Marathon drops you into high-stakes extraction raids with 28 weapons spread across eight distinct categories. Knowing which gun to bring, how it handles under pressure, and what ammo it burns through can be the difference between a clean extract and losing everything. This guide breaks down every weapon in the game, explains how the rarity and ammo systems work, and helps you build loadout combos that match how you actually play.
How Do Weapons and Rarity Work in Marathon?
Every weapon you find in Marathon exists on a five-tier rarity scale. Standard (gray) gear is your baseline, while Enhanced (green), Deluxe (blue), Superior (purple), and Prestige (gold) versions of the same weapon unlock progressively better attachments and perks. A Prestige-tier CE Tactical, for example, gains an invisibility-on-reload perk after a kill, which completely changes how you play that sidearm.
Since Marathon is an extraction shooter, death means losing whatever you brought in. That tension shapes every loadout decision. Bringing your best gear into a raid is a calculated risk, not a default choice.
Weapon rarity tiers overview
important
Higher rarity weapons offer better mods and perks, but you lose them permanently on death. Calibrate your loadout risk to the difficulty of the run you're planning.
What Are the Five Ammo Types?
All 28 weapons pull from one of five ammo pools. Tracking what your loadout consumes keeps you from running dry mid-raid.
tip
Pairing a Medium Rounds primary with a Volt Battery secondary means you're managing two separate ammo pools. Running two weapons on the same ammo type reduces scavenging pressure but limits flexibility.
Pistols: What Are Your Sidearm Options?
Three sidearms cover three completely different playstyles. None of them are filler.
CE Tactical (Medium Rounds) fires at 360 RPM and serves as the Rook Runner's default weapon. Damage is on the low end, but a Prestige-tier perk granting invisibility on reload after a kill gives it genuine utility in the right hands.
Magnum MC (Heavy Rounds) is a slow 138 RPM hand cannon that trades fire rate for stopping power. Two clean shots drop most targets. It wasn't available during the alpha, so expect the community to be discovering optimal uses at launch.
V11 Punch (Volt Battery) runs at 600 RPM with a secondary fire that charges into a focused laser beam. The DPS ceiling is high, but Volt ammo drains fast, so you'll want to stay disciplined about when to hold the trigger.
SMGs: Which One Fits Your Aggressive Style?
All four SMGs thrive in close-range and indoor engagements, but each has a distinct personality.
- BRRT SMG (Medium Rounds): Five-round burst per trigger pull. Became a community favorite during the April alpha for reliable close-range consistency. One of the safest aggressive picks.
- Bully SMG (Heavy Rounds): Full-auto at 550 RPM with the highest per-shot damage in the SMG class. Noticeable recoil makes it better for holding chokepoints than open sprinting.
- Copperhead RF (Medium Rounds): Wasn't in the alpha, so hands-on data is limited. Expected to have the fastest fire rate of any SMG. Could be a serious contender if the numbers hold.
- V22 Volt Thrower (Volt Battery): Full-auto energy SMG with an overheat mechanic that gradually slows fire rate the longer you hold the trigger. Strong for clearing tight spaces and punishing grouped enemies.
SMG stats and fire rates
Shotguns: When Should You Go Point-Blank?
Three shotguns cover the spectrum from raw lethality to energy-based wildcard.
WSTR Combat Shotgun (MIPS) is a two-round double-barrel that fires both shells in rapid succession. A single blast at point-blank range deletes a Runner. It was one of the most iconic weapons from the alpha and will likely show up in the majority of early loadouts.
Misriah 2442 (MIPS) is a semi-auto option with a bit more reach than the WSTR. It won't one-tap as reliably at point-blank, but it handles mid-close distances more forgivingly where the double-barrel starts to fall off.
V85 Circuit Breaker (Volt Battery) is still largely a mystery with minimal confirmed data. Since no other shotgun in the roster is full-auto, there's a reasonable chance this one fills that role. Worth watching closely at launch.
Precision Rifles: What's the Best Mid-to-Long Range Option?
Six precision rifles make this the largest single category in the game, and the variety is real.
The Twin Tap HBR was one of the strongest performers during the alpha. Both rounds connecting on the head drops targets extremely fast at mid-to-long range, making it a top pick for players with sharp aim.
The V66 Lookout requires a brief charge before each shot, which punishes peek battles but rewards players who pre-aim corners and hold angles patiently.
Assault Rifles: Where Should You Start?
If you're new to Marathon or want a reliable primary for any situation, ARs are the most accessible starting point.
M77 Assault Rifle (Medium Rounds) is the all-rounder of the class. Lower RPM than the Overrun AR, but it compensates with better damage, accuracy, range, and magazine size. It handles naturally for anyone coming from Bungie's previous games.
Overrun AR (Medium Rounds) runs at 720 RPM and keeps constant pressure up at close-to-medium range. Damage per bullet is lower, but the fire rate makes it forgiving for players still dialing in their aim.
Impact HAR (Heavy Rounds) is the only Heavy Rounds AR in the game, making it the hardest-hitting rifle in the category. Expect strong range and damage paired with recoil that takes real effort to manage.
V75 Scar (Volt Battery) features a spinning barrel animation when firing and runs slightly slower RPM than the kinetic ARs. Its energy damage type gives it a distinct place in Volt-focused loadout builds.
M77 AR mod customization
Machine Guns: When Do You Need Sustained Fire?
Three machine guns handle area denial and suppression in different ways.
Conquest LMG (Medium Rounds) has a spin-up mechanic: it starts slow and accelerates the longer you hold the trigger. Terrible for quick peeks, devastating in prolonged fights once it reaches full speed.
Retaliator LMG (Medium Rounds) fires at a steady rate from the first bullet, giving you predictable suppression without needing to ramp up. Higher baseline RPM than the Conquest makes it a more consistent tool.
Demolition HMG (Heavy Rounds) trades fire rate for serious damage per round. UESC commanders carry this weapon in-game, which also makes it a potential PvE pickup during raids if you encounter the right enemies.
Railguns: What's the Highest Single-Shot Damage?
Both Railguns use Volt Cells and require a charge before firing. The payoff is some of the highest single-shot damage in the entire game.
V00 Zeus RG is the marquee power weapon of the Volt arsenal. The wind-up is long, but the resulting shot can delete targets at range in a single blast. Ammo is limited, so every charge needs to be committed.
Ares RG is suspected to have a shorter charge time, trading raw per-shot power for faster follow-up potential. It should work better in mid-range duels where the Zeus would cycle too slowly to be practical.
warning
Railguns consume Volt Cells, which are also used by energy Snipers. Running both weapon types in one loadout will drain your highest-tier ammo extremely fast.
Sniper Rifles: How Do You Lock Down Long Range?
Three sniper rifles round out the full weapon roster.
Longshot (MIPS) and Outland (MIPS) are both bolt-action snipers with three-round magazines capable of dropping Runners in a single headshot. They're the definitive options for locking down sightlines and punishing extraction attempts from across the map.
V99 Channel (Volt Cell) brings a charge mechanic similar to the Railguns. It's likely one of the trickier weapons to master, but UESC Scouts carry it as a PvE drop, making it more accessible to obtain than most high-end Volt weapons.
Longshot sniper scope view
What Are the Best Weapon Combos for Each Playstyle?
Building a loadout around ammo efficiency and range coverage gives you the best odds in any situation.
The Balanced All-Rounder combo stands out for efficiency since both weapons share Medium Rounds, cutting your scavenging complexity in half. The Volt Specialist pairing works similarly, keeping you on a single ammo pool while giving you energy damage options at multiple ranges.
tip
Weapons are fully moddable, so the same gun can perform very differently depending on which mods you slot. Identify your weapon's weakest stat first and address that before stacking damage mods.
Mod Strategy: How Do You Build the Best Weapon?
Every weapon in Marathon supports full mod customization, and mods affect each weapon differently. A fire rate mod on an SMG plays out completely differently than the same mod on a marksman rifle.
The most effective approach is to start by identifying what your chosen weapon is weak at. Low stability? Stack stability mods. Slow reload? There are mods specifically for that. Rather than defaulting to raw damage upgrades, filling in your weapon's gaps usually produces more consistent results across a full raid.
Higher rarity versions of weapons come with better baseline attachments, so a Superior or Prestige version of a gun you already like is almost always worth equipping over a Standard version of something theoretically stronger.