The mid-season update is closing in, and it introduces the Marathon Vault Breaker mode for those who enjoy PvE, among other additions. Unfortunately, those other additions will have to wait, as we’ll be talking about the main attraction of the mid-season update today. But don’t worry, I’ll cover the other contents of the mid-season update soon.
Back on the topic of the Marathon Vault Breaker mode, it’s Marathon’s first PvE-focused game mode. Not only that, but it’s also the game’s first roguelite mode, which goes hand-in-hand with the Marathon team’s innovation. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the upcoming mode and see how it works.
How The Marathon Vault Breaker Mode Works
The Marathon Vault Breaker mode will arrive with the mid-season update on July 21, 2026, and will end on August 4, 2026. Of course, the mid-season update will introduce many changes and additions, but as I’ve mentioned, I’ll be going over the new mode for today. And if you’d like to find out what the mid-season update has in store, then stick around.
Back to the topic at hand, the Marathon Vault Breaker mode will be Marathon’s first PvE-centered mode. This means you won’t run into any other players besides your own teammates, and the only enemies you’ll face are the UESC or S’pht. Speaking of teammates, you can enter this mode as a solo, duo, or trio, whether premade or matchmade.
Once you enter Cryo Archive from this mode, you’ll have a clear task to complete, which is shared with your teammates. You are there to earn Vault Data points and nothing else; if you do try to extract other items, they won’t be given to you upon exfil. Thankfully, this will apply to any player, as anyone can join regardless of Runner level.
You can earn tier one Vault Data from Vaults, which need to be exfilled, and Commanders, which is given to you regardless of survival. Tier two Vault Data can only be earned from consecutive Vaults solved in the same run and then successfully exfilled. Of course, to do all of this, you’ll need a kit, and that’s what we’ll talk about next.
The Unique Sponsored Kit And Its Upgrades
To get started with the Marathon Vault Breaker mode, you’ll have to equip the free event Sponsored Kit in the Vault Breaker Armory tab. While the loadout might initially look shabby, you can change this with your earned Vault Data. You can purchase various upgrades, like those for your weapons, backpack, and consumables, with your Vault Data points.
Of course, that’s just a small portion of the upgrades that you can purchase once this mode goes live. However, once you gain access to these upgrades, you can pick and choose however you’d like to upgrade your Sponsored Kit. Your teammate might go for a better weapon while you go for survivability with more and better consumables.
Though you might be wondering, what’s the point of playing this mode if you aren’t going to earn anything outside of the mode? Well, once you’ve collected enough Vault Data, you can choose to either upgrade your kit or spend it on special items in the store. You can use these special items outside of this event, and that’s what we’ll talk about next.
The Marathon Vault Breaker Mode Armory
If you’re only in the Marathon Vault Breaker mode to earn items for your normal runs, then you’re free to do just that. Once you earn enough Vault Data, you can spend it on various items in the Vault Breaker Armory tab in the Events section. These items are only for your standard runs; the only thing that will affect your Vault Breaker runs is your kit upgrades.
The Armory will feature a variety of gear and items, including daily rotating items. These daily items include Deluxe weapons, Cryo Key Templates, Prestige Weapons, and much more. Tier one items will have a stock of three to five items per week, with tier two items having one item per weekly rotation.
But if you want something a little more exclusive, then direct your attention to the limited offers section. This section offers exclusive Unique weapons that have only one stock throughout the entire event, and for good reason. If you’re dedicated enough, you can even earn yourself a Biotoxic Disinjector and 1,000 rounds of its ammunition.
Is That All For The Marathon Vault Breaker Mode?
You seriously want more from the Marathon Vault Breaker mode? Well, there isn’t any more in the Marathon Vault Breaker mode… is what I would say if that were the case. You can also earn a handful of cosmetics from completing various Vault Breaker Codex challenges on top of the items in the Armory.
The items that you can earn by completing the four Codex challenges are as follows:
- Profile Emblem: Opposition marker
- Profile Background: UESC Command
- Circuit Breaker Weapon Style: UESC Bulwark
- Weapon Charm: USEC Control
Other than that, that’s all we currently know about the upcoming game mode, and it’s already looking great. There might be quite a few more things to learn about once the mode officially comes out, so keep an eye out for those new features. If not, then you’ve learned everything you need to know about this mode by reading here.
With that in mind, go ahead and get that practice in for killing the UESC; you’re gonna need it in a few days. So arm yourselves and show those bots what for!
For more information on games and Marathon, stay tuned with us.
