Getting Started In Marathon

Since our Marathon Quick Look the other day, it’s basically all we’ve been playing. Thinking about getting a better run, learning more about the maps and shells. It’s been a while since something quite captured our imagination like it has. Thinking about it, it’s mostly down to how desolate the world feels, and how much it really makes you feel like you’re up against it.

The first-person perspective really adds a layer that isn’t there in, say, Arc Raiders. Whilst we love both, Marathon is vying for our attention the most, at the moment.

All that being said. We wanted to share some tips to help those runs go a little smoother from the get-go. Because Marathon can be pretty unforgiving if you go in blind. Trust us……that’s how we did it.

To help you survive your first few drops and actually keep your loot, here are five essential tips for getting started.

1. Embrace the Rook to Learn the Ropes

If you are on a losing streak or just starting out, stop risking your high-tier gear. Use the Rook Shell. Unlike other Shells, the Rook often drops into matches already in progress. This means most of the “sweaty” PvP squads have already extracted or died.

You can also use your ability to disguise yourself as a UESC robot to slip past AI enemies. This is the perfect way to learn map layouts and “Zero-to-Hero” your way back to a full vault without constant pressure.

2. Conquer Gear Fear with Sponsored Loadouts

In Marathon, death means losing everything you are carrying, but only if you brought it from your vault.

Use the Sponsored Loadouts provided by the corporations whenever your resources are low. These kits are basic, but they cost you zero credits. Treat these runs as disposable training. Your goal should not just be to survive; it is to extract with one piece of gear better than what you started with.

3. Prioritize Unstable Loot for Faction Upgrades

The secret to long-term power is not just finding a legendary gun; it is your standing with the global conglomerates like Arachne or CyberAcme.

Go to your faction upgrade screen and Mark the items you need for your next upgrade. This will put a green-yellow highlight on those items when you find them in the world.

Always prioritize items with the Unstable prefix, such as Unstable Biomass or Unstable Lead. These are the primary currencies for permanent seasonal buffs and Shell augments.

4. Master the 10-Second Extraction Rule

The extraction (exfil) tower is the most dangerous place on the map. Activating it draws a massive light beacon and changes the music for everyone nearby, which essentially rings a dinner bell for campers.

Activate the tower, then immediately find cover outside the circle. Only move into the transfer zone during the final 10 seconds of the countdown. If you are playing an Assassin, use your cloak for these final seconds to vanish just as the matter transfer completes.

5. Listen to the Blueprint of the Battlefield

Bungie has leaned heavily into 3D audio for Marathon. Sound is often more reliable than your HUD.

UESC robots and Ticks only make noise when they are agitated. If you hear gunfire or mechanical screaming and it is not directed at you, there is definitely another player nearby.

Pay attention to doors as well. Open doors stay open. If you enter a high-tier loot room and the door is already ajar, assume someone is still inside or waiting in a corner with a shotgun.

It’s a Marathon

One run is never going to be the make/break of your entire runner career. You’ll need to be doing a lot of drops to learn, to understand and to farm gear. Make sure that’s your mindset, and spending ten minutes finding stuff, just to get wiped, doesn’t sting as much.

Marathon is fun, it feels intense and it sounds amazing. Just go and enjoy it. Treat it more like an FPS than a survival game, and you might find yourself a little more aware, and surviving that bit longer.

Pro-Tip: Do not forget that seasons in Marathon last three months, and your vault is wiped at the end of each one. That God-tier rifle will not do you any good sitting in your inventory when the season ends. Use it or lose it!

Are you planning on diving in solo, or do you have a crew ready to drop onto Tau Ceti IV with you?