Marathon's Symbiosis Update Finally Brings a Permanent PvE Mode on December 8

Bungie laid out the fullest picture yet of Marathon's Symbiosis update on November 10, confirming the extraction shooter's first permanent PvE mode alongside a reworked combat zone, a new playable Runner shell and two new weapons when the update launches December 8 on PS5.

Marathon dropped players into the dark sci-fi colony of Tau Ceti IV as a high-stakes PvP extraction shooter, built by the studio behind Halo and Destiny. Since then, Bungie has spent much of the year reworking the loop around player feedback, and Symbiosis is the clearest sign yet of where that rework is headed: toward a game that offers PvE alongside its core extraction runs rather than treating PvE as an afterthought.

A Permanent Home for PvE

The headline addition is Expedition, the first phase of a PvE-only mode built around a three-run series that players can take on solo or with a crew, free of PvP threats. Runs are shaped by Flash Boosts, temporary power-ups players choose mid-run to build out a loadout on the fly. Bungie frames Expedition as phase one of a longer PvE push that continues into 2027, rather than a one-off addition bolted onto the existing extraction loop.

Because it strips out PvP entirely, Expedition gives Bungie a lower-pressure space to test ideas before folding them back into Marathon's core extraction loop, where every encounter with a rival crew can end a run instantly. Symbiosis also opens an Open Play Week running December 8 to 15, giving lapsed or curious players a window to try the update's new modes without committing to a season pass or battle pass purchase.

Deathmatch and Limbo Join the Lineup

On the PvP side, Symbiosis introduces an experimental Deathmatch beta: 3v3 Team Deathmatch matches where two crews chase points without risking their permanent gear loadouts, a lower-stakes complement to Marathon's core extraction runs. Alongside it comes Limbo, a social hub built around firing ranges for testing weapons and a dueling pit where Runners can challenge each other outside of a live match.

The additions follow a public message from the Marathon team earlier this year promising that extraction would keep receiving updates even as PvE content expanded, a response to concern among players that the mode they signed up for would be sidelined.

“Extraction is still a major part of Marathon, and we're also going to continue updating it as we look to the future.”Del Chafe, Game Director at Bungie

The Perimeter Gets Overgrown

Marathon's Perimeter zone is getting its biggest facelift since launch. Fungal growth and alien life have reshaped the area, opening up two new playable spaces: the underground Burrows and the submerged Reservoir. Deep beneath the surface lurks a new threat Bungie calls the Tick Queen, a boss-sized presence that marks the zone's shift from a straightforward map into something closer to a living, hostile ecosystem.

New Shell, New Guns

Symbiosis adds Bishop, a new Runner shell built around a fast, blade-wielding robot fantasy that stands apart from Marathon's existing roster of scavengers. Two weapons arrive alongside it: the V17 Flamethrower, built for short-range area denial, and the Maverick, a revolver archetype aimed at players who want a hand-cannon feel in a game otherwise built around modular, moddable rifles.

What's Next for Marathon

Symbiosis lands after Bungie pushed the update back from a planned September date and dropped Marathon's fixed seasonal cadence in favor of content arriving when it's ready. A smaller Nightfall Refresh update in October already reset progression and economy systems ahead of December's launch, clearing the way for Symbiosis rather than layering new systems on top of the old ones.

Bungie says a March 2027 update will be "meaningfully larger than Symbiosis," expanding PvE further with new zones and combatants still to be detailed on the game's official hub. The studio has also previewed deeper Runner shell progression and an expanded onboarding flow for that update, part of a wider effort to make Marathon approachable for players who skipped it at launch.

Marathon is available on PS5 and PC, with full cross-play and cross-save between the two; the PC version is sold through Steam. Full patch notes for Symbiosis are expected closer to the December 8 launch.

Hey everyone, Del here. Last week we had a great time talking about the upcoming PvE and experimental PvP modes for Symbiosis in December. We want to be clear, Extraction is still a major part of Marathon, and we're also going to continue updating it as we look to the future

— Marathon Development Team (@MarathonDevTeam) — Sept. 30, 2026 on X