All materials Marathon
During a run in Marathon, materials act as the backbone of progression. They are not used in combat, but nearly every long-term system in the game depends on them. Faction upgrade trees, vendor unlocks, and certain gear purchases all require specific materials that must be scavenged during matches and successfully extracted.
Materials also come in several rarity tiers: Standard, Enhanced, Deluxe, Superior, and Prestige. Lower tiers are easier to find in normal containers around common POIs, while the highest tiers usually appear in dangerous areas such as UESC Incursions or locked rooms that require access keys.
How To Get Materials in Marathon
Key Materials in Hauler
Materials are collectible resources scattered across the maps of Marathon. They can appear inside containers like Arms Lockers, Tool Carts, Bioprinters, Medical Cabinets, Core Storage, and Munitions Crates, depending on the area you are exploring.
Perimeter and Dire Marsh are both filled with distinct points of interest that host specific loot pools. Industrial locations such as Station, Hauler, and the Relay facilities usually contain mechanical components and fabrication parts, while the laboratories and agricultural facilities in Dire Marsh tend to hold biological materials and experimental resources.
More dangerous activities also provide access to higher-tier materials. UESC Incursions, locked rooms, and special encounters can reward Superior or Prestige-level items, which are required for advanced faction upgrades and vendor unlocks.
All Materials in Marathon
Unstable Diode Material
| Material | Rarity | How to Get | Where to Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminum Rods | Enhanced | Found in Station and Hauler in Perimeter | CyberAcme Upgrades, NuCaloric Vendor Unlocks, Traxus Vendor Unlocks |
| Anomalous Plasma | Prestige | Locked Rooms and UESC Incursion events | Intercept, CyberAcme Upgrades, NuCaloric Upgrades |
| Basic Xerogel | Enhanced | Quarantine and Greenhouse in Dire Marsh | Traxus Upgrades, NuCaloric Vendor Unlocks, Traxus Vendor Unlocks |
| Biofilament | Superior | UESC Incursion and Locked Rooms | NuCaloric Upgrades, NuCaloric Vendor Unlocks, Traxus Vendor Unlocks |
| Biogenic Alloy | Prestige | Locked Rooms and UESC Incursion | Intercept, Traxus Upgrades |
| Carbon Wire | Enhanced | Hauler and South Relay in Perimeter | Traxus Upgrades, NuCaloric Vendor Unlocks, Traxus Vendor Unlocks |
| Chitin Sample | Deluxe | Looted from Tick Nests | NuCaloric Upgrades |
| Coherence Drive | Superior | Locked Rooms and UESC Incursion | NuCaloric Upgrades, NuCaloric Vendor Unlocks, Traxus Vendor Unlocks |
| Combat Xerogel | Superior | Locked Rooms and UESC Incursion | CyberAcme Upgrades, NuCaloric Vendor Unlocks, Traxus Vendor Unlocks |
| Conductive Filament | Deluxe | North Relay and South Relay in Perimeter | NuCaloric Upgrades, Traxus Upgrades, Vendor Unlocks |
| Dynamic Lens | Deluxe | Quarantine and Bio-Research in Dire Marsh | NuCaloric Upgrades, Traxus Upgrades, Vendor Unlocks |
| Encrypted Drive | Deluxe | Algae Ponds and AI Uplink in Dire Marsh | NuCaloric Upgrades, NuCaloric Vendor Unlocks, Traxus Vendor Unlocks |
| Expanded Processor | Deluxe | North Relay, South Relay, and Core Storage | CyberAcme Upgrades, NuCaloric Upgrades |
| Flex Processor | Superior | Locked Rooms and UESC Incursion | CyberAcme Upgrades, CyberAcme Vendor Unlocks |
| Fungal Growth | Deluxe | Found around watery areas | NuCaloric Upgrades, Traxus Upgrades |
| Gel Explosive | Deluxe | Complex and Field Maintenance in Dire Marsh | Traxus Upgrades, Vendor Unlocks |
| Hydrocarbon Rubber | Enhanced | Station and Overflow in Perimeter | CyberAcme Upgrades, Vendor Unlocks |
| Lab Xerogel | Deluxe | Quarantine and Greenhouse in Dire Marsh | CyberAcme Upgrades, Vendor Unlocks |
| Liquid Explosive | Superior | Locked Rooms and UESC Incursion | Traxus Upgrades, Vendor Unlocks |
| Micro Processor | Enhanced | North Relay and South Relay in Perimeter | CyberAcme Upgrades, NuCaloric Vendor Unlocks |
| Molecular Wire | Superior | Locked Rooms and UESC Incursion | Traxus Upgrades, Vendor Unlocks |
| Nanocomposites | Enhanced | Bio-Research and Field Maintenance in Dire Marsh | NuCaloric Upgrades, Vendor Unlocks |
| Nanotruss | Superior | Locked Rooms and UESC Incursion | NuCaloric Upgrades, Vendor Unlocks |
| Organic Lens | Enhanced | Quarantine and Bio-Research in Dire Marsh | NuCaloric Upgrades, Traxus Upgrades, Vendor Unlocks |
| Papaver Bloom | Superior | Grassy Areas and Locked Rooms | Traxus Upgrades, Vendor Unlocks |
| Plastic Filament | Enhanced | North Relay and South Relay in Perimeter | NuCaloric Upgrades, Vendor Unlocks |
| Polymer Wire | Deluxe | Hauler and South Relay, Munitions Crates, Locked Rooms | Traxus Upgrades, Vendor Unlocks |
| Putty Explosive | Enhanced | Complex and Field Maintenance in Dire Marsh | Traxus Upgrades, Vendor Unlocks |
| Regen Resin | Superior | Locked Rooms and UESC Incursion | Traxus Upgrades, Vendor Unlocks |
| Shell ID | Superior | Supply Drops and high-value encounters | CyberAcme, NuCaloric, and Traxus Upgrades |
| Smart Lens | Superior | Locked Rooms and UESC Incursion | Traxus Upgrades, Vendor Unlocks |
| Spark Leaf | Enhanced | AI Uplink and Greenhouse in Dire Marsh | CyberAcme Upgrades |
| Steel Rods | Deluxe | Station and Hauler in Perimeter | CyberAcme Upgrades, Vendor Unlocks |
| Storage Drive | Enhanced | Algae Ponds and AI Uplink in Dire Marsh | NuCaloric Upgrades, Vendor Unlocks |
| Symbiote Rubber | Superior | Locked Rooms and UESC Incursion | CyberAcme Upgrades, Vendor Unlocks |
| Synchronizer | Superior | UESC encounters | CyberAcme, NuCaloric, Traxus, and MIDA Vendor Unlocks |
| Synthetic Rubber | Deluxe | Station and Overflow in Perimeter | CyberAcme Upgrades, Vendor Unlocks |
| Tarax Seed | Deluxe | AI Uplink and Greenhouse in Dire Marsh | NuCaloric Upgrades, Traxus Upgrades, Vendor Unlocks |
How Materials Are Used for Upgrades
Traxus faction upgrades
Faction upgrade trees require both credits and specific materials. Each node unlocks new functionality rather than temporary buffs, meaning upgrades permanently improve your character’s capabilities. Some useful upgrades include:
- Traxus upgrades often improve combat tools. The Tracker.exe upgrade increases enemy ping duration and requires Carbon Wire and Basic Xerogel, while Heat Sink.exe improves heat capacity and consumes Putty Explosive and Basic Xerogel.
- NuCaloric upgrades revolve around survival and consumables. Nodes like Safeguard unlock daily free Shield Charges in the Armory, while later upgrades improve shield stock, healing kits, or hazard resistance.
- CyberAcme upgrades focus on infrastructure, unlocking things like additional gear access, improved vault storage, and better economy options tied to faction vendors.
Because each faction uses different material combinations, it becomes important to recognize which salvage supports your current progression path.
