Quick answer: You can report a player in Marathon either through the in-game reporting tool accessible via the menu or by submitting a report through Bungie's online report form.
Two reporting methods in Marathon
Marathon gives you two distinct paths to report someone you suspect of cheating or engaging in poor behavior. The first is the in-game reporting tool, which is accessible through the game's menu while you're playing. The second is Bungie's dedicated online report form, which works outside the game entirely and lets you attach supporting evidence.
Both methods feed into the same enforcement pipeline. Bungie's security team reviews incoming reports and, when the evidence is strong enough, takes action against the offending account. The online form is especially useful if you forgot to report during a match or want to include screenshots and video clips to strengthen your case.
How to use the online report form
Step 1: Visit Bungie's safety portal at safety.bungie.net and navigate to the "Report Suspected Cheating and Poor Behavior" page.
Step 2: Select the form that matches your reason for reporting. Bungie separates cheating reports from other behavioral complaints, so pick the one that fits.
Step 3: Fill in the required details about the suspected player. If you have screenshots, video recordings, or any other supporting material, attach them to the report. Concrete evidence significantly increases the chances that Bungie will act on your submission.
Permanent bans and no second chances
Bungie has taken an unusually hard line on cheating in Marathon. Anyone confirmed to be cheating or developing cheats will be permanently banned with no opportunity for reinstatement. This zero-tolerance policy extends to all forms of cheating, including the use of third-party software that gives an unfair advantage over other players.
The developer's networking and security breakdown spells this out clearly: dedicated servers are fully authoritative over movement, shooting, actions, and inventory, meaning invalid client actions get rejected before they affect anyone else. On top of that, a Fog of War system limits what each player's client knows about the map, reducing the effectiveness of wall hacks, ESP cheats, and loot revealers. BattlEye provides an additional layer of anti-cheat alongside Bungie's own proprietary security stack.
Even if a cheater slips through in the moment, Bungie's backend analytics system continuously monitors player telemetry for unusual patterns and anomalies. A ban can arrive well after the match ends.
What happens if you file false reports
Be certain before you submit a report. Bungie has warned that players who repeatedly file false reports through the online form risk having their own account banned. The reporting system exists to catch genuine bad actors, not to weaponize against players who simply outplayed you.
That said, wrongful bans are not necessarily permanent dead ends. Bungie has confirmed that an appeals process exists, though the exact steps and turnaround times for appeals have not been fully detailed yet.
What counts as cheating in Marathon
The line between legitimate software and cheating can feel blurry, but Bungie has laid out some ground rules. Common third-party applications like Discord and OBS are perfectly fine since they don't grant any competitive advantage. The distinction comes down to whether a third-party tool gives one player an unfair edge over another or degrades someone else's experience. If it does, Bungie treats it as cheating.
Specific exploits that the server-authoritative model is designed to block include teleporting, unlimited ammo, and damage manipulation. The dedicated server adjudicates every single shot with per-shot tracking and rewind, so client-side tampering with hit registration is far less viable than in peer-to-peer games.
Keep player names out of community forums
One important rule to follow when reporting: do not post suspected cheaters' names on Bungie's community forums or other public spaces. Bungie has explicitly asked players to avoid this because naming and shaming can lead to witch hunts against innocent people. Violating this rule can result in a ban from the community forum itself, which is a separate penalty from any in-game action.
If you believe someone is cheating, the correct path is always through the in-game tool or the official online report form — not a public callout.
Marathon's full release is scheduled for March 5, 2026, and the Server Slam testing period that began on February 26 has all of Bungie's security tools active. Reporting suspected foul play early helps Bungie refine its detection systems before the broader player base arrives at launch.