Frequently Asked Questions
How do I use the Material Finder?
Browse by zone to see every material that drops in a specific area, or search for a material by name to see all its spawn locations. Each card shows the sub-area, drop sources, and faction usage.
What is the difference between a zone spawn and a world drop?
A zone spawn appears in specific sub-areas from particular sources. A world drop can appear randomly in containers anywhere on the map — less reliable for targeted farming.
How do I farm materials efficiently?
Drop into a zone that has multiple target materials in the same sub-area. Collect and extract. Prioritize zones where you can get two or three materials in a single pass.
Should I buy materials from vendors instead of farming?
Generally no. Vendor prices are high, especially at Deluxe rarity and above. Standard materials are cheap enough to buy in bulk, but farming is more credit-efficient for anything Enhanced or higher.
Do materials change between seasons?
Drop locations and faction requirements can change between seasons. All data is verified for Season 2 and updated when new content ships.
The Material Finder is the fastest way to plan a farming run in Marathon. Browse loot by zone to see every item that drops in the Perimeter, Dire Marsh, or Outpost, or search by faction upgrade to get a exact material checklist for any upgrade tier across Arachne, CyberAcme, NuCaloric, Sekiguchi, Traxus, and MIDA. The By Material view lets you pick any salvage item and instantly see every zone it drops in, which factions need it, and in what quantities.
Marathon upgrade materials are found as salvage drops in specific zones. Some materials like Unstable Gel and Drone Resin are needed in large quantities across multiple factions, making them high-priority farming targets early in your progression. Others are faction-exclusive and only required for a single upgrade tree. Knowing what to pick up before you extract is the difference between an efficient run and a wasted one.
For the full faction upgrade trees including costs and capstone requirements, see the Faction Upgrades guide. For item descriptions and usage details, see the Item DB.