What are TADs in Marathon

TADs, or Target Acquisition Devices, scan for nearby runners and UESC enemies. They look like poles with a red bottom, black top and a yellow box for a head. About halfway up there's a tablet you can interact with; completing the interaction takes a moment, so don't try it mid-combat.

When activated the tablet displays "scanning" and emits a TAD ping. Each ping notifies you of nearby runner and UESC locations, repeats every 10 seconds, and from testing appears to send four pings in total — the last arrives 30 seconds after the first. The pings won't show every movement but provide a rough idea of where enemies are so you can plan accordingly.

TADs are part of completing some contracts. A faction upgrade, which you can start by completing the "Introducing: Traxus" priority contract, lets you upgrade TADs so they highlight enemies at a further distance. The devices spawn in specific locations but won't appear in every match.

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