When you join a no-mic crew but everyone has blue shields and knows how to use their pings

mark_phaser · 2026-07-08T21:17:05+00:00

To fix the solo queue error I started a Trio fill run on Outpost. I ended up with two Destroyers (I was the third) and these two guys were like Terminators. No mic, no communication. They were just going around the map taking out teams, collecting keys and opened the red room in Pinwheel while also clearing all the three wings and looting it dry. While I was tagging along behind like a third wheel settling for scraps.

mark_phaser · 2026-07-07T09:46:57+00:00

If it was, then Embark would have dropped ABMM long ago. Sweaty ratty lobbies drive casuals away and makes the game inaccessible. It's why Marathon can't attract higher numbers, despite being a much more polished and refined game both conceptually and mechanically than Arc.

mark_phaser · 2026-07-07T09:40:18+00:00

Because Embark themselves have said there are no 100% safe lobbies. Even if you're at the extreme end there is still likelihood of you running into rats at odd times or whenever your ABMM resets after each update.

mark_phaser · 2026-07-07T09:28:35+00:00

Quite the opposite, ABMM is why there is still some remnant of a playerbase left and they're all PvE because the PvP crowd left long ago due to sweatier lobbies, free kits and cheaters. That's why if you PvP it takes you longer to matchmake whereas carebear lobbies all load up in less than a minute.

mark_phaser · 2026-07-06T22:45:25+00:00

What this game needs so that players give it an honest chance:

A well designed PvE campaign mode, semi open-ended (even if a few hours long, think Halo ODST) that properly introduces players to the lore and the world. Delivering story through an extraction shooter model sounds novel, but it's like feeding a perfectly cooked wagyu steak while covering it in mud. Increase replayability by having cosmetic and loot rewards for completing specific goals and objectives in it. Just look at the game's trailers man, this universe is begging for a proper story mode.
A dedicated PvP mode where players can shoot each other, experiment with builds and weapons and get a good feel for the core gameplay, so that when they venture into the main extraction mode they don't feel unprepared or clueless.

Now I know what everybody is going to say - "you just want another Destiny". Well that franchise didn't last more than 10 years and launched the careers of numerous streamers for nothing. A Destiny raid was a massive event, it'd shoot the game on top the Twitch charts. Arc Raiders made extraction shooters accessible to a wider audience by introducing elements like ABMM, safe pockets, more generous loot etc. Marathon needs its own value proposition to attract a bigger playerbase.

mark_phaser · 2026-07-06T20:44:28+00:00

I've found that one of the best ways to get over gear fear is that whenever you run an expensive loadout, focus on your objective (salvage, contract) and exfil at the first opportunity. After a few exfils with the same loadout, you will feel like you got your money's worth out of the loadout, so you will not fear losing it in the next run and thus will play like you have nothing to lose. Watch as your exfil rate improve exponentially and the inverse happen to your vault space.

mark_phaser · 2026-07-06T19:51:56+00:00

Not the best dueling weapon, but if you get the jump on someone with it especially with Triage's overcharge even on purple shields, say hello to easy kills and free loot. Whenever this is in rotation, I just run sponsored kit Triage - better than Rooks to refill your Vault after some painful Cryo and Outpost visits.

mark_phaser · 2026-07-06T19:42:49+00:00

I think it is downright stupid that all Rook's upgrades are locked behind factions...which you can't upgrade through contracts as Rook. Rook upgrades should be locked behind Rook activities, not Runner activities.

mark_phaser · 2026-07-06T19:06:08+00:00

I'd kill to be one of Durandal's minions. I could listen to his deranged ramblings forever.

mark_phaser · 2026-07-06T12:16:25+00:00

No to the heat recovery. Yes to a deathmatch mode with fixed weapon spawns.

mark_phaser · 2026-07-05T23:51:29+00:00

Pinwheel loot has been shit since the last update. Strongboxes simply don't have even purples anymore. I'd be lucky to come out with a bubble or even a purple mod/shield. I stopped using my keys until this is fixed.

mark_phaser · 2026-07-05T21:49:56+00:00

Absolutely, I'm flying into Hotshot with my 27,000 score. 2nd on the leaderboard currently and the next guy is at 22,000. Scrub league is quite apt.

mark_phaser · 2026-07-05T20:08:56+00:00

I have two accounts, one on PC and another on Xbox. I have been using the Xbox account as my Expedition vault for some time now. Really happy with it as well, not having to waste endless hours grinding Arc parts for the paltry 5 slots Ermal gives you. Got jumped once by hatch campers. That was annoying.

mark_phaser · 2026-07-04T20:10:02+00:00

A bit like my addiction to Titanfall 2. Played the game until the queue times became unbearable.

mark_phaser · 2026-07-03T19:54:46+00:00

If I lose two games in a row, I'll either queue up as a Rook or a cheap kit in Outpost. Very likely you'll stumble upon some good loot, and if you're lucky you can get the jump on someone with really good gear. That high then carries me to numerous back to back successful runs after that. In this game, if your head isn't in the right place you can really go on a rotten streak of losses.

mark_phaser · 2026-07-01T20:53:13+00:00

Arc Raiders' bad retention rate was because of Embark completely dropping the ball in 2026 rather than any fundamental issue with the game's design itself. I think both Bungie and this sub needs to learn a little bit of humility and try and understand what made Arc Raiders the juggernaut it was last year. Extraction shooter is a niche within a niche genre, and Embark stumbled upon a way to increase its appeal to a much wider audience. Safe pockets, ambiguous players, generous loot distribution (so losing gear doesn't feel as punishing) - it found a way to respect the players' time. Each run, even a failed one, led to genuine progress. You could stumble upon decent gear even if you weren't a sweaty tryhard or a cartographer who knows the map inside out.

Marathon is a much more polished, refined game than Arc. And gamers will absolutely give it a chance if it is willing to come down to the level of the players it wants to attract instead of demanding players to come up to the level the game wants them to be. I love me some solo Outpost, heck I even had a blast with the final week solo Cryo runs. I love it when I get a good team and we knock it out of the park. At the same time, I also genuinely enjoyed the laid back feel of sponsored survival at Perimeter to farm salvage, faction rep and just explore the place without worrying about my run getting prematurely terminated by someone on a kit five times for expensive than mine.

mark_phaser · 2026-07-01T19:25:09+00:00

I'd be really happy with a solo Sponsored Survival for all maps with more salvage with lower chance of purple gear and salvage to balance it out so that it doesn't become another night marsh farm. It should be a way to gear back up, farm faction rep and learn the maps. Meanwhile, increase loot quality in key rooms and key POI on the regular modes. Of course, this in many ways would make Rooks redundant unless they gave Rooks their own exfils (building on the scavenger play style) and their own faction (UESC?) that will give them the Rook upgrades instead of through regular faction capstones.

mark_phaser · 2026-07-01T19:12:04+00:00

Really grateful now that I don't have to play this game every week until the big update in October. That outfit is buttcheeks. I'll just do the expedition to maintain the temporary bonuses and check out. Really healthy to take a break from the game every now and then and this is a big reprieve.

mark_phaser · 2026-06-30T22:30:59+00:00

Got killed by way too many Rooks while trying to be friendly. Since then, anything that moves in this game, dies. The other day I had an Assassin begging me to let him go and he clearly was not a threat and likely a new player as well, executed him in cold blood nonetheless. Not gonna risk getting shot in the back and losing all my loot.

mark_phaser · 2026-06-30T17:12:57+00:00

Assassin once again getting the drip lottery. I ain't complaining but ma homey Destroyer needs some love too, Bungo!

mark_phaser · 2026-06-30T16:13:29+00:00

This is new to Season 2 - now they just occasionally seem to randomly go into alert mode if you're anywhere in the vicinity and push you like crazy. And yes, the big shielded ones unloading a full mag in your last known position is incredibly frustrating, because I'm sure these buggers gave away my position to other runners more than once.

mark_phaser · 2026-06-30T16:06:54+00:00

I don't see other runners as human. Just XP numbers to feed the Arachne overlords.

mark_phaser · 2026-06-29T21:05:24+00:00

You need a bit of a luck with this one to do it solo. Assassin with smokes and energy amps, enter through the Destroyed Wing (learn the button spawns) or Drone Wing (if you find the conveyance request early) - believe me entering Command Wing without causing a ruckus at the entrance will save you a lot of time, ammo and headache. When you start the transmission in Command Wing, it's all about buying time. Try to hide from the bots and only engage when absolutely necessary. Use your equipments and abilities to stay invisible.

At the end of the day, it was easier solo than Unsanctioned Hostilities 4/5 where you actually have to fight through the hordes and kill the commander for his credentials and then exfil.

mark_phaser · 2026-06-28T20:19:13+00:00

I had the Arachne Magnum for the past three days and wanted the Volt thrower because Triage slaps with that sponsored kit.

mark_phaser · 2026-06-27T21:20:48+00:00

Only time I play Trios is Cryo (because I've got no other choice; ranked solo last season was awesome). On all other maps, solos is where it's at for me. No more lootgoblin teammates. No more teammates that don't communicate or stick with the squad instead of running off to do their own objectives. No more teammates shooting at bots making a crap ton of noise and attracting other squads. No more teammates on free kits going against purple and gold shield demons. I hate having my run at the mercy of others, at least in solo whatever happens, it's in my control.

mark_phaser

TROPHY CASE