My absolute favorite Marathon Runner Shell, Recon, brings those who hide in the shadows into the light for everyone to see. And if those who’ve had their stealth stripped of them run, then Recon can relentlessly pursue them with ease. Recon is a hunter, a predator, and they won’t give up their chase without a good fight.
Glazing aside, the Marathon Runner Shell, Recon, is an amazing Shell for those who love gathering intel and playing as a spotter. Recon’s abilities enable excellent tracking and support, though you could definitely use it more offensively rather than supportively. But that’s up to you to decide, so let’s take a look at Recon’s abilities so you can decide for yourself.
The Abilities Of The Marathon Runner Shell, Recon
As mentioned, the Marathon Runner Shell, Recon, is a tracking and intel specialist on Tau Ceti IV. Recon can catch the scent of a target and either chase it themself or sic a much faster crew member to catch it for them. Whether Recon does it themselves or not, the result is always the same: a tagged target is a dead target, and that’s what Recon’s prime ability does.
Recon’s Prime Ability: Echo Pulse
The Marathon Runner Shell, Recon, can activate their advanced detection systems to reveal the location of nearby hostiles. Their system does this by releasing a series of sonar pulses that both enemy and friendly crew members can see. However, only friendly crew members can see the marks Recon’s sonar pulses put on hostiles.
Recon’s Echo Pulse can differentiate between UESC and hostile Runners, so make sure you can do the same. Marked UESC units will have a standard diamond shape, while Runners will have a stick figure displayed above them. However, if a hostile Runner has the Signal Jammer effect, they’ll get displayed as a UESC unit.
Recon’s Tactical Ability: Tracker Drone
If you don’t want your prey to run, then all you have to do is deploy Recon’s Tracker Drone to keep them from doing so. Recon’s Tracker Drone is a small spider drone that seeks nearby targets before exploding and overheating anything in its radius. Do keep in mind that the Tracker Drone is very audible and displays a grenade indicator when close.
Of course, when a Runner Shell is overheated, they can’t perform any movement besides walking. Using the Tracker Drone to overheat your targets can allow you to catch up to your crippled prey or encircle them. However, your drone can get destroyed with a few shots or easily outrun once it jumps up to explode.
Recon’s Trait Ability: Interrogation
The Marathon Runner Shell, Recon, is very familiar with intel, including when enemies use it against them. Their first trait ability, Interrogation, helps Recon combat hostile Runner crews using their own tactics against them. Not only that, but Integration can also turn the tables around in Recon’s favor.
Interrogation informs Recon when they get pinged by a hostile, giving them and their crew an early warning of what’s to come. And if Recon manages to capitalize on their warning, then they can use Interrogation against their enemies. The second use of Interrogation allows Recon to ping remaining hostile crew members by performing a finisher on a downed hostile.
Recon’s Trait Ability: Stalker Protocol
When wounding your prey by breaking their shields as Recon, you can track them down with ease, thanks to Stalker Protocol. When an enemy shield breaks, they’ll leave a trail of glowing red footprints as they move, giving you a perfect trail to track them by. Stalker Protocol also applies to UESC units, though it isn’t as useful.
Keep in mind that this trail only lasts for a short time, so make sure to capitalize on your weakened prey. Not only does the trail not last for very long, but the trail also stops once your prey travels a certain distance away, or your prey waits it out. So make sure not to let your target get away, or you might lose your target forever.
Is That All For The Marathon Runner Shell, Recon?
That is indeed all for the ruthless Marathon Runner Shell, Recon, at least for now. If you’ve read my previous Runner Shell guides, then you’ll know that Recon also has a few cores that improve their gameplay. However, I won’t be covering that here, as I plan on discussing Shell-specific cores once I cover all of their abilities.
So until then, enjoy hunting down fellow Runners with your newfound knowledge, because I know I will.
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