I can’t pull myself away from Marathon—it’s just that addicting. My sleep schedule has been altered drastically, and I’m running on fumes at my day job because I’m staying up all night playing. I’ve logged roughly 40 hours into the game, and I feel as if I’m just now beginning to scratch the surface on how to play.

The biggest obstacle I had to understand was that winning a gunfight isn’t about raw aim and force like Halo—it’s about positioning. You can have top-tier weapons, but if you’re in a poor position you can be eliminated by someone using a basic kit. And while weapons matter, it’s the mods you attach to them that make them lethal. It can quickly turn average weapons into something superior.

Team play is just as critical. It’s not always beneficial to kill someone you have incapacitated. It’s often best to wait until the remaining squad attempts to perform a revive before you strike. On the flip side, being “eliminated” doesn’t always mean you’re out. I’ve had plenty of matches where I was taken down, but a teammate managed to disengage, wait for things to cool off, and come back to revive me. During those moments, spectating becomes a tool—you can call out sounds, movements, and threats from their perspective. In this game, survival comes first; looting comes second.

Speaking of survival, it’s entirely possible to not engage in any fights whatsoever. It’s okay to complete an objective and exfil. And if you want to stay alive longer then communication is essential. The majority of my victories were due to speaking to one another, using your shells’ abilities to complement each other, sticking together and using a good team composition, particularly in Hauler and Station.

I won’t lie, the game can be infuriating. It wasn’t until I got over the “gear fear” that I learned to accept the frustration and turn it into a positive. You’re never going to be completely empty in your backpack. You may have it be minimal, but never entirely useless. All it takes is one good match to change your entire future matches around. Sometimes, you have to go in with no expectations. I look at it similar to borrowing items instead of actually owning them. Or, like lottery tickets – you’re spending money hoping to win more, but you don’t necessarily expect a positive outcome. If you win, great; if you lose, oh well, you spent money knowing the risk.

Ultimately, the key is getting comfortable with discomfort. Once you do, you’ll find an experience packed with depth, rich lore, engaging team combat, beautifully designed maps, and a rewarding gameplay loop that keeps you hooked from start to finish. Whether Marathon thrives or fades in the next six months, I know I’ll be there for as long as it lasts.