The match timer is a stubborn metronome. Footsteps echo from two different teams. You feel the contract slipping if you hesitate.
I’ve run Run/Hide 1 enough times to map every shortcut with my eyes closed. You’ll get precise directions to the UESC stockpile in Maintenance, the quickest pickup route, and how to get from there to the AI Uplink labs without turning the run into a free-for-all.
The stairs in Maintenance are always a choke point — Marathon Run/Hide 1 contract walkthrough
Observation: The first floor by those stairs is where fights start, not where they end. Trust me: your best bet is to treat the approach like a brief negotiation — fast, decisive, and noisy only long enough to grab what you need.
- Acquire Chem Grenades from a UESC Stockpile in Maintenance.
- Use Chem Grenades to destroy lab equipment under AI Uplink.
How do I find Chem Grenades in Marathon?
Start from the southern entrance to Dire Marsh and head straight for the Maintenance POI. The southern route avoids the small firefights that usually erupt around the northern access; that buys you seconds you can spend grabbing the objective instead of trading bullets.
When you reach the stairs that climb to the second floor, don’t go up. The UESC stockpile is tucked just south of those stairs. The container sits like a sardine tin behind a low barrier — small, obvious once you know where to check, and usually marked by the quest icon if you’re near.
Can other players steal contested contract items?
Yes. “Contested” means a single player or crew can complete the objective that round. If another runner reaches the UESC container before you, they complete the pickup and the contract is gone. That creates the tense split-second decisions: push now or flank and risk losing the item.
Practically, that means: move fast, use cover, and avoid broadcasting your position in chat. If you see another player on your radar, consider baiting them toward the stairs while you circle south for the stockpile. Quick trades favor the bold.
The AI Uplink basement smells like bleach and coolant — How to use Chem Grenades to destroy lab equipment under AI Uplink
From Maintenance, head to the AI Uplink POI. Enter the building at the marked spot in the screenshot above, take the stairs down to the basement, and push straight until the corridor splits. Take the left door, then another left, and follow the main corridor until you face the final doorway shown.
When the corridor forks toward a tick-infested room, go left. The container cluster is on that route and will be highlighted by your quest marker. Throw the Chem Grenades at each of the three containers until they explode. A single run should finish the objective if you don’t get sidetracked.
The corridor to the labs is like a vein — follow it and you’ll hit the target with minimal fuss. Quick tip: if you’re streaming the run on Twitch or sharing clips to the Marathon subreddit, mark your route and call out likely ambush points for your teammates.
I’ve sketched these routes after dozens of contested runs and tested variations in both solo queues and crew matches. If you want to shave seconds off your time, run this route until you don’t have to think about it — then start experimenting with noise and bait playstyles seen in Bungie forums, Discord servers, and Moyens I/O threads. Will you take the silent circle or bait the fight and win the contract with a grenade toss?