Marathon Server Slam start times and rewards

Marathon Server Slam: A close-up of the armoured Destroyer shell looking up at something out of view. — (Image credit: Bungie)

Jump to:

Date and time
Rewards
Content

A lot has happened since Bungie originally held its alpha playtest for Marathon, which ultimately caused the developer to go back to the drawing board for almost an entire year. One thing's for sure: in that time, Embark has established a strong foothold in the extraction shooter genre with Arc Raiders. Nevertheless, it's time for the Marathon Server Slam to see whether Bungie's efforts have paid off.

Below, I'll go over the Marathon Server Slam date and time in your region, as well as all the unique rewards you can earn for participating. Remember, you can only earn these bonuses during this open preview weekend, so don't miss out.

Marathon Server Slam date and time

The Marathon Server Slam test runs from Thursday, February 26, at 6 pm UTC to Monday, March 2, at 6 pm UTC, available on Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. This works out as the following times in each region:

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Region	Start Date	End Date
US Pacific	10 am PST, February 26	10 am PST, March 2
US Eastern	1 pm EST, February 26	1 pm EST, March 2
UK	6 pm GMT, February 26	6 pm GMT, March 2
Central Europe	7 pm CET, February 26	7 pm CET, March 2
Australia	5 am AEDT, February 27	5 am AEDT, March 3
New Zealand	7 am NZDT, February 27	7 am NZDT, March 3

Importantly, this is a free preview weekend, with no sign-ups or pre-orders required. Just download the Server Slam from your chosen storefront when it goes live in your region.

Marathon Server Slam rewards

Launch Gameplay Trailer | Marathon - YouTube

Watch On

By playing the Server Slam preview, you can earn cosmetic profile customisation, but also actual loot you can use when the full game comes out on March 5—no, you won't see these items during the preview weekend, but don't worry, it'll all be waiting for you.

All players who complete the introductory mission will unlock a unique emblem and player background to show that they've been here since day one. Well, the second attempt at day one, at least.

You'll also earn various items based on your progression during the Server Slam:

Complete your first mission: Unlock the Standard Arrival Cache
- Standard implants (6x)
- Standard Runner shell cores (4x)
- Standard weapon chip mods (6x)
- Weapons: Overrun and Hardline
Reach Runner Level 10: Unlock the Enhanced Arrival Cache (Green)
- Enhanced implants (6x)
- Enhanced Runner shell cores (2x for each shell, 12x total)
- Enhanced weapon chip mods (4x)
- Weapons: Enhanced Magnum and Enhanced Hardline
Reach Runner Level 30: Unlock the Deluxe Arrival Cache (Blue)
- Deluxe and Enhanced implants (3x each, 6x total)
- Deluxe and Enhanced Runner shell cores (1x each for each shell, 12x total)
- Deluxe and Enhanced weapon chip mods (2x each, 4x total)
- Weapons: Deluxe Magnum and Enhanced Volley Rifle
- Backpack: Deluxe Base Backpack

What's available in the Marathon Server Slam?

Marathon Server Slam: A dead robot slumped against a large flatbed in the water outside a facility. — (Image credit: Bungie)

The preview weekend is only a section of Marathon's launch content. However, it's still got quite a bit to sink your teeth into:

Two maps: Perimeter and Dire Marsh
- Outpost is not available despite featuring in previous tests
Early contracts for five factions: CyberAcme, NuCaloric, Traxus, MIDA, and Arachne
- This includes early faction levels and progression trees for each faction
- Sekiguchi Genetics, the sixth faction, is not available
Five of the six launch Runner shells: Assassin, Destroyer, Recon, Triage, Vandal (plus Rook)
- While this includes the free loadout Rook shell, you sadly can't play as Thief during the preview
Squad and solo queue (plus proximity chat)
Cross-play and cross-save enabled

Rory has made the fatal error of playing way too many live service games at once, and somehow still finding time for everything in between. Sure, he’s an expert at Destiny 2, Call of Duty, and more, but at what cost? He’s even sunk 1,000 hours into The Elder Scrolls Online over the years. At least he put all those hours spent grinding challenges to good use over the years as a freelancer and guides editor. In his spare time, he’s also an avid video creator, often breaking down the environmental design of his favourite games. If you can’t track him down, he’s probably lost in a cave with a bunch of dwarves shouting “rock and stone” to no end.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.