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Marathon: Maps Guide – Tau Ceti IV
Explore every Marathon map on Tau Ceti, from Perimeter to Cryo Archive, with quick breakdowns of map flow, navigation, PvE events, and survival tips.
The Important Details
- Marathon’s map progression is designed as a climb: Perimeter is the starting zone, Dire Marsh increases pressure, Outpost raises the danger again, and Cryo Archive is the endgame zone aboard the UESC Marathon.
- Perimeter is the most approachable map, with wider lanes, safer routing, and the Intercept event as one of its main loot opportunities.
- Dire Marsh is more aggressive and more crowded, built around swamp routes, tunnels, a central complex, and high-value events like Lockdown and the Anomaly.
- Outpost is a smaller, more vertical UESC facility centered around the Pinwheel, with more security pressure, keycode access, and tougher extraction flow.
- Cryo Archive opens for weekend play starting March 20, 2026 and requires Runner Level 25, all six factions unlocked, and a 5,000-credit minimum loadout value.
March 20, 2026
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WELCOME TO TAU CETI IV
- Tau Ceti IV is the heart of Marathon’s mystery: a lost colony world where each zone pushes players deeper into danger, stronger loot, and more demanding objectives.
- The surface maps build a clear progression path. You begin on the colony outskirts, move into more hostile and contested territory, then eventually push toward the abandoned Marathon ship in orbit.
- Tau Ceti is a world that escalates: the deeper you go, the more gameplay shifts from basic survival into puzzle-heavy, high-stakes extraction.
PERIMETER
- Perimeter is Marathon’s starting zone: an expansion site on the outskirts of the colony with a more open layout, lower threat level, and room to learn the game’s basic rhythm.
- It supports 5 teams of 3.
NAVIGATION 101
- Perimeter is best treated as a wide, readable map. Its spread-out layout gives squads more room to sneak, recover, and reposition before committing to hotter areas.
- A strong early approach is to use the quieter outer space to stabilize your run, then move inward once your team is stocked and ready to contest better loot.
- While the North and South Relays offer great views, the safest way to move between POIs like Overflow and the Hauler is through the riverbeds and ravines.
- These low-elevation paths break line-of-sight from the snipers perched on the hills. If you stay on the ridgelines, you’re an easy target for a long-range “head-tap.”
- Never cross an open field unless your Heat is at 0. You need a full stamina bar to sprint between “hard cover” (rocks, shipping containers, or derelict UESC buildings).
- When rotating to an extraction point, “skirt” the very edge of the map. It takes longer, but the foliage provides natural concealment that makes you nearly invisible to players looking down from the central facilities.
BEST PRACTICES
- Perimeter is the best map for learning pacing, especially when to fight and when to rotate.
- It is more forgiving than later zones, but it still punishes careless pushes and noisy greed.
- Because it is more straightforward than later maps, it is ideal for players learning spawn flow, exfil timing, and how to recover from early mistakes.
- The North Relay and South Relay are the map’s primary landmarks. Because of the open terrain, these often become sniper nests. If you’re moving between them, stick to the dense jungle sections to use natural concealment.
- Avoid the “Empty” Centers: Large portions of Perimeter are “barren” and empty of cover. Crossing these open fields without a plan is the fastest way to get picked off by another squad.
- The “Station” Loot Trap: The Station POI holds some of the best early-game loot, but it is heavily guarded by UESC forces. Combat here is loud and will almost certainly draw nearby rival Runners to your position for a “third-party” attack.
THREAT ASSESSMENT
- The Intercept: This is a multi-stage puzzle event where you must find a panel with a three-digit code and then locate a matching panel elsewhere on the map.
- Successfully completing it spawns three UESC dropships carrying high-tier enemies and a yellow supply crate containing rare loot.
- Supply Drops: Periodically, supply drops will land in contested areas, such as the yard outside the Overflow facility.
- These are marked on the map once you are nearby but often act as “death traps” by drawing in multiple rival teams.
- UESC Convoy (High Loot): Though more common in the Outpost map, convoy events can appear where a UESC squad escorts a mobile loot container.
- You must defeat the squad and shoot the four locking squares on the convoy to loot it.
DIRE MARSH
- Dire Marsh is the second map and a noticeable step up in PvP pressure.
- It is a swamp-heavy zone built around wetlands, floating terrain, underground tunnels, and a more contested central complex.
- It supports 6 teams of 3.
NAVIGATION 101
- Dire Marsh works best when you think in layers: the central areas are busier and more dangerous, while the marsh routes and tunnel connections give squads better ways to rotate, flank, or disengage.
- Because the map “bleeds” encounters together more often, players should move with a plan instead of drifting from one POI to another.
- The Marsh is filled with uneven ground and thick foliage. Avoid sprinting through these areas blindly; slow, controlled movement is essential to prevent walking directly into a hidden squad or a Wraith Warden.
- Tunnels and Ravine: These secondary locations are excellent for repositioning between major hotspots like the Complex or Bio-Research without being spotted. If you see a firefight at a central POI, use the tunnels to flank or bypass the area entirely.
- The Intersection and Algae Ponds are central hubs where multiple teams often converge simultaneously. Unless you are looking for immediate PvP, rotate around these areas rather than through them.
BEST PRACTICES
- Dire Marsh is a better farming and action map than Perimeter, but that comes with more third-party risk and less breathing room between engagements.
- Teams should carry the right utility before committing to events, especially Anti-Virus Packs for Lockdown.
- Mandatory Utility: Every teammate needs at least three Anti-Virus Packs to survive the red corruption wall. These can be purchased from the MIDA Faction after reaching rank 5.
- The Chain Reaction: Completing one Lockdown gives you a “Lockdown Drive” to start the next. There are three consecutive stages in a single match, each granting progressively better loot, including purple-tier weapons.
- When you disable the corruption field to start the event, it triggers a loud global sound and drops the protective force field. This is the prime window for rival teams to ambush you.
- This map rewards quick decision-making. If your squad hesitates too long in a hot area, another team often arrives before you can reset.
- In the Marsh’s low-visibility terrain, audio is more important than sight. Footsteps in water or the sound of UESC bots engaging a rival team are your best indicators of nearby threats.
- Because of the dense foliage, thermal-scoped weapons are extremely powerful for scanning large sections of the map for hidden Runners.
THREAT ASSESSMENT
- Lockdown can appear after the first 10 minutes.
- Players enter a red barrier with an Anti-Virus Pack, retrieve a Lockdown Drive, insert it into a Blue Terminal, survive the UESC wave, and can chain this event up to three times in one match.
- The Anomaly is a high-risk profit event that awards 6,000 credits total to the team, but it also highlights the objective and exposes players to pressure while they carry the unstable sample.
OUTPOST
- Outpost is Marathon’s third map: a more secure, more vertical UESC facility built around the Pinwheel, a dangerous central structure with some of the best loot opportunities in the game.
- It supports roughly 3–4 teams of 3.
- Outpost is a later unlock, requiring Runner Level 12.
NAVIGATION 101
- Outpost should be approached as a map of deliberate pathing.
- It is smaller, more vertical, and more security-heavy than the earlier zones, which means bad pushes get punished fast.
- The safest flow is to gather what you need first, then decide whether committing to the Pinwheel is actually worth the risk.
- When the Heat Cascade (incendiary rain) begins, runners often panic and rush to the nearest doorway, creating massive “meatgrinder” fights at building entrances.
- If you have a Triage on your team, their healing drone can often negate the damage enough to let you stay outside or take an unconventional path while other teams are trapped indoors.
- You cannot simply walk into the Pinwheel. You generally need two Green Clearance Codes to activate the elevators in Flight Control, Processing, or the Dormitories.
- Green Codes: Found on desks or counters inside buildings.
- Orange Codes: Found in white box machines.
- Red Codes: Found exclusively on rooftops.
BEST PRACTICES
- Outpost is packed with environmental pressure: scan drones, UESC presence, tripwires, and weather hazards all increase the punishment for sloppy movement.
- The Pinwheel is valuable, but it is also loud and highly contestable.
- Once your team starts working it, other players are likely to notice.
- This is a map where teams should communicate clearly before every push, especially when deciding whether to go up, through, or around the main structure.
- Instead of the loud, map-alerting main elevators, look for a Conveyance Request (rare drop). Using this at the terminal under the Drone Wing calls a silent elevator, letting you infiltrate the Pinwheel without notifying every player on the map.
- Inside the Pinwheel, don’t wait for the slow, exposed elevators during bot waves. There are vent shafts on either side of the lift that offer a much faster (and stealthier) way to change floors.
- Always try to bring a Red Key Card into the match. Outpost extractions are notoriously “hot” and frequently camped. A Red Key allows you to use Locked Silent Exfils inside the Pinwheel or other buildings, bypassing the “Guarded Exfils” that require fighting waves of bots and players.
THREAT ASSESSMENT
- The Heat Cascade: Unlike other maps, Outpost is frequently hit by a Heat Cascade (or fire rain).
- This environmental hazard forces runners to seek shelter inside buildings like the Pinwheel or Orientation, often driving rival squads into the same small rooms for forced combat.
- UESC Scan Drones: This map features flying scan drones that will alert all nearby security forces (and players) to your position if you are caught in their light.
- Accessing the Pinwheel requires collecting color-coded clearance codes: green codes are commonly found indoors, red codes appear on rooftops, and orange codes come from white machines.
- Outpost also features a noisy UESC convoy event. Players follow the convoy, wait for it to stop, shoot the four red squares, and loot quickly before enemy crews arrive.
- Extraction is more demanding here too, with Crew Exfils, Guarded Exfils, and Restricted Exfils all part of the map’s structure.
- Outpost introduces “Guarded Exfils” that are surrounded by elite UESC bots and “Locked Exfils” that require a Master Key to use.
- There is usually only one “free” final extraction point that opens late in the match, which is almost always a site for a massive final showdown.
CRYO ARCHIVE
- Cryo Archive is Marathon’s endgame zone and the first playable area aboard the UESC Marathon.
- It is a labyrinth of cryopods, medical bays, storage wings, and frozen vault spaces built for far higher stakes than the surface maps.
NAVIGATION 101
- Bungie describes Cryo Archive as six interconnected wings with a central hub, which strongly suggests a hub-and-spoke rhythm where squads move out to complete objectives, then reset and re-route through the center.
- This is not a zone for casual wandering. It is built around locked systems, security progression, and vault access requirements.
BEST PRACTICES
- Cryo Archive runs on Security Clearance, which controls access to doors, supply rooms, and exfils. Teams need to think ahead instead of looting blindly.
- Bungie frames the zone as a pinnacle challenge, so the best early advice is to play with a coordinated crew, commit to one objective chain at a time, and avoid overextending for greed.
- This map is less about raw aggression and more about solving layered problems while surviving PvE and player pressure at the same time.
ASSERT //SECURITY REQUIREMENTS REQUIRED!
- Cryo Archive is available starting Friday, March 20, 2026.
- Entry requires Runner Level 25, all six factions unlocked, and a minimum 5,000-credit loadout value.
- The zone contains seven vaults, each with unique access requirements and a specific Vault Key.
VIDEO GUIDES
// ONI CONNECTION SUCCESSFUL
29:35
PERIMETER
12:54
2:50
3:26
3:15
DIRE MARSH
13:49
9:01
4:40
8:44
5:51
OUTPOST
25:50
14:34
8:01
22:45
CRYO ARCHIVE
1:27
12:52
END
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