Marathon's first endgame experience is here. Two weeks after launch, Cryo Archive has unlocked and teams of three are gearing up and ready to lose it all.Cryo Archive is a total secret up until this point in time. Narrative wise, this is a huge day for fans of the original franchise as players set foot on the UESC Marathon ship for the first time. But for fans of other Bungie games, it may feel familiar.The stakes and presentation of Cryo Archive are giving big Destiny 2 raid vibes. Bungie is hosting a live stream for the event, and players everywhere are encouraged to stream their perspectives. It's unclear if there's one true "world first" winner of Cryo Archive, especially since it's not a one-to-one of a PvE raid like in Destiny.But for now, Runners are building their loadouts and getting ready to risk it all to discover the secrets that lie within Cryo Archive. If you can't play the map on launch (like me) and are planning on following along, this is the place for you.Table of contentsMarathon Cryo Archive world first race live updatesWhat is Cryo Archive in Marathon?Marathon Cryo Archive requirementsCryo Archive Security ClearanceCryo Archive's 7 VaultsHow to watch Marathon Cryo Archive raceMarathon Cryo Archive world first race live updatesImage via Bungie1:05pm CT: The gear loss era has begun. Teams are slaying out in Cryo Archive, robbing their enemy's corpses, and still struggling to figure out how to extract properly. That's a lot of lost loot!12:55pm CT: It appears that there are batteries found within the map that are needed to power up some doorways, so there's quite a few new inventory items that have been added to the overall loot pool with Cryo Archive. More items, yay!12:45pm CT: With 30 minutes in each run, there's not nearly enough time for players to do everything...yet. With each subsequent deployment, though, players will slowly learn where to go, what to do, and how to solve puzzles to get the best loot possible and take on the ultimate challenge: the S'pht Compiler enemy.12:40pm CT: Uh oh, several teams have disconnected with Anteater errors and have been refunded their gear, and so they go again. Luckily, high-tier loot is in abundance all over the map, whether as ground loot or dropped by UESC, without even getting into what can be found in vaults or the security level 5 areas.12:35pm CT: It seems as though there's a set number of security clearance keys on the map, so players either need to pool their resources to work together...or kill everyone else to take theirs and reach the highest security level possible. Meanwhile, Albralelie has made it into a vault and are attempting to solve a puzzle within to unlock loot. Streamers are watching other channels to figure out what to do. It's madness!12:30pm CT: Players are utterly overwhelmed. There are multiple pathways, a frost mechanic, gold-shielded UESC enemies, and a lot more that has yet to be discovered. One thing is clear already: this map is like a Destiny raid inside of an extraction shooter.12:25pm CT: Shroud's team has found an exfil, and it operates on a three-minute timer. This is very different from the game's main maps but the clock is ticking, as every run on Cryo Archive lasts just 30 minutes. It's going to take a lot of trial and error to figure everything out.12:20pm CT: Squads are working together early on to try and figure out the mechanics of the map. Teams can share items to boost Security Clearance to try and further move around the labyrinthian chambers of the Cryo Deck. 12:10pm CT: Okay, Cryo Archive is huge. The first step (before exploring) is to rank up your Security Clearance level (read more below) by completing different quests so that you can gain access to other areas on the map. https://twitter.com/MarathonTheGame/status/203503941488836623312pm CT: We have begun, and there's a new in-game cutscene featuring Ben Starr as the rampant AI Durendal. And as usual, it's amazing. There's also a free Cryo Archive Sponsored Kit in your Armory, so grab one of those if you want to play while watching along.11:10am CT: The Bungie live stream is now online, featuring streamers Skarrow9 and MrRoflWaffles hosting the festivities as players begin to prepare to queue up.March 20, 10:20am CT: Good morning, Runners. There is so much we still do not know about Cryo Archive and the UESC Marathon ship in general. Today's the day we find out, for better or worse (for your vault inventory).What is Cryo Archive in Marathon?Image via BungieCryo Archive is the fourth map in Marathon, and the first new location added after launch. It's described as a highly difficult endgame map, where players will be tested in ways they have not experienced yet."The UESC Marathon ship left Mars for the Tau Ceti solar system in 2472," Bungie teased of its lore. "It arrived 300 years later. Then… silence. Contact with the 30,000 colonists who set out to make a new home on an alien world was lost. Decades later, the Marathon ship still hangs abandoned in orbit, a frozen snapshot of the past promising valuable resources and information for anyone brave enough to make the trek and survive."When it comes to difficulty, Bungie says expect to die, fail, and lose a lot of gear:Intensity: Cranked to the top. Cryo Archive is a pinnacle challenge and will take many runs to learn and master.Playstyle: Think raid-style puzzle solving and layered mechanics wrapped around brutal extraction stakes.Design: A labyrinthian layout where tight corridors give way to massive open spaces, pitting enemy crews against each other to unseal frozen Vaults.Marathon Cryo Archive requirementsImage via BungieTo enter Cryo Archive, there are multiple requirements to be met:Runner level 25.All six Factions unlocked.5,000 minimum Loadout Value.A full team of three players.Cryo Archive Security ClearanceImage via BungieOne of the mechanics players will need to master in Cryo Archive is called Security Clearance, "a progression you build up over the course of a single run by interacting with the ship’s systems and surviving long enough to leverage them."Different areas and places inside Cryo Archive are locked behind specific Security Clearance levels, "including doors, supply rooms, and exfils," and "the more important the system, the higher the clearance you’ll need to use it."Cryo Archive's 7 VaultsImage via BungieCryo Archive contains seven different Vaults, which are "heavily-secured rooms have some of the most lucrative loot in the game, some of which you can’t find anywhere else." Vault Keys to enter these special areas have already been found on other maps in the game, but they can also be found within Cryo Archive, too."To access each Vault, you’ll need to complete its unique entry challenge or access requirements," Bungie explained. "Each Vault also requires a specific Vault Key for entry. Once you’re inside a Vault, you’ll work through tense puzzle interactions and race against other crews who know exactly how valuable these rooms are."Even exfiltrating from Cryo Archive will be difficult. Bungie says they are "less reliable and follow different rules than the planet-side zones," so players will "need to learn how exfils work to secure your way off the ship."How to watch Marathon Cryo Archive raceTo find streamers playing Cryo Archive, visit the Marathon directory on Twitch. Top streamers like Shroud, Aztecross, DrLupo, GernaderJake, and more will be live-streaming their perspectives throughout the day.Bungie is also hosting its own live stream on the official Marathon Twitch channel, featuring top ARG-solving gamers MrRoflWaffles and Skarrow9 live from Bungie HQ.The post Who’s winning the Marathon Cryo Archive world first race? Live updates appeared first on Destructoid.