Marathon’s endgame map may be on the verge of unlocking as its community bands together to solve complex ARG

They put a whole bunch of deep, dark story in my extraction shooter, and I kind of love it.

For those potentially unaware, Bungie’s Marathon is actually a new sequel in a franchise that’s decades old. The original Marathon launched in 1994 and birthed a few sequels, bringing with it some very dark and deep sci-fi lore surrounding rogue AI, humanity’s expansion into the stars, and the titular ghost ship that was meant to carry the human race into a new solar system.

And while the new extraction shooter may seem like a waste of the franchise’s genuinely awesome storyline (I would so much prefer a singleplayer story campaign than getting destroyed by other players online), Bungie is using the live-service game as a vessel to deliver new story content, beginning with its fourth map, Cryo Archive.

Cryo Archive is set on the UESC Marathon ship, which was an ark of sorts, carrying over 30,000 humans in cryo stasis to the planned new home on Tau Ceti IV (we’ve been looting its ruins for weeks now). The circumstances behind the fate of the ship have been a mystery for some time, but the ARG that began with in-game terminals firing up across the game’s existing maps may be coming to a head soon.

Throughout each stage of the complex ARG, those working together to crack codes in Discord communities have unlocked teaser videos for Cryo Archive, which is set to be Marathon’s most punishing location yet. Details found over the weekend suggest players will need to be level 25 and have unlocked all factions to even access it.

The videos tease a haunting location, filled with large, hanging bags marked “human.” The planet-sized ship that was meant to deliver mankind to the stars is now haunted and dormant, and massive, horrifying S’pht Compilers likely patrol its halls, along with other untold horrors. Players will need to bring their best possible gear and their top wits, because Cryo Archive may also include raid-like mechanics along with other players and the toughest AI enemies yet.

As players are running and gearing up in anticipation for the map to become playable, the ARG grinders like content creator MrRoflWaffles (of CoD Zombies easter egg-hunting fame) and many others are attempting to be the ones to open the gates for everybody, and it’s been really cool to watch along (this sort of stuff is way above my paygrade and intelligence level). This weekend’s latest development actually made Cryo Archive appear in-game as a selectable map that’s currently “redacted,” so we’re getting close.

It’s unclear what will happen when the ARG is fully solved (it’s been timegated several times), but a confirmation of Cryo Archive’s release date is most likely. Given how Bungie has delivered post-launch content in Destiny 2 for years, we can assume that this weekend, which will mark two weeks since the game launched, may be the time that the UESC Marathon will be open for business.

And the studio’s penchant for these sorts of ARGs and community-driven events makes it feel like the new map’s launch will be must-play or must-watch, depending on your own personal experiences with Marathon. In the meantime, you can watch a lore recap video on YouTube if you don’t feel like playing the original games, which are also available on Steam.

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The Seven Deadly Sins Origin is now out on PC and PS5, with a mobile launch coming soon, and you get to choose from a host of different characters.

The character has been adapted directly from the manga that also inspired an anime. Every character has its unique pros and cons, but some are better than the rest.

Disclaimer: Large parts of this tier list are based on the closed beta. It’s a good starting point, but I will update the tiers as I play and test more characters.

Complete The Seven Deadly Sins Origin character tier list

Complete The Seven Deadly Sins Origin character tier list

Characters in The Seven Deadly Sins Origin belong to different rarities, but not all rare names are better. Moreover, the kit you equip will also determine how the characters work and what roles they play. However, I have assessed the characters based on their best kit.

S-tier

S-tier characters are simply the strongest ones in the entire game. They will be the characters you should ideally reroll for, and they will work well with most weapons.

Meliodas: He is pretty much the best healing support you can find among all characters. You can either go for the Dual Sword or the single one. The fact that you can have one HP bar for the whole team allows you to heal all your allies.
Jericho: Jericho is pretty much the strongest DPS unit in the entire game. She can also inflict Freeze with her Special Attack when you’re using the Dual Sword kit. Her Frozen Saber ability allows you to teleport her behind the enemy to deal extra damage, and also increases the Burst Gauge. She’s also one of the best universal characters to get.
Diane: Diane, in some teams, can be slightly better than Jericho (but Jericho is far more universal). Diane is a different type of DPS as she can also create her own sustains. She can gain a shield from her passive, and she can also heal herself with burst damage. Her Axe kit also allows you to inflict stuns, which is great for crowd control.

A-tier

The A-tier characters are pretty strong in their own right, but slightly fall short compared to the S-tier choices.

King: With his Staff kit, King can attack as an amazing support. He clearly becomes S-tier if you’re using him with Diane (due to the Earth-based synergy). His ability to inflict Bloom on allies raises their damage potential. If you opt for the Book kit, King becomes a defensive support who provides barriers for other allies.
Elaine: Unlike King, Elaine is a pure defensive support who offers massive shields and damage reductions with her moves. She can also neutralize the enemy’s burst resistance. This allows your units to enter the burst states quicker, which is great for DPS characters like Jericho. However, she’s also a great partner with Diane due to their Earth affiliation.
Manny: If you’re running a burst-focused team, Manny becomes an S-tier pick. She inflicts Punishment on enemies. Those enemies will then take Critical Hit as Punishment is active, and it also inflicts additional Holy damage. She can also buff the Crit Damage of her allies and reduce the Element Defense of enemies.
Howzer: If you’re a free-to-play player, Howzer is a pretty good choice. He can inflict Bleed with his attacks, which raises the damage dealt to enemies (while nerfing the healing rate). You have to combine it with his special attack that helps Howzer gain Gust. He is a relatively simple character to master, but he might lose his relevance once we get more names in the future.

B-tier

B-tier choices are average at best, so I have briefly explained what they do and what you can expect of them. In simple words, try to replace them with better options listed above unless you’re a fan.

Guila: She can deal damage via Fire Burst when she is in her Demon Form. You’ll need to use her Demon Form carefully since it also allows her to reduce her skill cooldown by 50% by landing Critical Hits.
Drake: He does lightning damage to enemies, and he can also increase his Burst Duration with Lightning Burst. However, the lack of synergy for the Lightning element continues until the full launch.
Slader: While he can deal Fire/Physical damage to enemies, his overall potential is pretty limited. His base damage is pretty low, which makes him unideal as a DPS until you build him up.
Hendrickson: Hendrickson is useful as long as you have Meliodas in your team, as he can improve Meli’s damage potential. If you don’t have Meliodas, Hendrickson is a C-tier.
Tristan: He is an okay character, as everyone gets him for free. His kit is pretty basic, but it can deal a decent amount of Fire Damage. Outside that, there’s not much to write home about him.