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The Marathon Cutthroat Competition contract for Traxus is harder than it sounds due to how tricky it can be to find rod salvage. You need only two pieces to complete Vulcan's contract, but the problem is that the only place you can find rod salvage on Dire Marsh, Maintenance, also seems to be one of Marathon's most popular shootout spots. So, if you're looking to complete the Cutthroat Competition contract in Marathon as safely and efficiently as possible, here's my advice.
Where to find rod salvage for the Cutthroat Competition contract in Marathon
The Cutthroat Competition Traxus Priority contract tasks you with heading to Dire Marsh and collecting two pieces of rod salvage, which means looking for Deimosite Rods, Cetinite Rods, and Ballistic Turbines in Maintenance or in Arms Lockers found throughout the map. You also need to complete this objective in a single run and safely exfil to complete the contract.
Maintenance is the only Point-of-Interest on Dire Marsh where these items can reliably spawn, and you're most likely to find Deimosite Rods in any kind of lootable container in the area or just lying around on furniture. Make sure you search every floor of the main warehouse building as there are things to loot throughout its upper walkways and basement corridors and rooms. Thief's X-Ray Vision trait is extremely useful for this contract, helping you spot containers with Enhanced (green) or Deluxe (blue) loot inside, and it also makes her one of the best Marathon classes too.
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Deimosite and Cetinite Rods also have a chance to spawn in Arms Lockers which can be found in most POIs around the map. You don't necessarily have to find the required rod salvage in Maintenance as the contract says, but it is the most reliable source. You might even find a Marathon Schema while you're at it.
So, the best approach for completing Cutthroat Competition is to hope that you spawn near Maintenance and head there right away and get looting. Hopefully you'll find a pair of Deimosite Rods quickly, and then you can leave before other players show up or the UESC send in reinforcements. If you don't spawn near Maintenance, your best option is to hop between POIs specifically looking for tall Arms Lockers to loot instead – it seems much simpler than the Marathon Introducing Traxus contract but might be more difficult to complete for some.
However you get the necessary rod salvage, as soon as you've got what you need, avoid pushing your luck and exfiltrate as soon as possible. You must do the whole thing all over again if you die at this point but make it out and you can cash in the Cutthroat Competition contract. Vulcan will give you a Volt Thrower, 1,500 Credits, and some basic salvage in return, as well as access to more priority contracts from Traxus.
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