Bungie has released a 'Ranked Calculation Worksheet' to clarify its upcoming ranked mode in Marathon amid player confusion. The single-page maths test, shared on the official Marathon X account, explains the holotag system unique to the extraction shooter.
Players have expressed confusion over Marathon's ranked mode, which launches in a matter of days. To address this, Bungie posted a 'Ranked Calculation Worksheet' on the official Marathon X account. This A4 page features a table of ranked holotag values at the top, followed by four questions and a bonus one. It includes space for a name and date, though Eurogamer notes it cannot confirm if Bungie will grade submissions. The holotag system differs from typical FPS rankings, where survival or kills suffice. As an extraction shooter, Marathon's design encourages interaction with all game aspects to maximize run value. Marathon game director Joe Zigler provided insight on X: > The general philosophy behind our upcoming ranked mode is to test you/your crew's skill at the core loop. To us, this is about making sure that the game is about maximizing the value of your run. With this spirit a lot of the rules are built around testing you to think about what you're ante-ing up, how you're using it to get more out than what you brought in. Additionally, we also want to make sure the outcome of pvp interactions and high value events in this mode can be lucrative against your ante, and provide you with the option to get even more out of the session if you take the risk to do them. > In other words: in ranked you're gonna be rewarded for taking risks, but taking risks means you also put yourself in danger of losing something. The further you advance in ranks the more you can risk (and in some ways have to risk to advance) and the more you have to lose if your ambitions don't pan out. This comes as players recently gained access to the Cryo Archive after solving an ARG, though the map remains locked. The ranked mode promises added competition while awaiting further unlocks.
