Exploring Marathon Characters and Runner Shells: Their Functions and Features
Choosing the right character in Marathon is crucial for successfully completing missions, looting, and, most importantly, making safe extractions. Each Runner Shell, a biologically printed avatar you control, comes equipped with its own set of tools to help you navigate the perils of Tau Ceti IV, the UESC, and rival players. From energy shields and healing drones that provide protection and support to grappling hooks and power slides for enhanced mobility, each character offers unique advantages. Currently, there are six Runner Shells known in Marathon, along with the special Rook character, which I’ll break down below.
Every character, or Runner Shell, in Marathon boasts a distinct array of abilities tailored to specific playstyles. With the release date on the horizon, familiarizing yourself with these basics is a smart move. Each Runner has a powerful Prime Ability with a lengthy cooldown, a Tactical Ability best suited for combat with a shorter cooldown, and two Traits that can range from always-active passive benefits to unique features resembling mini abilities.
You can also enhance these abilities through Implants and Shell-specific Cores that you can loot or unlock during your Marathon journey. Combining these enhancements with your weapons, equipment, and shields allows you to craft formidable builds for each Runner Shell, but be cautious—failure to extract means losing everything. Additionally, there’s no cap on how many of the same Runner Shell can be on a team. All three players can choose the same character for a unified strategy or opt for different ones to create a diverse and adaptable squad.
Rook stands out as a special character in Marathon, featuring unique limitations that differentiate them from the other Runner Shells. Notably, selecting Rook means you’ll be placed in a solo queue for matches, preventing you from teaming up with others. You’ll also join matches that are already underway, and other players won’t be notified of your entry, leaving the exact player count in the match a mystery.
When it comes to gear, playing as Rook restricts you from bringing any items from your vault into a match, and it appears Rook has only one ability: a UESC disguise Tactical Ability that activates a mask to temporarily prevent UESC drones from attacking you. However, you do start with a basic kit to help defend yourself.
Aside from these limitations, Rook operates like any other Runner Shell, allowing you to keep any gear you loot and successfully extract with. This makes Rook ideal for players who prefer not to risk their best loot in every match or want to focus on scavenging to replenish their vault without spending credits.
These six Runner Shells, along with Rook, seem to form the initial roster of characters in Marathon, but it’s likely that new ones will be introduced over time. While the specifics of updates and content additions remain unclear, this guide will be updated with any new Runner information as it becomes available.
