Priority Contracts
- Seasonal Codex entries tied to Runner and Ranked progression
However, there are a few important exceptions. Bungie confirmed that LUX and SILK balances will carry over into Season 2, alongside the first Priority Contract for each faction.
Thankfully, not everything is disappearing into the void. Bungie says players will keep:
- Cosmetics and weapon unlocks already redeemed during Season 1
- Titles, emblems, and other permanent cosmetics
- Codex challenge progress outside of Runner and Ranked levelling
- Faction access unlocks
- Rewards Pass progress
- Cryo Archive Subroutine progress
- Non-seasonal achievements and progression
That means you will not need to redo faction Liaison Contracts just to access vendors again once Season 2 begins. The studio also warned players to claim any pending faction or Codex gear rewards before 2 June, since unclaimed gameplay rewards will vanish with the reset.
There is at least a small consolation prize for dedicated grinders. Bungie confirmed that players will receive free CyberAcme Sponsored Kits in Season 2 based on the highest Runner Level they reached during Season 1.
The rewards include:
- Level 10: Enhanced CyberAcme Sponsored Kit
- Level 25: Enhanced CyberAcme Sponsored Kit
- Level 50: Deluxe CyberAcme Sponsored Kit
- Level 75: Superior CyberAcme Sponsored Kit
These rewards stack, meaning Level 75 players will receive all four kits when Nightfall launches.
Marathon Nightfall adds a darker Dire Marsh and new Runner customisation
Season 2’s headline addition is Night Marsh Zone, a nighttime version of Dire Marsh built around darkness mechanics and much lower visibility. Bungie is leaning hard into atmosphere here, with players expected to navigate reduced sightlines while dealing with increasing UESC pressure across Tau Ceti IV.
Another major feature arriving with Nightfall is The Cradle, a new system that lets players directly shape the strengths and weaknesses of their Runner Shell. Bungie says it will allow for deeper build customisation, keeping everyone from drifting towards identical setups.
Weapon sandbox updates and significantly faster faction progression are also planned for Season 2, something many players have been requesting since launch.
Why are Marathon players suddenly getting showered with loot before Season 1 ends?
Before the wipe happens, Bungie is essentially turning the final weeks of Season 1 into absolute chaos. Starting 19 May with Update 1.0.9, every single match will guarantee map events like Intercept, Lockdown, Convoy, Anomaly, and Warden encounters. Locked room keys will also always drop from Wardens for the rest of the season, massively increasing loot opportunities.
UESC activity is also ramping up across multiple maps, including new Warden spawn locations, extra dropship flyovers, crash sites, and entirely new enemy threats deployed to crack down on Runner activity.
Meanwhile, Cryo Archive, affectionately nicknamed by players as the “lose everything factory”, will become available daily from 21 May through to 2 June. Bungie is even sending players a free Sponsored Kit every day to soften the risk of diving into the endgame zone.
For competitive players, Cryo Archive: Ranked runs from 24 May to 28 May, serving as the final ranked event of Season 1. Players who place highly can earn exclusive cosmetics, titles, emblems, and weapon styles before ranks reset for Nightfall.
Some of the higher-tier ranked rewards include:
- Gilded Survivor title
- Ascendant Survivor title
- Glacial Impact Destroyer Shell Style
- Toolkit Stryder M1T Weapon Style
- Glacial Strafe Bully SMG Weapon Style
Is Bungie fixing Key Templates in Marathon?
Update 1.0.9 is also making notable gameplay changes based directly on player feedback. Key Templates, which previously encouraged ultra-passive play because players could permanently lose them after getting downed, are being changed from Fragile to Compromised. Instead of instantly losing progress, players will now charge keys through Matter Fixatives dropped by enemies.
Bungie says the change should reduce the “hide until extraction” mentality that started creeping into matches. Rook players are also getting buffs to Signal Mask, including longer sprint uptime and reduced AI footstep detection while active, making stealth runs much more reliable.
Season 2 of Marathon begins on 2 June.
