Marathon Best Runner Shells TL;DR
-
Solo play is defined by S-tier Assassin and Recon, since stealth or constant intel lets you choose fights and survive third parties.
-
Solo A-Tier is Destroyer and Vandal; they are good, but not quite S-Tier.
-
Solo B-Tier is Thief, as loot value stays high, yet forced PvP and drone risk keep her below the top. Solo C-Tier is Triage, because team healing does not translate well when you are alone.
-
Trio play is defined by S-tier Triage and Recon, since sustain plus information turns messy 3v3s into controlled wins.
-
In trios, Destroyer and Thief sit in A-Tier as the best add-ons to the core, while Vandal drops to B-Tier and Assassin drops to C-Tier due to overextension risk and reduced stealth value.
Got low on gear? Instead of spending your time doing Rook runs, you can get Marathon items on Playhub. Get the rarest guns and gear in no time and jump straight back to real PvP!
Solo Tier List
Shell’s viability differs based on which mode you’ll be playing it in. Let’s start with solos - in this mode, you’re constantly getting third-partied from different directions, nobody’s there to help you survive and cover your flanks, so strong movement abilities are a must and will significantly boost the runner’s rankings. Support classes are irrelevant here, so they’ll plummet down tiers, and niche playstyles that are not that viable in 3-player crews can be the strongest strategies you can possibly choose.
Assassin (Solo S-Tier)
Assassin is honestly scary with the way he lurks in the shadows. Having a translucent class in an extraction shooter is a recipe for disaster, in my opinion; that kind of ability is insanely OP. With this class, you can capture valuable rooms, extracts, and choke points like nothing. Having the ability to always shoot first in a game with such a quick TTK makes it so much more likely to win engagements.
A smoke grenade is an insanely handy thing to have, too, to either disengage or safely exfil. Overall, this class is a lobby admin, and it’s not clear to me at all how this design was allowed to exist - solo value is off the charts. The biggest drawback is probably movement; the class is more of a calculated and slow prowler rather than a head-first rusher.
Recon (Solo S-Tier)
The entire game reminds me of Apex Legends constantly, and Recon is an insanely broken concept that was way too broken in Apex years ago. Legal wallhacks paired with an ability to track and slow down your enemies creates a nasty playstyle that could prove itself to be way out of line in terms of power. Another thing making Recon strong is how efficient he is against Assassins, who are great in solo lobbies. Overall, it’s a competitively strong shell worth choosing if you’re after heated PvP encounters in which you’ll always have an upper hand.
Destroyer (Solo A-Tier)
Destroyer is great in solos with his enhanced movement and ability to win fights just based on how much ammo your opponent needs to waste to break your shields. However, what concerns me the most is his massive hitbox, and with no allies to back you up, Destroyer’s straightforward playstyle might prove to be too susceptible to 3rd parties.
Vandal (Solo A-Tier)
Vandal is a great solo player choice due to how great she is at getting in and out of valuable rooms and carrying everything with her. Not only does she move faster and longer than anyone else, but you get a double jump ability on a handful of certain maps. Her Q is decent in many situations, both to disperse and get through bots and to get players off you for a moment.
Thief (Solo B-Tier)
The Thief is better at making money than anyone else, but you’ll also need to get away with it. Stealing items is fun and all, but if players are aware of your drone, they are going to follow it straight to you. Drone’s recon value is not as high playing solo as it would be in crews, and the only reason she’s in B tier is her grapple, which is quite great at getting height and getting you out of heated situations. The verdict is - looting value is higher than anyone else, but her PvP potential is much lower than A and S-Tier shells.
Triage (Solo C-Tier)
Triage is all about healing your team, and when there’s no team, what does he have? Well, he can shoot EMPs, that’s sort of it.
Rook
I think Rook is a menace. In every extraction shooter, free loadouts and scav-esque mechanics are broken, and Rook has everything to be just that. His ability to blend in with bots is immense, allowing you to get to the valuables safely and use mobs as a security system, alarming you to other players and potentially getting their health down for you to finish. Sure, you probably won’t have a decent weapon playing him, but his playstyle is kind of fire for getting random loot from dead shells and unlooted locations. I put Rook in a tier of his own to honor his unique playstyle.
Marathon Trio Crew Tier List
In the team queue, priorities drastically shift. You can’t realistically play solo-play oriented Assassin and Vandal there - get too far from your team, and you’ll get killed in no time. Recon’s info, Triage’s immense support capabilities, and other team-oriented shells are the ones that win big in this mode.
Triage (Crew S-Tier)
Triage’s kit is broken in trios, and there’s no shell that can do what he can do. With ranged revive and team-wide healing, Triage is a must-play shell in every team composition. If two teams poke each other from a distance and one has Triage and the other doesn’t, the healing discrepancy will become so large so quickly it’ll be impossible to ignore. Triage is a priceless trio shell, and it’s not even close.
Recon (Crew S-Tier)
Whenever you face 3 players and probably more at once, their location info is what you need, and it’s what Recon provides. Having an info upper hand is invaluable in chaotic trio encounters, and not only that, but your passive provides info on cracked enemies, and your spider can slow down a resetting team’s member to get an easy pick. Recon is an ultimate team player and a shell that should be played in most situations.
Destroyer (Crew A-Tier)
Destroyer is a great third spot choice after you took Triage and Recon. He is a great frontline anchor that can draw out fire, take space, and do a bunch of damage with his homing missiles. His movement allows you to either rush in or return to your team quickly, so he’s hard to critically overextend with. He’s borderline S-Tier, honestly, it’s just that he’s lacking game-changing utility.
Thief (Crew A-Tier)
Thief is another great addition to the standard Recon+Triage lineup. You increase your entire team’s gains while providing scouting info with your drone. Not only that, but your bot works as a bait of sorts, possibly luring your enemies in for a warm reception. You can check out entire rooms with your scanner in seconds, helping your entire team to decide whether it’s worth it to loot it or not, saving your entire crew’s time. Overall, Thief is a great team-oriented shell choice.
Vandal (Crew B-Tier)
Vandal’s mobility kinda works against them in trios. Your mobility makes it easy to wander off from your team, overextend, and get killed alone. Sure, if you’re cracked, you can make mad plays with it, but why risk it when you can pick a safer option and win more.
Assassin (Crew C-Tier)
Good Assassin could be a menace in 3v3’s, but his potential is highly diminished compared to solos. Why would you go invisible if your teammates can’t? The only valuable ability he brings is a smoke grenade. Honestly, smoke is not that bad of a reason to play a shell, but with just 3 spots per team, there are better choices.
