Bungie’s newest entry in the extraction shooter genre, Marathon, will feature six different classes, of which four Runners are currently playable in the closed alpha stages.
With Destiny 2, Bungie mastered a class-based gameplay formula, and they’re drawing on that experience in Marathon. While it doesn’t seem much, the Runners and their abilities suggest that classes will play a vital role in terms of gameplay.
All Classes In Marathon
Of the six Runners in Marathon, Bungie’s allowing players to explore Tau Ceti with the following four during the closed alpha stages:
- Blackbird
- Glitch
- Locus
- Void
Every class has a distinct set of abilities that lean into a specific playstyle. It’s also worth noting that some Runners in Marathon borrow heavily from Destiny 2’s Light subclasses.
Blackbird
Blackbird is a recon class in Marathon. This Runner’s abilities allows you to scan the battlefield for intel about potential enemy locations. Armed with a Tracker Drone and Sonar Pulses, Blackbird makes it virtually impossible for anyone to hide on the battlefield.
| Abilties | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Prime Ability | Echo Pulse | Send out a pulse that pings and reveals enemy positions |
| Tactical Ability | Tracker Drone | Deploy a drone that tracks nearby enemies and overheats any target that they’ve detected. |
| Trait 1 | Interrogation | Hostile pings will show up on your HUD. Applying a finisher on any enemy will ping the rest of their team for you. |
| Trait 2 | Stalker Protocol | Breaking an enemy shield forces them to leave a lingering trail for a short time. |
Glitch
As a Runner, Glitch is all about speed and agility. This class is very similar to how Neon functions in Valorant, but doesn’t have the ability to use Flashes. Glitch’s speed makes for a run-and-gun play playstyle, which allows you to push into enemy territory easily.
| Abilities | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Prime Ability | Amplify | Overcharge your abilities and move at a faster speed without overheating. |
| Tactical Ability | Disruptor | Fire a projectile from your arm, which knocks back enemies and damages them. This projectile can be overcharged to deal additional damage and knock the enemy back further. |
| Trait 1 | Micro Jets | Can jump an additional time while in the air, but will generate heat. |
| Trait 2 | Power Slide | Slide for a short distance, at the cost of generating heat. |
Locus
Locus is probably the strongest Runner on paper so far in Marathon, and might be subjected to a lot of tweaks and nerfs post-launch. Armed with shields and shoulder-mounted missiles, this class feels like a Tank, providing a decent mix of offense and defense while exploring Tau Ceti IV.
| Abilities | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Prime Ability | Search And Destroy | Fire shoulder-mounted missiles to deal damage to targets. Dealing continuous damage launches homing missiles which immobilizes targets. |
| Tactical Ability | Riot Barricade | Deploy an energy barricade that consumes energy but blocks incoming damage. |
| Trait 1 | Thrusters | Boosters propel you in the direction you’re moving. |
| Trait 2 | Tactical Sprint | Run faster but at the cost of generating heat over time. |
Void
The Void class is all about stealth. This Runner borrows heavily from the Hunter in Destiny 2, and features its signature ability. This Runner is all about stealth, and while the gameplay might be a bit slow, if executed properly, this class has the ability to be the deadliest in the field.
| Abilities | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Prime Ability | Smoke Screen | Launch a smoke disk that creates a wall of smoke and disrupts any enemy that steps in. |
| Tactical Ability | Active Camo | Makes you invisible temporarily. However, if you take damage or use your weapons, your invisibility will be disabled. |
| Trait 1 | Shadow Dive | Jump in the air and slam the smoke disk down, creating a huge wall of smoke. |
| Trait 2 | Shroud | Whenever you step inside a smoke screen, you become invisible. This persists for a short duration after you’ve left the smoke screen. |
This is all the information we have about the four classes in Marathon so far. This piece will be updated as and when Bungie reveals more information about the same.
Published: Apr 22, 2025 06:34 am