- Primary Subject: Marathon (2026) | Season 1
- Key Update: Bungie has officially confirmed a March 5, 2026, release date alongside details for the six major factions and their unique contract rewards.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: January 26, 2026
- Quick Answer: Marathon features six factions: CyberAcme, Arachne, Sekiguchi, MIDA, Traxus, and NuCaloric. Each offers unique contracts, seasonal upgrades, and specialized gear like weapons and stat boosts.
Marathon’s depth from gameplay to lore should seriously be considered a college-level class or degree. Since its groundbreaking 90s trilogy, the futuristic dystopia has brought out the worst in humanity in the wasteland of Tau Ceti IV in the year 2893.
Here, players get to thrive as mercenary Shell Runners, biologically engineered vessels infinitely injected with the user’s conscience until they fulfill their purpose. But who exactly do these Runners serve?
Six corporate and political factions run what’s left of the planet, scavenging the remains of the first extrasolar colony using Runners as labor for their dirty space work. These factions are all registered under the United Earth Space Council, the governing body of Earth that sent humans to the Tau Ceti system hundreds of years ago.
All factions have different approaches, objectives, and rewards for users as they freelance their Runner gigs whilst encountering AI and player enemies in a mercenary run to extract as much as possible for their contractor.
These contracts can be Priority, Boost, or Standard types, all bumping the player’s XP to enhance performance. Completion will also advance the player’s Upgrade Tree, permanently raising base stats for the remainder of the in-game season.
Players can take Runner jobs from all factions without regard for alliances. This mercenary approach allows for simultaneous progression to increase reputation amongst multiple factions. Reaching the final tier of a faction tree guarantees players access to the highest rarity of items and improvements, indirectly rewarding loyalty over greed.
In the Codex, your own database for personal discoveries and achievements, you can keep track of your progress with these factions and learn more about their motivations, style, and rewards:
CyberAcme
CyberAcme is a group involved in day-to-day operations that offers Runners a variety of general contracts that help their business grow in multiple directions through expansive work. Players can expect overall enhancements to their Runners, like faster cooldowns and bigger inventories for their work with CyberAcme.
Arachne
One of the most violent factions, Arachne is an organization focused on PvP. Their contracts often involve Runner kill streaks in the spirit of research with hints of cult and blind faith. Following through would reward Runners with combat upgrades, such as gear, weapons, and stat boosts, for better results.
Sekiguchi
Responsible for the Runner cloning and consciousness transfer system, Sekiguchi Genetics is also a faction that focuses on technology and research. Bringing them documents and lost media found on Tau Ceti IV will grant you perks related to base stats after respawn, thanks to their Weaveworm patents.
MIDA
Specialized in destruction, MIDA is a group focused on sabotage and enemy damage. Their tasks range from the physical to the digital, including explosions and malware attacks. Blowing up enemy assets will reward you with gear like grenades and claymores. Kaboom.
Traxus
The most powerful corporation in Marathon’s human history. Traxus use their massive resources to recover high-value assets. Extracting these priceless weapons and mods will unlock similar items like sniper rifles and shields for the player’s purchase.
NuCaloric
NuCaloric or NuCal's focus lies on exploration and general resource gathering in their contracts. Players will find and extract consumables and mods that allow faster climbing, reduced fall damage, longer sprints, and underwater breathing.
Faction progress and unlocked upgrades will reset at the end of the in-game season, so you'd best focus on quantity over quality when it comes to picking up Marathon extraction contracts. It’s definitely worth noting that base stats will allow for easier execution of performance-heavy contracts, but consider the failed colony of Tau Ceti IV the perfect ground for spatial trial and error – we’ll let Weaveworms do the rest.
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