In Marathon, some of the best loot on the map sits behind locked containers called Lockboxes. These caches are scattered across compounds and buildings on the maps and often contain valuable items such as upgrade materials, credits, consumables, and rare gear.
However, accessing them requires a Lockbox Key, making these keys a valuable resource to carry during a run. Because Marathon is an extraction shooter, the risk is always present. If you find a key but die before extraction, the key is permanently lost along with everything else in your inventory.
1. How to Get Lockbox Keys in Marathon
Lockbox Keys can be obtained in several ways while playing Marathon. Some methods rely on exploration and luck, while others become reliable once you progress through faction upgrades.
Find Lockbox Keys During Runs
Looting Loot boxes
The most common way to obtain a Lockbox Key is by looting them during matches. Keys can appear as world loot and may spawn inside containers or on surfaces around buildings and compounds.
High-density loot areas tend to have a better chance of spawning them. Players often report finding keys in large structures, office rooms, and upper floors of major compounds.Common places where keys have been found include:
- Major compounds and high-loot buildings
- Offices and upper-floor rooms
- Containers such as lockers, crates, or desks
- Locations like Southern Array, where keys sometimes appear in office areas of the red building with broken windows
Since loot is randomized each match, keys do not appear consistently. Some runs may yield several keys, while others may not spawn any at all.
Unlock Lockbox Keys Through the Armory
Locksmith upgrade
The most reliable way to obtain Lockbox Keys comes from faction progression. After reaching Rank 4 with the CyberAcme faction, you can unlock the Locksmith perk for 2,500 credits, which allows Lockbox Keys to be purchased directly from the Armory. Once this perk is unlocked:
- Lockbox Keys can be bought with credits before a run
- The Armory may occasionally grant free keys as rewards
- The upgrade remains permanently unlocked
NOTE: Materials required for purchasing Lockbox keys through CyberAcme change over time and can include materials like Sparkleaf, Reclaimed Biostripping, Dermachem Packs, Plasma Filaments, and credits.
2. How to Use Lockbox Keys
Searching Lockbox
Lockbox Keys are used to open Lockbox caches, which are special rooms or containers containing several locked chests. These locations are usually easy to identify once you know what to look for. Buildings containing lockboxes are typically marked with red flares or smoke coming from the roof, signaling that a lockbox cache is inside.
Each lockbox requires one key, so a room with multiple containers may require several keys to fully clear.
3. Lockbox Locations in Marathon
Lockbox caches can appear across both current maps in the game. Their exact spawn location can change each match, but several areas are known to host them regularly. Some of these buildings and rooms are marked with red flares and can contain a large number of lockboxes, each requiring one key.
Perimeter
Station location
Key locations to hit in Perimeter include:
- The blue building at the center of Station
- The large building on the east side of North Relay
- The damaged section of the building on the west edge of South Relay
These compounds are usually high-traffic areas where both AI enemies and players are present, so approaching them carefully is important.
Dire Marsh
Quarantine Location
The central building in Quarantine is one of the key locations to search in Dire Marsh, and because the map contains dense vegetation and tight compounds, these buildings can become dangerous hotspots during runs.
4. Lockbox Rewards
Exploration
- Upgrade materials
- Credits
- Consumables
- Salvage items
- Cores and other valuable gear
