Bungie has debuted its latest deep dive into Marathon with a new 'Developer Insights' video, which details all seven of the different Runner Shells, which essentially act as the classes that players will be able to choose from, each with their own abilities and skills and strengths for different playstyles.
The seven different Runner Shells include six that could be considered the 'main' classes players can choose from, which are: Destroyer, Assassin, Recon, Vandal, Thief, and Triage. The seventh shell, Rook, is a solo-queue-only class that lets you jump into ongoing matches, grab a bit of loot, and get out with a free loadout you don't risk at all.
A blog post shared alongside the video also digs into the difference between Cores and Implants. Both are mechanics that give you a boost in the middle of a match, with the difference being that Implants can be used by any Shell, whereas to use a Core, you'll have to find the Core that is made to be used with your specific Runner Shell.
It also digs into the buildcrafting you can do with the different Runner Shells, and how you can push each of their abilities further by leaning into different cores and implants. "For example, with Vandal you can lean into a mobility build, with powerful map traversal and repositioning. Equip cores that turn your double jump into a triple jump, and implants that increase your base movement speed, jump height, and improve your heat capacity," the blog post reads.
One thing not included in today's video is a release date or even a release window, as to when we can expect to see Marathon on shelves. Hopefully, we'll have that information sooner rather than later.
To say that Marathon has had a troubled development would be an understatement. The game's original director was fired on misconduct allegations, Bungie has suffered several layoffs during its development, press around the game has been consistently negative with rumors of internal issues, and it went through a massive plagiarism scandal that only delayed the game further.
Today's gameplay of the seven Runner Shells is honestly the best the game has ever looked, as it actually seems to be taking the shape of the kind of extraction-hero-shooter it's going for. Hopefully, it'll be able to stick the landing when it does arrive. If Bungie doesn't get a clear-cut win soon, it may be in for some even more dark days.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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