Anomaly Specimens in Marathon, Explained (original) (raw)
Published Jun 4, 2026, 6:13 PM EDT
Jake Fillery is an Evergreen Editor for GameRant who has been writing lists, guides, and reviews since 2022. With thousands of engaging articles and guides, Jake loves conversations surrounding all things to do with gaming and pop culture.
If you've played Dire Marsh (Night), you're likely to have come across an Anomaly Specimen (if you want to know how to get one, we'll cover that too, so stick around). Anomaly Specimens aren't exactly the kind of item you want to extract with, in fact, it's actually the opposite.
Anomaly Specimens are faction-specific contract items for Traxus and MIDA, so if you don't currently have a contract that requires an Anomaly Specimen, then you should just get rid of it; otherwise, you're carrying worthless loot that's stopping you from using your abilities.
Related
Marathon: How to Get and Use UESC CERTs
UESC CERTs are the key to obtaining some extremely OP loot in Marathon's Dire Marsh (Night) map, and here's how to use them.
How to Get Anomaly Specimens in Marathon
You can only get an Anomaly Specimen from a Hazardous Drone. These drones will spawn at random on Dire Marsh (Night), and your HUD will be updated if one enters the map, as it will say "Hazardous Drone Detected". Underneath the text, you will be given the location of the drone.
Once you spot the Hazardous Drone, which shouldn't be too hard as it has a glowing white light around it, you can shoot it. After a few bullets, it will teleport away, and you'll need to find it a second and third time. Upon the third time of shooting it, the drone will crash and drop loot.
The Hazardous Drone can now be looted, and inside its cargo boxes, you can find Anomaly Specimens. However, before you pick them up, you should be aware that you'll get the OS: Ability Regen Paused debuff, which means you cannot regenerate or use abilities.
You should only bother to pick up the Anomaly Specimen if you have the corresponding contract for it with Traxus or MIDA. If not, then you should ignore them. If you do have the contract, keep reading!
How to Use the Anomaly Specimen in Marathon
- If you have the Traxus quest, pick up the Anomaly Specimen and take it to a DCON station, which can be found on the map.
- If you have the MIDA quest, pick up the Anomaly Specimen and take it to an Incinerator, which you can view on the map.
We have more Marathon guides that might be useful for you:
- How to PvE
- How to Use the Cradle
- Best Weapon Tier List
- Best Runners Tier List
- How to Level All Factions
- How Many Players Per Match?
- PvP Tips & Tricks
- How to Get Lockbox Keys
- All Weapon Types & Stats
Released
March 5, 2026
ESRB
Teen / Animated Blood, Language, Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
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Publisher(s)