Where to Use Lockbox Keys in Marathon

3 days ago 5

Published Mar 10, 2026, 8:08 AM EDT

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In Marathon, finding success against the many dangers that lurk in Tau Ceti IV requires keen survival instincts and a steady stream of disposable guns and gear. Luckily, lockboxes offer a reliable source of high-value loot, and there's a way to ensure you're picking the most valuable ones.

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These lockboxes have a chance of containing weapons, implants, cores, and consumables, but the lockboxes won't spawn in the same place every time. In this guide, I'll show you how to find lockbox keys, where to use them, and how to rig the heist using X-Ray vision.

Where to Find Lockbox Keys

You'll find lockbox keys randomly throughout your travels, but I've found a consistent way to find them is by shooting down transport drones. These drones carry a bright yellow container like the one seen in the picture above, and have a good chance of yielding lockbox keys.

The other way to get your hands on these keys is to purchase the locksmith upgrade from the CyberAcme faction, seen in the picture below.

Unlocking this upgrade will allow you to purchase lockbox keys from the armory at the cost of: three dermachem packs, three plasma filaments, and 1,000 credits.

Locating Lockboxes

In Marathon, lockbox spawn locations are marked by red flares like the one seen above. These spawns will alternate, so it's a good idea to visit points of interest around the map, find high-ground, and look for red smoke.

Perimeter Lockbox Locations

On the perimeter map, the north and south relay areas (seen above) are common lockbox spawn locations. Keep in mind these spawns are not guaranteed, and there are other areas of the perimeter map where you may also find lockboxes.

When you see red flares on the roof of a structure, enter the building, and you will discover a room full of lockboxes (seen below). These rooms are generally directly below the flares.

On the Dire Marsh map, my go-to lockbox locations are highlighted by arrows in the picture above. Algae Ponds, and AI Uplink have both proven to be reliable spawns.

Now that you know how to identify spawn locations, and where they commonly appear, let's take a look at some next-level heist strategies to optimize your goop value.

Use Thief's X-Ray Visor and Pickpocket Drone

When you locate a lockbox room, there will be approximately ten boxes to choose from. Some of them will have valuable, rare items, while other boxes won't contain anything to write home about.

As the keys are one-time use, choosing which box to open is a bit of a gamble, unless you're playing as the thief.

Using the thief's X-Ray visor will allow you to see the color of the highest-value item inside the containers (seen above), so you'll never have to worry about picking a dud.

The thief's pickpocket drone also comes in handy for these lucrative lockbox runs, as you can use it to quickly locate the red flares from a distance.