Marathon doesn’t have crafting like ARC Raiders, but it has an item that is somewhat similar to blueprints: Schemas. Schemas grant limited access to gear you wouldn’t be able to find otherwise, making them rare and extremely valuable.
Here’s everything you need to know about Schemas in Marathon, including where to find them and what they do.
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How to get Schemas in Marathon
Schemas are a pretty rare find in Marathon. The items they’re tied to also aren’t available anywhere else unless you loot them off another player, but there are ways for you to target Schemas during your runs.
There are two main ways of getting Schemas in Marathon:
- Random drops during runs
- Rewards pass
During your runs, you may come across a Schema almost anywhere. However, supply drops by far are the most consistent source. There are multiple supply drop points on every map, like the one on the east side of Station on Perimeter.
When you call in a supply drop, it makes quite a lot of noise, so expect UESC and other Runners. It takes around 30 seconds for the supply drop to land with three boxes filled with loot, including Deluxe and Superior rarity items.
Another way to get Schemas is to unlock them in the rewards pass for Silk. There are multiple Schemas, including over three Prestige-rarity Schemas on the last few pages, that you can earn from free tiers by simply playing the game.
How to use Schemas in Marathon
Schemas allow you to buy a specific item a certain number of times from the Armory. After you exfil with a Schema, it automatically activates. If you got it from the rewards pass, you can activate it straight after claiming it.
You can then head to the Armory and purchase Schema items under the Today’s Sponsors section on the right (not in the individual faction’s shops). As mentioned, the stock is limited based on the Schema you got – some allow for only three purchases, others five, etc.
Schemas don’t expire, so you can leave them in the Armory for as long as you’d like. It’s unclear whether there’s a maximum number of Schemas that can be active at the same time, but that shouldn’t be an issue as long as you buy the items every now and then.
