Runners, rejoice. Or cower in fear, because Marathon’s Cryo Archive officially opens on March 20th. Following an ARG where players would solve puzzles and slay hundreds of millions of UESC bots, the colony ship officially extends its invitation, courtesy of Final Fantasy 16 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 actor Ben Starr.
Cryo Archive is an end-game map built for a team (no solo options) that’s reached level 25 and completed the liaison contracts for all the factions. Your loadout needs to be worth 5,000 Credits, though Bungie will offer a Cryo Archive Sponsored Kit with blue rarity gear. It’s a one-time offer, so use it to familiarise yourself with the zone’s threats.
Despite offering “raid-like puzzles,” this is still a PvEvP map, so other players will offer as much of a threat as the UESC. As you progress through a run, Security Clearance starts to build, which is necessary to open doors and even extract (with other requirements seemingly attached). Seven Vaults also await, and you need to collect their respective keys while completing other requirements to access their precious loot.
Much like Ranked mode, Cryo Archive is only available on the weekends. What will you be doing for the rest of the week? Farming Vault Keys from Tau Ceti IV’s other zones, with “higher-risk” activities having more of a chance to drop them (though they’re also on the Marathon).
Finally, there are weekly limited Contracts to complete on Cryo Archive. They can be rerolled, but once completed, they’re no longer available for the week. Nevertheless, the prospect of high-rarity items, including keys, means they’re worth pursuing. The Codex offers more permanent progression, including new skins for each Runner Shell if you meet the requirements.
For more details on Marathon and whether it’s worth jumping into, check out our review. It’s available on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.
