Marathon’s Battle Pass Slammed as the “Worst Value for Your Money” as Cosmetic Limits Remind Players of Bungie’s Past Failings: “Welcome Back Launch Destiny 2 Shaders

[wasabi]

Bungie’s Marathon launch is already running into the familiar live-service friction: cosmetic frustrations. The main complaints center on stickers and charms for weapons. Players like them as little touches, but the way they’re implemented—duplicates required to put the same design on multiple weapons—has made customizing feel tedious. Most duplicates are only obtainable through microtransactions or premium drops, which compounds the issue.

This design echoes past complaints about Destiny 2, where shaders and cosmetic items were similarly restricted. Even Twitch drops and preorder bonuses are limited to single-use items, making inventory management a hassle. Fans have also criticized the battle pass, saying it offers too little value—often only a single skin—and doesn’t refund spent currency if you don’t like what you get.

For now, Bungie hasn’t publicly responded, but with community pushback growing, adjustments to how charms, stickers, and battle pass rewards are handled seem likely in the near future. The takeaway: Marathon is fun gameplay-wise, but the monetization design is souring some players’ impressions right out of the gate.