Factions in Marathon provide permanent upgrades that gradually improve your Runner, such as better heat and stamina management, larger inventory capacity, higher credit income, and access to additional Armory gear. These upgrades are earned by completing faction contracts, extracting safely, and spending credits, along with materials collected during runs.
1. How Factions and Faction Upgrades Work
Faction Rep points
In Marathon, your character doesn’t just level up through gear you find on runs — you also advance through faction progression, a game‑wide system that rewards you with permanent improvements that carry across every match during a season.
Each of the six factions — CyberAcme, NuCaloric, MIDA, Traxus, Arachne, and Sekiguchi Genetics — offers its own reputation track and upgrade tree. As you complete faction contracts (missions tied to that faction), you earn reputation (Rep) with them.
Your Rep fills a bar, and at set milestones, you unlock new upgrade nodes that you can purchase with credits and occasionally specific materials you loot in‑match.
Faction upgrades include stat and utility buffs, new gear vendors, better item unlocks, bigger vault space, faster abilities, improved survivability, and even better starting conditions for characters like Rook.
2. CyberAcme — Must‑Have Core Utility
CyberAcme Upgrades
CyberAcme is the best place to start. It gives you stamina upgrades, extra stash space, credits boosts, and looting improvements that make every run easier.
| Upgrade | Effect | Rank | Credits | Materials | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat_Sink.exe | +20 heat capacity (more stamina) | Rank 1 | 2,500 | 12× Unstable Biomass | Run, slide, and sprint longer without locking up. |
| Informant.exe | +50% Data Card credit value | Rank 2 | 1,500 | — | Earn more from credits on loots — helpful early. |
| Expansion I | +8 Vault rows | Rank 3 | 2,500 | 12× Unstable Diode | Store more gear and materials so you don’t have to trash loot. |
| Scavenger.exe | Faster container reveal & loot speed | Rank 4 | 2,500 | — | Speeds up looting and keeps you safer in the open. |
| Locksmith | Unlock Lockbox Key purchase | Rank 4 | 2,500 | — | Lets you open lockboxes you find in runs — reliable extra loot. |
| Carrier/Carrier+ | Unlock backpacks in the Armory | Rank 5-15 | 2,000 – 4,000 | — | Bigger backpacks let you carry more loot per run. |
| Later Expansions (II–IV) | More vault space | Rank 7-18 | Increasing | Diodes +Unstable Gunmetal | Optional if you hoard a lot; early bonus has the highest value. |
3. NuCaloric — Survival & Consumables
NuCaloric Upgrades
NuCaloric upgrades help keep you alive and reduce dependency on slow or costly items mid‑run. Shields and consumables are crucial when fights get hectic.
| Upgrade | Effect | Rank | Credits | Materials | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safeguard | Free daily Shield Charges | Rank 1 | 750 | 16× Unstable Biomass | Shields every day without buying them. |
| Advanced Shields | Unlock Advanced Shields in Armory | Rank 6 | 1,500 | 10× Reclaimed Biostripping, 10× Unstable Biomass | Better shields = better survivability. |
| Safeguard+ | Free Advanced Shield Charges daily | Rank 11 | 2,000 | 6× Sterilized Biostripping, 16× Sparkleaf | More free charged shields each day. |
| Shield Stock | +5 Advanced Shield stock in Armory | Rank 12 | 1,500 | 15× Reclaimed Biostripping, 8× Sparkleaf | Wider gear options for loadouts. |
| Shield Comm | Shields from contracts | Rank 15 | 2,000 | 12× Sterilized Biostripping, 6× Tarax Seed | Earn shield gear when completing NuCaloric tasks. |
4. MIDA — Agility to Move Fast
MIDA Upgrades
The MIDA faction rewards you with mobility and gear unlocks. Of those, the agility upgrades are the ones you feel because Marathon’s maps are big and vertical.
| Upgrade | Effect | Rank | Credits | Materials | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flex_Matrix.EXE Tier 1 | +20 Agility (speed & jump) | Rank 3 | 750 | 16× Unstable Lead | Makes traversal smoother and quicker. |
| Flex_Matrix.EXE Tier 2 | +20 Agility | Rank 11 | 1,500 | 28× Surveillance Lens, 10× Dynamic Compounds | Keeps you competitive in mid game. |
| Flex_Matrix.EXE Tier 3 | +20 Agility | Rank 16 | 2,000 | 8× Thoughtwave Lens, 26× Dynamic Compounds | Max agility boost for all runs. |
5. Traxus — Weapon Mods & Gear Unlocks
Traxus Upgrades
Traxus doesn’t have a bunch of “stat buffs” early like CyberAcme or NuCaloric, but its tree does unlock weapon mods and gear you can buy in the Armory — things like enhanced weapons, SMG/AR mods, and precision modules.
| Upgrade | Effect | Rank | Cost | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMG Mods/Enhanced SMG | Unlock SMG mods & enhanced SMG options | Rank 1-6 | Credits + salvage | Gives access to better SMG mod options for builds. |
| Precision Mods | Unlock rotating precision mods in Armory | Rank 7+ | Credits + Unstable Gunmetal, Altered Wire | Adds AR/sniper mod variety. |
| Tracker.EXE | Increases ping duration | Rank 15 | Credits + materials | Helps you track enemies and objectives better over time. |
| Deluxe SMG Mods | Unlocks rotating deluxe SMG mods | Rank 22 | Credits + Predictive Framework/Tachyon Filament | High‑tier SMG takeovers later. |
6. Arachne — Aggression & Combat
Arachne Upgrades
Arachne is a combat-focused faction. Its tree emphasizes weapon unlocks (shotguns, LMGs, railguns), melee buffs, and enhanced gear purchases. These upgrades reward aggressive play and are particularly useful in PvP.
| Upgrade | Effect | Rank | Materials | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LMG/Railgun Mods | Unlock heavy weapon mods | Rank 1 | Credits + Unstable Gel | Grants access to high-damage heavy weapons for team fights or PvP. |
| Shotgun Mods | Unlock shotgun mods in the Armory | Rank 3 | Credits + Unstable Gel | Provides better close-range options for combat. |
| Cutthroat.EXE | Improves finisher siphon amount | Rank 6 | Credits + Unstable Gel | Slight shield recovery on kills, boosting survivability in fights. |
| Reboot.EXE | Increases revive speed | Rank 7 | Credits + Drone Resin + Unstable Gel | Improves team-play efficiency by getting allies back faster. |
7. Sekiguchi Genetics — Ability Enhancers
Sekiguchi Upgrades
Sekiguchi focuses on ability cooldown reduction, tactical/prime ability boosts, and unlocking shell-specific cores in the Armory. These perks are ideal for players relying on abilities or energy-heavy builds.
| Upgrade | Effect | Cost | Materials | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tac_Amp/Prime_Amp | Reduce ability cooldowns | 750 | Credits + Unstable Diode | Speeds up ability reuse, allowing more tactical play. |
| Armory Core Unlocks | Unlock curated shell cores in the Armory | 1,500 | Credits + Unstable Diode + Storage Drive | Improves loadouts for your preferred Shell and playstyle. |
| Sponsorship (Capstone) | Better starting kits | Capstone level 3 | Credits | Provides stronger starting gear to make runs safer and more efficient. |
8. Best Rook Capstone Upgrades
Rook Capstone upgrades
In Marathon, each faction grants capstone rewards at milestone node counts (usually every 6 or so nodes). Several of these capstones directly boost Rook’s starting equipment and make the scavenger shell legitimately powerful over time.
| Faction Capstone | Effect on Rook | Uses |
|---|---|---|
| CyberAcme Capstone 4 – Stipend | Rook starts runs with a small amount of credits | Lets Rook immediately buy sponsored kit items or backups. |
| CyberAcme Capstone 5 – Carrier | Rook starts runs with a Deluxe Backpack | Much more inventory space early, meaning you can loot more before extraction. |
| NuCaloric Capstone 1 – Safeguard | Rook starts runs with a Patch Kit and Shield Charge | Great survivability from the moment you spawn. |
| Traxus Capstone 1 – Proficient | Rook now starts runs with an Enhanced (green) weapon | Superior weapon from the outset reduces early danger. |
| MIDA Capstone 1 – Castling | Rook starts runs with a stack of Claymores | Instant tools to clear rooms or create traps. |
| Arachne Capstone 1 – Boosted | Rook starts runs with Implants | Free stat boosts that improve survival and combat performance. |
| Arachne Capstone 4 – Boomstick | Rook starts runs with WSTR Combat Shotgun and MIPS Rounds | A powerful close‑range weapon and heavy ammo to back it up. |
| Sekiguchi Capstone 1 – Specialised | Rook starts runs with Runner Cores | Ability boosts that can enhance mobility, defense, or utility. |
| Sekiguchi Capstone 5 – Quiet_Exit.Exe | Rook gains Signal Mask effect on exfil activation, granting invisibility to UESC | Huge tactical advantage when escaping or repositioning. |
