Check out our Marathon: Beginner’s Guide for some top tips to get you started on Bungie’s latest shooter.
Marathon is here! Yes, after delays, many alphas, and a touch of controversy, Bungie’s newest entry into the extraction shooter world is here. Marathon, the latest title in the series, the last one being released in 1996, takes us to Tau Ceti IV. Set in the year 2893, the colony ship Marathon has been missing for nearly 100 years. However, for the sake of plot devices, it’s just made contact via one of the ship’s AIs.
Of course, Earth is full of mega-corporations and dodgy groups of ‘Factions’ looking to make a credit or two (hmm, seems familiar). With that in mind, they send you, and plenty of other ‘Runners’ to Tau Ceti IV. They want you to grab all valuable items, data and resources. Of course, you’re not physically going, as you’re a Runner, you’ve given up your physical form for enhanced cybernetic ones. Your mind is placed in a ‘shell’ body that makes it easy to replicate you, should something…unforuntate happen. And believe me, it will.
And here we are, you’re about to make a name for yourself across the factions, and with any luck, come out with a whole load of loot!
We’ve pulled together some helpful tips and things to consider as you start your campaign in the world of Marathon.
The Basics
Tau Ceti IV is where you’ll be making a name for yourself. At launch, there are three main areas that you will explore:
- Perimeter – Beginner
- Perimeter – Low risk encounters
- Dire Marshes – Medium risk encounters
- Outpost (unlocks at Level 12) – High-risk encounters
Naturally, we recommend starting with Perimeter Beginner, as this is designed for low level Runners to get to grips with the game and how it works.
There is a new area coming towards the end of March 2026, Cryo Archive, which is said to have an extremely high threat level.
I am a Runner
Before you drop into a map, you will get to select your loadout (more on that later) and the gear you’re taking out with you. This includes your weapons, shields, augments, and any consumables (health, shields etc.).
Obviously, it stands to reason that the better equipped you are, the better your chances are (in theory). The Time to Kill (TTK) is fairly short, and you can usually take out / get taken out fairly quickly. It sounds unfair, but it feels really balanced (they go down as easily as you do).
If you get taken out, you’ll go Down But Not Out (DBNO). This gives your team time to revive you (or you can choose to give up). Your enemies can finish you off (either by shooting you or going in close for a finisher). But that’s not the end, after 20 secs or so, you become revivable from your point of death.
You may well have been looted into oblivion, but you could come back if you’ve got other team members still alive. It’s worth hanging in the game and seeing if they can get you. Some of the most satisfying runs I’ve had so far have been when I’ve been brought back from the brink.
That’s Me Shell
Picking your ‘Shell’ grants you different skills and abilities to take out on a Run. There are seven equippable Runner ‘Shells’ in the game at present.
- Destroyer shell – combat specialist, has a personal shield, improved movement boost and a rocket barrage weapon system.
- Vandal shell – ‘combat anarchist’, they move fast, have a second jump ability and a built-in Disrupt Cannon.
- Recon shell – intel specialist, can track enemy locations and movement, including wounded targets, and they have a tracker drone.
- Assassin shell – ‘shadow agent’, they have an active camo and smoke grenades to make them difficult to see.
- Triage shell – the field medic, they have a deployable healing drone which can heal health and shields. They also have the ability to revive at a distance.
- Thief shell – sneaky sneaky, thief’s have enhanced visors and can pilot a drone to pickpocket others. They also have a grapple device for fast traversal.
- Rook ‘frame’ – the Rook frame is designed as a scavenger. You don’t get to select a loadout; you use the Rook to enter ongoing matches as a solo player. You’re looking to loot and get new gear. Perfect if you need to stock up (and you likely will).
Definitely have a play with each shell to get a feel for how they work. Given how scarce healing can be sometimes, the Triage shell can be a lifesaver (literally). I’ve encountered a lot of Assassin’s too, that smoke is an absolute menace.
The Heat is On
Pay attention to your ‘heat’ bar. This is essentially your stamina, and it fills up through a range of actions, particularly sprinting. If you overheat, it takes longer to cool down. Don’t forget that there are upgrades you can unlock through the Factions that can improve your heat cooldown.
So What Do You Do?
You’ll drop into a random spawn point on the map, and you’ll have 25 minutes to basically do what you want. It can feel a little aimless to start with. I recommend having a good scavenge and seeing what you can find. There’s all manner of weapons, ammo, loot and resources to find. But you will have objectives, and of course, watch out for enemy Runners. Taking them down will net you experience points, but watch out, they’ll be keeping an eye out for you, too.
Contracts
You’ll also be completing contracts for Factions. The more you complete, the more you have access to. Contracts grant you experience points for both your Season Level and your Faction Level. Increasing these grant your rewards in the form of weapons, resources, currency and lore. Contracts also give you something to focus on during your runs.
Increasing your Faction Level also grant you access to upgrades that you spend currency and found resources on. These act as permanent buffs to your Runner. They can also open up more options to buy things in the Armory (the store). Other examples give you increased Vault storage (for all your goodies) as well as improved fall damage and stamina cooldown.
Extraction
After five minutes, extraction points will appear on the map with a yellow marker on the map. To leave, head to one of these locations and activate the extraction point. You will then have to wait around as the beacon activates before extracting any living Runners who are in the zone at the time. You’ll get a warning flash up on screen when there are 10 seconds before extraction. You’ll usually want to find somewhere to wait/hide whilst the beacon is active. Some extraction locations (the ones with skulls) are ‘Guarded Exfils’ and will spawn UESC enemies when you activate.
Of course, there’s always the threat of rival Runner teams bearing down on the same extraction location. So keep your wits about you.
However, if you are DBNO, and can crawl to the extraction area. You will successfully extract as long as you’re not dead dead.
Preparing for a Run
Loadouts
Before heading out, you’ll need to gear up with equipment. Be warned, anything you take out with you is at risk of being lost if you are eliminated. You lose everything. Not just the new stuff you’ve found, the stuff you’ve brought with you. Be prepared to grieve for a spectacular, fully loaded loadout, because chances are you’re going to lose some lovely gear.
Anyway, your loadout has limited spaces, and items take up different numbers of spaces depending on what they are. Your weapons don’t take up inventory space unless you have stored unequipped weapons. You can carry two equipped weapons. There’s a range of attachments you can find, and eventually buy too. The rarity of your weapon is determined by the rarity of your attachments.
You can also equip shields, augments and throwables. These can include grenades of varying types, bubble shields and ammo packs. There are a number of consumables you can find and buy too. These can assist in giving you a boost to your stats or cure status effects, too. You can also get inventory-expanding backpacks.
So there’s a fair bit to think about when it comes to what to take. The key thing is weapons, shield and health consumables and then any other bits you feel you need.
Armory
The Armory is the place where you can spend credits and trade in resources you find on runs. You can buy weapons, ammo, health, shields and everything else a growing Runner needs to succeed. Check the Armory regularly, as there are often totally free to buy items you can add to your inventory. As you progress with your Faction levels and upgrades, you’ll also gain access to more items, including free ones.
You can also access ‘Sponsored Kits’ here. There’s always a free one that includes some ammo, basic health kits and a weapon. These are great, free-to-play, nothing-to-lose kits, so if you’ve got limited stock in your Vault, you can always go out on a run. Part of the fun of Marathon is kitting yourself up whilst you’re out and about, getting new gear and scavenging off fallen Runners.
Contracts (again)
Trust me on this one. Contracts can be annoying. Contracts can have multiple layers, requiring you to fulfil different requests before it’s complete. Some contracts require these multiple levels to be completed in a single run. You’ll find some contracts can be done in any area of Tau Ceti IV you’re heading to, while others are specific to a zone.
It is likely you will not get to complete a contract on every run. However, supporting your teammates to complete contracts also gets you experience. You’ve got to learn when you can and can’t make a contract work. Check your map, and see how close you are. Communicate with your teammates either by pinging or with a mic.
Some contracts have you running all over the map, backwards and forwards, and some have time limits too. When you’re near a contract marker for one of your objectives, you’ll usually see a yellow icon. If it involves an enemy, it’ll be red. At the moment, you have to be quite close, but Bungie have promised to update the range slightly. I think this is because people have been getting lost (me, I’m people).
The other thing to know is that the map can change. I was on the cusp of completing a really annoying contract when ‘Maintenance’, the area I was heading towards, for the final part of a contract, went into ‘Lockdown’. This meant that that area of the map became off limits. You can’t go in, and if you try, you’ll take damage. So I had to abandon my objective at that point. C’est Tau Ceti (IV).
Strength in Numbers
Marathon is a team-based extraction shooter. You roll out in teams of three. It is highly advisable to stick together. Spread out and search, but don’t go all Leroy Jenkins or John Rambo, because you’ll likely not survive.
Not only are the AI UESC enemies hard-hitting, but they can be overwhelming. There are several types too, some with high-level shields, others with cloaking ability. They can totally sneak up on you, and if you’re unprepared, completely wipe you out.
Equally, staying together means you can be strategic and take out enemies. Flank them, use your abilities to your advantage, too.
Hostile Environment
The world of Marathon is also designed to kill you. There are automated turrets that have a long range and good damage. Ticks are everywhere, hiding in their buboe-y nests, waiting to pounce out. And, the worst, are the weird plant things that do toxic damage to you that seems to go on for aaaaaaaages. They can properly wipe your health out fast. The best thing to do is pay attention and avoid them. Some consumables can cure you, but that’s a space in your inventory too.
Search and Destroy
Give yourself enough time to look at what you need to get for upgrades and what is worth carrying with you as you try to extract. Many upgrades require large quantities of items you find on a run. You only have limited space, though, so it will take multiple, successful runs to get what you need. In the frenziedness of a run, it can feel pretty overwhelming knowing what everything is or what it does. Grab and go to start with. If you find some higher-tier items (indicated by their colour Grey -> Green -> Blue -> Purple -> Yellow), then swap them out.
Taking out UESC robot enemies nets you experience points, too, so it’s worth racking up some kills as you go. Just be wary that more do get dropped in (the game will tell you more reinforcements are coming).
Sounds Good to Me
Sound plays a big part in Marathon. There are a lot of audio cues to pay attention to. The gunfire you can hear in the distance isn’t just for effect; it’s an indicator of where combat is happening. So you can choose to head towards it, be wary of it as you do your thing, or stay away.
Not only that, but footsteps. Quoted to me on my YouTube channel recently, “If you think you heard another player, chances are you did”. Pay attention to the footsteps. Playing with my headphones on, it was really great to be able to echolocate where another Runner was.
You’ll also hear sounds of items being used, such as shields, or indeed a character saying something out loud, if you’re close enough.
Ammo, Ammo, My Kingdom for Some Ammo
Check out our guide on obtaining more ammo if you’re struggling. But a couple of pointers to consider:
- Enemies drop ammo. Not always, but be sure to check their bodies and the little supply caches they sometimes drop.
- If you take out a Sponsored Kit on a run, it usually comes with an ammo crate. Drop that straight away and collect the ammo. That way, you’ve got space for another consumable, as well as a range of ammo to help when you find another weapon.
- Loot downed Runners. They’ll often have ammo, and don’t limit yourself to the types of weapons you’re using (check the image of the weapon for the type of ammo). If you’ve got space it’s worth trying to extract with any excess ammo so you’ve got it in your Vault for a future run.
And that’s your lot for now. Got any tips or extra pointers you think are missing? Drop me an email at addy@gamersocialclub.ca, and I’ll happily look to include them. I hope you’ve found this useful. Be sure to join the Gamer Social Club Discord to chat about your favourite games, play in community game nights, take part in giveaways, and more!
