Marathon Glossary: Terms & Terminology

This glossary covers all major terms, slang, and game mechanics vocabulary used in Marathon. Whether you're a new Runner learning the basics or a veteran looking up an unfamiliar term, this is your reference.

A

• Apex: One of Marathon's four launch maps. A high-rise corporate tower district in the upper levels of the Tau Ceti IV settlement.
• Artifact: A Jjaro-made alien object of immense power or value found on Tau Ceti IV. Multiple factions and Durandal are competing to control the artifact discovered in the Core zone.

B

• Ballistic: One of the four ammo types in Marathon. Traditional kinetic projectile weapons that use ballistic rounds. Effective against most enemies, especially unarmored constructs.
• Bot: Informal term for UESC AI-controlled enemy constructs, particularly the basic Trooper-class enemies.

C

• Cerberus: The heavy tank Runner Shell. Features the highest base health and armor in the game, with abilities focused on absorbing and returning damage.
• Construct: Any UESC AI-controlled enemy unit. Constructs range from basic Troopers to elite Simulacrums and boss-tier Hunters.
• Contract: A mission assigned by a faction vendor. Completing contracts earns faction reputation, Merits, and sometimes unique gear.
• Core: One of Marathon's four launch maps. An industrial processing district in the heart of the settlement, featuring heavy Sekiguchi and CyberAcme presence.
• Cradle: The base-building system announced for Season 2. Allows Runners to establish a persistent forward operating base on Tau Ceti IV.

D

• Datapoint: One of Marathon's three currencies. Used for purchasing data, intelligence, and tech-based items from CyberAcme and Arachne vendors.
• Death: In Marathon, death means losing all unextracted gear you carried into the match. Your Runner's consciousness is re-instantiated but your inventory is gone.
• Durandal: The rogue AI from the original Marathon trilogy (1994–1996). A central antagonist/protagonist in Marathon (2026), operating on Tau Ceti IV with an agenda no faction fully understands.

E

• Energy: One of the four ammo types. Energy weapons fire plasma, laser, or charged-particle beams. Generally more effective against shielded enemies and AI constructs with electronic components.
• Enforcer: Mid-tier UESC AI enemy construct. More heavily armored and aggressive than basic Troopers, often found guarding high-value zones.
• Exfil / Exfiltration: The act of escaping a match via an exfiltration point. Successfully exfiltrating locks in all loot you carried and counts as a successful run.
• Exfil Point: A designated location on each map where Runners can call for extraction. Multiple points exist per map; some are contested by rival runners.
• Explosive: One of the four ammo types. Rocket launchers, grenade launchers, and explosive charges use explosive ammo. Deals area-of-effect damage, highly effective against groups.

G

• Glitch: A Runner Shell specializing in tech disruption and electronic warfare. Can hack terminals, disable enemy electronics, and confuse AI targeting systems.

H

• Heat: A zone-wide threat meter that rises as Runners stay in a deployment zone. At high Heat, stronger enemies spawn, patrol routes densify, and rival Runners are notified of your approximate location.
• Hunter: An elite UESC AI construct designed specifically to track and eliminate Runners. One of the most dangerous regular enemy types, capable of flanking and coordinated attacks.

J

• Jjaro: An ancient alien civilization that existed on Tau Ceti IV long before humanity's arrival. Their advanced technology and artifacts are scattered across the Promised Land and are the subject of intense corporate and AI interest.

L

• Locus: The recon and mobility Runner Shell. Designed for fast movement and information gathering, with abilities focused on scanning, sprinting, and bypassing obstacles.
• Loot: Any item, weapon, or material found in a deployment zone that can be extracted for value or personal use.

M

• Merit: One of Marathon's three primary currencies. Used for purchasing faction gear, upgrading Runner Shells, and paying for contracts. Earned by completing runs and missions.
• MEKA: Sekiguchi's proprietary construction drone series. Originally industrial, many MEKA units were compromised by UESC AI and became hostile combatants.

P

• Perimeter: One of Marathon's four launch maps. City outskirt zones with a mix of residential and light industrial areas. Considered the most beginner-friendly map.
• Pfhor: A Runner Shell based on alien Pfhor combat physiology (referenced from the original Marathon trilogy). Highly aggressive with abilities focused on overwhelming offense.
• Promised Land: The nickname for Tau Ceti IV, the colony world where Marathon is set. Named for the promise of vast resources and opportunity that drew corporations and colonists to the planet.
• PvE: Player vs Environment. Combat against AI-controlled enemy constructs rather than other players.
• PvP: Player vs Player. Combat against other human-controlled Runners in the same deployment zone.
• PvPvE: Player vs Player vs Environment. The core game mode of Marathon, where players simultaneously fight AI enemies and each other in the same zone.

R

• Re-instantiation: The process by which a Runner's digital consciousness is restored after death. Runners cannot truly die as long as their consciousness backup is intact, but all gear carried at time of death is lost.
• Reputation: A measure of standing with each faction, earned by completing their contracts and delivering requested items. Higher reputation unlocks better vendor gear across four tiers.
• Runner: The player character class in Marathon. Runners are mercenaries equipped with specialized Runner Shells, operating as free agents on Tau Ceti IV.
• Runner Shell: The combat exosuit that defines a Runner's playstyle. Each Shell has a unique active ability, passive trait, and stat profile. The seven launch Shells are: Locus, Glitch, Void, Cerberus, Strel, Pfhor, and Vale.

S

• Scrip: One of Marathon's three currencies. General-purpose currency used for buying common gear, ammo, and consumables from most vendors.
• Shield Capacitor: The external shield layer on Runner Shells. Recharges over time when not taking damage. Acts as a buffer before health damage occurs.
• Simulacrum: The highest-tier regular UESC AI enemy construct. Simulacrums are digital beings that can mimic Runner abilities and tactics, making them the most unpredictable AI opponents.
• Special: One of the four ammo types in Marathon. Covers exotic and unique weapon types that don't fit ballistic, energy, or explosive categories, including alien-derived weapons.
• Squad: A team of up to three Runners deploying together into the same zone. Squad members share a respawn timer and can share resources.
• Stash: The persistent inventory storage between runs. Extracted loot goes into your stash. Traxus rep increases stash capacity.
• Strel: The support and logistics Runner Shell, aligned with Traxus. Abilities focus on team buffing, resource sharing, and supply management.

T

• Tau Ceti IV: The colony planet (nicknamed "the Promised Land") where Marathon takes place. A distant world rich in resources and Jjaro artifacts, colonized by humanity and subsequently overtaken by corporate conflict and rogue AI.
• Terminus: One of Marathon's four launch maps. Underground tunnel and transit networks beneath the main settlement, dominated by Traxus infrastructure.
• Trooper: The most common UESC AI enemy construct. Basic combat units that appear in large numbers throughout all zones.

U

• UESC: United Earth Space Council. The interstellar governing body of humanity. In Marathon lore, UESC sponsored the original colony ship Marathon. On Tau Ceti IV, UESC AI constructs have gone rogue and now operate autonomously as hostile entities.
• UESC Marathon: The original colony ship from Bungie's Marathon trilogy (1994–1996). A massive vessel that transported thousands of colonists and several advanced AI systems, including Durandal.

V

• Vale: The medic and sustain Runner Shell. Focused on healing, damage mitigation, and teammate revival. Best paired with NuCaloric faction rep.
• Void: The stealth Runner Shell. Active camouflage ability allows brief invisibility, with passive bonuses to noise reduction and detection avoidance.

Z

• Zone: The general term for a deployment area (a map) in Marathon. Runners deploy into zones, loot and complete objectives, and exfiltrate before time or heat escalation forces them out.