Bungie has unveiled the complete roster of playable classes coming to Marathon. The January 15, 2026 developer insights video and blog post break down all seven Runner Shells, their unique abilities, and the buildcrafting systems that will shape how players approach the extraction shooter.
What Runner Shells Are
Marathon's lore positions players as consciousnesses transferred into biosynthetic bodies called Runner Shells. These moddable constructs keep players alive on the hostile planet Tau Ceti IV, and more importantly, make death a temporary setback rather than a permanent one.
Each Shell is built around a specific gameplay archetype. Some focus on intel gathering, others on disruption or healing. Distinct silhouettes let players identify threats at a glance and plan accordingly.
Customization adds the real flexibility. Cores, implants, weapons, and mods allow players to push each archetype in different directions.
Destroyer
Destroyer is Marathon's aggressive brawler. The armor design draws from the MJOLNIR aesthetic of the original Marathon, and the kit matches that legacy.
The Shell carries a personal defense barricade that stays active while sprinting or rocket thrusting. Shoulder mounted heat seeking missiles add ranged punch. Leg thrusters enable faster sprints and quick lateral dodges.
Destiny 2 players will recognize the Titan DNA here. Destroyer wants to push into fights and stay there.
Assassin
Assassin caters to patient players who prefer striking from the shadows. A dive ability negates fall damage from any height, and camouflage tech grants full invisibility.
The invisibility has specific rules. Moving faster makes the Assassin more visible. Shooting or using abilities causes a brief reveal, as does taking damage. Sprinting and climbing won't fully break the cloak, though.
A deployable smoke disc synergizes with the stealth abilities, and the prime ability drops a large smokescreen that also grants invisibility.
Recon
Bungie's internal nickname for Recon is "fun police," and the kit explains why. This Shell hunts down other players with ruthless efficiency.
A tracker drone (or spider bot) crawls toward enemies and explodes on contact. The blast deals damage and overheats targets, slowing them while applying burn damage. A helmet scanner marks both AI enemies and players.
Footstep tracking activates when Recon breaks an enemy's shield. If that enemy runs, they leave visible footprints to follow. Recon players also receive a ping notification whenever an enemy spots them.
Vandal
Vandal prioritizes movement above everything else. Micro jets built into the armor enable double jumps and extended power slides. The prime ability overloads the movement system, letting players chain abilities together for maximum chaos.
An arm cannon fires kinetic blasts that knock enemies out of cover or off ledges.
Bungie showcased two distinct builds to demonstrate Vandal's flexibility. The mobility build equips cores that upgrade double jump to triple jump, plus implants boosting movement speed, jump height, and heat capacity (Marathon's stamina system).
The chaos build transforms the arm cannon into a self propulsion tool. Fire downward to launch into the air, position during the airtime, then slam down for AoE damage without taking fall damage.
Thief
Bungie's words, not ours. Thief specializes in finding and acquiring loot faster than anyone else.
An enhanced visor reveals all containers through walls and highlights enemies in line of sight. The Pickpocket Drone, a piloted butterfly bot, carries a mechanical whip that knocks loot out of players and AI alike, then collects it automatically.
A grappling hook with a hovering anchor point (it latches onto thin air) handles mobility. The more loot Thief carries, the shorter the grapple cooldown becomes and the higher base stats climb.
Core options include a second Grapple Device charge or periodic enemy pings from the Pickpocket Drone while it's idle.
Triage
Triage fills the healer role but maintains real combat presence. Deployable buddy drones follow allies and grant health and shields. Electric gauntlets can instantly revive downed teammates.
A battery overcharge ability powers up weapons. Energy weapons trigger EMP bursts when breaking enemy shields during this state.
Shareware creates strong squad synergy. When a Triage player uses a consumable like a health shot, any teammates with healing drones attached receive the same effect.
Rook
Rook operates completely differently from the other six Shells. It's the gateway to Scavenger Mode, a distinct way to play Marathon.
Rook is solo queue only. Players drop into matches already in progress with just a basic starting kit. Nothing is brought in, nothing is risked. A tactical ability lets Rook blend in with UESC forces, making AI enemies friendly.
Senior designer Mike Humbolt summed up the playstyle: "Get in, grab a little bit of loot, and then bail."
Cores and Implants
Marathon's buildcrafting splits into two modification types with different rules.
Cores are specific to each Shell and modify how abilities function. Examples from the reveal include a Thief core granting a second Grapple Device charge, one that removes knockback self damage and converts it into propulsion, and another dealing damage to nearby enemies after a long fall.
Implants work on any Shell and provide stat bonuses plus a random perk. The best implants add a fixed bonus perk on top. The Ping+ V5 implant, for instance, keeps pings attached to enemies briefly after breaking line of sight.
"They have hooks that go out into the other systems so you can create this crazy Rube Goldberg machine," Humbolt said.
Cosmetics Coming Later
Visual customization details will arrive in a future reveal. Bungie confirmed earnable cosmetics through the Codex system, plus other methods yet to be specified.
Reports from recent test builds suggest over 50 early cosmetic options exist for each Runner, with some exclusive to the Deluxe Edition.
Community Response
The reveal has changed the conversation around Marathon. After a troubled development period that included delays and a plagiarism controversy, players are responding positively to the visual improvements since the alpha test.
YouTube comments highlighted how much better the game looks compared to earlier builds. Some viewers called it the best looking extraction shooter currently available.
Not everyone is sold, though. The Assassin's invisibility and Recon's tracking abilities have drawn scrutiny. In a PvP extraction shooter where loot is constantly at risk, abilities that let one player see enemies who can't see them back could warp competitive balance. These concerns echo feedback from earlier test sessions.
Release Details
Marathon launches in March 2026 at $40 for the base version. Bungie hasn't announced a specific date yet. Additional Shells and content will follow after launch.
