In the wake of Marathon‘s release, players have flocked to various forums to express their disdain over the battle pass’s structure. Reddit user Economy-Meat-9506 calls Marathon‘s microtransactions “predatory,” laying out how the premium currency and battle pass are designed to coerce extra purchases from players. They point out that Marathon‘s premium currency, called Lux, comes in a quantity of 1,100 for $10, but a skin might run you 1,120.
Another player, u/Lemouni, breaks down the battle pass (Marathon calls it a Reward Pass) and compares its format to how such monetization strategies work in other games, like Apex Legends. Marathon‘s Reward Pass does not give you back Lux, contains only a single character skin, and includes duplicate items because weapon charms and stickers can only be applied to a single gun. They say it “is the worst value for your money I’ve ever seen.”
Marathon Players Aren’t Happy With The Reward Pass
With Marathon so fresh, it’s impossible to find a consensus on the gameplay itself, but even those who are enjoying the extraction shooter so far are uniformly aghast at the microtransactions. In yet another Reddit thread, u/Remarkable_Winner_95 calls Marathon‘s Reward Pass the “worst battlepass ever,” highlighting the duplicate charms and single character skin mentioned above, and adding that “all [the] skins are ugly color variations.”
Being unable to earn Lux back is a clear sticking point for many, including u/Haijakk, who is similarly “not that impressed” by the Reward Pass’s contents. The battle pass monetization system was codified by the likes of Fortnite, and while many games have put various spins on it, earning your money back in the form of premium currency has been a staple. It’s a smart concession on the developers’ part, enticing players to spend more time playing, and giving them an incentive to stick around for the subsequent battle pass.
Marathon‘s microtransactions are perhaps all the more bitter for having followed the likes of ARC Raiders, which Bungie’s extraction shooter was inevitably going to be compared to. ARC Raiders released at the same $40 price point, and has so far released three Raider Decks, its version of a battle pass. All three have been free. The price of cosmetics in ARC Raiders is another matter, but as a premium game, Marathon is so far lagging behind its competition significantly.
Bungie Has A History Of Predatory Microtransactions
Many Marathon players in the ongoing microtransaction discourse have brought up the fact that Bungie has pulled similar stunts before. Destiny 2 was infamous for its Shaders (skins), which could only be applied to a single piece of equipment, just like Marathon‘s stickers and charms. Alongside the Lux price of skins, the one-time use of cosmetics is nothing more than a way to coerce players into repeated purchases.
Marathon requires a purchase up front, but microtransactions are presumably how Bungie will keep the lights on. It’s an ongoing game with seasonal content updates already planned, so development costs are continuous. There’s always the possibility that Bungie will rework Marathon‘s monetization in the future—and many players are urging others to vote with their wallet—but for now, the cosmetics and Reward Pass are a bane on the game’s launch.
- Released
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March 5, 2026
- ESRB
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Teen / Animated Blood, Language, Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
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Full
- Cross Save
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Yes