I dropped into Perimeter with a full bag and an empty checklist. The skyline was quiet until I climbed the compound and found a small steel box where my map said nothing should be. You feel that small, ridiculous rush when a mystery you were halfway through solving suddenly surrenders its answer.
I’ve been running contracts in Marathon since beta day, and I’ll save you the roaming. You want the DCON: where it sits, when it accepts loot, and how to stop wasting runs carrying items you can’t hand in. Read this like a field report from someone who’s already lost — and then recovered — the haul.
A rooftop box above a compound: Delivering resources, salvage, and Unstable Biomass to the DCON
The DCON sits in the northeastern slice of the Perimeter map. It perches atop the Station compound — specifically on the roof of the top-left building inside that cluster. If you follow the northern edge of Perimeter toward the Station marker, you’ll see the compound and the small interaction point on its highest rooftop.
Several contracts ask you to hand items into that box: Equitable Distribution, Deconstructed I, Nano Metrics I, and Inventory Control I. When you use it, the DCON instantly forwards the delivered items to the named faction. Think of it like a mailbox on a skyscraper — small, obvious once you’re up there, maddeningly hidden until then.
Where is the DCON located in Marathon?
Go to Perimeter’s northern border and find the Station compound. The DCON is on the roof of the top-left building in that cluster. You must have the related quest active and the required items in your inventory for interaction to appear. Without the quest, the box will ignore you.
How do I use the DCON to complete contracts?
Carry the specific quest items in your inventory, approach the DCON, and interact when the prompt appears. The items transfer instantly to the faction tied to that contract. If you run multiple DCON-linked contracts, the box will route each item to its proper recipient as long as you have the matching quest active.
A map’s corner that players skip: Which quests point to the DCON and how to prepare
On stream, I watched a squad fish through five maps before someone suggested the rooftop. That’s the common story — players comb floor-level loot and miss the simple rooftop hand-in.
Contracts currently tied to the DCON include the four named above. They ask you to find specified items across the map and then deliver them to the DCON for instant credit. You’ll also encounter requests that accept generic salvage or Unstable Biomass for faction reputation. The DCON doesn’t seem to accept everything at every stage: interactions only appear when you meet quest conditions.
There’s chatter on Steam, Discord groups, and in Moyens I/O threads suggesting DCONs may accept lower-grade loot mid-round — salvage, junk, instant-sell items — so you can clear inventory before the extraction timer bites. I’ve tested it informally: certain DCONs will accept salvage once the corresponding faction contract is active, but behavior can vary between rounds. Watch streams on Twitch or clips on YouTube from high-volume players if you want live examples.
Before you leave spawn: stack the required items, run the shortest route to Station, and avoid fights you don’t need. If you treat the DCON like a magnet for quest turns — pulling objective items toward a single fixed point — you’ll shave minutes off every run and reduce risk.
A simple checklist from my own runs: Tips and tricks that save time
Carry only what the contract asks for when you plan to use the DCON. Drop or sell excess salvage at vendors if the DCON won’t accept it. Use the in-game map markers and double-check faction tags before you commit to a long roam.
Community tools like Steam guides, Marathon Discord channels, and Moyens I/O’s early coverage are good places to find route recommendations. Watch one or two high-skill runs on Twitch to copy how they approach Station: route, timing, and extraction choices matter more than firepower when you’re trying to hand in fragile quest items.
If you’re worried about losing time: prioritize the DCON when a contract rewards faction rep or gear you want. If a run is packed and hostile, consider selling the item at a vendor or trading it, rather than risking a rooftop dash under fire.
There’s still variance in DCON behavior across rounds, and that unpredictable edge is exactly what keeps runs tense — but it also creates opportunities for players who learn the roof’s hiding places fast. Which strategy will you steal from the next streamer you watch?