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Marathon Beginner's Guide: Everything You Need to Know

March 5, 20262 min read

What is Marathon?

Marathon is a PvPvE extraction shooter set on the distant colony of Tau Ceti IV in the year 2893. You play as a Runner — a cybernetic mercenary — dropping into dangerous zones to complete contracts, collect loot, and extract before other players or the environment kills you.

The key difference from battle royales: you keep what you extract. But if you die, you lose everything you brought in and everything you found. This risk-reward loop is the core of the extraction shooter genre.

Your First Raid

Before You Drop

  1. Choose your Runner Shell — each has unique abilities. Destroyer and Triage are great for beginners
  2. Equip a loadout — bring a primary weapon, secondary, and any gear you're willing to risk
  3. Select a zone — start with Perimeter, it's the most forgiving
  4. Queue up — solo, duo, or trio. Trios are recommended for beginners

During the Raid

  • Listen carefully — footsteps, gunshots, and environmental cues tell you where threats are
  • Loot efficiently — grab high-value items but don't get greedy
  • Check your corners — other Runners are the biggest threat
  • Complete contracts — faction contracts give bonus rewards and reputation
  • Know your extracts — always have an extraction route planned

Extraction

  • Head to an extraction point when you're ready
  • Activate the extraction — there's a short timer before you leave
  • Other players can ambush you during extraction, stay alert
  • Successfully extracting keeps everything in your inventory

Runner Shells for Beginners

Destroyer

The tankiest shell in the game. High health and armor make it forgiving for new players. Explosive abilities help in both PvP and PvE encounters.

Triage

The team medic. If you prefer a support role, Triage lets you heal and buff your squad while they handle the heavy fighting. Great for learning map layouts in relative safety.

Rook

The unique drop-in shell. Rooks join in-progress raids with nothing to lose — if you die, you lose nothing. If you extract, you keep everything. Perfect for learning without risk.

Essential Tips

  1. Don't bring your best gear every raid — use budget loadouts for learning runs
  2. Insurance exists — insure valuable items to get them back if you die
  3. Faction reputation resets each season — don't stress about min-maxing early
  4. The Cryo Archive is endgame — don't go there until you're geared and experienced
  5. Play with a squad — solo is viable but significantly harder
  6. Learn one zone at a time — master Perimeter before moving to Dire Marsh
  7. Manage your gear fear — dying is part of the game, don't hoard gear you never use

What to Do After Your First Extract

  • Sell unwanted loot to vendors
  • Check faction contracts for objectives you can complete next raid
  • Upgrade your weapons with mods you've found
  • Experiment with different Runner shells and loadouts
  • Work toward unlocking the community Cryo Archive zone

Welcome to Tau Ceti IV, Runner. Good luck out there.