Marathon
News, coverage and analysis tracking Marathon across the outlets.
Latest coverage
Best Marathon characters tier list: All Runner Shell classes explained
This guide breaks down the seven Runner Shell classes in the game Marathon, explaining their unique abilities and offering a tier list for their effectiveness. It details the Prime, Tactical, and Trait abilities for each shell, including Triage, Vandal, Assassin, Recon, Destroyer, Thief, and Rook, and provides insights into their strengths and weaknesses in gameplay.
Out Today: Marathon's PS5 Launch Puts Sony's $3B Live Service Gamble to the Test
Marathon, a $3 billion live service gamble for Sony, has launched today on PlayStation 5. The acquisition of developer Bungie in 2022 was intended to bolster Sony's live service offerings, but the studio has faced challenges including an impairment loss on Destiny 2 and layoffs. Despite an asset theft controversy, Bungie has polished Marathon with features like proximity chat, and success will depend on player retention and long-term revenue.
You can lessen Marathon's faction rep grind by doing more than just contracts
This guide for Marathon explains how players can reduce the grind associated with the game's faction reputation system. By completing bonus actions like looting Tick Nests in addition to active contracts, players can earn extra reputation points, making the progression feel less tedious even with the one-contract-at-a-time limitation.
One of Marathon's more controversial mechanics brings back a neat idea from Anthem
Bungie's Marathon reboot introduces a controversial heat mechanic that limits player abilities and has divided early players. This system, which requires players to manage their temperature using environmental factors like water and weather, is compared to a similar mechanic in BioWare's Anthem. The article also briefly mentions MechWarrior and a former BioWare developer's proposal to revive Anthem.
How to expand your vault in Marathon
This guide explains how to expand your vault space in Marathon by purchasing faction upgrades from CyberAcme. The 'Expansion' upgrade, available at Rank 3, provides eight additional slots, with further upgrades offering more rows at increasing costs and rank requirements. The article advises players to consider stash hygiene after the initial upgrades due to diminishing returns.
How to complete Introducing Traxus in Marathon
This guide details how to complete the 'Introducing Traxus' priority contract in Marathon. Players must hack a terminal at one of three locations on the Dire Marsh map, defeat a UESC Commander to acquire a Shipping Manifest, and then scan a nearby shipping container within a three-minute timer.
How to complete Survival Directive in Marathon
This guide explains how to complete the Survival Directive contract in the game Marathon. Players must interact with two terminals, one in Station and another in Overflow, to download a geological survey and a botany report respectively. Completing this contract rewards players with faction reputation for the foodie faction.
Best weapons in Marathon
This guide details the best weapons available in the extraction shooter Marathon, categorizing 28 different guns into tiers. It highlights the effectiveness of shotguns and sniper rifles for different combat scenarios and provides explanations for top-tier picks like the WSTR Combat Shotgun and Repeater HPR.
Marathon DCON locations and how to use them
This guide details the locations of DCON terminals in Marathon, which are crucial for completing certain contracts. DCONs are terminals with antennae found on roofs or outside specific buildings, used to deposit quest items. The article lists DCON locations for the Perimeter and Dire Marsh maps, noting that they are typically marked on the map with a crate icon, though this feature may be bugged for some players.
How to complete Equitable Distribution in Marathon
This guide details how to complete the four stages of the Equitable Distribution priority quest in Marathon. Players will need to find specific items like the Self-Erasing Data Drive and Unstable Gunmetal, deliver them to DCON locations, scan drones, and ultimately hunt down a UESC Commander. Completing these objectives rewards players with loot and progresses their standing with the Traxus faction.
How to get Lockbox Keys in Marathon
This guide explains how to obtain Lockbox Keys in the game Marathon, which are necessary to open valuable caches. Keys can be found as rare drops in containers or on objects in the game world, or purchased from the Armory after acquiring the Locksmith CyberAcme upgrade. The guide also details potential locations for lockboxes and the types of loot they contain.
How to complete Tox Clear events in Marathon
This guide explains how to complete Tox Clear events in the game Marathon. Players need a Hazard Override Card to interact with a hidden laptop near the toxic gas room to temporarily disable the gas. Alternatively, players can use a Mechanic's Kit for temporary immunity or the Triage shell's healing drone.
How to complete Introducing NuCaloric in Marathon
This guide details how to complete the 'Introducing: NuCaloric' contract in Marathon. Players must navigate the Perimeter map, locate a specific building, clear it of Ticks and nests, retrieve the NuCal Employee ID, and interact with a terminal to progress.
Where to find rods to complete Cutthroat Competition in Marathon
This guide explains how to complete the 'Cutthroat Competition' contract in Marathon by finding two rod salvage items, Deimosite Rods or Cetinite Rods, within the Dire Marsh's Maintenance area. Players must extract with both items in a single round, and the guide suggests searching the basement and upper walkways of Maintenance for these items, while also noting the risks of PvP and PvE encounters in the zone.
Best Marathon faction upgrades to unlock first
This guide details the best faction upgrades to unlock first in Marathon, a brutal extraction shooter. It recommends prioritizing CyberAcme's Expansion upgrade for increased vault space and Informant.exe for better data card rewards. Other key upgrades include those that enhance stamina, shields, and agility, along with specific Rook capstone upgrades that provide significant starting advantages.
Marathon Players Report Keeping Server-Slam Loot In Full Game
Players of Bungie's Marathon have reported instances where loot earned during the Server Slam beta test has carried over into the full game, contrary to the developer's intention for a fresh start. This bug, where items were found in the in-game mailbox, is likely to be addressed by Bungie soon.
Marathon Runner Tier List: The best Runners for solo and group play
This article provides a tier list for the Runners in the game Marathon, evaluating their effectiveness in solo and group play. It details the abilities and roles of each Runner, including Assassin, Destroyer, Recon, Rook, Triage, Thief, and Vandal, offering insights into their strengths and weaknesses for different playstyles.
Everything That Happened in Gaming While You Were Busy | TAG
Bungie's Marathon has received an age rating for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, though official last-gen support remains unconfirmed. The studio also announced that Marathon's battle passes will not expire, allowing players to progress at their own pace. Additionally, the Pokémon TCG schedule for 2026 revealed the return of Mega Evolutions, and Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is set to stream on Peacock on April 3, 2026.
Marathon PS4 and Xbox One Release Potentially Revealed by ESRB Rating
An ESRB rating for Bungie's extraction shooter Marathon has listed PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as platforms, suggesting potential ports for the last-generation consoles. While the rating also includes PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, the inclusion of older platforms may indicate Bungie is working on bringing the game to a wider audience, though this remains unconfirmed.
Marathon roadmap - all updates coming in 2026
Bungie has outlined its 2026 roadmap for the upcoming FPS game Marathon, detailing content updates planned for the year. The game will feature seasonal content drops every three months, each with a unique theme, server wipe, new gameplay modifiers, and narrative progression. Key additions include new maps like Cryo Archive, a ranked queue, new Runner shells, weapons, and a system for customizing Runner stats.
