How to complete Observation Labs in upper Complex - Marathon

The upper level of Complex can now be accessed on Night Marsh, allowing Runners to unlock Observation Labs and the riches within.

Observation Labs is a new area in upper Complex that’s limited to Night Marsh, the spooky version of Dire Marsh in Marathon. In order to access this area, you will need to gather UESC Certs, and if you want the best gear, you’ll need an Observation Labs key. Even with all of this acquired, you still need to do some light puzzle solving, defeat a bunch of UESC, and face down a Warden.

Here is a thorough Observation Labs guide that covers trio speedruns and how to unlock the extra loot rooms.

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How to complete Observation Labs in Complex

Complex has expanded with the addition of Dire Marsh’s Night version. There is now an upper area called Observation Labs which has a bunch of doors locked with panels, a wave defence section, and a Warden to defeat. Complete Observation Labs to access reward rooms full of endgame loot.

To complete Observation Labs, you will need:

• Seven or more UESC Certs
• Observation Labs key

The reason the quantity of UESC Certs varies is due to luck. It takes seven UESC Certs to unlock the elevator door up to Observation Labs, but this is the loud way in. You can use 12 UESC Certs to unlock four doors throughout Complex (three UESC Certs per door) for a quiet way in.

Furthermore, the Observation Labs Priority Item is a key that is required to summon the Warden boss. You can earn the Observation Labs key by defeating the UESC Commander that might spawn. It can also spawn in the Caches that appear after you activate a Network Tower. Each Network Tower uses three UESC Certs to activate.

Accessing Upper Complex: UESC Certs, Observation Labs key, Panels

Here is what you should do to quickly farm Observation Labs as a trio:

1. Split up and go to West Gate and Bio-Research and start killing UESC for their Certs
2. Activate Network Towers at the locations using three UESC Certs

3. Open the Weapons Caches that spawn and grab the Observation Labs key

   1. If the key does not spawn in the first two Weapons Caches, leave the game and retry
4. Once you find an Observation Labs key, go directly to Complex and farm seven UESC Certs
5. Unlock the elevator doors and enter Observation Labs
6. Hack the terminal in the room, shoot the panels that appear, move into the next room, and repeat
7. In the center room, insert the Observation Labs key in the eastern side
8. Several sets of panels will open, shoot them each time to make progress
9. Defeat the Warden when it appears
10. Loot the side rooms and the bonus room

The toughest part of running this on Sponsored Survival is the random spawn chance of the Observatory Labs key. If the key does not spawn in the first two caches, leave the game and try again. It’s simply not worth the time investment to open up any more. The reason you want West Gate and Bio-Research is that both of these Network Towers summon a Weapons Cache, and you will need better weapons to take down the Warden.

When you get the key, collect any weapons and ammo from the caches and then sprint to Complex. You will need seven UESC Certs to open an elevator door. There is a door at the north and south end of the compound, choose whichever one. UESC will spawn to defend the door.

Ride the elevator up, climb the ladder, and drop down into the hallway. The next task is to open locked doors by shooting green buttons on blue panels. Have one player activate the terminal near the locked door while the other two stand on opposite sides of the room and listen for the panels. The panels make a high pitch chime.

When the required number of panels are destroyed, the door will open and you must repeat this again in the next room. Subsequent rooms require more panels to be destroyed. The first room needs three panels, then four, and finally five before you reach the center.

Observation Labs: Warden fight, loot rooms

Unlock the three rooms to reach the center of upper Complex, Observation Labs actual. Note that the route you arrived by is mirrored on the other side, so another team may come from that direct if you’re play on the normal version of Night Marsh. The center room is where you will shoot more panels, destroy UESC, and fight the Warden.

Insert the Observation Labs key in the eastern room to begin. Waves of UESC will spawn and panels will activate around the room. As before, shoot the panels to make progress. The Warden will spawn with the final set of panels.

Extra loot: Use a Darksight Scope when looking at the panels to see a number. Activate the panels from smallest to largest for a bonus loot room.

Defeat the Warden to stop the robots from spawning. You must also destroy all the green panels to complete the Observation Labs fight. With these two tasks done, the loot room on the western side will open. Try to stick to the upper floor when the Warden spawns and use the stairwells in the corners for cover. 

If you activated the panels during the fight in the center room in ascending order, a bonus room will unlock. Grab everything you need and hit the best exfil location to get out with your gear. If you’re playing during Sponsored Survival, you will need to escape via the final exfil.

Extra extra loot: There are seven red panels hidden on both routes into the middle. Destroy all seven red panels to unlock another loot room.

Observation Labs is a lucrative activity for players that can get in, clear the rooms, and get out. The more you run this activity on Night Marsh, the quicker you will learn the exact location of the panels, making subsequent clears even faster. Enjoy the loot, Runner. Check out our Marathon Strategy Guide for more help.

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