I heard the crack of a suppressed rifle and thought I’d been spotted; a teammate was already scrambling up a bunker ladder. I watched them pry open a metal box, then drop a mission item into the DCON and sprint away. You can feel the game shift whenever one of those containers is reached.
I’ve run these maps enough to know where the little safes live, and I’ll tell you where to go so you stop wasting runs. I speak from the runs and the forums — you and I will shave minutes off routes if you follow the map. Treat each DCON like a brass key under a floorboard: small, easy to miss, but heavyweight for certain contracts.
On my second match I circled the map twice before spotting the light on a rooftop — How to find all DCONs in Marathon
There are two launch maps: Perimeter and Dire Marsh. DCONs look like safeboxes planted in predictable spots; they don’t move, but they won’t show on your HUD until you scope the area. Use Steam community guides, Reddit threads, or the Marathon Discord to confirm sightlines and approach routes before you run a timed contract.
Where are DCONs located in Marathon?
DCONs are fixed to map points: rooftops, building exteriors, and tucked into marshside structures. You’ll find them near POIs (Points of Interest) that already draw traffic — Relay stations, Stations, Complexes, and Greenhouses. Memorize the cluster around each POI so you can hit a DCON as you pass, rather than diverting across open ground and inviting a firefight.
I once sprinted to the North Relay as smoke rolled over the ridge — All DCON locations on Perimeter
The Perimeter map contains four DCONs scattered across the map. Treat each one as a quick detour on your route planning rather than a major side quest.
- North Relay — on the roof of a bunker in the northwest quadrant. It’s visible from the north approach if you use binoculars on the ridge.
- Northeast of Station — near the walkway beside a UESC commns station; good for quick in-and-out drops.
- Overflow area — head west from the POI and check the main building’s outer walls for the box.
- South hills by South Relay — a bunker roof hides the DCON; you’ll visit this spot during the quest tracing a UESC commander.
How do you use a DCON in Marathon?
Approach, open the DCON, and deposit the specified item for the contract — that’s the mechanical shorthand. If the DCON is already occupied or locked to a player, back off: you don’t want to lock into a fight over a single container. Use community tools like map overlays in Steam guides or the Marathon subreddit pins to mark which DCONs are contested on a given server.
On a foggy night I followed a trail of broken reeds to a metal box — All DCON locations on Dire Marsh
Dire Marsh has three DCONs placed where marsh buildings meet hill edges. They’re less clustered than Perimeter’s and more likely to sit outside structures.
- South of Complex POI — outside the building in the marsh; approach from the east of the AI Uplink to remain covered.
- South of Quarantine — the DCON sits outside a marsh structure; expect shallow water and limited sightlines.
- North of Greenhouse POI — on the south side of hill buildings; good for last-minute deposits if your route passes through the hills.
Memorize these spots, mark them on your own custom map, and test approaches in a chilled warm-up run. The difference between a clean deposit and a costly skirmish is milliseconds and route choice — do you stick to the fastest line or gamble for the bonus DCON on a contested roof?