Marathon Night Marsh Guide: UESC Certs, Complex and Loadouts
What Night Does to Dire Marsh
Night Marsh is the after-dark version of Dire Marsh, introduced in Marathon Season 2 (Nightfall, June 2, 2026). At night visibility drops, and hearing matters as much as sight: the sound of your footsteps can give you away.
The central resource is UESC Certs. According to guides, they drop from UESC enemies and are spent on network towers and on getting into the Complex, the map's main objective. The whole run is built around these tokens.
Who the map is for: players who like careful play and are ready to spend their first runs scouting and collecting tokens. A fast push works worse here than in regular raids, because darkness punishes haste and noise draws unwanted company. The payoff for a clean entry is real, though, since Night Marsh is where the Prestige loot room sits.
The information here is current as of October 17, 2026. The October 6 Nightfall Refresh reset progression, and on October 8 developers fixed Night Marsh crashes.
How to Unlock the Map and When It Is Available
Both Marsh versions unlock at Runner Level 3. Progression was reset on October 6, so new and returning players need to reach it again. If you would rather skip that grind, DVING offers power leveling.
At launch both versions ran at the same time, and later availability rotated on a 90-minute cycle. Check the raid selection menu for the current schedule, since it may have changed. Season 3 (Symbiosis) was pushed to December 8, so the map stays in the game until it launches.
Light and Sound: Staying Off the Radar
A flashlight helps with navigation but shows you to every enemy nearby. Experienced players light the area first and move second. The main tools:
Vector rounds - per Bungie, they create pools of light where they land and illuminate enemies.
Vector grenades - light up an area and ping nearby enemies.
Signal flares - light the area in several colors and alert other players, so throw them deliberately.
Darksight scope - highlights your surroundings while aiming. It is a traversal tool rather than an enemy finder.
The other half is silence. Before entering any point of interest, stop and listen to find out whether you are alone. Sprinting adds noise. When you enter a dark room first, throw light before you step in.
UESC Certs and Network Towers
Certs come from UESC enemies. Players suggest starting at the map edges, since other squads wait for the same tokens at big points of interest. Check your count before you start an extraction so you do not run short at the very end.
What guides describe:
One network tower costs 3 Certs.
Activating a tower spawns a cache on the map. That is where the Observation Labs key most often shows up.
The Complex garage doors need at least 7 Certs.
The second route to the key is the red chests during the Warden event. Bungie says locked-room keys are guaranteed to drop from Wardens for the rest of the season.
Players report that the Warden event tends to start late in the round, so do not count on it if you want a calm Complex run. Numbers can change with patches.
Need keys and do not want to collect them yourself? DVING has key farming for Marathon.
The Complex: From Entrance to Loot Room
The Complex is the map's main goal, and several squads often converge on it at once. Expect heavy fights, especially if you arrive late.
The order guides describe:
Collect Certs and get the Observation Labs key (from a tower cache or the Warden event).
Open a garage door with 7 Certs and head to the upper floors.
At the Door Controls stand, start the shooting puzzle: you shoot colored security boxes to open the doors.
Once all doors are open and you reach the middle room, use the key on the main control panel.
UESC enemies and a new boss, the Frost Warden, appear. While it is alive, break boxes following the diagram on the wall.
After the fight, go to the room opposite the arena. The Prestige loot is inside.
The boss and the crowd are tough for solo players. If the Complex keeps beating you, coaching offers a review of your play and practice with an experienced player.
Which Shells Suit the Dark
Any Shell can run Night Marsh, but some abilities fit night fights better. Here is a Season 2 summary.
Shell | What it offers on this map |
|---|---|
Sentinel | Prime Defender System shoots down grenades and missiles (limited intercepts) and boosts weapon handling for nearby allies; Snare Mine; Prey Tracker, a short-range motion tracker |
Recon | Echo Pulse reveals nearby hostiles, Tracker Drone helps scouting; Recon got balance changes on October 6 |
Thief | Pickpocket Drone for looting; the X-Ray Visor trait helps spot enemies |
Assassin | Active Camo hides you, but breaks when you attack or take damage |
Judging by its abilities, Sentinel is a strong fit for indoor fights where grenades and tight rooms decide the outcome. Assassin suits players who like flanking and avoiding long fights. Picking a Shell is a matter of style rather than a fixed ranking, since balance changed on October 6.
In a squad, split roles in advance. One player watches the sound and holds the reserve of light, another scouts, a third covers the rear. Even in a duo it helps to agree who throws the flare and who enters the room first, so you are less likely to expose both of you at once.
Weapons for Close Quarters
Short sightlines mean most fights happen up close. Season 2 added two guns that match that pace:
KKV-9SD - an SMG with a built-in suppressor and folding stock, around 1200 RPM. Its Prestige mod is Flechette Drum.
D54 Battle Pistol - a full-auto handgun firing 3-round bursts. Its Prestige mod is Daredevil Stock.
Practical ideas from players: suppressors help deal with UESC quietly, SMGs and pistols suit rooms, and rifles and machine guns work better outside with good optics. Shotguns demand that you know where the target is. These are suggestions, not guarantees, because weapon balance also changed on October 6. Bring at least one gun you shoot confidently for panic fights.
Preparing for Night Marsh Raids
Reach Runner Level 3 and pack light sources: Vector items or flares.
Spend your first runs collecting Certs on the map edges rather than pushing the Complex.
Check your Cert count before extraction.
Complete contracts along the way for progress with little extra risk.
After the reset, check where you stand with your Battle Pass.
If you want a confident partner for the Complex, you can rent a booster.
Night Marsh rewards patience: a quiet entry, good light and a stock of Certs usually beat a fast sprint to the Complex.