for Call of Duty: Warzone players

Welcome

Especially to my much-missed squad members.

Maybe it's time for us to leave Call of Duty behind? It was great whilst it lasted, but the repetition, the lack of new engaging content, and (most of all) the cheaters have sucked the fun out of the game and driven me to try something new.

I suspect Marathon will be a worthy substitute. The following comparisons justify why, and help CoD players adjust to the new game environment that Marathon provides:

Cheaters

These plague every game, but none more so than free-to-play games where there is literally zero cost to spin up a new account. Marathon's price tag will serve as a strong disincentive, coupled with the strong anti-cheat measures they have said they've built into the game from the ground up. More details here:
https://www.bungie.net/7/en/News/Article/marathonsecurity

PvP mechanics

Marathon is a team-based first-person shooter, designed by Bungie (the makers of the Halo) who are invested into making PvP combat fluid and fun. 60Hz tick rates (vs Warzone's 20), with a smaller player pool per match (max 18) should eliminate desync and stuttering, providing a more immersive experience.

Similarities

There are a number of PvP overlaps with Warzone: Aspects such as these will be familiar to Warzone players:

quick TTKs
armour-cracks
downs/rez/elims
pings
weapon mechanics
slides
prox chat
footstep audio
quick-mantles
armouring

There are the usual classes of weapons: ARs, SMGs, snipers and CQC weapons, each moddable towards a particular playstyle. Good players will be able to 1v2 or even 1v3. (Yes, you can solo queue).

There are perks, grenades, claymores, and consumables that boost your speed, health and armour (shields).

Differences

However, there are quite a few differences. On in-fil, each player selects a “Shell” - i.e. a character class which determines the attributes and special abilities that they can bring to the fight. PvP now includes the nuance of how best to use those abilities during combat. Importantly, each shell has a distinctive appearance that signals who your enemy is, and so how their archetypal abilities can be used against you. Base stats - like speed, melee damage, ping duration, fall height resistance - vary depending on your shell.

There aren't loadouts or buy stations. You either have to in-fil with the kit you want, or find it in-match.

There is no gulag. When a teammate is eliminated, they can be (slowly) revived from their eliminated state - wherever they died.

Additionally, Marathon is PvPvE - there are AI enemies as well as environmental hazards to navigate. AI enemies look different to players, so you are never in any doubt as to who your adversary is. This isn't casuals.

Gameplay loop

There is no closing circle, but there is a timer. Despite the emphasis on PvP, Marathon is an extraction shooter, not a battle royale. You in-fil with whatever you want to bring in, and success is ex-filling before the 25 min timer ends, having met your objectives, with your squad intact, and with loot that furthers your progression.

Having said this, the best loot is usually acquired from destroying other players, and if you are keen on the PvP element, you can select a progression path that explicitly rewards the role of hunting those enemies down. For the ultra competitive, there will be a Ranked Mode.

Progression

Warzone has a battlepass progression path that allows certain weapons and features to be unlocked, and then each weapon can be grinded to level up. In Marathon, there are multiple progression paths tied to the “Factions” each emphasising a different category of upgrade. Levelling up allows you to unlock better weapons, mods and enhancements. This raises the floor from which you can start over after an unsuccessful run, partially offsetting the loss of gear.

Narrative

An important feature to Marathon is the narrative progression. There are four maps, each with an increasing level of difficulty, with a vault of secrets to be discovered, especially the closer you get to the end of the final map.

The objectives that you meet on each run tell a story about why you are here, and what happened in the world you currently inhabit. Based on the quality and quantity of artists and voice actors who are credited, it is likely that there will be some impressive reveals that will be showcased as you progress.

A flavour of what we might expect is delivered via the cinematic marvel of the initial trailer. Watch it now if you haven't already:

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