Runner shells is a term you must have heard if you are new to Marathon or are discovering the game and wondering if it is worth the time and money. They serve as one of the fundamental building blocks of Bungie’s latest shooter extractor set on the planet Tau Ceti IV. Understanding and differentiating among all the Runner shells is essential if you are looking to make the most of the game.
What are Runner Shells in Marathon?
Runner shells are bio-printed bodies that a runner (player) inhabits during a run. Each of them has a unique purpose in the gameplay and special abilities. For example, if one runner shell is ideal for aggressive combat, you will have to go with another shell if you want a stealth or support approach.
In simple words, Runner shells are Marathon’s take on character classes. Choosing a runner shell that matches your play style best is important. If you are unsure, you can always experiment with different runners to find what you like the most.
Available Runner Shells in Marathon and Abilities
Marathon currently has six main runner shells with unique characteristics and abilities:
- Destroyer (aggressor)
- Assassin (stealth)
- Recon (intel gatherer)
- Vandal (fast and agile movements)
- Thief (loot goblin)
- Triage (medic/healer)
There is one more runner shell called Rook, but it is not meant for primary gameplay. It has a different use that we will talk about in a while.
Destroyer
As the name makes it clear, the Destroyer runner shell is all about aggression and playing offense. It is the frontline of your squad that leads the attack, absorbs damage up front, and dictates the tempo of the fight. It is the best pick for close combat and for anyone who loves to take the fight to the opponent.
- Search and Destroy (Prime Ability): Shoots missiles from shoulder-mounted pods at damaged enemies to immobilize them and damage them further.
- Riot Barricade (Tactical Ability): An energy shield that absorbs incoming damage. However, energy consumption/drain is directly proportional to the damage it takes.
- Thruster (Trait 1): Helps you dash in the direction you are moving by activating boosters when you are mid-air
- Tactical Sprint (Trait 2): Makes you sprint faster but also generates heat more quickly. In other words, you risk getting overheated quickly if you use this.
Assassin
Assassin is an apt runner shell for those who prefer stealth gameplay. Its abilities help you walk into the shadows, sneak up on your opponents, and catch them off guard. The trade-off here is that it is not that good at direct combat.
- Smoke Screen (Prime Ability): Deploys a smoke disc that generates a thick shield of smoke and blocks the vision of enemies.
- Active Camo (Tactical Ability): Makes you invisible for a limited time, but invisibility drops whenever you perform actions like shooting, using any other ability, taking damage, or moving faster.
- Shadow Dive (Trait 1): Use mid-air to negate the drop damage and generate a smoke screen upon landing.
- Shroud (Trait 2): Makes you invisible when you enter a smoke screen. The invisibility effect remains for a while even after you leave the smoke area.
Recon
Recon runner shell is all about tracking enemies/loot and providing valuable intel to the rest of the team. It was referred to as “fun police” by devs during the early development phase. Apart from tracking, this runner can disable movement capability for enemies. One interesting ability is that when you break an opponent’s shield, they will leave footprints behind that you can use to track and attack.
- Echo Pulse (Prime Ability): Sends sonar pulses to track every enemy/loot’s location that comes within range.
- Tracker Drone (Tactical Ability): Deploys a spider-bot to hunt the nearest enemy and explodes when it comes in contact with it. It also overheats the enemy after the explosion.
- Awareness (Trait 1): Pings you whenever an enemy marks you, but you won’t know where they are.
- Stalker Protocol (Trait 2): Enemy leaves holographic footprints behind when you break its shield. Helps you track and attack that enemy.
Vandal
Vandal runner shell focuses on faster movements and agility. If you like fast gameplay and creating chaos for your enemies, Vandal should be your pick. Speed is your biggest ally, but it also generates more heat. It’s all about balancing the two to wreak havoc.
- Amplify (Prime Ability): Increases movement speed and weapon handling while reducing heat generation while performing movement abilities.
- Disruptor (Tactical Ability): A cannon that fires projectiles to push back enemies from their location and causes damage. Damage level and blast area are directly proportional to how long you hold the cannon before firing.
- Microjets (Trait 1): Lets you double jump while you are mid-air, but also generates more heat.
- Power Slide (Trait 2): Increase slide distance and speed at the cost of increased heat.
Thief
Gathering loot is one of the core aspects of Marathon, and the Thief runner shell is very good at it. It makes locating and grabbing loot so quick that no other runner comes close. You can even steal loot from your enemies with this runner. No points for guessing that Thief is your pick if you want to be the loot goblin.
- Pickpocket Drone (Prime Ability): Deploys a near-silent butterfly drone that can be controlled remotely and steals loot from enemies. Can also ping enemy locations and share with the squad.
- Grapple (Tactical Ability): A grappling hook that ejects out of your wrists and launches you in the direction of the surface it is attached to.
- X-Ray Visor (Trait 1): A special visor that helps you locate loot containers even behind the wall. Also highlights enemies in the line of sight. You can also block their vision temporarily as long as you are looking at them.
- The Finer Things (Trait 2): Increases Grapple recharge time and improves weapon handling based on the amount of loot in your bag. So, if you want the best stats, make sure to loot more.
Triage
Triage is the medic runner shell in Marathon. It is ideal for players who prefer taking up the support role for the squad. It is the only runner in the game with reviving and healing abilities. In other words, it ensures that you can take more damage and survive longer. Apart from medic abilities, it can launch electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) at the enemies for combat purposes.
- Capacitive Gauntlets (Prime Ability): Sends EMPs that can either revive allies from a distance or attack enemies to cause damage.
- Med-Drone (Tactical Ability): A drone that follows allies and heals them or recharges their shields.
- Battery Overcharge (Trait 1): Increase weapon performance, but also generates heat quickly. Can also EMP enemies temporarily when their shield is broken.
- Shareware (Trait 2): When Med-Drone is attached to an ally, the benefits of any consumable that you take will also apply to that ally.
Rook
Rook is a scavenger runner shell that cannot be used in the same way as all other runners explained above. It can only be used solo and in matches that are already in progress. The objective is to grab as much loot as you can during an ongoing match and return. If someone spots you before you can escape, they can choose to kill you. The only ability Rook has is that it can disguise itself as one of the UESC forces to blend in.
Final Thoughts
You must have got a good idea of Marathon Runner shells and how they differ from one another by now. You can now work on what runner shells to try first. The important thing to note is that there are no absolute right or wrong choices. It is all about which runner shell suits your gameplay preferences the most, or what your objective is. If you are still unsure, we would suggest you play a few games with each of them to get a more accurate idea of how they perform on the battlefield.
