Developer Bungie has revealed new details about Marathon's monetization strategy now that the extraction shooter is almost out, promising that there are "no pay for power" mechanics.
In an X post on March 4, the official Marathon account explained the extraction shooter's seasonal content and premium currency. The team said that all seasonal content will be "free for all players," regardless of when you decide to jump into the action, because the reward passes "do not expire." This means that, in the game's sort of Battle Pass structure, you can always go back and buy old content, as well as unlock new seasonal content (which includes zones and playable characters) for free.
You can do this with two different types of in-game currency: Silk, the currency you earn by playing the game; and LUX, the currency you buy with real money.
You can use Silk to unlock items in the Rewards Pass. Meanwhile, LUX is strictly for cosmetics. There's a premium track in the Rewards Pass, which only includes appearance changes for your characters and weapons. Bungie explained that LUX can only be used for cosmetics, and with there being no pay-for-power system, there are also no gameplay advantages here.
Marathon launches today, March 5, on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The servers aren't live yet, but you can check out our breakdown for exactly when you can jump in, shoot stuff, get loot, and dip out. Be warned: there may be queues if the demand is high enough.
Source
In an X post on March 4, the official Marathon account explained the extraction shooter's seasonal content and premium currency. The team said that all seasonal content will be "free for all players," regardless of when you decide to jump into the action, because the reward passes "do not expire." This means that, in the game's sort of Battle Pass structure, you can always go back and buy old content, as well as unlock new seasonal content (which includes zones and playable characters) for free.
You can do this with two different types of in-game currency: Silk, the currency you earn by playing the game; and LUX, the currency you buy with real money.
In Marathon...
Seasonal gameplay content is free for all players to access or earn, including zones and Runner shells
— Marathon (@MarathonTheGame) March 5, 2026
You can use Silk to unlock items in the Rewards Pass. Meanwhile, LUX is strictly for cosmetics. There's a premium track in the Rewards Pass, which only includes appearance changes for your characters and weapons. Bungie explained that LUX can only be used for cosmetics, and with there being no pay-for-power system, there are also no gameplay advantages here.
Marathon launches today, March 5, on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The servers aren't live yet, but you can check out our breakdown for exactly when you can jump in, shoot stuff, get loot, and dip out. Be warned: there may be queues if the demand is high enough.
Source