Marathon’s ranked mode homework explains holotags, score targets, and penalties

Marathon’s ranked mode launches this weekend, starting on March 21 at 1 p.m. EDT. To get players ready, Bungie has given us all a bit of homework that I let my parents’ dog eat. The thing is, if you actually want to get anywhere in ranked mode, you can’t just jump in with your squad to loot, shoot, and exfil unless you collect enough points. You might actually lose points if you don’t do it correctly.

“Marathon’s unique ranked system can be a lot to understand when you’re new to it,” a March 18 X post reads. “We’ve prepared a resource to help you get used to figuring out score targets, loss penalties, and more.”

That “resource” is a “Ranked Calculation Worksheet” that literally looks like a one-page homework assignment complete with fields for your name and the date at the top. To help, we did the work for you.

As explained in Bungie’s official blog post about how ranked works in Marathon, the newly introduced holotags play a key role here. You have to purchase holotags from the armory across six tiers: bronze, silver, gold, platinum, diamond, and pinnacle (costs are listed in column two). Note that you can only purchase holotags from your current rank or lower. The three holotags that your party brings into the match together make up your “score target” (see question one and column four). As a team, you have to loot items to reach that collective score. Only then should you exfil (see Phil’s failure in question four) because if you don’t reach your target, you won’t get any rated points upon exfil. Thankfully, you should see a helpful loot meter in-game to help you know when it’s time.

If your team gets wiped out in a match, each player loses “rated points” equal to the team’s collective loss penalty values that correspond to the holotags (see question two and column four). But if you successfully exfil having met your target, you’ll earn ranked points based on the value of loot you escape with.

Collecting enemy holotags seems to be the most efficient way of increasing your score, but all kinds of valuable loot count toward that threshold. Most importantly, looting enemy holotags increases your “overperformance capacity” (see question three and column five). Each gold holotag collected, for instance, essentially increases your team’s potential score target by 1,500. Though the mechanic is not listed on the worksheet, players can also increase their overperformance capacity by earning tag chips from downed UESC enemies or by participating in map events. So Marathon’s ranked mode doesn’t just emphasize highly competitive PvP, but instead incentivizes you to do everything you’d do in a normal match: loot, destroy UESC, eliminate enemy players, and participate in whatever events might pop up.

Image: Bungie

The worksheet’s bonus question demonstrates how the gear ante works in competitive. The low stakes queue (the only one available in the first weekend) requires that you hold at least a bronze holotag and bring gear with a minimum sale value of 3,000 credits. According to Bungie, that means mostly enhanced (green) gear with a few deluxe (blue) pieces mixed in. The high stakes queue requires a platinum holotag and a gear ante worth 10,000 credits — equal to a set of deluxe gear with a few superior (purple) pieces. Another requirement to remember: players must have a runner level of 25 or higher to play ranked.

For the bonus question, the cost of Eunice’s platinum holotag reduces the gear ante required for high stakes, so she has to equip gear worth 8,500 credits to qualify for high stakes. As Bungie puts it, “You need to risk it for the biscuit.” Just keep an eye on your loot meter when playing comp, because the only thing more embarrassing than getting eliminated and losing all of your loot is going for the exPhil in ranked and earning zero points because somebody named Phil jumped the gun.