Marathon’s New Runner Shells Are Here, and They’re Already Causing Trouble

Bungie has finally pulled back the curtain on the latest batch of Runner Shells coming to Marathon, and let me tell you — these things are wild. If you thought extraction shooters were all about guns, grenades, and praying your squad doesn’t abandon you, Marathon is here to remind you that sometimes you just need a pickpocket drone, a medic who can heal you from across the map, or a full‑blown disguise kit that lets you stroll past hostile AI like you’re clocking in for a shift.

The studio revealed seven Runner Shells ahead of Marathon’s March launch, and each one feels like its own personality test. Are you a loot goblin? A chaos gremlin? A stealth enjoyer? A medic who’s tired of being ignored until everyone is dying? There’s a Shell for you.

The Thief Shell: Because Loot Goblins Deserve Rights Too

Let’s start with the star of the show: Thief. Bungie clearly designed this Runner Shell for the kind of player who sees a firefight and thinks, “Great distraction, time to steal everything.” Thief comes with a Grapple Device for quick escapes, wall‑hacking container vision, and the pièce de résistance — a Pickpocket Drone that literally knocks loot out of enemies.

And because Marathon loves rewarding bad habits, Thief actually gets stronger the more junk you cram into your backpack. More loot equals better stats and faster grapple recharge. It’s the first time a game has openly encouraged hoarding like it’s a competitive sport.

Triage: The Medic Who Deserves a Raise

Next up is Triage, the Runner Shell for players who enjoy keeping everyone alive while receiving absolutely zero thanks. Triage can revive teammates from a distance, deploy healing drones, and — here’s the real kicker — duplicate any consumable they use across all allies with healing drones.

So if Triage pops a medkit, everyone gets a medkit. If Triage uses a buff, everyone gets the buff. It’s basically the Oprah Winfrey of Marathon: You get healing! You get healing! Everyone gets healing!

If you’re playing Marathon with friends, Triage is about to become the most popular person in your squad.

Rook: The Master of Disguise (and Panic Looting)

Rook is built for scavenger runs — Marathon’s solo mode where you drop into an already‑running match with nothing but a starter kit and a dream. You don’t bring your own loadout, but you also don’t risk losing anything. It’s the perfect mode for players who want to loot in peace without committing to a full match.

Rook’s signature trick is a UESC disguise mask that makes AI enemies ignore you. You can walk right into facilities, grab whatever you want, and walk out like you’re on your lunch break. It’s stealth, but with the energy of someone pretending to belong in a restricted area.

Old Shells, New Names, Same Chaos

Bungie also reintroduced several familiar Runner Shells with updated names:

• Vandal (formerly Glitch): Movement‑obsessed, double jumps, slides, and general parkour nonsense.
• Destroyer (formerly Locus): Riot barricade, missiles, and “I’m the tank now” energy.
• Recon (formerly Blackbird): Tracks enemies with drones, pulses, and holographic footprints.
• Assassin (formerly Void): Invisibility, smoke, and the same vibes as Destiny 2’s Void Hunter.

Each Shell has a distinct silhouette, making it easier to identify threats — or identify which player is about to ruin your day.

Cores, Implants, and the Joy of Breaking the Meta

Marathon may look like a hero shooter at first glance, but the real depth comes from Cores and Implants. Cores modify abilities for specific Runner Shells — like giving Thief an extra Grapple charge or making the Pickpocket Drone ping enemies when idle. Implants, meanwhile, are universal stat boosters with random perks.

The real magic happens when you combine them. Bungie showed off a Vandal build where you can triple jump, boost movement speed, and even turn your arm cannon into a self‑propulsion device that launches you into the air before you crash down with AoE damage. It’s chaotic, it’s ridiculous, and it’s exactly the kind of nonsense that makes Marathon so fun.

Marathon’s Runner Shells Are Built for Playstyles, Not Limits

What makes these Runner Shells exciting is how flexible they are. Marathon isn’t forcing you into rigid roles — it’s giving you archetypes and then letting you twist them into whatever unhinged build your brain can cook up. Want a stealth Assassin who moves like a Vandal? Go for it. Want a Thief who plays like a budget Spider‑Man? Absolutely.

Marathon is shaping up to be the extraction shooter for players who want creativity, chaos, and a little bit of sci‑fi body horror sprinkled in. These biosynthetic shells aren’t just classes — they’re tools for survival, expression, and occasionally, petty theft.