Marathon’s experimental PvE roguelite mode is, bafflingly, only around for two weeks when it drops next week
Marathon’s already announced mid-season 2 update is set to arrive next week, bringing with it the shooter’s first proper, albeit experimental, PvE mode, Vault Breaker. A new blog post has gone into a bit more detail as to what you can expect with the new update, with a teaser trailer showing off some extra bits, but the biggest bummer is the fact that Vault Breaker will only be around for a short while.
As detailed in said blog post, Vault Breaker is something of a roguelite. You infil into Cryo Archive, either as a solo runner, or in a duo or trio, tasked with taking on increasingly harder vaults over the course of several runs. On your runs you’ll pick up Vault Data, a new currency where you can upgrade a unique sponsored kit in various ways. This is done in a new Vault Breaker armory, but you can also use this currency to buy items and gear outside of the mode.
Nightfall deepens on July 21 with Mid-Season 2. Here’s a quick preview of some of the changes – don’t blink!
— Marathon (@marathonthegame.bungie.net) July 16, 2026 at 4:30 PM
All of this sounds grand, the only problem is that Vault Breaker is only running from July 21st, when the mid-season update arrives, until August 4th. It’s not a particularly long time, so this certainly feels like more of a test than anything that’s going to be locked in permanently. Hopefully the mode does work, it’s just annoying to have to think “when can I fit this in in the next couple of weeks?” while I’m busy spending several days figuring out what to make for dinner and thinking “oh crap, I’m almost out of bog roll, better put that on the shopping list.”
All that aside, there’s some other bits coming with this update too. The iconography used for implants is getting another refresh, yet again in an attempt to make them more immediately legible so you can loot and get on with things. The Cradle is introducing a new evolution system that essentially lets you prestige your stats, as well as unlock some runner style shells. And there’s other smaller bits too, like the assassin shell being able to toggle his invisibility, thief’s drone highlighting players, and a convenient little toggle that automatically equips sponsored kits. All quite nice! Ta, Bungie.