The Best Marathon Upgrades To Unlock First

One of the most important aspects of Marathon is its faction upgrades. Sure, its gameplay loop centers on battling UESC soldiers and rival players while securing as much loot as possible. But in order to shift the odds in your favor — aside from using sound tactics and having better gear — you’ll need to invest in each faction’s upgrade tree.

Marathon has six different factions for you to choose from. That said, most of your early runs will be spent working for CyberAcme; not only are they the first faction you’re introduced to, they also offer a few solid initial upgrades. Your available options will increase once you start unlocking other factions though. If you want to make the most of your time/resources early on (in terms of choosing the best upgrades), then check out our guide below.

CyberAcme Upgrades:

CyberAcme (CyAc) is the first faction you meet when booting up Marathon. They specialize in basic upgrades that help mitigate some of the early challenges you’ll face on a given run. This includes the ability to buy backpacks, more vault storage space, faster looting speed and more. Our list focuses on helping you get loot/credits quickly while improving your storage limit.

Here are the CyAc upgrades you should unlock first:

• Scavenger.EXE – CyAc Rank 1
  • Loot Speed increases how quickly items are revealed when looting containers.
    • Requirement: 2,500 credits

• Informant.EXE – CyAc Rank 2
  • Increases date card credit rewards by 50%. this bonus additively stacks with other informant upgrades.
    • Requirement: 1,500 credits

• Heat_Sink.EXE – CyAc Rank 1
  • Heat Capacity increases the number of movement actions (sprinting, sliding) you can perform before overheating.
    • Requirement: 2,500 credits, 12 Unstable Biomass

• Expansion – CyAc Rank 3
  • Gain additional rows of vault capacity for the rest of the current season. + 8 rows
    • Requirement: 2,500 credits, 12 Unstable Diodes

• Locksmith – CyAc Rank 4
  • Unlocks Lockbox Key for purchase in Armory
    • Requirements: 2,500 credits

• Scavenger.EXE 2 – CyAc Rank 4
  • Loot Speed increases how quickly items are revealed when looting containers.
    • Requirement: 2,500 credits

• Carrier – CyAc rank 5
  • Unlocks Enhanced backpacks for purchase in the Armory. + 8 slots. (500 credits)
    • Requirement: 1,500 credits

• Expansion – CyAc Rank 7
  • Gain additional rows of vault capacity for the rest of the current season.
    • Requirement: 4,000 credits, 22 Unstable Diode, 12 Unstable Gunmetal

NuCaloric Upgrades:

The second Marathon faction is called NuCaloric (NuCal). This group specializes in equipping your Runner with better shields, patch kits, and hardware-based consumables. Here, we focused on the upgrades that synergize with our CyAc recommendations; free items to put in your improved vault, the ability to buy better shields, and hardware improvements that mitigate long lasting debuffs.

Here are the CyAc upgrades you should unlock first:

• Safeguard – NuCal Rank 1
  • Unlocks daily free Shield Chargers in the Armory
    • Requirement: 750 credits, 16 Unstable Biomass

• Restore – NuCal Rank 3
  • Unlocks daily free Patch Kits in the Armory.
    • Requirement: 1,500 credits, 23 Unstable Biomass

• Advance Shields – NuCal Rank 6
  • Unlocks Advance Shield Chargers for purchase in the Armory.
    • Requirement: 1,500 credits, 8 Reclaimed Biostripping, 10 Unstable Biomass

• Reinforce.EXE – NuCal Rank 6
  • Hardware reduces the duration of negative status effects that debilitate your Runner’s physical chassis.
    • Requirement: 1,500 credits, 8 Reclaimed Biostripping, 9 Unstable Biomass

MIDA and Sekiguchi Upgrades:

The last few factions to worry about are MIDA and Sekiguchi (Sekgen). That’s not to say that Traxus and Arachne don’t have good upgrades. They just aren’t necessarily the best options early on. The other two offer “permanent” hardware boosts and lifesaving consumables.

Here are the MIDA and Sekiguchi upgrades you should unlock first:

Mida

• Flex_MATRIX.EXE – MIDA Rank 3
  • Agility increases your movement speed and jump height
    • Requirement: 750 credits, 16 Unstable Lead

• Anti-Virus Packs – MIDA Rank 5
  • Unlocks anti-virus packs for purchase in armory.
    • Requirement: 1,500 Credits, 23 Unstable Lead

• Spare Rounds – MIDA Rank 8
  • Unlocks Ammo Crates for Purchase in the Armory.
    • Requirement: 1,500 Credits, 19 Dynamic Compounds, 9 Surveillance Lens

Sekgen

• TAC_Amp.EXE – Sekgen Rank 2
  • Tactical Recovery reduces the cooldown of your tactical and trait abilities.
    • Requirement: 750 credits, 16 Unstable Diode

Fast tracking to these upgrades will certainly benefit new Marathon players. That said, considering how the factions are unlocked and what they offer, it’s possible that some will opt for different options. There’s no real wrong answer…at least, besides improving your vault. No matter what you do, make sure you get Expansion(s) as soon as possible. It won’t take long for you to run out of space and/or be forced to sell items just to be allowed to go back out on runs.