How to increase your Cryo Archive Security Clearance Level in Marathon

How to increase your Cryo Archive Security Clearance Level in Marathon | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these FPS Marathon nerfs the shotgun everyone is using, reverts sound back to normal, and sets the stage for Cryo Archive FPS There is nothing like Marathon’s Cryo Archive map FPS How to get Lockbox Keys in Marathon FPS How to complete Tox Clear events in Marathon FPS How to complete Order/Chaos in Marathon FPS Best Marathon faction upgrades to unlock first FPS Marathon Ranked explained: Rules, scoring, and rewards FPS Players have rallied together to solve the first stage of Marathon’s elaborate Cryo Archive ARG puzzle, and it’s revealed some creepy footage of the next map FPS Where to find the terminals and tagged containers to complete Protect/Destroy 4 in Marathon FPS Marathon community crushes Cryo Archive puzzle, unlocks release date, and learns the map is only playable on weekends FPS Marathon’s Outpost is an extraction map masterclass that has me even more excited for Cryo Archive FPS How to expand your vault in Marathon FPS How to complete Equitable Distribution in Marathon FPS How to complete Introducing NuCaloric in Marathon FPS Marathon’s competitive mode is so complicated that Bungie made a literal maths test to figure it out, and it actually helps PopularSpring SaleClipsCrimson DesertMarathonBest PC gearQuizzes Games FPS Marathon How to increase your Cryo Archive Security Clearance Level in Marathon Guides By Rory Norris published 26 March 2026 Access more of the ship, and even crack open the vaults. 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It’s a system unique to this endgame map, and it’s not immediately obvious what it is and how to increase it.But if you want to extract from the ship in one piece, let alone with any high-end loot from the elusive vaults, then you need to understand how Security Clearance works. And preferably, you’ll find out before you queue into a match with your loot on the line.Marathon Cryo Archive Security Clearance Level explainedImage 1 of 2(Image credit: Bungie)(Image credit: Bungie)Security Clearance is a mechanic unique to Cryo Archive (it even works differently than the similarly themed security cards on Outpost), and you need to raise it to be able to interact with various doors, puzzles, and also extract. You can increase your Clearance Level by:Article continues below You may like How to extract from Cryo Archive in Marathon Marathon nerfs the shotgun everyone is using, reverts sound back to normal, and sets the stage for Cryo Archive There is nothing like Marathon’s Cryo Archive map Killing UESC and taking their small red Security Tags, which are worth one point each. You don’t need to do anything with them besides keep them in your inventory, and it’ll collate your team’s total.Killing other players and looting any Security Tags they might have.Hacking Security Clearance terminals which will give you three points towards your level once activated. These points can’t be lost like those from Security Tags can be.My recommendation is to clear the area your team spawns into, which should get you to around Security Clearance 2. At this point, you can either continue farming bots and finding terminals to hack, playing it safe in your starting zone, or you can brave another team’s wing to kill them and steal their keycards.Generally speaking, you’ll need to steal another team’s keycards to progress your Security Clearance fast enough to still have time for top-tier map events like the vaults. So if you’ve got eyes on the prize, you’ve got to be ambitious.You should also distribute your Security Tags among your team. If a teammate dies, their tags will no longer contribute to your team’s total, so you could find yourself trapped until you can retrieve their tags or revive them.Each Security Clearance Level gives you access to more parts of the map. For example, you need to reach Security Clearance 3 to be able to activate an Exfil Station, so it’s effectively the minimum you’ll need to meet to be able to complete a run on this map. Meanwhile, you need Security Cl