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The Marathon Cryo Archive zone presents one of the toughest challenges in the game, as you'll have to deal with Tau Ceti's hardest enemies and get your head around some fresh mechanics if you want to exfil with the best loot. Part of the difficulty is that you only have 30 minutes to get the job done, and there's a lot you need to pack into a run during that time to make it successful – just extracting from the map is a significant test, let alone getting those vaults open.
Since it's quite overwhelming at first, I've compiled this guide on all the basics of Marathon's Cryo Archive map. Read on for everything you need to know, including some general survival tips and how the Security Clearance system works.
Can you play Cryo Vault solo?
You also cannot play Cryo Archive solo and a full team of three Runners is required. You must either have a pre-made team or play with Crew Fill on to fill any free slots.
Marathon Cryo Archive guide
So, you and your crew meet the Marathon Cryo Archive requirements, which means you can all hop into the weekend-only endgame map for a chance at the best loot in Marathon. However, Cryo Archive is an unforgiving and confusing experience, due to its Security Clearance Level mechanics, numerous UESC forces, labyrinthine layout, and unique exfil mechanics, so being prepared is key.
The map itself is a little bit like a giant bicycle wheel, with Control and Panopticon serving as the central POIs that all the others – Cargo, Steerage, Biostock, Preservation, Revival, and Index – spin out from with some interconnecting pathways. You'll start each run at the end of one of these wings, forcing you to head inward to find loot and means of escape, and you only get an extra five minutes compared to the other maps, for a total of 30 minutes to plunder.
As you explore Cryo Archive, you'll come across loot items, interactable objects, and doors that are tied to the Security Clearance Levels system, which is key to getting around Cryo Archive and finding some of the best loot. There are lots of locked doors with clearly marked Security Clearance requirements, so the higher your team's Clearance Level, the more of Cryo Archive you can access. Here's how it all works:
- Security Clearance Levels: You can see your team's current Security Clearance Level, which starts at zero in every Cryo Archive run and can go up to Level 5, in the top-right corner of your screen. Each Clearance Level requires an increasing number of points to reach, and you earn points by collecting Security Tags and hacking Security Monitors found around Cryo Archive.
- Security Tags: Small, red tags found on UESC Commanders and just lying around on furniture in Cryo Archive. Each one collected is worth one point on your team's Security Clearance Level bar. To reach Level 1, you need three tags, and to reach Level 2, you need six more, and so on. If a teammate dies or otherwise loses their tags, your team will lose those Security Clearance level points and your level may drop, so spread your tags across your whole team. Don't forget to loot any tags from players you kill too.
- Security Monitors: Wide monitors and consoles that are hard to find. They're rarer than Security Tags but each one your team hacks provides three points towards your Security Clearance Level. As far as I can tell, points gained from these terminals can't be lost during a run like tags can.
- Batteries: Collect Batteries and plug them into vault access areas and other machines that require power around Cryo Archive. You don't need to worry about batteries unless you are actively trying to open a vault on your current run, which also requires a relevant key.
- Scanners: Black, wall-mounted terminals that can be activated to reveal nearby items of interest on your map, including Exfil Stations, Security Monitors, and Batteries. The higher your Clearance Level, the greater the area the scan covers. Whenever you spot a Scanner, use it!
So, upping your Security Clearance is crucial to getting the most out of Cryo Archive, but it's also how you get out too, as your team can't leave without reaching Clearance Level 3. However, that's just a part of the extraction process, which is a lot more complicated than any of the other Marathon maps. We've therefore got a separate guide that lays out how to exfil from Cryo Archive so you can bank your most valuable finds in your vault.
Marathon Cryo Archive tips and tricks
Knowing about Security Clearance Levels and extracting is already enough for you to successfully plunder Cryo Archive, but there are plenty of other tips and tricks to bear in mind to stay safe and make the most of your runs aboard the UESC Marathon:
- One gun in your loadout is often enough: To avoid wasting good guns in my vault, I like to keep my second weapon slot empty before heading into a Cryo Archive run so that I can loot a gun while I'm there. Marathon weapons are extremely common on Cryo Archive, with plenty of good and rare ones being available from UESC forces and abundant arms lockers. If your one weapon isn't valuable enough to meet the 5,000 Credit ante, check the Armory and your Marathon Schemas for any cheap or free guns you can equip and kit out with attachments to up their value.
- Bring plenty of ammo, grenades, and healing…: The sheer number of threats within Cryo Archive, namely UESC forces, means ammo and healing is critical and you should bring as much as you're willing to stay healed up and ready to fight – ammo crates are good to bring too! Cryo Archive also consists of a lot of tight corridors, and grenades of any kind can be devastating, quickly turning the tide of a fight between Runner crews.
- … But don't worry about other consumables: I've found that Self-Revives and other consumables, such as Cardio Kicks, Mechanic's Kits, and OS Debugs are actually quite common, so loading up your backpack with these before a run isn't essential.
- Reaching Security Clearance Level 3 is your top priority: Leaving Cryo Archive is practically impossible if you don't reach Clearance Level 3, so everyone on the team should be scrambling to kill UESC Commanders and looting thoroughly to collect Security Tags and hack Security Monitors. This is a team effort, and there's nothing worse than seeing teammates who ignore the tags in Commander backpacks or failing to exfil because your team didn't increase their Clearance Level enough.
- Don't rush to Control in the middle of the map: While Control is massive area it can also be a big killbox, with plenty of angles for rival Runner teams to attack from, so it's best to avoid it, especially early on. Since every team spawns at the end of a wing, you are naturally led inwards, and the fact that the doors leading to Control are all low Clearance Levels means it's very easy to get there, but resist the urge as it can be a very dangerous place to travel through.
- Don't trigger laser tripwires: Doing so usually results in you and any nearby teammates getting trapped in a room by red barriers. To escape, you either need to kill the UESC boss that spawns or hack a control panel. If a teammate is outside the room, they may be able to free you by hacking a panel on the outside.
- Shoot the green panels to deactivate frostbite: Many areas in Cryo Archive are, unsurprisingly, quite cold and can inflict the frostbite mechanical debuff, like toxins or overheating. You need a Mechanic's Kit to remove this effect but you can also temporarily warm up the area by shooting all the green panels on the nearby walls.
- Take it slow on your first few runs: This sounds a bit counterintuitive given the time pressure you're under, but my point is that you should avoid rushing around trying to loot every part of the map you can access. Take your time familiarizing yourself with the mechanics and each run will get easier as you learn the map and know what to look for, then leave as soon as you reach Security Clearance Level 3.
Obviously, make sure you also check out our Marathon tips and tricks for the rest of the game if you need to some extra pointers to help you make the most of your runs to be eligible for Cryo Archive access.
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