Marathon Factions Explained: Contracts, Rep and VIP
All six Marathon factions, how contracts and weekly bonus rep work, Sponsored Kits and the Nightfall Refresh reset.
Six factions are fighting over Tau Ceti IV, and every one of them wants to hire you. Their contracts are how you level, and their upgrades are where most of your season-long power comes from.
Everyone started from zero again with the Nightfall Refresh. Here's what each faction offers, how to level them fast, and what you unlock on the way to VIP.
• Six factions: CyberAcme, NuCaloric, Traxus, MIDA, Arachne and Sekiguchi.
• Contracts raise your standing. Salvage buys the upgrades.
• Your first 5 contracts each week give bonus rep, and unused bonuses roll over.
• Sponsored Kits unlock at Faction Level 10, 20 and VIP, and the first of each is free.
• Faction levels and aftermarket upgrades reset on October 6, but rank requirements are lower now.
The six Marathon factions
Each faction leans toward one playstyle. You'll work with all of them, but it helps to know which ones match your build.
- CyberAcme: Vault space, heat management, credits
- NuCaloric: Healing and survivability
- Traxus: Machine guns, assault rifles, pistols, chip mods
- MIDA: Grenades and gadgets
- Arachne: Precision weapons, snipers, railguns, knives and melee
- Sekiguchi: Runner cores, ability recovery, Cradle XP
Our take: CyberAcme's extra vault space is a good early goal, since everything gets easier when you can keep more loot.
How faction contracts work
Contracts are the main way to earn standing. Each one you finish raises your level with that faction.
- Open the contracts screen in the factions menu and accept a contract.
- Activate it before you queue.
- Drop into the right zone. It's marked with the contract icon next to the zone's name. Multi-zone contracts work on any map.
- Finish the objectives and exfil.
Kills help too. UESC kills give a little rep to the faction whose contract is active, and in-run activities pay faction rep as well.
How to level factions faster
The fastest rep is the weekly bonus. Your first five contracts every week earn bonus reputation, and bonuses you don't use roll over to later weeks.
Priority Contracts no longer need a faction rank, so take them whenever they fit your run.
Faction upgrades and Sponsored Kits
Standing unlocks upgrades and Armory wares. Salvage is what you pay with, and unstable salvage is the one to grab early.
Factions also offer Sponsored Kits: complete preset loadouts in three tiers.
- Enhanced: Faction Level 10
- Deluxe: Faction Level 20
- Superior: Faction VIP
You get your first kit of each rarity for free when you unlock it. That's a cheap way to start runs with better gear after a bad streak.
What the Nightfall Refresh changed
On October 6 your faction levels went back to zero and your aftermarket upgrades returned to default. Bungie made the climb shorter to make up for it.
- Lower rank requirements: every faction needs less reputation per rank.
- Easier VIP: the VIP requirement now matches each faction's final standard rank.
- More XP from UESC: killing UESC forces pays more Runner XP.
- Cheaper Armory: most Armory wares cost 30% fewer credits, and many salvage barters cost less too.
See everything else that reset in our Nightfall Refresh guide.
Faction tips
- Use all five weekly bonus contracts. It's the cheapest rep in the game.
- Stack contracts by zone. Pick contracts for the zone you're already dropping into.
- Consider CyberAcme first. Our pick for early vault space.
- Match factions to your weapons. Traxus for rifles and MGs, Arachne for snipers and knives.
- Claim your free kits at Level 10, 20 and VIP.
If the grind to VIP doesn't fit your schedule, CarrySquad offers Marathon faction leveling.
FAQ
How many factions are in Marathon?
Did faction progress reset in October?
What is the highest faction rank?
Which faction should I level first?
Do I need a faction rank for Priority Contracts?
More Marathon guides: Runner shells, Cradle, Nightfall Refresh, Cryo Archive and Vault Breaker.