Every Runner Shell In Marathon—All Abilities, Explained

Unlike other extraction shooters on the block, Marathon offers a unique class system in the form of Runner Shells. These biosynthetic shells are designed to help you survive the harsh environments of Tau Ceti, and there’s a ton of variety already on offer.

Marathon will launch with six unique Runner Shells, each with its own Primary and Tactical abilities, as well as a handful of Traits to make each one feel distinct. Whether you prefer to hang back and survey the battlefield or storm right in and lead the charge, there’s most certainly a Runner Shell for you.

All Destroyer Shell Abilities In Marathon

Marathon Destroyer — Absolute unit. Image by Bungie.

The Destroyer Shell is the most tank-like of the classes, offering a balance between manoeuvrability and dealing/soaking damage.

The abilities for the Destroyer Shell are:

Runner Shell Ability Type	Runner Shell Ability Name	Runner Shell Ability Description
Primary	Search & Destroy	Activates shoulder-mounted missile pod that fires heat-seeking missiles.
Tactical	Riot Barricade	Activates a front-facing energy shield that blocks damage
Trait	Thruster	Allows for quick lateral dashes for quick evasive manoeuvres
Trait	Tactical Sprint	Additional sprint type that’s faster than usual, though it generates more heat

A Destroyer wants to get into combat as quickly as possible with its Thrusters and Tactical Sprint, and stay there with help from the Riot Barricade. Once you’ve got your enemies pinned, hit them with the Search & Destroy missiles to finish them off.

All Assassin Shell Abilities In Marathon

Marathon Assassin — Strike in the shadows—or smoke. Image by Bungie.

As the name might suggest, the Assassin Shell is a stealthy Runner class that utilises invisibility and smoke effectively to both evade detection and dominate combat.

The abilities for the Assassin Shell are:

Runner Shell Ability Type	Runner Shell Ability Name	Runner Shell Ability Description
Primary	Smoke Screen	Throw a disc that emits smoke clouds ahead of it, impairing the vision for those inside it
Tactical	Active Camo	Allows you to become temporarily invisible. Moving faster makes you the more visible, with certain actions like firing your gun or taking damage briefly making you visible
Trait	Shadow Dive	Negates fall damage from any height, whilst also deploying a smokescreen on impact
Trait	Shroud	Every time you enter a smoke cloud, you’ll become invisible, with it persisting for a few additional seconds

Think of the Assassin Shell as the perfect backline disrupter. Utilise your Active Camo and stalk your enemies until you see the perfect time to strike. It looks like it’ll be the perfect flanking Shell, especially in a coordinated team.

All Recon Shell Abilities In Marathon

Marathon Recon — Intel is key. Image by Bungie.

The Recon Shell is perfect for those who prefer to assess things from afar, with abilities largely focusing on information gathering and hunting down enemies.

The abilities for the Recon Shell are:

Runner Shell Ability Type	Runner Shell Ability Name	Runner Shell Ability Description
Primary	Echo Pulse	Sonar Pulse that reveals nearby enemy locations, including invisible ones
Tactical	Tracker Drone	A spider-like drone that chases enemies and explodes, dealing small amounts of fire damage whilst overheating their Shells, resulting in massively limited movement
Trait	Awareness	You’ll be alerted once an enemy player pings you, and finishing an enemy player will ping their teammates
Trait	Stalker Protocol	Once an enemy’s shield has been broken, a trail of footprints will be left behind them for you to stalk

Nothing is getting by a Recon Shell, and they seem to be the perfect foil to the Assassin. If you’re looking to set up an ambush, use the Echo Pulse to find enemies and send out your Tracker Drone to blow them up and lock them in place.

All Vandal Shell Abilities In Marathon

Marathon Vandal — Quick on your feet. Image by Bungie.

By far the most dextrous of the line-up, the Vandal shell has abilities that revolve around improved mobility.

The abilities for the Vandal Shell are:

Runner Shell Ability Type	Runner Shell Ability Name	Runner Shell Ability Description
Primary	Amplify	Temporarily gain increased movement speed, improved weapon handling, and reduced heat generation from abilities
Tactical	Disruptor	Energy projectile that deals damage and knocks back enemies. Charge it up to increase the radius and damage
Trait	Microjets	Double jump that generates extra heat
Trait	Power Slide	Extended slide that generates extra heat

If you like to be quick on your toes, then Vandal is the shell for you. Although you’ll have to manage your heat build-up, the chaos you can cause with the rapid movements and Disruptor blast is hard to ignore.

All Thief Shell Abilities In Marathon

Marathon Thief — Fill your pockets. Image by Bungie.

Self-described as the ‘loot goblin’ by Bungie, the Thief Shell excels at finding the best gear that Marathon has to offer.

The abilities for the Thief Shell are:

Runner Shell Ability Type	Runner Shell Ability Name	Runner Shell Ability Description
Primary	Pickpocket Drone	Manually controlled flying drone that uses a whip to steal loot from enemy players, as well as the surroundings
Tactical	Grapple	Dart that reels you towards it, wherever you fire it
Trait	X-Ray Visor	See loot containers through walls, as well as enemies within line-of-sight
Trait	*Unknown*	The name for the ability currently remains unknown, but the Thief will gain benefits based on how full their backpack is

The Thief is easily the best looter in Marathon, though it can also double slightly as a Recon player if the Drone is used correctly. Scout out your surroundings, find where the best gear is, and buff yourself once it’s all safe in your backpack.

All Triage Shell Abilities In Marathon

Marathon Triage — Medic! Image by Bungie.

Every team needs a medic, and the Triage Shell is just that, offering multiple ways to support your team whilst holding down the front line.

The abilities for the Triage Shell are:

Runner Shell Ability Type	Runner Shell Ability Name	Runner Shell Ability Description
Primary	Capacitive Gauntlets	Shocking tendrils that zap enemies and revive teammates from afar
Tactical	Med-Drone	Airborne drone that hovers near allies to provide health and shields
Trait	Battery Overcharge	Temporarily gain improved weapon performance whilst battery weapons are able to EMP enemies when their shields are broken
Trait	Shareware	Teammates with Med-Drones healing them also gain the benefits from your consumables

You’d be remiss to go on a run without a Triage in your team, as the numerous buffs and support they offer are second to none. Not only can they share their consumables with you, thanks to the Med-Drone, but on the off chance you go down, they can get you back into the fight quicker than anybody.

All Rook Frame Abilities In Marathon

Marathon Rook — On your lonesome. Image by Bungie.

Rook is a unique class in Marathon, as it doesn’t offer a range of abilities like the Shells do; instead, it’s more focused on scavenging ongoing matches.

The Rook Frame puts some limitations on the matchmaking when it’s selected. Firstly, you can’t play as part of a team when choosing Rook, and secondly, you’ll be placed into ongoing matches, though other players won’t be notified of your arrival.

As if that wasn’t bleak enough, it seems that you’ll only have access to one ability, which masks your presence from the UESC enemies. You will have access to a starting kit, at least, so you’ll be able to defend yourself, but if you’re choosing Rook, your priority will be to scavenge some gear and extract quickly.

Which Runner Shell will you be using on your next Marathon run? Share your thoughts in the official Insider Gaming Discord Server.

For more Marathon content, check out whether it has crossplay, as well as which platforms it’s available on.