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Marathon launches with four distinct zones, each built around a different kind of threat and pacing. Three are surface maps you can access from day one. The fourth — Cryo Archive — is an endgame location tied to Season 1. Before you drop into any of them, here's everything you need to know.

This guide breaks down all seven Runner Shells — their abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and best team synergies — so you know exactly what you're getting into before your first run on March 5.

On top of the balance work, the patch adds the Hurricane map condition, two new ARC enemy types, free daily Feat rerolls, and a catch-up system for missed Expedition Skill Points. There's a lot to unpack — so this breakdown focuses only on what actually affects how you play.

Patch 1.17.0 brings a full Hurricane map condition, two new ARC machines actively hunting Raiders on the surface, a free Raider Deck, weapon balance changes, and a new community project that runs through the end of March.

This list covers Version 1.0, February 2026. Rankings are based on endgame content performance, specifically Algorithmic Memories mode, flexibility across team types, and long-term investment value.

This guide focuses on methods that stay consistent over time: daily friend light (Heart progress), Heart gifting (the fastest way to convert Candles into Hearts), one-time Hearts from Spirit trees and guides, and smart timing around double-reward events.

This article breaks down exactly how the Rook system works, why its design decisions are smarter than they first appear, and what it signals about how Bungie is thinking about Marathon as a live game — not just a launch event.

Before you drop into Tau Ceti IV for the first time, this guide covers everything you need to understand: the game's core rules, Runner shells, factions, maps, and the mindset that separates players who extract from players who lose everything.

We went in with low expectations and came out with a more complicated answer than we expected. Here’s the full breakdown.

This article is a focused combat guide. It stays on those three enemies only. You’ll learn how to identify each one fast, where their weak spots are, how to call priority targets in a random squad, and how to end Vox Engine fights with a method you can repeat under stress.

This guide is written for objective players. You’ll learn how to treat masks and filters like a match resource, how to move through contaminated zones without wasting time, and how to keep your squad effective even when audio and visuals feel unreliable.

Season 2 is built as a three-step rollout. You get the main launch drop, then two timed updates that reshape the playlists and the “best thing to do right now.” If you like to plan your sessions, this season makes it easy, because every phase has a clear focus.