Marathon Weapons Tier List — Best Guns Ranked (March 2026)
Knowing which guns to grab and which to leave on the ground is the difference between extracting rich and losing everything in Marathon. This Marathon weapons tier list ranks every weapon from S tier to D tier based on Server Slam data, community testing, and our own experience across dozens of extraction runs. Whether you’re a veteran Runner or you just dropped in for the first time, this guide will help you build loadouts that actually win fights.
Last updated: March 2, 2026 — Based on launch-week balance. We’ll update this list after every major patch.
How We Built This Marathon Weapons Tier List
Before we get into the tiers, here’s what we considered for the rankings:
- TTK (Time to Kill): How fast the weapon drops an enemy at its optimal range
- Ease of Use: Recoil control, aim assist (on controller), hipfire accuracy
- Versatility: How well it performs across different engagement ranges and situations
- Availability: How often you find it in-zone and how affordable it is to bring in
- Loadout Synergy: How well it pairs with other weapons to cover your gaps
Every weapon in Marathon has a role. The question is whether that role is worth a loadout slot when better options exist. Let’s rank them.
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S Tier — Meta Defining, Take Every Time
These are the weapons that define Marathon’s current meta. If you find one in a zone, you pick it up. If you can afford to bring one in, you bring it in. No questions asked.
BRRT SMG
The BRRT is disgusting up close — and we mean that as a compliment. This five-round burst SMG shreds health bars at close range faster than anything else in the game. The burst pattern is tight enough that all five rounds land on target if you’re within fifteen meters, and the damage per burst is high enough to two-burst most Runners who aren’t running heavy armor.
The trade-off is range. Past twenty meters, the spread opens up and you’re throwing bullets at the ceiling. But in a game where so many fights happen in corridors, around corners, and inside extraction zones, the BRRT’s CQC dominance makes it S tier without hesitation.
Best paired with: Twin Tap HPR or Hardline PR to cover long range.
WSTR Combat Shotgun
One-shot potential earns an automatic S tier. The WSTR hits like a freight train at point-blank range and can down fully armored Runners in a single blast if you land the shot center mass. It’s the ultimate ambush weapon — sit on a corner, wait for footsteps, and delete whoever walks through the door.
Its pump-action rate of fire means you’re dead if you miss, which keeps it from being genuinely broken. But skilled players who position well and aim true will dominate CQC with this thing. The risk-reward ratio is unmatched.
Best paired with: Any precision rifle for ranged engagements. You need range coverage badly when running the WSTR.
Hardline PR
The Hardline PR is a fast-firing precision rifle that sits in a sweet spot between a DMR and an assault rifle. It has enough fire rate to compete at mid-range and enough accuracy to challenge snipers at distance. The recoil is predictable — a gentle vertical climb that’s easy to compensate for after a few games of practice.
What pushes the Hardline into S tier is versatility. It doesn’t dominate any single range the way the BRRT or WSTR dominate close quarters, but it’s competitive everywhere. You can take fights at 10 meters and fights at 80 meters with the same weapon and feel confident. That flexibility is invaluable in extraction gameplay where you can’t predict what engagement you’ll face next.
Best paired with: WSTR Combat Shotgun or BRRT SMG for close-range insurance.
Overrun AR
The Overrun is the most consistent assault rifle in Marathon. Stable recoil, good damage, reliable at every range you’d reasonably take an AR fight. It won’t blow you away with one specific stat, but it has no weaknesses. Zero. It’s the weapon you bring when you want to guarantee a solid performance regardless of what the zone throws at you.
The Overrun is also the easiest weapon to use in the entire game, making it the best choice for new players learning the mechanics. You don’t need perfect aim or burst discipline — just point and shoot, control the mild recoil, and you’ll win more fights than you lose.
Best paired with: Magnum MC as a sidearm, or WSTR for dedicated CQC backup.
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A Tier — Excellent Weapons, Slightly Below Meta
A-tier weapons are strong picks that perform well in most situations. They lose out to S tier in specific matchups but are still absolutely worth running.
M77 Assault Rifle
The M77 is the “boring but effective” assault rifle. It doesn’t have the Overrun’s perfect recoil pattern, but it hits slightly harder per bullet and rewards players who can tap-fire at distance. If you’re comfortable controlling moderate recoil, the M77’s damage output is genuinely competitive with S-tier options.
The reason it’s A tier instead of S is consistency. The Overrun does the same job with less effort. But plenty of skilled players will prefer the M77’s higher skill ceiling and slightly faster TTK when you’re landing every shot.
Twin Tap HPR
This is Marathon’s premier long-range weapon for players who don’t want to commit to a sniper rifle. The Twin Tap fires in rapid two-round bursts with pinpoint accuracy at distance. It dominates open sightlines and outdoor zones where you can maintain fifty-plus meters of distance from your targets.
The downside is that it’s almost useless inside buildings. The zoom is too much, the fire rate is too slow for panic situations, and you’ll get eaten alive by any SMG or shotgun user who closes the gap. You absolutely need a CQC secondary when running the Twin Tap.
This weapon is one half of the current meta loadout that every competitive player is running. If you’re serious about Marathon PvP, get comfortable with it.
Meta loadout: Twin Tap HPR + WSTR Combat Shotgun — This covers every range in the game and is the most popular loadout among top-performing Runners. You’ll see this combo constantly.
Stryder M1T
The Stryder occupies an interesting space as a fast-firing, low-damage-per-bullet automatic weapon. Think of it as a laser beam — hold the trigger and walk the stream onto target. It’s forgiving because even if your initial aim is off, the fire rate lets you correct quickly.
It’s great for players coming from games like Destiny or Apex who are used to tracking targets rather than burst-firing. The DPS is competitive with A-tier assault rifles, but the range falls off faster. Solid weapon, just outclassed at the very top.
Magnum MC
The best sidearm in the game, and it’s not particularly close. The Magnum MC hits hard, fires fast for a revolver, and is accurate enough to genuinely clutch fights when your primary runs dry. Some players even use it as a primary in the early game before they can afford better weapons.
What makes the Magnum special is its cost-to-performance ratio. It’s one of the cheapest weapons you can bring into a zone, and its performance punches way above its price point. If you’re doing budget runs to rebuild your stash, the Magnum is your best friend.
Budget loadout highlight: M77 Assault Rifle + Magnum MC — This combination costs a fraction of the meta loadout and still performs respectably. You won’t dominate lobbies, but you’ll hold your own while keeping your wallet intact. If you’re into budget-friendly gaming in general, our list of best free games on Steam has you covered outside of Marathon too.
Ares RG
The Ares is a burst-fire rifle that rewards precision. Three-round bursts with tight grouping mean that if you aim well, you kill fast. If you whiff, you’re waiting for the next burst cycle while your opponent fills you with bullets. It’s a high-skill weapon that’s devastating in the right hands and mediocre in the wrong ones.
Competitive players who can consistently land headshots will find the Ares borderline S tier. Everyone else will find it frustrating. We’re keeping it in A because the skill requirement gates its effectiveness for the majority of players.
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B Tier — Situational, But Functional
B-tier weapons work in specific situations or as placeholders until you find something better. You won’t throw a run by using them, but you’re not optimizing either.
Voss LMG
High magazine capacity, sustained fire, decent damage. The Voss is the LMG you’d expect — great for holding angles and suppressing enemies, terrible for mobile combat. The ADS speed is glacial, the sprint-to-fire time is painful, and you’re essentially a stationary turret when using it.
In squad play, one player running the Voss to provide suppressive fire while teammates flank is a legitimate strategy. Solo? You’re better off with an assault rifle.
Saber DMR
The Saber is a semi-automatic marksman rifle that deals strong per-shot damage but has a painfully slow follow-up rate. If you land headshots consistently, it’s terrifying. If you miss, you’re exposed for what feels like an eternity between shots.
It’s outclassed by the Twin Tap HPR at range and by assault rifles at mid-range. The Saber needs a fire rate buff or a damage increase to compete with A-tier options.
Needle PDW
A personal defense weapon that falls between SMGs and assault rifles. The Needle has decent range for a compact weapon and a fast reload, making it a jack-of-all-trades that masters none. It’s fine early in a run when you’re grabbing whatever you can find, but you should be replacing it with something better before you head to extraction.
Volt Pistol
The Volt is an energy pistol with a charging mechanic. Hold the trigger to charge, release for a powerful shot. Fully charged shots hit hard — not quite WSTR hard, but enough to seriously hurt. The problem is that charging takes time, and in a fast gunfight, time is the one thing you don’t have.
It’s a fun weapon and a satisfying one when you land charged shots. But fun and competitive aren’t the same thing in an extraction shooter where your loot is on the line.
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C Tier — Underpowered, Use Only If Desperate
These weapons need buffs. You’ll use them if they’re literally the only option available, but you should replace them at the first opportunity.
Sparrow SMG
The Sparrow’s low damage per bullet and lack of any standout characteristic make it the worst SMG in the game. The BRRT does everything the Sparrow does, but better, faster, and more violently. There’s no reason to run the Sparrow unless it’s the first gun you find on the ground and you have nothing else.
Pike Rifle
A semi-auto rifle with mediocre damage, mediocre accuracy, and mediocre everything. The Pike exists to fill loot tables and give you something to shoot with in the first thirty seconds of a run. Swap it out immediately.
Kite Pistol
The default starting pistol. It does damage. That’s about the nicest thing we can say. The Magnum MC outclasses it in every measurable way. The Kite exists to remind you that you should have brought a real gun.
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D Tier — Actively Bad, Avoid
Whisper Suppressed Pistol
The idea of a silenced weapon in an extraction shooter sounds great on paper. In practice, the Whisper’s damage is so low that you’ll empty half a magazine before downing an unarmored target, at which point stealth is irrelevant because you’ve been shooting for five seconds straight. The suppression provides minimal actual benefit since attentive players will still hear you and locate you quickly.
Until Bungie significantly buffs either its damage or its suppression effectiveness, the Whisper is a trap pick. Leave it on the ground.
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Best Overall Pick
Overrun AR — If you can only master one weapon, make it this one. It’s effective at every range, easy to control, affordable, and pairs well with almost any secondary. You’ll never feel outgunned with an Overrun in your hands.
Best Budget Pick
Magnum MC — When you’re broke from losing runs and need to rebuild, the Magnum’s incredible cost-to-performance ratio makes it the best budget option in the game. Pair it with whatever free assault rifle you can find on the ground and you’ve got a functional loadout for pennies.
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Best Loadout Combos
Here are the top loadout combinations for this Marathon weapons tier list:
| Loadout | Primary | Secondary | Playstyle |
| Meta | Twin Tap HPR | WSTR Combat Shotgun | All ranges covered, aggressive |
| Aggressive | BRRT SMG | Hardline PR | Push CQC, poke at range |
| Consistent | Overrun AR | Magnum MC | Reliable at all ranges, moderate cost |
| Budget | M77 Assault Rifle | Magnum MC | Cheap but competitive |
| Squad Support | Voss LMG | BRRT SMG | Hold angles, cover teammates |
Key Strategy: Always Cover Both Ranges
The single most important principle in Marathon loadout building is range coverage. You need one weapon for close quarters and one for distance. Running double SMGs or double rifles leaves you vulnerable at the ranges you can’t cover, and skilled opponents will exploit that gap every time.
If you take one thing from this Marathon weapons tier list, let it be this: pair a precision weapon with a CQC weapon. Every time. No exceptions.
For more ranked content across different games, check out our Marvel Rivals tier list for the current hero meta. And if you want to see how Marathon stacks up against other shooters, our Marathon review 2026 covers the full game beyond just weapon balance.
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This Marathon weapons tier list reflects the game’s state as of launch week (March 2026). Bungie will inevitably patch, buff, and nerf weapons as the meta develops. We’ll update this article after every major balance patch to keep the rankings accurate. Bookmark this page and check back regularly.
