Bungie’s sleek and intense extraction shooter, Marathon, is finally available. Players can pick their preferred Runner Shells, enter increasingly challenging zones, and hunt for rare, powerful loot, making every fight feel high-stakes and serious. If you favor the Assassin Shell, good news: it ranks among the top options in the game and can become even more deadly with the right setup.
In any extraction shooter, builds are vital, but this is especially true here. You can unlock unique Cores that boost your Shell’s abilities, making them especially effective in the tense battles against other players and tougher enemies from UESC. Having a strong build is essential to prevent losing your valuable gear in this perilous world.
Assassin Overview
The Assassin is a dependable and powerful Shell in Marathon. It excels in close combat and can quickly vanish into the shadows to escape danger, making it a dangerous and elusive opponent if played smartly. Its key advantage is the ability to turn invisible and deploy a Smoke Screen, making it harder for enemies to detect you. This allows you to strike unexpectedly or slip away to safety.
Since most encounters are close-range, having weapons suited for that style—like shotguns, SMGs, and assault rifles—is highly beneficial. Focusing on the Arachne faction will eventually let you buy the WSTR Combat Shotgun from the Armory, so prioritize unlocking that as soon as possible.
The Arachne faction also offers the ‘Hard Strike’ upgrade tree, which increases your melee damage. This is especially helpful for the Assassin, as sneaking behind enemies with a knife allows for quick, quiet takedowns that maintain your stealth advantage.
Whether you’re teamed up or playing solo, the Assassin works well. Its Smoke Screen ability makes it versatile during extraction. Plus, if other teams lack a Recon Shell, being invisible makes you almost impossible to find unless thermal optics are used.
Assassin Abilities
| Ability | Description | Cooldown / Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Active Camo | Turns you invisible, making it harder for enemies without thermal vision to see you. Moving, attacking, or using items temporarily deactivates it. | Cooldown: 78s, Duration: 14s |
| Smoke Screen | Throws a disc that opens with a cloud of smoke, blocking enemy sight and disrupting optics. Inside, you gain temporary invisibility. Note that thermal optics can see through it. | Cooldown: 163s, Duration: ~14s |
| Shadow Dive | While in the air, slam down to create a smoke grenade around you, letting you reposition or hide. Thermal optics can still see you through the smoke. | Cooldown: 57s, Duration: ~6s |
| Shroud | Entering any smoke, even from enemies, automatically makes you invisible for a short time after exiting. | No cooldown or duration specified |
Best Assassin Loadouts
With a solid grasp of the Assassin’s basics, focus now shifts to optimal builds to maximize its potential. The Assassin is especially effective for solo play, but with the right Cores, Implants, and weapons, you can elevate your game further.
Since close-quarters combat is key, your build should capitalize on the Assassin’s ability to go invisible and close distance swiftly—many Cores enhance these traits, allowing you to escape or execute stealth kills with ease.
Early-Game Assassin Setup
| Component | Recommended Choice | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Weapon | WSTR Combat Shotgun | Focus on unlocking this for its power |
| Secondary Weapon | Bully SMG | Compact and deadly close-range weapon |
| Backpack | Best Available | Maximize inventory capacity |
| Shield | Best Available | Protect yourself during engagements |
| Equipment | Smoke Grenade | Essential for stealth and escape |
| Cores | – Breathing Space: Less reload time in smoke | Keeps you in the fight longer inside smoke fields |
| – Ghost Protocol: Extends smoke effects | Better suppression of enemy optics | |
| Implants | – Head: Sprint Kit V1 | Faster movement, loot, and fall resistance |
| – Torso: Knife Fight V1 | Increased melee damage | |
| – Legs: Bionic Leg Upgrades V1 | Enhanced agility and mobility |
Mid-Game Assassin Builds
| Component | Recommendations | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Weapon | WSTR Combat Shotgun | Consistent close-range choice |
| Secondary Weapon | Bully SMG | Steady and reliable |
| Backpack | Best Available | Keep your inventory full |
| Shield | Best Available | Maintain high survivability |
| Equipment | Smoke Grenade | For stealth and repositioning |
| Cores | – Flexweave Casing: Moves faster in invisibility | Enhances mobility during stealth |
| – Patience: Wait longer in invisibility when stationary | Allows for safe waiting or ambushes | |
| Implants | – Head: Augmented Capacitors V2 | Faster recovery and hardware optimization |
| – Torso: Knife Fight V3 | More damage and fall resistance | |
| – Legs: Bionic Leg Upgrades V2 | Greater agility and repair speed |
(Note: The Knife Fight V3 implant includes the Escape Artist perk, which removes enemy pings if your shields break, aiding you in escaping or staying concealed.)
Late-Game Assassin Builds
| Component | Suggestions | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Weapon | Misriah 2442 Shotgun | High-powered sniper-like shotty |
| Secondary Weapon | Bully SMG | Continues to serve well in close fights |
| Backpack | Best Available | Maxed out inventory |
| Shield | Best Available | Top-tier protection |
| Equipment | Smoke Grenade | Consistent tool for stealth and escape |
| Cores | – Guerrilla: Accelerates recharges inside smoke | Keeps invisibility and camo active longer |
| – Shadow Strike: Bonus damage with knife when invisible | Amplifies lethal stealth attacks | |
| Implants | – Head: Ping+ V4 | Extends enemy ping duration; useful for stealth |
| – Torso: Knife Fight V4 | Increased melee damage and resistance | |
| – Legs: Graceful Landings V4 | Better fall resistance and agility |
(Ping+ V4 also has the ‘Never There’ perk, which removes enemy pings on you in smoke fields, enhancing your stealth capabilities. Graceful Landings V4 further increases your sprint and ability recovery after kills, keeping you elusive.)