Marathon Cryo Archive Guide: Unlock, Route and Loot (2026)

What is Cryo Archive in Marathon?

Cryo Archive is the fourth map in Bungie's extraction shooter and the one Bungie pitched as its first endgame, raid-like challenge. It arrived with Update 1.0.5 and opened on March 20, 2026, after the community finished a shared unlock event. Instead of a planet surface, you fight through the first deck of the UESC Marathon itself, a frozen ship split into six connected wings around a central hub.

It is still a PvPvE extraction map, so there are no scripted boss bars like a classic raid. The threats are UESC security forces, the commanders who carry Security Tags, and other Runner crews who want the same vaults you do. If you are new to the game, read what Marathon is and how to win first, because everything here builds on normal extraction habits.

As of October 22, 2026 the game is still in Season 2: Nightfall, which began on June 2 with a full progress wipe. Season 3 was first expected on September 22, but reports say it moved to December 8, 2026. Watch our coming soon page for the next season and the latest patch notes for any change to the map's rules, since Bungie has adjusted them several times.

How do you unlock Cryo Archive?

The map shows as "REDACTED" on the map select screen until you meet the personal requirements. Here is the path from a fresh Runner to the queue:

1. Level your Runner to 25. Run Perimeter, Dire Marsh and Outpost, and play faction contracts as you go. Contracts give a large share of the XP.
2. Open every faction. Take the first priority contract (the one titled "Introducing" plus the faction name) for CyberAcme, NuCaloric, Traxus, MIDA, Arachne and Sekiguchi Genetics. You only need to start the relationship, not max it.
3. Build a 5,000-credit kit. Weapons, mods, armor and implants together must be worth at least 5,000 credits. Check the value on the loadout screen before you queue.
4. Wait for the window. Cryo Archive is not always open. Check the map select screen during the weekend window or event days.
5. Queue with a crew. Pick the map with a full team of three. A solo queue into Cryo Archive is a bad idea even when the game lets you fill.

Season resets matter. Season 2 wiped levels and faction reputation, so a returning player has to meet the level and faction steps again after each wipe.

What do you need before you start?

Treat every Cryo Archive run as a run you might lose. Rook runs are blocked here, so some gear is always at risk. Bring a kit you can afford to lose twice.

• Gear: at least the 5,000-credit minimum, but a little above it is safer. Shield charges and patch kits matter more than a fancy weapon.
• Sponsored kits: Bungie has handed out free Cryo Archive Sponsored Kits at times, weekly after Update 1.0.6.2 and daily near the end of Season 1. Check whether one is waiting before you spend your own gear.
• Crew roles: one player who calls the route and tracks clearance, one who carries batteries and coolant, and one who watches the flanks for rival crews. Everyone fights, but clear jobs stop the "who has the battery?" moments.
• Comms: voice chat or the ping wheel. Cryo Archive punishes quiet crews.
• Tools: only what Bungie allows, such as the in-game map and your own notes. Never use cheats, overlays that read game memory or third-party automation.

For broader build and loadout advice, the Marathon guides hub collects everything we have written on the game.

Cryo Archive route, step by step

There is no fixed script, but most clean runs follow the same order. This is our own high-level overview, not a full map callout list.

1. Choose a wing and get in

You land in one of the outer wings, such as Cargo, Steerage, Biostock or Preservation. Biostock and Preservation have vent covers that block an early rush into the hub until someone reaches Security Clearance 1. Clear the first rooms quietly and pick up anything that helps the next step.

2. Raise your Security Clearance

Clearance is the spine of the map. You raise it by taking Security Tags from UESC commanders or by hacking terminals. Clearance 2 opens Control, the central hub. Clearance 3 is needed for strongbox rooms and for using exfil, so plan to reach it before you get greedy.

3. Collect batteries and coolant

Vaults and many terminals need power. Find Batteries and carry them to the right doors. Empty Coolant Containers need filling at refill stations. Scan terminals can reveal battery locations, which saves a lot of wandering.

4. Fight through Control and the Panopticon

Control holds the ice pit, and the Panopticon area around it is where most crews collide. Move in as a group, hold one angle each, and do not chase a third crew across the hub while carrying a battery.

5. Open frozen vaults and strongboxes

Frozen vaults hold the best loot on the map. Strongbox rooms need Clearance 3. Have one player open while the other two cover the doors, because the loud part of the run is when rivals arrive.

6. Extract

Find a scanner to ping an exfil point. It will not spawn on top of you and stays for 3 minutes 30 seconds. Only one exfil can be active at a time, so a terminal that refuses you usually means another crew is using it. A final, unmarked exfil appears when the match timer hits zero and only stays for about 60 seconds. Do not plan your run around that last chance.

What loot and rewards can you get?

Cryo Archive loot is random, so treat everything below as things you might get, not things you will get.

• Vault loot: frozen vaults are the main source of the map's highest-value gear.
• Strongboxes: locked behind Clearance 3 and worth the detour if your crew is healthy.
• Cryo contracts: community guides list seven Cryo Archive contracts, each paying out a random high-rarity item such as gear, a material or a key. Crews can reroll them.
• Codex rewards: cosmetics such as Runner shell skins tied to Cryo Archive progress, which carry over week to week.
• Ranked rewards: when Cryo Archive Ranked runs, it has offered cosmetics and titles based on your final ranking.

Nothing counts until you extract. Dying in the hub with a full bag means you keep nothing from that run.

Tips to clear Cryo Archive faster

1. Agree the route before you load in. Pick a wing, a clearance plan and a target vault in the lobby.
2. Clearance first, loot second. A crew at Clearance 3 can extract; a crew with full bags at Clearance 1 cannot.
3. Use scan terminals. They reveal batteries and cut the run time a lot.
4. Bring healing over damage. Shield charges and patch kits win more Panopticon fights than a rare weapon.
5. Do not third-party blindly. If two crews are fighting in Control, take the vault they left open instead.
6. Watch the exfil timer. 3:30 goes fast. Call the exfil early and move together.
7. Claim free kits. When Bungie offers a free Sponsored Kit, use it on a scouting run before you risk your best gear.
8. Review your deaths. Most wipes come from the same two or three mistakes. Coaching or a quick VOD review finds them fast.

How can Boosting Games help?

If you have the requirements but no reliable crew, our runners can join you for the weekend window. Every Marathon option is listed in the Marathon services collection.

These are starting prices as of October 2026. The exact price for your options shows before checkout. Loot is random and stays with you; we cannot promise a specific drop. You can read how orders run on how it works, and how a raid-style carry differs from playing along in raid and dungeon carries explained.

Not sure which service fits? Ask Boost Up, or browse all raid and dungeon guides for other games. Everything we offer for this game is on the Marathon boosting page.

Cryo Archive FAQ

Related reading: What is Marathon and how to win, plus every post in our Marathon guides.

Sources: Mobalytics: Cryo Archive map guide, KeenGamer: unlock requirements, Beebom: how to unlock Cryo Archive, Wccftech: Cryo Archive requirements, Insider Gaming: Update 1.0.6.2 notes, MP1st: Season 2 Nightfall, Gfinity: next season delayed to December.