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Marathon’s Ordnance Heist Starts August 18 With a Six-Shot Firestorm Hunt

The limited-time PvPvE event will send Runners through Perimeter and Dire Marsh for UESC Manifests, key templates, and MIDA and Traxus rewards.

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Close-up view of the Firestorm weapon with UESC markings from Marathon's Ordnance Heist

Marathon’s Ordnance Heist will begin August 18 at 10:00 a.m. PT, giving Runners a limited-time PvPvE chase against UESC forces and rival crews. The event will run through September 1 at 10:00 a.m. PT, with progress spread across multiple Zones and a devastating new weapon waiting at the end.

Bungie’s Ordnance Heist announcement sets up a hunt built around repeated runs. Runners will collect UESC Manifests, complete objectives, secure their loot through exfil, and spend their earnings on MIDA and Traxus gear.

Earning the three Firestorm Locker keys

The first stage takes place on Perimeter, where defeating UESC enemies can award UESC Manifests and key templates. Getting the rewards out safely is part of the job; a run that ends before exfil will not secure the loot.

Key templates must then be taken to Dire Marsh, which supports both day and night variants. Each template contains an objective, and completing it before exfil turns the finished template into a Firestorm Locker key. Using a MIDA or Traxus Sponsored Kit during exfil also grants an extra 15 UESC Manifests.

Three Firestorm Locker keys are required to open one of the event’s lockers. Lockers can appear on Perimeter, Dire Marsh, or Outpost, but other Runners will be chasing the same prize. A crew that reaches the locker first may have to fight for the opening, the loot, and the right to leave with the weapon.

Once all three keys are used, the Firestorm and its accompanying loot can be claimed. The weapon cannot remain in a Runner’s inventory after the run: exfilling with it converts the Firestorm into credits. Runners should use its ammunition before leaving or abandon it after the weapon has done its damage.

Firestorm brings six explosive shots to each run

Firestorm is the first power-weapon system added to Marathon’s roster. It uses a heavily customized Hardline HPR frame and carries three custom contraband modifications:

A sniper scope gives the precision rifle greater reach.
A weapon chip turns every round into an incendiary explosive that detonates on impact, dealing heavy damage and building heat against Runners.
A custom magazine holds only six shots.

There is no reload once the magazine is empty, and extra ammunition cannot be found to refill it. Firestorm is designed for a brief surge of power in both PvE and PvP before its limited supply runs out. After the sixth shot, the weapon can be converted into credits through exfil or left behind.

Firestorm will remain available after Ordnance Heist ends as a possible reward from Supply Drops on Zones that feature them, so the event will not be the only way to encounter it.

What UESC Manifests can buy

Each day during the event, Runners can purchase up to two Key Templates: one from the MIDA Armory and one from the Traxus Armory. Manifests can also be exchanged for Sponsored Kits, Implants, and Weapon Chips meant to help crews survive longer in the hunt.

The available Superior Implants and Chip Mods include:

Backdraft increases damage against overheated hostiles.
Chain Reaction causes an explosion near other hostiles when an overheated hostile is defeated.
Nervous Energy grants stacking ADS speed, reload speed, and equip speed after eliminations and downs while Cardio Kick is active.
Ego Challenge improves range, accuracy, and ADS speed as the magazine empties.

Ordnance Heist will be live from August 18 at 10:00 a.m. PT until September 1 at 10:00 a.m. PT. Share your thoughts on the Firestorm hunt in the comments, and find more coverage through X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.

A PvP-focused extraction shooter set on the mysterious planet of Tau Ceti IV, Marathon will see players inhabit the bodies of Runners, cybernetic mercenaries who have been designed to survive the planet’s harsh environments and explore the lost colony that once inhabited Tau Ceti’s surface. Players will engage solo or in crews of three, searching for mysterious alien artifacts, as well as for valuable loot and new weapons and gear that they can add to their collection.