MARATHON SOLO GUIDES
One Runner. No revives. Every decision matters. Solo queue strategy, self-sufficient builds, avoiding 3-stacks, and how to outplay squads through positioning and patience.
100 solo play. Refreshed throughout the day.
Thief Solo Queue Revolution: S-Tier Stealth Engine for Season 2 NIGHTFALL
THE ENGINE Thief enters Season 2 NIGHTFALL positioned as the definitive solo queue specialist. While Bungie a...
Thief S-Tier Week: The Solo Ranked Meta That Punishes Hesitation
THE CLIMB STATE This is Thief's week. The S-tier solo meta has stabilized around speed extraction, and the ra...
This Week's Ranked Climb Playbook: Thief Solo Meta Dominates Silent Season
THE WEEK TO CLIMB THIEF Marathon's community went radio silent on Season 2 announcements and Patch 1.0.9, but...
Marathon D54 Battle Pistol: The Secondary That Deserves a First Look
THE SIGNAL THIS CYCLE Thin source week — one short clip tagged the D54 Battle Pistol as overlooked, and a sep...
Marathon Vandal Counter Guide: How to Beat It in Ranked Solo
WHAT MAKES VANDAL DANGEROUS Vandal sits at A-tier ranked solo for a reason. Its kit is built around momentum ...
Marathon Rook Build: Best Ranked Solo Loadout With the Impact HAR
WHY ROOK IN RANKED SOLO RIGHT NOW Rook sits at B-tier in ranked solo and that is the honest ceiling — but B-t...
Marathon Thief Shell: Loot Fast, Extract Clean, Win Solo
WHAT THE THIEF ACTUALLY IS Most players look at the Thief and see a shell that avoids fights. That reading is...
Marathon Holotag Benchmarks: What Each Tier Actually Demands
WHAT THE TIERS ARE ACTUALLY MEASURING Holotag rank is not a kill counter. It is a survival-weighted extractio...
Marathon Rook Build: The Underrated Solo Survivor Loadout
THE CASE FOR ROOK IN SEASON 2 The Sourheart video on Sentinel this cycle got me thinking about the other shel...
Marathon Destroyer Build: Conquest LMG Ranked Solo Guide
THE CASE FOR DESTROYER SOLO THIS WEEK Destroyer sits B-tier in ranked solo right now. That rating is accurate...
Marathon Knife Build: Shadow Strike Assassin Is the Move
THE SIGNAL THIS CYCLE Coverage is thin this cycle — one short gameplay clip from Distain, tagged "#marathon #...
Marathon Assassin Knife Build: Shadow Strike Season 2 Deep Dive
THE SOURCE: ONE SHORT CLIP, ONE VERY SHARP IDEA This cycle's build signal is unusually thin — a single 34-sec...
Marathon Thief Counter Guide: How to Beat It in Ranked Solo
WHY THIEF IS HARD TO PUNISH Thief sits at S-tier in ranked solo for a clear structural reason: its kit is bui...
Marathon Solo Experience: The Paying Playerbase Is Hurting
THE STEAM FLOOR IS HONEST There is a split running through this game's community right now, and it breaks alm...
Marathon Holotag Benchmarks: The Builds That Break Each Tier
WHAT HOLOTAG TIERS ACTUALLY MEASURE Holotag rank is not a measure of how much you play. It measures how often...
Marathon Thief Shell: Grapple Holotag Dominance Won't Last
THE SIGNAL THIS CYCLE Source coverage this week is limited — a handful of shorts, one long-form stream from L...
Marathon Thief Build: Solo Ranked Holotag Extraction Guide
THE WIN CONDITION Thief's S-tier solo ranked rating exists for one reason: it is the only shell in the game t...
Marathon Sponsored Survival: How to Farm Credits Fast
WHAT SPONSORED SURVIVAL ACTUALLY IS Most Runners walk into Sponsored Survival treating it like a quieter vers...
Marathon Cryo Archive: The Endgame Players Are Chasing Together
GOLD KEY, ANYONE? CRYO IS THE NEW TOWN SQUARE Something quiet is happening on the subreddit, and it's actuall...
Marathon Ranked Climb Playbook: The Solo Path This Week
THE VERDICT UP FRONT The path of least resistance in ranked solo this week runs through Thief. S-tier solo ra...
Marathon Assassin Build: Budget Night Marsh Stealth Guide
THE SIGNAL: ONE VIDEO, ONE PLAN This analysis is built from a single source this cycle — a video by KyroSPV ...
Marathon Assassin Counter Guide: How to Beat It in Ranked Solo
WHY ASSASSIN IS HARD TO PUNISH — AND WHERE IT BREAKS Assassin sits at A-tier in ranked solo for a reason. Its...
Marathon Destroyer Build: Best Ranked Solo Loadout Right Now
WHAT DESTROYER ACTUALLY IS IN SOLO RANKED Destroyer is S-tier overall and S-tier in squad — but the honest re...
Marathon Assassin Shell: Master Stealth and Solo Ranked
WHAT THE ASSASSIN ACTUALLY IS Every cycle I watch new Runners pick Assassin because they want to be invisible...
Marathon Squad Finding: The Community's Real Growing Pain
THE SPLIT SCREEN Here's what makes this week's signal interesting: Steam is glowing, Reddit is grinding throu...
Marathon Night Marsh Budget Loadout: What Actually Works
THE SIGNAL THIS CYCLE One video this cycle speaks directly to the meta: KyroSPV dropping into Night Marsh wit...
Marathon Rook Build: Best Ranked Solo Loadout With the Twin Tap HBR
Rook sits at B-tier in ranked solo right now. That is an honest assessment — not a dismissal. The shell's kit...
Marathon Ranked Climb Playbook: Thief and Assassin Lead This Week
THE META STATE BEFORE YOU QUEUE The community is carrying weight this week that has nothing to do with ranked...
Marathon Holotag Tier Benchmarks: What Each Rank Actually Requires
WHAT HOLOTAG TIERS ACTUALLY MEASURE Holotags are not a kill counter. They are a pressure-and-extraction score...
Marathon Rook Build: The Solo Survivor Loadout You're Sleeping On
THIN SOURCE SIGNAL THIS CYCLE Both videos in the queue this cycle are about Bungie leadership and studio new...
Marathon Vandal Counter Guide: How to Beat It in Ranked Solo
WHY VANDAL IS HARD TO PUNISH Vandal sits A-tier in ranked solo for a reason. Its kit is built around tempo — ...
Marathon Rook Build: Best Ranked Solo Loadout With the Repeater HPR
WHAT ROOK DOES IN RANKED SOLO Rook is the B-tier ranked solo shell — and that rating is honest, not a dismis...
Marathon Thief Build: Grapple Loot Engine for Solo Ranked
SIGNAL AND SOURCE This cycle's source material is thin — three low-view gameplay clips, two of which are unde...
Marathon Thief Shell Guide: Solo Ranked Loot and Survival
WHY THIEF IS THE HONEST SHELL There is a version of this guide that sells you on Thief as a stealth shell — c...
Marathon Patch 1.1.0.3: What Changes Actually Matter for Ranked
THE PATCH IN BRIEF Update 1.1.0.3 is a small patch. Most of it is bug fixes. One change has real ranked conse...
Marathon Assassin Build: Smoke Melee Engine and the 1.1.0.3 Patch
THE SOURCE SIGNAL THIS CYCLE One video this cycle gestures at a melee-in-smoke playstyle for Assassin — JRink...
Marathon Patch 1.1.0.3: Ranked Impact Breakdown
WHAT THIS PATCH ACTUALLY CHANGES FOR RANKED Update 1.1.0.3 is not a balance patch. No shell tuning. No weapon...
Marathon Sentinel Build: High-Rank Playstyle and Kit Breakdown
WHAT THE SENTINEL ACTUALLY IS Most Runners look at the Sentinel and see a defensive shell. That reading is ha...
Marathon Triage Solo Build: Best Ranked Loadout Right Now
THE BRUTAL TRUTH ABOUT TRIAGE SOLO Triage is S-tier in squad play. In ranked solo, it is D-tier. Those two fa...
Marathon Ranked Tips: Recon's Solo Case Is Building
THE SIGNAL THIS CYCLE Two videos this cycle are worth your attention, and they point in the same direction. N...
Marathon Magnum MC Guide: The Pistol Meta Hiding in Plain Sight
WHY THE MAGNUM MC DESERVES A SECOND LOOK Most Runners pick up the Magnum MC once, notice the slow fire rate, ...
Marathon Recon Build: Why Solos Should Run Echo Pulse
THE SIGNAL BEFORE THE FIGHT One video this cycle with any usable build signal is a 28-second short from MrMic...
Marathon Ranked Climb Playbook: Vandal Gunfight Strategy This Week
THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE THIS WEEK The solo meta right now has three real contenders: Assassin at A-tier,...
Marathon Bully SMG vs M77: Which Gun Wins the Economy Meta
ONE JAPANESE CREATOR, ONE CLEAR SIGNAL Limited creator coverage this cycle — one Japanese-language weapon tie...
Marathon Assassin Build: Smoke Screen Ranged Engine for Ranked
THE SIGNAL THIS CYCLE One video this cycle touches build territory worth analyzing — a Japanese-language weap...
Marathon Sponsored Survival: Credits and Progression Fast Track
WHAT SPONSORED SURVIVAL ACTUALLY IS Most new Runners spend their first hours bleeding credits on custom loado...
Marathon Season 2: The Solo Experience Splitting the Community
THE SPLIT NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT The Steam review queue for Marathon right now contains a quiet contradictio...
Marathon Ranked Climb Playbook: The Assassin-Thief Solo Strategy
THE WEEK'S THESIS Weapon tier data from NEXUS is still pending this cycle, so there is no clean weapon rankin...
Marathon Season 2 Weapon Tier List: One Japanese Creator's Full PvP Ranking
LIMITED SIGNAL THIS CYCLE One video is carrying the meta signal this cycle. Creator はちぴ dropped an 11-minute ...
Marathon Thief Counter Guide: Beat It in Ranked Solo
WHY THIEF IS THE PROBLEM Thief is S-tier in ranked solo for one reason that matters above all others: it tra...
Marathon Rook Shell Guide: The Best First Shell for New Players
WHY THE ROOK IS WHERE YOU START Every extraction shooter has a shell — or a class, or a frame — that the game...
Marathon Rook Build: The Solo Survival Anchor for Season 2
THIN SOURCE NOTICE One video surfaced this cycle, and it has nothing to do with builds — it's a commentary pi...
Marathon Rook Build: Best Ranked Solo Loadout With the M77 AR
WHAT ROOK ACTUALLY IS IN RANKED SOLO Rook sits at B-tier in ranked solo. That is an honest grade for a shell ...
Marathon Vandal Build: Amplify Movement Engine for Solo Ranked
SIGNAL NOTE No Marathon build videos dropped this cycle — the YouTube content this week is Destiny 2-specific...
Marathon Assassin Shell Guide: Solo Ranked Stealth Mechanics
THE SHAPE OF THE ASSASSIN The Assassin is the shell that rewards patience above everything else. At sources-l...
Marathon Season 2 Player Split: Veterans vs. New Blood
THE LOBBY IS DIVIDED — AND THAT IS THE STORY Season 2 community signal this cycle is thin on big-tent Reddit ...
Marathon Destroyer Solo Build: Best Ranked Loadout Right Now
WHAT DESTROYER ACTUALLY IS IN SOLO RANKED Destroyer sits B-tier in solo ranked. That is not a contradiction o...
Marathon Ranked Climb Playbook: Best Solo Shells This Week
THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE THIS WEEK The meta hasn't shifted. The community mood is sour from economy chang...
Marathon Thief Build: Grapple Knife Engine After Economy Patch
THE PATCH CONTEXT: WHAT CHANGED AND WHY IT MATTERS FOR THIS BUILD Bungie's Season 2 economy update landed wit...
Marathon Assassin Counter: How to Beat It With Recon
ECONOMY UPDATE: WHAT CHANGES FOR THIS MATCHUP A Bungie economy update just dropped for Season 2. The official...
Marathon Recon Solo Build: Twin Tap Mid-Range Holotag Guide
THE BUILD AT A GLANCE Recon sits at B-tier in ranked solo this week — stable, not dominant. The shell's value...
Marathon Assassin Build: Shadow Strike Knife Engine After Economy Patch
THE PATCH CONTEXT: WHAT CHANGED AND WHY IT MATTERS Update 1.1.0.2 and the accompanying economy dev note lande...
Marathon Rook Build: Best Ranked Solo Loadout With the Impact HAR
The Build at a Glance Rook sits B-tier in ranked solo right now — not the ceiling, but not a liability either...
Marathon Misriah 2442 Build: Best Shotgun Loadout for Season 2
THE SOURCE AND THE CONTEXT One video this cycle covers an actual build: TayXDc's "Best Misriah Build in Marat...
Marathon Thief Shell Guide: Solo Ranked Extraction Mastery
THE SHELL BUILT FOR ONE JOB The Thief is the most honest shell in Marathon. It does not pretend to be a comba...
Marathon Misriah 2442 Build: The Shotgun Sleeping Under the Tier List
THE SIGNAL THIS CYCLE One creator video this cycle — TayXDc dropping a short Misriah 2442 build spotlight for...
Marathon Patch 1.1.0.2: C.A.R.R.I. Returns and Solo Ranked Implications
WHAT THE PATCH ACTUALLY SAYS Update 1.1.0.2 brings back C.A.R.R.I. — the CyberAcme Runner Reinforcement Initi...
Marathon Update 1.1.0.2: C.A.R.R.I. Returns — What the Patch Actually Says
THE PATCH IS LIVE — HERE'S WHAT IT SAYS Marathon Update 1.1.0.2 dropped on June 16, and the headliner is the ...
Marathon Update 1.1.0.2: C.A.R.R.I. Returns and What It Means for Ranked
THE PATCH THAT CHANGES HOW YOU PLAY CONTRACTS Update 1.1.0.2 just landed, and the headline is the return of C...
Marathon Update 1.1.0.2: C.A.R.R.I. Returns — Reaction Pending
THE PATCH IS LIVE Marathon Update 1.1.0.2 dropped on June 16, and the headline change is the return of C.A.R....
Marathon Patch 1.1.0.2 Ranked Impact: What C.A.R.R.I. Changes
WHAT THE PATCH ACTUALLY SAYS Update 1.1.0.2 brings back C.A.R.R.I. — the CyberAcme Runner Reinforcement Initi...
Marathon Battle Pistol Meta: S2 Sidearm Surge Signal
THE BATTLE PISTOL BREAKTHROUGH One video this cycle - MrM3lee89's "S2 BATTLE PISTOL IS META" - marks the D54 ...
Marathon Ranked This Week: Solo Queue Survival Guide
THE BROKEN QUEUE REALITY Week three of Season 2 delivers a harsh truth: Marathon's solo queue is fundamentall...
Marathon Community Meta Crisis: YouTube Signal Collapse
THE SILENCE IS DEAFENING This analysis cycle reveals a stark reality: Marathon's meta discussion ecosystem ha...
Marathon Triage Shell Analysis: The Support Meta Crisis
THE SIGNAL SHORTAGE This cycle brings thin source material - one video this cycle shows Triage shell offensiv...
Marathon Assassin Counter: Vandal Mid-Range Control
THE ASSASSIN PROBLEM Assassin is crushing ranked solo because players are fighting it wrong. Most ranked clim...
Marathon's Solo Queue Bug Frustrates Community: Broken Matchmaking Overshadows S2 Launch
THE SOLO QUEUE PROBLEM The Marathon community is grappling with a persistent solo queue bug that's underminin...
Marathon Player Count Drop Sparks Shutdown Fears: Solo Queue Frustrations Drive S2 Exodus
THE POPULATION ALARM Two weeks into Season 2, Marathon's community is sounding population alarms. u/Mechangel...
Marathon Meta Coverage: Content Signal Shortage
THE SIGNAL PROBLEM The current Marathon meta intelligence cycle represents a stark departure from prior weeks...
Marathon Recon Ranked Solo Build: BR33 Long-Range Intel
THE BR33 VOLLEY RIFLE ADVANTAGE The BR33 Volley Rifle transforms Recon from a mid-range intel shell into a lo...
Marathon Thief Grapple Guide: Positioning Meta Analysis
THE POSITIONING REVOLUTION The Thief's Grapple Device has emerged as Marathon's premier positioning tool in S...
Marathon Ranked This Week: Thief Dominance Strategy
THE S-TIER SOLO REALITY This week's ranked climb has a clear winner: Thief sits alone at S-tier for solo queu...
Assassin Shadow Strike Engine: The Season 2 Invisibility Meta That Turns Knife Combat Into Silent Elimination Mastery
THE SHADOW STRIKE FOUNDATION The Assassin shell's Shadow Strike core transforms utility knife combat from a d...
Season 2 Wipe Reset Exposes Marathon's Retention Crisis: SlickFree's Cryo Solo Grinding Highlights Community Shift to PvE-First Survival
THE WIPE WINDOW REALITY CHECK YUNGBACH's "Season 2 Wipe! 😅✌️" captures something fundamental about Marathon'...
The Counter to Thief Most Players Miss: Destroyer Barricade Control
THE THIEF PROBLEM Thief is shredding ranked solo because most players are fighting it wrong. The S-tier solo ...
Best Rook Ranked Solo Build: The Destroyer Counter Meta
THE DESTROYER PROBLEM Ranked solo queue has a Destroyer problem. The combat shell's Riot Barricade forces ext...
Best Assassin Ranked Solo Build: KKV-9SD Stealth Aggression Meta
THE HIGH-PRESSURE STEALTH BUILD The KKV-9SD SMG is defining Assassin's ranked solo meta right now. With 1200 ...
NIGHT MARSH INFILTRATION DRIVES STEALTH META REVIVAL: Assassin Shell Surges While SMG Class Fragments Between Budget and Premium Options
STEALTH RENAISSANCE ON NIGHT MARSH Night Marsh's methodical, survival-horror gameplay is reshaping the stealt...
Vandal Amplify Engine: The Season 2 Movement Meta That Turns Micro Jets Into Ranked Domination Mastery
THE AMPLIFIED MOVEMENT REVOLUTION Season 2's Cradle system fundamentally changed how we think about shell opt...
Best Recon Mid-Range Build: Stryder M1T Intel Control Meta
THE STRYDER ADVANTAGE The Stryder M1T is Recon's secret weapon in Season 2's mid-range dominant meta. While m...
Best Triage Ranked Solo Build: M77 Self-Sufficient Survival Meta
The Triage Solo Problem Triage sits at D-tier in ranked solo for a reason — every ability in the kit assumes ...
D54 Battle Pistol Engine: The Season 2 Sidearm Meta That Turns Precision Into Solo Queue Survival Mastery
THE D54 CLUTCH CATALYST The D54 Battle Pistol is having a moment in Season 2, and for good reason. While most...
D54 BATTLE PISTOL BREAKS OUT OF C-TIER PRISON: Ciggaris 1v2 Clutch Signals Sidearm Renaissance in Season 2 Ranked Queue
SIDEARM SURGE DEFIES TIER EXPECTATIONS The D54 Battle Pistol just pulled off the impossible - a 1v2 clutch ag...
AiiyGatorZ Clutches Impossible 1v3 After 18-Hour Marathon Stream
MARATHON STREAMER ENDURANCE TEST Nearly 18 hours into a Marathon stream, AiiyGatorZ pulled off what she calle...
This Week's Ranked Climb Strategy: The Stealth Shell Meta That's Breaking Queue
The ranked meta shifted hard this week. Assassin and Thief both hit stable A/S-tier status in solo queue, and ...
Best Destroyer Ranked Solo Build: Demolition HMG Control Meta
THE DESTROYER PROBLEM IN SOLO RANKED Destroyer's S-tier squad rating crashes to B-tier in solo queue for one ...
Best Recon Ranked Solo Build: BR33 Intel Control Meta
THE INTEL ADVANTAGE IN SOLO QUEUE Recon's B-tier solo ranking understates its potential in the right hands. T...
Marathon's Steam Reviews Reveal the Real Season 2 Story — Hour Count Tells Everything
THE HOUR COUNT DIVIDE Steam's "Very Positive" rating for Marathon hides a brutal truth: your playtime determi...
Thief S-Tier Week: The Ranked Solo Meta That Punishes Server Rage
THE SPEED ADVANTAGE This is Thief week in ranked solo. While the community melts down over Season 2's rocky l...
Marathon Season 2 Holotag Tier Requirements: What Each Rank Actually Takes
Bronze to Silver: Shell Fundamentals and Basic Positioning The bottom Holotag tiers separate players who unde...
Steam Says Marathon is "Very Positive" While Reddit Goes Silent — The Season 2 Sentiment Split Nobody Expected
THE DIVERGENCE Something strange is happening in Marathon's community sentiment tracking. While Season 2's se...
Thief Break and Enter Engine: The Season 2 Grapple Meta That Turns Pickpocket Drone Into Ranked Escape Mastery
Season 2 Launch Chaos Creates Perfect Thief Testing Environment While Marathon's Season 2 servers struggled u...
Best Assassin Ranked Solo Build: Stryder M1T Precision Meta
THE PRECISION ASSASSIN APPROACH The ranked meta has shifted toward precision weapons, and Assassin players wh...
The Smart Thief's Ranked Solo Guide: S-Tier Extraction Specialist
THE THIEF ADVANTAGE IN SOLO RANKED Thief is the ultimate solo queue shell for a reason: it's built to steal H...
Best Thief Ranked Solo Build — BRRT SMG Speed Meta
The Speed Meta is Here Thief sits at S-tier solo ranked right now, but most players are running it wrong. The...
Complete Thief Shell Guide: S-Tier Solo Extraction Specialist
WHY THIEF WORKS Thief is Marathon's dedicated extraction specialist. While other shells focus on combat, Thie...
Thief X-Ray Warden Hunt Engine: Marathon Update 1.0.9's Ultimate Loot Meta
PATCH 1.0.9 WARDEN HUNT META SHIFT Marathon Update 1.0.9 just dropped the most lucrative PvE event in the gam...
Thief Shell Speed Meta: Post-1.0.6.2 Escape Artist Analysis
SHELL FRAMEWORK Thief shell's 90 HP/20 Shield statline creates the ultimate glass cannon profile, but the Ver...
Assassin Shadow Dive Ranked Engine: The Season 2 Solo Queue Holotag Hunter
THE STEALTH EXECUTION PROBLEM TheOGBoogeyMan's Silver-to-Gold climb reveals Marathon's fundamental ranked equ...
Assassin Shell Complete Stealth Guide: A-Tier Solo Specialist Mastery
Why Assassin Demands Your Respect The Assassin shell sits in ranked's sweet spot — A-tier solo, B-tier squad....
The Best Cryo Archive Loadout Now That It's Live 24/7
THE ARCHIVE ADVANTAGE Cryo Archive's permanent availability changes the Marathon meta completely. Daily spons...
What is the best shell for solo play in Marathon?
Vandal and Thief dominate solo - Vandal for its mobility (jump jets, slide-cancel tech) lets you escape bad fights, Thief's Pickpocket Drone passively loots while you stay safe and Grapple Device extracts you from contested zones. Assassin is a strong third pick for mechanically skilled solo players.
How do solo players beat squads in Marathon?
Don't engage 1v3 in open ground - ever. Pick off isolated stragglers, use vertical positioning to break sight lines, and time your extractions when squads are distracted by each other. Information advantage matters more than firepower when you're outnumbered.
Is solo queue viable in Marathon Ranked?
Yes. Solo Ranked is its own queue with separate matchmaking - you'll only face other solos. Solo viability is balanced separately. Vandal and Thief currently top solo leaderboards. Rook is banned from Ranked entirely, so solo Rook play is Casual-only.
SOLO PLAY.