Best Builds & Loadouts for Every Shell — Season 1

Best Builds & Loadouts — Season 1

Every runner shell in Marathon can be customized through cores, implants, weapons, and mods. This guide provides verified builds for each shell with both budget and high-tier options so you can hit the ground running regardless of your progression level.

Destroyer — Melee Brawler

The Destroyer excels in close-range aggressive combat. This build maximizes your tankiness while closing distance fast.

Loadout

Playstyle: Push aggressively into close range using Destroyer's energy barricade for cover. The WSTR two-taps at point blank, and the Bully SMG cleans up. Use homing missiles to pressure enemies out of cover before closing the gap.

Assassin — Shrouded Flanker

Built for ambush tactics. Go invisible, get close, delete the target, and disappear.

Loadout

Playstyle: Use invisibility to flank. Open with the WSTR at point blank for maximum damage, then swap to V75 Scar for cleanup at range. Smoke grenades provide escape routes when things go wrong.

Recon — UAV Intel Build

Information is power. This build turns Recon into the squad's eyes, providing constant enemy tracking while maintaining strong personal firepower.

Loadout

Playstyle: Stay at mid-range using the Volley Rifle while constantly scanning with your abilities. Pulse Blade choke points and doorways to create a web of intel. When you break enemy shields, the holographic trail marks them for your entire squad. Finish downed enemies to ping remaining teammates.

Triage — Combat Medic

The essential squad support build. Keep your team alive through extended firefights and clutch remote revives.

Loadout

Playstyle: Stay behind your Destroyer. Use med drones to keep the squad topped off during fights. Save your remote revive for clutch moments — it can turn a squad wipe into a comeback. Share consumables through medbots for team-wide efficiency.

Vandal — Speed Demon

High-mobility build that uses Vandal's double jump and supercharged slide to control vertical space and reposition constantly.

Loadout

Playstyle: Use double jump and extended slides to take unexpected angles. Vandal excels at vertical plays — jump over enemies, slide behind cover, and abuse your movement to make yourself hard to hit. Be careful of heat management early on before faction upgrades improve your stamina.

Thief — Loot Goblin

Maximize loot acquisition with the Thief's X-ray vision and reconnaissance drone. Built for getting rich without risky fights.

Loadout

Playstyle: Use X-ray visor to scout loot through walls before entering rooms. Deploy the recon drone to check for enemy players, then use the grappling hook for quick entry and exit. Avoid direct fights — your strength is knowing where the loot is and getting to it first. Third-party timing is your bread and butter.

Rook — Zero-Risk Farm

The free-loadout scavenger. Perfect for learning maps, farming loot, or testing routes with zero risk.

Loadout

Rook uses a free provided loadout — you don't bring your own gear. Focus on:

• Blend ability — Disguise as UESC AI to avoid detection
• Learn extraction points — AI ignores you while blended, making this the safest way to learn maps
• Farm valuables — Extract loot to build your vault without risking any of your own gear
• Faction upgrades matter — Enhanced weapons, claymores, a blue deluxe backpack, and even a two-tap shotgun unlock through Rook-specific faction upgrades

Meta Loadout Combos

Builds will be updated as new cores unlock from Sekiguchi Genetics and balance patches shift the meta. Check back for the latest loadout recommendations.