If you are physically incapable of taking your finger off the sprint button, Bungie built an entire shell explicitly for you.
While the Destroyer shell relies on a heavy riot barricade to secure a hallway, and the Assassin shell uses smoke to manipulate line of sight, the Vandal trades all defensive utility for raw, unadulterated kinetic energy. You are playing a completely different game than everyone else in the lobby. You are not holding angles. You are breaking them.
The Vandal possesses the highest mechanical skill ceiling in the entire game. If you string your movement abilities together perfectly, you are virtually unkillable. If you get sloppy and mismanage your heat gauge, you will completely stall out in the middle of an open field and immediately catch a sniper round to the teeth. If you are struggling with the fundamental combat loops and need to understand how the underlying survival mechanics work before you start doing backflips, read my Marathon beginners guide. If you are ready to break some ankles, keep reading.
The Anatomy Of A Speed Demon
The Vandal’s entire kit is designed to close gaps, secure high ground, and physically displace the enemy. You are the ultimate flanking unit.
VANDAL KIT BREAKDOWN
The hard data on your movement tools. Notice the heavy emphasis on heat generation across the board.
| ABILITY | FUNCTION & MY TAKE |
|---|---|
| Amplify (Prime) | Boosts sprint speed, weapon handling, and drastically lowers heat penalties for movement. |
| Disruptor (Tactical) | Fires a chargeable energy blast. Pushes enemies out of cover or launches you into the air. |
| Microjets (Trait) | Grants a double jump. Burns a massive chunk of your heat meter every time you use it. |
| Power Slide (Trait) | An extended ground slide that covers massive distance at the cost of heavy heat generation. |
The Heat Management Tax
I need to address the massive elephant in the room immediately. You are going to overheat. A lot.
The community is currently incredibly frustrated with the Vandal’s Power Slide trait, and for good reason. It feels clunky early on because you will completely overheat your chassis after executing just two or three consecutive slides. This is entirely by design. The developers hard capped your early game mobility to prevent the Vandal from simply skating across the entire map untouched.
You must upgrade your base heat capacity. As you progress and complete high tier faction contracts, you will unlock permanent upgrades that drastically expand your heat meter. Until you secure those upgrades, you have to use your mobility with strict intention. Do not slide simply because you are bored. Slide because you are actively breaking a line of sight.
Microjets And The Vertical Flank
Your Microjets trait is what truly separates you from the rest of the lobby. The ability to double jump completely alters how you approach a firefight.
While the rest of the squad is stuck navigating a choke point on the ground floor, you can use your jets to launch yourself onto a roof, cross a gap, and shoot the enemy in the back of the head. It is incredibly difficult for an opponent to track a target moving rapidly on the Z-axis. Use the high ground to completely dictate the flow of the engagement.
The Disruptor Cannon
Your tactical ability is the true wildcard of your entire loadout. The Disruptor is an arm cannon that fires a high powered energy projectile. It does respectable damage, but the real value is the massive knockback effect.
If an enemy Triage shell is hiding behind cover trying to revive a downed teammate, you do not need to push the angle. You just charge your Disruptor, fire it directly at the cover, and physically blast the medic out into the open. Furthermore, if you aim the cannon directly downward at your own feet and fire, the concussive blast will launch you violently into the air. When combined with your Microjets, you can access rooftops that are entirely off limits to other players.
Weaponizing Your Momentum
Your Prime ability, Amplify, is the glue that holds this chaotic playstyle together. When activated, it overcharges your movement systems, increases your weapon dexterity, and drastically reduces the heat generated by your slides and jumps.
You pop Amplify right before you commit to a major push. It allows you to string together a massive power slide, immediately transition into a double jump over the enemy’s cover, and blast them with a shotgun before your heat gauge even registers the strain.
When you inevitably run dry during these high speed engagements, you use the remaining duration of the Amplify buff to completely outrun the opposition and secure a safe reload. If you find yourself constantly running out of bullets before the fight is actually over, consult my Marathon ammo economy guide to fix your loadout ratios.
You are the ultimate playmaker. Do not hold angles, do not fight fair, and never stop moving.
