Zero tolerance for cheaters at Tau Ceti.
If there’s one thing that can instantly kill the hype around a new extraction shooter, it’s cheaters. Bungie knows that, and ahead of Marathon’s upcoming Server Slam, which will run from 26 February to 2 March, the studio dropped a detailed blog outlining how it plans to lock down exploits, hacks, and more with permanent bans at the centre of its approach.
The developers at Bungie made this clear from the beginning of the post. "We want you to know your deaths are due to your own mistakes or enemy outplays, not because your run was compromised by network issues, cheaters, or the hardware hosting your connection to the world," the studio wrote.
The strongest warning is clear: "Anyone found to be cheating will be permabanned from playing Marathon forever, no second chances."
How Bungie is shutting down cheats in Marathon
All key actions in Marathon, including movement, shooting, and looting, are controlled server-side to prevent exploits such as teleporting, unlimited ammo, or damage manipulation. "This new server authority model means that invalid client actions will be rejected without impacting other players’ experiences," Bungie explained.
Marathon also uses a Fog of War system to control what each player client can see. This limits wall hacks, ESP tools, and loot-revealing cheats by only showing information a character could realistically detect. "This helps keep gameplay secure from exploits that reveal the location of items or the contents of containers," Bungie said.
On the client side, security combines third-party tools with Bungie’s proprietary systems, including user-mode and kernel-level protections. Servers constantly analyse gameplay data to detect unusual patterns and flag suspicious behaviour even after matches end.
Bungie also emphasised protecting player progression. "We take your investment of time seriously. We will strive to keep your progress safe and protected from item duplication or other economic cheats." These measures ensure fair competition, and that valuable loot remains meaningful.
Players will have their first chance to test these systems during the Server Slam starting on 26 February. Bungie encourages reporting any suspicious behaviour in-game or through the online form. With these measures in place, cheaters will have nowhere to hide, and every defeat will come from skill and strategy, rather than exploits.
