Marathon's first full seasonal reset lands on June 2, 2026, when Season 2: Nightfall replaces Death is the First Step. Bungie is wiping nearly everything tied to gameplay progression, dropping a new zone called Night Marsh, adding a Runner shell, introducing a stat customization system called The Cradle, and pushing faction progression faster from the jump.
Release time: June 2, 2026 at 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET (17:00 UTC)
What launches with Season 2: Nightfall
Nightfall is the first content drop of meaningful size since Marathon's March launch, and Bungie has confirmed the broad strokes in its rollout post. The headline addition is Night Marsh, a nighttime variant of the existing Dire Marsh zone, paired with a new Runner shell, new weapons, and a system called The Cradle that lets you customize a shell's stats directly.
Faction progression is also getting faster across the board in Season 2, and Bungie is shipping a batch of quality-of-life changes alongside the new content. A full reveal is scheduled for the week of May 25, so specific weapon names, the new shell's identity, and Cradle mechanics are still under wraps.
What gets wiped at the seasonal reset
Marathon's first reset is account-wide for the progression layer. When you log in on June 2, your inventory, currencies, and seasonal levels are zeroed out so the entire playerbase starts on equal footing. The cosmetic and unlock layers are protected.
| Resets at Season 2 | Carries over to Season 2 |
|---|---|
| Runner Level | All Season 1 cosmetics (styles, titles, emblems) |
| Ranked Level | Weapons unlocked and redeemed |
| Faction Level and Upgrades | Faction access (no need to redo Liaison Contracts) |
| Credits and most currencies | LUX and SILK balances |
| All inventory and Vault items | Rewards Pass progress |
| Schema-unlocked purchases | Codex challenges (Combat, Feats, Loot, Map, Runner, Title) |
| Mailbox contents (messages, rewards, returned items) | First Priority Contract completion per faction |
| Priority Contracts (except the first per faction) | Cryo Archive Subroutines progress |
| Gear-granting Runner and Ranked Codex entries | Achievements |
Anything sitting unclaimed in your mailbox or in faction reward queues disappears on June 2, so claim before you log off for the last time in Season 1. Cosmetics that haven't been claimed auto-complete at season end, so those are safe even if you forget.
Ranked rewards and how to claim them
Ranked resets with the season, but the rewards from your highest rank in Season 1 stay claimable through the Codex once Ranked closes. Only the emblem for your highest rank is granted, while titles, weapon styles, and shell styles are additive.
| Rank reached | Rewards earned |
|---|---|
| Bronze I | Bronze Runner emblem |
| Silver I | Silver Runner emblem and background |
| Gold III | Glacial Impact Destroyer shell style |
| Gold I | Gold Runner emblem, Gilded Survivor title |
| Platinum I | Platinum Runner emblem, Toolkit Stryder M1T weapon style |
| Diamond I | Diamond Runner emblem, Glacial Strafe Bully SMG weapon style |
| Pinnacle I | Pinnacle Runner emblem, Expanse Repeater HPR weapon style, Ascendant Survivor title |
Ranked titles only stay equippable for one season after you earn them. Gilded Survivor from Season 1 can be displayed in Season 2, but you would need to hit Gold I again in Season 2 to carry it into Season 3. Emblems, backgrounds, and weapon and shell styles are permanent.
Sponsored Kits for the Season 2 head start
Your final Season 1 Runner Level determines which CyberAcme Sponsored Kits you can claim from the Codex once Nightfall begins. The kits are additive, so reaching Level 75 nets all four.
| Runner Level at season end | Sponsored Kit |
|---|---|
| 10 | Enhanced CyberAcme Sponsored Kit |
| 25 | Enhanced CyberAcme Sponsored Kit |
| 50 | Deluxe CyberAcme Sponsored Kit |
| 75 | Superior CyberAcme Sponsored Kit |
The end-of-Season 1 chaos window
Update 1.0.9 drops on May 19, 2026 and turns the back half of Season 1 into a high-reward stretch designed to burn through whatever you have left. Locked room keys are guaranteed to drop from Wardens, and map events like Intercept, Lockdown, Convoy, Anomaly, and Warden spawns are guaranteed on every run.
UESC pressure also escalates. Wardens spawn at new POIs in Perimeter, Dire Marsh, and Outpost, dropship flyovers and crash sites are ramping up on Perimeter, and a new threat is being deployed to Dire Marsh and Perimeter. Faction experience gains are boosted from all sources through the end of the season.
Two balance tweaks are worth flagging. Rook's Signal Mask stays active longer while sprinting and shrinks AI footstep detection range. Key Templates change from Fragile to Compromised, meaning they cannot be destroyed mid-match, can be looted from downed crews, and are charged by hunting Matter Fixatives from Commanders and other enemies. Wall safes also gain a chance to drop Deluxe keys.
Cryo Archive access before the wipe
Cryo Archive opens daily from May 21 through June 2, and Bungie is mailing out one free Cryo Archive Sponsored Kit per day across that window. If you have been waiting to take a real swing at the endgame raid-style content, this is the widest access window Season 1 will offer.
Ranked Cryo runs from May 24 at 10:00 AM PT to May 28 at 10:00 AM PT and serves as the Season 1 Ranked closeout. Standard Cryo is unavailable while Ranked Cryo is live.
| Ranked Cryo requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| Minimum Runner Level | 25 |
| Loadout requirement (low stakes) | 3,000 |
| Loadout requirement (high stakes) | 10,000 |
What to do before June 2
Step 1: Open your mailbox and claim every faction reward, returned item, and Codex package. Anything left unclaimed is gone after the reset, including saved Contract rewards.
Step 2: Spend down credits and consumables you cannot keep. LUX and SILK survive the reset, but every other currency, every Vault item, and every Schema-unlocked purchase gets wiped.
Step 3: Push Runner Level toward the next Sponsored Kit threshold. Hitting 10, 25, 50, or 75 directly determines what gear you start Nightfall with.
Step 4: Claim your Ranked rewards once the Ranked queue closes. They live in the Codex and can be picked up after the reset, but knowing your final rank ahead of time confirms what you are owed.
Expect a major patch and some server turbulence around the 10:00 AM PT changeover on June 2. Cryo Archive will likely be gated for a stretch of early Nightfall so the broader playerbase has time to rebuild loadouts before stepping back into the toughest content.