Alright survivors, this is your fast, slightly sarcastic primer on the Lockdown event in Marathon. It shows up in Dire Marsh, a giant UESC ship slams down, and one POI gets quarantined like it caught a cosmic cold. That quarantine damages you if you walk in without the right gear, but it also hides sweeter loot than the usual crates. So yes, it is worth the risk.

When and where it happens

The Lockdown event is exclusive to Dire Marsh. It appears when there are about 10 to 15 minutes remaining in the run. The UESC ship hovers over a POI and locks it down, creating a damaging field inside the area.

What you need

Your MVP is the Anti-Virus Pack. Use one (two or three is safer) and you get an extra bar above your shield that protects you from data corruption for around a minute and a half. If you try to brute-force it without this, be prepared to respawn a lot or have a very stacked team.

Step-by-step: how to complete Lockdown

  • 1. Use the Anti-Virus Pack.
  • 2. Enter the Lockdown zone and follow the blue marker to pick up the Data Corruption Access key.
  • 3. Find the blue beacon, that’s the Lockdown chest.
  • 4. Take the Data Corruption Access key to the hand scanner next to the chest to remove the damaging field.
  • 5. Grab the Lockdown Drive sitting in front of the chest.
  • 6. Insert the Lockdown Drive into the chest.
  • 7. Fight off three waves of UESC enemies.
  • 8. Loot the chest and pick up the next Lockdown Drive for the following zone.
  • 9. Repeat up to three times for better loot each run.

Important details

The Data Corruption Access key removes the damaging field. You can technically skip the key if you have enough Anti-Virus Packs and a high-powered team and want to speedrun the waves, but expect purple-shielded UESC units to make things spicy—these have extra protection, so don’t stroll in unprepared.

Tips and gotchas

  • Keep the Lockdown Drive safe. For runs two and three, you must carry the drive from the prior chest. If someone drops it or swipes it, the event can’t continue.
  • Bring extra Anti-Virus Packs if you don’t want to babysit the key. They’re basically consumable insurance against ugly deaths.
  • Expect each repeated Lockdown to have better loot, so it’s worth doing all three if your team can handle the waves and logistics.

In short: bring Anti-Virus Packs, grab the key and the drive, fight the waves, and don’t let anyone nick your drive. Do that and you’ll leave Dire Marsh richer and slightly more paranoid about hovering ships.