Marathon Rook shell, explained

The Rook shell in Marathon is similar to a free loadout or a scav run, if you've previously played Arc Raiders or Escape From Tarkov, but it's a little more complicated in Bungie's extraction shooter. It acts as the seventh class, but it has some restrictions.

Here's everything you need to know about Rook, including its abilities, when you can use Rook, and the restrictions it places on you in Marathon.

Marathon Rook explained

First things first, you don't unlock Rook until you reach season level three, whereas all the other Marathon classes are available from the get-go. So if you're trying to use Rook before leveling up a little, come back later on.

For all intents and purposes, Rook is a free loadout, as it allows you to go to Tau Ceti IV without sacrificing any of your own gear. You're given a random, basic weapon, a few other bits of gear, and sent on your merry way. If you die, ah well; you haven't lost anything from your vault.

Not everyone can use Rook though. Rook is exclusive to solo players only, which means if you're teaming up with pals or you want to use the squad fill function, you need to select one of the six "proper" classes and use either your own gear, or a sponsored kit.

Playing as Rook will also only put you in a match that is already in progress, so you run the risk of the locations you visit already being looted, not to mention the shorter time window you have to get in, loot up, and get out again.

However, Rook has one important perk that other classes do not get: the ability to temporarily disguise itself from UESC enemies. These are the robots you'll find loitering and patrolling points of interest on every map, and they can be brutal if you get overwhelmed as a solo player. As Rook, you can hide yourself from them to sneak past. Other players, on the other hand, will likely shoot on sight, so you should still be wary.

Rook also has its own skill tree, which means later down the line, you can customize your experience with the shell to your liking. For example, you can ensure your Rook always starts with a shotgun, and although that's quite far into the skill tree, it means you can cater your playstyle to your Rook.

Rook is designed to be used when you're running out of gear in your vault and you need to stock back up again, by essentially acting as a loot goblin. If you want to know what firepower to keep an eye out for, take a look at our guide to all of the Marathon weapons.