Best Beginner Weapons in Marathon – What Starter Guns to Pick

Choosing the best beginner weapons in Marathon matters more than in most shooters – dying means losing everything you brought into the run, so picking the wrong gun early on isn’t just frustrating, it’s expensive. Marathon launches with 28 weapons across eight categories, five ammo types, and a full modding system, which can feel overwhelming on day one. This guide breaks down the best starter weapons for new Runners based on community feedback from the closed alpha, Server Slam, and early launch, so you can hit the ground running on Tau Ceti IV without burning through your stash.

How Weapons Work in Marathon

Before picking the best beginner weapons in Marathon, it helps to understand the basics. Every weapon uses one of five ammo types: Light Rounds, Medium Rounds, Heavy Rounds, Volt Batteries, and MIPS Rounds. Ammo can be bought from the Armory with Credits or looted from containers and enemies during a run.

Weapons come in five rarity tiers – Standard (gray), Enhanced (green), Deluxe (blue), Superior (purple), and Prestige (gold). The base damage is the same regardless of rarity – the difference comes from Mod slots and special perks at higher tiers. This means a well-aimed Standard weapon can still drop someone running Prestige gear. Each weapon supports three to four Mod slots including Chip, Magazine, Barrel, Grip, Optics, and more. Attaching a higher-rarity Mod to a weapon bumps that weapon’s rarity tier up, unlocking better performance.

You carry two weapons into a run, and both are lost if you fail to extract. That risk shapes everything about how you should think about your loadout.

Best Beginner Weapons in Marathon: The M77 Assault Rifle

If there’s one gun that every guide, tier list, and community discussion agrees on, it’s the M77 Assault Rifle. It is the single most recommended best starter weapon in Marathon across every source we reviewed.

The M77 is a fully automatic ballistic assault rifle with a built-in flip scope for longer engagements. It uses Light Rounds – the most common ammo type on Tau Ceti IV – so you’ll rarely run dry. Its fire rate is slower than some other ARs, but it makes up for it with better per-shot damage, solid accuracy, a generous 26-round magazine, and very manageable recoil. Tap-firing extends its usefulness to longer sightlines too.

What makes it ideal for beginners is its versatility. It performs well at close-to-mid range without needing pinpoint accuracy, and anyone who has played Bungie’s previous titles will find the handling familiar and comfortable. It has three Mod slots (Chip, Grip, and Magazine), so it’s easy to upgrade without hunting for rare attachment types. The M77 is rated S-Tier in most tier lists and sits alongside weapons that are far less forgiving for newer players.

Runner-Up Beginner Weapon: The Bully SMG

The Bully SMG is one of the best starter weapons in Marathon for close-range combat and one of the easiest guns to get your hands on early. It shows up frequently in Sponsored Kits, so you can start running it from your very first drop without spending anything. It’s a full-auto SMG using Heavy Rounds with the highest per-shot damage in its class and a solid 27-meter effective range – the best of any SMG, giving it some mid-range viability too.

Marathon’s maps frequently funnel players into tight corridors, research facilities, and indoor areas where close-quarters combat is unavoidable. The Bully excels at holding these corridors and chokepoints, and its reload and recoil are both easy to get used to after a few runs. It’s a gun that just feels right in your hands quickly, which is exactly what you want when you’re still learning the maps.

The Bully is the natural complement to the M77 – one covers mid-range, the other dominates interiors. Together they form one of the most reliable beginner loadouts in Marathon.

Best Beginner Pistol: The V11 Punch (Volt Pistol)

The V11 Punch is an underrated secondary pick and one of the best beginner weapons in Marathon for players who want to handle PvE efficiently. This Volt Battery pistol fires at 600 RPM and has an alt-fire laser beam, but its real strength for beginners is how well it deals with mechanical UESC enemies. Volt damage is extremely effective against the robots and mechs you’ll run into constantly on Tau Ceti IV, and the V11 Punch handles them quickly without burning through expensive ammo.

What makes it especially beginner-friendly is its ammo efficiency. Once you get used to the reload, you’ll find yourself spending very little on ammo resupply. On top of that, the V11 Punch regenerates ammo when not in use – just holster it and it slowly refills on its own. That means you always have a backup ready for UESC encounters without needing to worry about keeping it stocked. Pair it with the M77 or Bully for a loadout that covers both PvP and PvE comfortably.

Alternative Secondary Weapon: The Magnum MC

For players who want a hard-hitting backup without committing to a second primary, the Magnum MC is a great pick. It’s a slow-firing hand cannon (138 RPM) that uses Heavy Rounds and trades fire rate for raw stopping power – two clean shots are enough to drop most targets.

The Magnum pairs well with the M77 because it uses a different ammo type, spreading your dependency across two ammo pools and reducing the chance of running dry on both at once. It’s also strong as a mobility backup – quick to draw when you need to finish off a weakened enemy after your primary runs empty. The Magnum sits in A-Tier across most tier lists, and even in its base Standard form it’s a solid, economical choice for new Runners.

Honorable Mentions: Next Best Starter Weapons in Marathon

Once you’ve built confidence with the guns above, these weapons are natural next steps that reward a bit more skill.

Hardline PR – A semi-automatic precision rifle with minimal recoil, a 16-round magazine, and an effective range of roughly 69 meters. Multiple sources call it borderline overpowered in the current meta. It teaches you to hold lanes and punish enemies who peek carelessly, which is a critical skill in extraction shooters.

B33 Volley – A three-round burst precision rifle that rewards accurate trigger discipline. It’s a strong mid-range option that sits between the M77 and the Hardline in terms of playstyle. A great pick for players looking to sharpen their precision rifle skills without the one-shot pressure of a sniper.

BRRT SMG – A five-round burst SMG using Medium Rounds with a 35-round magazine. It became a community favorite during the closed alpha for its consistent close-range lethality. It’s harder to come by early on, but if you manage to find or buy one, it’s one of the most effective SMGs in the game. Well worth picking up whenever you get the chance.

V75 Scar AR – A Volt Battery assault rifle with excellent control and range. A strong pick for players who want consistent mid-range performance with energy damage, though managing Volt ammo requires more discipline than Light or Medium Rounds.

Weapons to Avoid as a Beginner in Marathon

Several top-tier weapons are extremely powerful but punish missed shots hard, making them poor choices while you’re still learning maps and movement.

WSTR Combat Shotgun – A double-barreled shotgun with one-shot kill potential at point blank, but it only holds two shots and caps out at about 8 meters. Devastating in expert hands, a liability for beginners who misjudge distance.

Longshot (Sniper) – Bolt-action with one-shot headshot capability. Only three rounds per magazine. Every miss is punishing, and close-range fights are nearly unwinnable.

Twin Tap HBR – A semi-auto marksman rifle that fires two-shot bursts with incredible burst DPS. One of the strongest weapons in the game for players with sharp aim, but very unforgiving otherwise.

Ares RG (Railgun) – Massive damage per shot, but it requires charge timing and uses Volt Cell ammo, which is the rarest ammo type in the game. A high-risk, high-reward weapon best left for experienced Runners.

Best Beginner Weapons in Marathon: Recommended Loadouts

Here are three loadout pairings using the best beginner weapons in Marathon that cover different playstyles while staying forgiving for new players.

The Safe All-Rounder: M77 + Magnum MC
Covers most engagement distances. Uses Light and Heavy ammo respectively, spreading your ammo dependency. Ideal for solo players and first-timers who want reliability above all else.

The Aggressive Starter: M77 + Bully SMG
The M77 handles mid-range while the Bully dominates interiors. They use different ammo types (Light and Heavy), so you won’t compete for resources. Best for players who want to push into buildings and loot aggressively.

The PvE Specialist: Bully SMG + V11 Punch
The Bully covers your PvP encounters and general combat, while the V11 Punch handles UESC enemies efficiently and regenerates its own ammo. A great loadout for contract-focused runs where you’re fighting more AI than players.

Weapon Tips for New Runners in Marathon

Learn two or three weapons deeply rather than constantly switching. Consistency builds muscle memory, which matters a lot in a game with fast time-to-kill.

Pay attention to ammo types when pairing weapons. If both your guns use the same ammo, you’re competing with yourself for resources. Spreading across two ammo pools is always safer.

Don’t bring your best gear every run. Prestige weapons are powerful but losing them hurts. Use Standard or Enhanced gear while learning maps and extraction routes, and save the high-rarity loadouts for when you’re extracting consistently.

Prioritize Mods that fix weaknesses rather than stacking damage. A stability Mod on a high-recoil weapon or a magazine Mod on a small-capacity gun will get you more consistent results over a full raid than raw damage boosts.

Check looted weapons before swapping. A well-modded weapon from a defeated Runner can be a big upgrade over your current setup, but grabbing a gun that uses an ammo type you can’t resupply will leave you in trouble.

Start with Rook mode to learn the basics. Rook lets you drop in with minimal risk – you won’t lose anything valuable – making it ideal for getting comfortable with map layouts, extraction points, and weapon feel before you start risking real gear.

More Marathon Resources

For a full breakdown of all 28 guns, check out our Every Weapon in Marathon Explained guide. Browse the Marathon Weapons Database for detailed stats on every weapon, or explore the Perimeter and Dire Marsh maps using our interactive tools. Join our Discord community to find a crew or discuss Marathon strategies with other Runners!