Shocker: Arc Raiders Blasts Past Marathon as a Thrilling Extraction Shooter

Last week proved to be quite remarkable as I had the opportunity to dive into both major extraction shooter titles released in 2025 on the very same day. Just as the beta phase for The Marathon kicked off, Embark organised a media event to showcase their game, Arc Raiders. Initially, my excitement leaned heavily towards The Marathon due not just because it’s an FPS with a preferable camera perspective compared to Arc Raiders’ third-person view, but also because I harboured high expectations from Bungie after being thoroughly impressed by ‘Hunt: Showdown’.

Now that I have spent four hours playing both games, I am astonished to find that Arc Raiders is the extraction shooter game that keeps coming back into my thoughts.

The realm of Arc Raiders, along with its sound design and genuinely frightening robotic wanderers, is leaving a strong positive impact. In contrast, Marathon comes off as somewhat dull.

Given that these playtests do not provide a complete overview of either game, there are two areas where Arc Raiders excels compared to Marathon:
Progression
and
PvE
.

Progression

The looting system, faction missions, and inventory management of Arc Raiders draw inspiration from the genre leader Escape From Tarkov. However, its most astute feature—a continuous experience tree where my skills advance regardless of dying mid-run—mirrors Hunt’s approach to a more lenient permadeath.

Battling Arc robots, seizing top-level loot, and finishing contracts earn me skill points which I can utilize to permanently enhance my stamina, quieten the noise of plundering, or ascend ladders with greater speed. This system offers an extensive array of enduring improvements, running alongside a loot-focused advancement path that includes constructing new crafting stations, enlarging the black market, and teaching a chicken to locate free scraps for you during intermissions between assaults.

It’s thrilling that we’re finally getting a new Extraction Shooter game that doesn’t rigidly follow Tarkov’s black-and-white approach to raids. I’m particularly pleased because Embark is behind this project, seeing as they are also backing their team-based FPS, The Finals. Arc Raiders gets that even without successful looting, players can still enjoy themselves during a raid.

During the Marathon alpha, obtaining loot is the sole method for progression. Bungie features something akin to a skill tree that allows me to enhance my loot collection rate, stamina, and healing throughout the ongoing seasonal reset; however, these enhancements require purchases rather than being rewarded. Acquiring them demands substantial funds and scarce materials, items I have struggled to accumulate while playing solo.

I’ve experienced one disappointing raid after another, typically cut short either by someone sniping me from afar or a group of three ganging up on me during my solo attempts. Each time I find myself returned to the lobby screen, feeling like all the money spent on loots has gone to waste without anything positive to show for it, I have considered shutting off Marathon and calling it quits.

The excessive focus on looting in Marathon is compounded by several frustrating elements present in the alpha version, such as overly confined map designs, an amusingly limited standard inventory space which invariably becomes full after exploring just one building, and weak interactions with non-player characters (more details follow on this point later).

PvE

The term “Arc” in Arc Raiders denotes a group of AI-driven robots that navigate through various environments and engage in combat with any moving targets. These automatons vary greatly in design; some appear as spherical units rolling along while spewing fire, others resemble long-range turret systems perched atop high structures, smaller ones look like avian creatures that alert larger machines to your presence, and there’s even an enormous robot reminiscent of a crab, clearly inspired by those seen in Horizon games.

Arches pose a genuine danger, yet I appreciate how they’re meant to be sidestepped. While these arches pursue you relentlessly, the expansive layouts allow ample room to evade them without being cornered into confrontation. In this regard, the Arch entities serve as obstacles rather than direct foes—an important differentiation since both Hunting and Raiding with Arc require players to rely heavily on stealth mechanics, wherein auditory awareness plays an equal role alongside visual acuity.
Every choice presented me with the task of balancing potential risks: whether unlocking treasure chests would draw unwanted attention through clattering noises; activating alarms via metallic sensors; rushing along corridors which might amplify footsteps; or eliminating robotic guards at the expense of revealing my position for potentially costly consequences. This title encourages caution—keeping low profile, weapon primed, senses alert—and mastering such tactics becomes integral to success.

The Marathon level design lacks subtlety. The loot system revolves exclusively around a few large complexes protected by UESC robots. While it’s feasible to stay hidden using one character’s stealth skills, thoroughly exploring an area requires engaging in battles sooner or later.

Those robots stand out as Marathon’s major weakness. While they pose a significant threat due to the high amount of damage they can inflict, they lack intrigue, being as engaging as stationary targets at a shooting range. Their directionless movement reminded me instantly of the aimless shuffling seen in Destiny’s extraterrestrial creatures—the ones with shields and those who toss grenades—but essentially move together in an indistinct group. Coming from the studio behind Halo Elites, known for their sophisticated maneuvers such as dodging explosives, surrounding opponents, and commandeering vehicles over two decades ago, this was quite disappointing.

Playing Marathon and Arc Raiders one after another highlights the benefit of facing monster pursuers instead of swarms of soldiers in extractor shooter games. In these titles, like with the Arc, enemies pursue, hunt down, and disrupt players who aim to stay hidden. These creatures’ movement styles and distinctive combat tactics enrich player-versus-player encounters. On the contrary, soldier opponents merely provide an easier challenge by using similar abilities as the players themselves.

PvPvEvPvPvE

I wasn’t anticipating getting involved in a clash between Arc Raiders and Marathon in 2025, yet the scheduling couldn’t be more perfect. Both are conducting playtests simultaneously right now.
Marathon’s update alpha is now available.
and continuing until May 4,
Arc Raiders’ Technology Test 2
starts on April 30 and concludes on, as expected, May 4. They are both set to release later this year, neither will be adopting the free-to-play model, and they each carry significant expectations.

Everyone has had their attention on Bungie as they take a significant risk with venturing into a new game category following Sony’s diminished faith in the team. However, Arc Raiders also represents a major bet for Embark, the Stockholm-based studio comprised of former Battlefield developers.
other game
is an excellent FPS game featuring a dedicated fan base, yet the publisher
Nexon isn’t thrilled
by its performance.

During this highly unpredictable period for the sector, both studios require their extraction shooter games to succeed. I doubt there is sufficient demand within the naturally non-casual category to sustain both of them.

Enjoying this piece? To read more articles like this one, simply click the +Follow button at the top of the page and follow us on MSN for additional stories.