Marathon Vault Breaker PvE Mode Guide

Marathon Vault Breaker PvE Mode Guide Quick Summary:

• Vault Breaker launches with Update 1.1.5 on July 21 and runs until August 4
• It is Marathon’s first experimental PvE mode, not the full PvE mode planned for Season 3
• You can play Vault Breaker solo, duo, or trio, regardless of Runner Level
• The mode takes place in Cryo Archive and uses a roguelite structure with progressively tougher Vaults
• Vault Data is the main event currency used for kit upgrades and Armory purchases
• Gear found during a Vault Breaker run cannot be exfilled

In Vault Breaker, you dive into the depths of UESC Marathon's Cryo Archive, where untold treasures are hidden, but unfortunately, you can't get them out in this mode. However, you can get them in the normal Cryo Archive raid, but it's very difficult for most players, so why not try our Marathon Cryo Archive Raid Boost and let our Pros do the work, or you can join them yourself and finish the raid together.

 

 

 

Marathon Vault Breaker Explained

Vault Breaker is a limited-time experimental PvE mode in Marathon. According to devs, it’s a roguelite(-like?) mode that sends Runners into the Cryo Archive, where they clear progressively tougher Vaults over multiple runs. You can play as solo, duo, or trio, regardless of your Runner level. The whole idea is centered around taking risks and being greedy. It has a separate PvE progression, and you can improve a special Sponsored Kit, which can be done by surviving the runs and bringing out Vault Data. The mode starts with Update 1.1.5 on July 21 and stays available until August 4. In devs' words, it’s a test mode, and they say that feedback from Vault Breaker will help shape the full PvE mode planned for Season 3. I just hope that it’s not half-baked and at least has some killer feature that will make us return to Cryo again and again. So yeah, don’t sweat cause your progression in the mode will reset in a few weeks. It’s more like developers testing the waters, watching what sticks, and seeing how many players willingly walk into Cryo Archive to get bullied by the UESC.

How Vault Breaker Works

As I already said, Vault Breaker is a roguelite PvE activity inside Cryo Archive. You enter the mode, push through Vaults, collect Vault Data, and convert the Data obtained to progress in your future runs with better equipment from Vault Breaker Armory. Oh yeah, I forgot to say that this mode has a separate armory. You won’t be able to take kits or equipment from your storage. Here’s how the gameplay cycle looks:

1. Equip the free Vault Breaker Sponsored Kit
2. Enter Cryo Archive solo, as a duo, or with a trio
3. Clear Vaults and fight UESC enemies
4. Collect Vault Data during the run
5. Exfil with the Vault Data
6. Spend Vault Data on kit upgrades or Armory items
7. Repeat

The important thing to note is that Vault Breaker doesn’t follow the normal extraction shooter structure. Developers explicitly said that items and gear found inside the run are restricted from exfil. That means your backpack space should mostly go toward Vault Data and whatever helps you survive the run itself. Unless the extracted loot will convert to Vault Data, which is unclear so far, but it sounds logical.

How Vault Data Works

Vault Data is the main event currency in Vault Breaker. You use it in the Vault Breaker Armory to upgrade your Sponsored Kit or buy items and gear that can be used outside the event. There are two kinds of Vault Data:

Vault Data Type	How to Get It
Tier 1 Vault Data	Found in Vaults and needs to be exfilled
Tier 2 Vault Data	Earned from consecutive Vaults solved in the same run, then successfully exfilled

There’s one useful exception for Tier 1 Vault Data. Killing a UESC Commander also awards Tier 1 Vault Data after the run, even if you do not successfully exfil. Tier 2 is the more demanding currency. You need to solve consecutive Vaults in the same run and manage to escape from the Marathon. If you want to progress faster, you’ll have to take higher risks. I assume that, unlike in normal Cryo, the focus shifts to routing and time management. The AI enemies can be tough, but they’re not as tough or smart as real players are.

Vault Breaker Armory

The Vault Breaker Armory is a new option under the Event section of the Armory tab. This is where you spend your  Vault Data. The Armory includes:

• Kit upgrades for Vault Breaker raids
• Daily rotating Deluxe weapons
• Cryo Key Templates
• Prestige Weapons

One hugely important detail: purchases from Weekly and Limited Offers apply only to standard Marathon activities. Only Sponsored Kit upgrades affect your Vault Breaker loadout. It is also confirmed that some Armory stock is limited. Tier 1 Vault Data items have limited weekly stock, usually 3x or 5x depending on the item. Tier 2 Vault Data items include higher-tier rewards with 1x weekly stock, and Tier 2 currency can also be converted to Tier 1 a limited number of times per week. There are also Limited Offers, including Prestige gear, with one of each available during the event.

 

 

Sponsored Kit and Vault Breaker Upgrades

To play Vault Breaker mode, you need to equip the free special Sponsored Kit from the Vault Breaker Armory tab. The kit is weak initially, with one standard weapon, a small amount of equipment, and some consumables, so your first run is mostly about survival and making it out of the ship. As you earn Vault Data, you can upgrade the kit in different ways. There are several possible upgrade directions:

• Better weapon quality
• More survivability
• More implants
• More cores

Cradle and Faction upgrades are also enabled during the event, so your broader progression impacts the quality of your runs anyway. One thing that makes me wonder is, when the player reaches max upgrades, what point is there to play this mode?

Vault Breaker Rewards

Vault Breaker has four unique Codex challenges that reward cosmetics. These Valut Breaker rewards are:

Challenge Reward	Cosmetic
Profile Emblem	Opposition Marker
Profile Background	UESC Command
Weapon Style	Circuit Breaker - UESC Bulwark
Weapon Charm	UESC Control

These are event-specific cosmetic rewards tied to Vault Breaker Codex challenges. Considering that Vault Breaker is a time-limited event, you’re unlikely to get these rewards any other way when it’s over, unless the devs decide to let the other players complete these challenges in season 3’s version of this PvE mode. Talk about FOMO.

 

 

Vault Breaker Strategy

Since Bungie has not released the full mode yet, there is no tried-and-true strategy. But based on what is confirmed and the experience I have by playing Marathon extensively, I’d progress Vault Breaker like this:

1. Start Small: For the first few times, don’t invest in an upgraded Sponsored Kit. Walk around and learn the layout if you’ve never been in Cryo Archive.
2. Prioritize Vault Data: It’s your main progression system, and you can’t carry out the items in your inventory.
3. Upgrade Sponsored Kit: Once you know the layout and what dangers to expect in Vault Breaker, upgrade the kit.
4. Play in a Group: Though it’s a PvE mode, the enemies hit hard, and if you die solo, it’s over. If you don’t want to run Assassin exclusively, get a friend or two to join you.
5. Go Deeper Only Upgraded: If you’re feeling lucky, you may enter the depths of Cryo, but know that the dangers that lurk there will kill you easily if you’re not geared enough.

In short, learn the map layout while extracting as much Vault Data as possible, upgrade the Sponsored Kit once you feel ready, call your friends, and play riskier until you’re ready to tackle the main challenge in the depths of the UESC Marathon.

Read our other Marathon guides:

• Best Weapons Tier List
• Best Runner Shells
• Beginner’s Guide

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