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Dire MarshPATCH 2026.10.18

Marathon Equitable Distribution Contract: Complete Four-Stage Route

By VGSources Team 8 min read

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Equitable Distribution is a four-stage Traxus Priority Contract using Marathon’s Perimeter and Dire Marsh maps. The route documented by PC Gamer on March 5, 2026 covers a timed data-drive delivery, a same-run drone recovery, a split-run scanning and material objective, and a Commander hunt.

That walkthrough predates Bungie’s October 6, 2026 progression and economy reset. Bungie announced refreshed rewards and broader live tuning, but did not say whether Equitable Distribution’s objectives changed. Treat the steps below as the dated route reference they are, and read the contract text currently displayed in your game before committing a run.

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At a glance: what each stage asks you to do

Stage Map Primary objective Run requirement reported in the March 2026 guide
1/4 Perimeter Take the Self-Erasing Data Drive to a DCON Delivery completes the stage; surviving extraction was not required
2/4 Dire Marsh Summon and destroy the Transport Drone, then recover its Manifest and Supplies Extract with both items in the same run
3/4 Perimeter Scan three marked drones and deliver seven Unstable Gunmetal The two objectives can be completed in separate runs; the material objective can span multiple rounds
4/4 Perimeter Disable a secured site, defeat a UESC Commander and collect UESC Credentials The guide says collecting the Credentials completes the objective; extraction with them was not required

The counts and timers in this table are guide-reported gameplay details, not measurements from an independent test.

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Before you start a contract run

Check the live contract text

The route was published March 5, 2026. On October 6, Bungie reset progression and the in-game economy as part of the Nightfall Refresh and refreshed rewards. The announcement did not specify whether Equitable Distribution’s locations, quantities, timers or completion rules were revised. Open the Priority Contract panel and compare the wording with the steps below before you queue.

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Plan around the objective that can expire

Stage 1 starts a three-minute timer when you pick up the Self-Erasing Data Drive, according to PC Gamer’s walkthrough. Identify a DCON and a practical path to it before touching the drive. Stage 4 has a separate four-minute wait for the Commander to spawn after the central console is activated. Stage 2’s contract drone was reported to take roughly one to two minutes to appear after the terminal hack, so leave room for that delay before choosing an exit route.

Reserve inventory space

For Stage 2, the UESC Drone Manifest occupies one slot and Supplies occupy four. Enter the Dire Marsh objective with at least five empty slots, plus room for weapons, ammunition and any items needed to survive the trip to extraction. If your current contract text shows different capacity requirements, follow that text instead of the older figure.

Stage 1/4 — Deliver the Self-Erasing Data Drive in Perimeter

Find the drive at the Hauler

  1. Travel to the Hauler in western Perimeter.
  2. Enter the vehicle and reach its second floor. Use the interior stairs, or climb to the ledge in the garage area.
  3. Along the west wall near the Hauler’s middle, search the drawer set beside the server boxes. The drawer is where the Self-Erasing Data Drive spawns in the March walkthrough.
  4. Before collecting it, select the DCON destination you intend to use. Picking up the drive starts the reported three-minute countdown.

Choose one of the documented DCON locations

  • Northwest of North Relay. This is the northern option for a run already moving toward that side of Perimeter.
  • Northeast of Station. The DCON is past a pipe near the northern walkway.
  • West of Overflow. It sits near the cliffs.
  • Southern hills beyond Columns. This DCON is near South Relay.

Deliver and finish the stage

  1. Carry the drive to your chosen DCON.
  2. Interact with the DCON and place the drive in its inventory.
  3. Close the interface to send the package. The guide reports that this action completes Stage 1.

Unlike Stage 2, the March guide does not require an extraction after delivery. The contract objective is reported as complete once the drive is sent, even if you do not survive the remainder of the raid.

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Stage 2/4 — Recover the Transport Drone’s cargo in Dire Marsh

Hack the terminal at Algae Ponds

  1. Go to Algae Ponds, near the centre of Dire Marsh.
  2. Enter the main building directly south of the “LG” map label.
  3. Reach the second floor and move through the control-room-like area.
  4. In the lab, hack the UESC security terminal. This summons the contract Transport Drone.

Identify and destroy the contract drone

After the hack, wait for the drone to spawn and travel north along the road. It can resemble an ordinary UESC drone at first. The green quest marker may not become visible until it is close, so do not assume the event failed merely because the first silhouette looks generic. The walkthrough estimates a one-to-two-minute spawn window.

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  1. Track the drone as it moves north.
  2. Engage it when you have a safe firing angle and enough time to loot before leaving.
  3. Open its remains and take both the UESC Drone Manifest and Supplies.

Extract with both items in one run

This is the strictest extraction condition in the contract. The Manifest uses one inventory slot and Supplies use four, so you need five free slots when looting the wreck. Keep both items until you reach extraction; carrying only one does not satisfy the documented objective. The GameMaps summary independently describes the terminal, the Transport Drone, the two named items and the same-run extraction requirement.

Stage 3/4 — Scan Station drones and deliver Unstable Gunmetal

Complete the drone scans at Station

Station is in northeast Perimeter. Reach the garage area on its south side. The March walkthrough gives two entrances: descend through the building and use the stairs, or enter through a vent in the lower area. Follow the southern hallway to the drone laboratory.

  1. Interact with the marked drone near the lab entrance.
  2. Scan the drone mounted on a crane in the northwest corner.
  3. Scan the third drone on the high shelf in the southeast section.

All three marked drones are required for the scanning objective. Check for the objective indicators after each interaction so you do not leave before the third scan registers.

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Collect seven Unstable Gunmetal

  1. Search countertops and containers for Unstable Gunmetal. The guide specifically calls out containers in Station’s buildings as possible sources.
  2. Accumulate seven units.
  3. Take the material to any DCON. The DCON northeast of Station is the guide’s example, but it is not the only destination listed for this stage.
  4. Deposit the gunmetal and close the DCON interface to submit it.

The two Stage 3 objectives do not have to be finished in one deployment. The walkthrough also says the seven-unit material task can be spread across multiple rounds, allowing you to bank progress rather than carrying all seven through a single high-risk route. Confirm that your current contract still accepts split progress after the reset.

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Stage 4/4 — Open the southern security site and defeat the Commander

Enter the secured building

  1. Travel to the secured building in the far southern hills past Columns. This is distinct from the South Relay point of interest.
  2. Use the orange pipe on the left side as the entrance.
  3. Move carefully through the approach and clear the tripwires.

Disable the barriers

  1. Inside, locate the four batteries mounted around the walls and ceiling.
  2. Shoot all four batteries. They disable the security barriers that block the site.
  3. Activate the central console after the barriers drop.

Wait for and kill the UESC Commander

The guide reports a four-minute timer after console activation. The Commander can spawn in different locations; the walkthrough author encountered the target at North Relay, so do not expect the boss to remain inside the building. Watch for the marked target and move to its location when it appears.

  1. Reach the marked Commander position.
  2. Defeat the Commander and its backup forces.
  3. Loot the dropped UESC Credentials.

According to the March guide, picking up the Credentials completes the Stage 4 objective. It did not require extracting with them. Because that rule was not reconfirmed after the October reset, follow any newer extraction instruction shown by your contract.

Route planning and risk decisions

Stage 1: choose the DCON before the timer starts

Four DCON destinations give you flexibility, but they are not interchangeable for every spawn or squad position. A northern route can reduce backtracking from the Hauler, while the southern options may be preferable if your team is already rotating through Columns or South Relay. The key decision is made before pickup: once the three-minute countdown begins, changing destinations costs time and exposes you to unnecessary travel.

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Stage 2: protect the five-slot cargo run

The drone fight is only half the task. The same deployment must include the terminal hack, the kill, both loot items and a successful extraction. Clear space before the hack, keep an exit in mind while waiting for the drone, and avoid filling the five slots with incidental loot. If another squad contests the event, preserving the Manifest and Supplies is more important than taking extra gear.

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Stage 3: split the work when the map is dangerous

Because scans and gunmetal delivery are documented as separate-run objectives, you can treat Station as a focused scan visit and return later with a lighter load for material collection. This reduces the time spent carrying seven units through contested areas, although the split-progress rule should be checked against the live contract after the reset.

Stage 4: prepare for a moving target

The southern building is the trigger site, not necessarily the Commander’s final location. After activating the console, use the four-minute window to reload, organize ammunition and identify a route toward likely marked positions. Keep enough resources for the backup enemies that accompany the Commander.

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Troubleshooting common failures

The Stage 1 drive is missing

Confirm that you are searching the drawer beside the server boxes on the Hauler’s second floor, not a random container elsewhere in the vehicle. If the drawer is empty, leave and re-check the contract wording; spawn behavior may have changed with the reset.

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The Stage 2 drone has no green marker

Stay near its road route and let it approach. The guide says the marker may appear only when the drone is close. If it never appears, verify that the UESC terminal hack completed and that you are following the contract drone rather than a normal patrol.

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Stage 2 did not complete at extraction

Both named items must be in the same successful extraction: one Manifest and the four-slot Supplies bundle. Recovering only one item, discarding Supplies, or extracting on a later run does not match the documented condition.

Stage 3 progress looks incomplete

Check that all three marked Station drones were scanned, including the crane drone and the high southeast shelf drone. For the material half, count seven Unstable Gunmetal and submit it through a DCON; merely carrying the material does not deliver it.

The Stage 4 Commander is not inside the site

That is consistent with the walkthrough. Activating the console starts the spawn timer, but the Commander may appear elsewhere, including North Relay. Follow the marked target after the four-minute wait rather than repeatedly searching the trigger building.

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What is confirmed about the post-reset version

Bungie’s October 6, 2026 development update confirms a progression and economy reset, refreshed rewards, quality-of-life work and live tuning. It does not publish a revised Equitable Distribution step list. A separate September 30, 2026 seasonal guide describes Priority Contracts generally as optional objectives aimed at meaningful loot rather than faction-progression gates, but that system description does not establish this contract’s current reward table or prove that its four stages are unchanged.

Therefore, the safest way to use this walkthrough on October 18, 2026 is as a route aid: verify the map, item names, quantities, timers and extraction language in the in-game contract, then adapt any step that differs. Do not assume that the March reward, unlock requirement or completion rule remains active solely because the locations look familiar.

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