Woof, The Marathon Battle Pass Is Bad

"Marathon's first battle pass works a lot like other battle passes found in games like Fortnite. Everyone has access to the free version of the pass, but there are premium rewards locked behind a paywall. In Marathon, you'll need to cough up $10 to unlock the full pass. And nearly all of the free and premium reward items are meh or straight-up bad."

"Most of the cosmetics included are basic color swaps that don't make me excited to grind away on unlocking them. There's a new skin for Vandal, which is probably the coolest part of the pass, since it's a skin directly inspired by how she appears in the awesome short film Bungie released last year. But there's only one."

"When I looked at the store yesterday, I was disappointed to find $15 cosmetic bundles and $12 skins hanging out in Marathon's digital store. Keep in mind, this is a $40 game. So if you buy four skins or three cosmetic bundles, you'll have spent more on those few items than the entire price of the game."

Marathon, Bungie's new extraction shooter, launched with a monetization system featuring expensive cosmetics and a disappointing battle pass. The digital store contains $15 cosmetic bundles and $12 skins, making cosmetic spending exceed the $40 base game price quickly. The $10 premium battle pass primarily contains basic color swaps and recolored weapon camos with minimal appeal. The only standout cosmetic is a new Vandal skin inspired by Bungie's short film. Weapon stickers provide limited customization value. Unlike other live-service games, the premium pass offers no premium currency returns, making it a poor investment compared to industry standards.

Read at Kotaku