Marathon sees Bungie pay homage to Halo with weapon references and easter eggs
Gamers have discovered that numerous weapons in Bungie’s latest extraction shooter, Marathon, pay homage to iconic weapons from Halo: Combat Evolved, not only in their models and skins but also in their gunplay.
This isn’t surprising, considering Bungie worked on the original Halo: Combat Evolved in 2001, Halo 2 (2004), Halo 3 (2007), Halo 3: ODST (2009), and Halo: Reach (2010).
The studio partnered with Microsoft on most of its titles before announcing its official split from the company in 2007. Even then, Bungie was contractually bound to finish ODST and Reach before making its official exit and pivoting to Destiny.
Now, 16 years later, Bungie continues to reference Halo in its latest extraction shooter, Marathon, released on 5 March 2026. The game’s weapons are heavily influenced by Halo, and gamers on X have been quick to spot these Easter eggs.
First and foremost, there is the most obvious Halo: CE reference: the CE Tactical Sidearm. As the name suggests, it directly nods to Combat Evolved. Its design also shares traits with the Halo Magnum, featuring a similar grip and snub-nosed barrel.
While it looks familiar, gamers report that it handles more like sidearms from later entries in the Halo franchise. It’s essentially a nerfed version of the Halo Magnum, yet it remains accurate and ideal for quick-swapping to primary weapons.
In terms of functionality and gunplay, Bungie found a spiritual successor to the Halo Magnum in the Magnum MC. Although it looks vastly different from the original Magnum, the Magnum MC in Marathon delivers the same gut-wrenching punch with its aggressive vertical recoil and can one-shot UESC NPCs.
Marathon’s V11 Punch is functionally identical to Halo’s Plasma Pistol. Like the Plasma Pistol, the V11 Punch features a rapid-fire primary mode and a charged, powerful secondary pulse.
But the similarities don’t end there. The V11 Punch is designed to deplete shields. In Halo, a single charged shot could obliterate enemy Spartan shields, while in Marathon, the V11 Punch uses Volt Battery rounds that steadily shred enemy shields. Further similarities include a nostalgic, haptic overcharge feel and comparable recoil when a charged shot is released.
Many Halo fans agree that Marathon’s BR33 Volley Rifle is a mechanical and spiritual tribute to Halo 2’s Battle Rifle, calling it a “dead ringer.” The semi-automatic BR33 Volley Precision Rifle fires a three-round burst identical to that of the Halo 2 Battle Rifle.
Like the Battle Rifle, Marathon’s BR33 Volley has minimal recoil during firefights. Players can further tune the BR33 Volley Rifle into a near-perfect Battle Rifle analogue using the Lockout Muzzle Brake mod, which makes the precision rifle perform almost identically to its predecessor in terms of stability and hip-fire accuracy.
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