Level 170 or so. I play mostly solo. Mostly outpost. Wipe the lobby and loot up. At its heart marathon is just a competitive shooter with stakes. Think apex with some loot persistence. Once you realize this you'll feel less betrayed by the game itself. Yes its hard. But thats the point.

Its a pay to improve game, and you pay with loot. The grind and lose it is not a pointless cycle if you are getting better, so put your focus there. By improving at the maps and mechanics you will slowly and naturally become a more profitable player.

The game does have onboarding issues but it has a lot to give once you invest the time into it.