Smoke Screen

Smoke Screen is the Assassin's Prime ability in Marathon. When activated, the Assassin hurls a disc that detonates on impact, spreading a wide smoke field across an area. The smoke cloud obscures sightlines for enemies, disrupts enemy optics, and removes the visual information opponents need to track the Assassin's movements. This makes it an essential tool for disengaging from losing fights, repositioning before an ambush, or buying time for a downed squadmate.

Smoke Screen reaches its true potential through synergy with the Assassin's passive traits. The Shroud trait automatically activates camouflage when the Assassin enters their own smoke, turning every Smoke Screen cast into a window for safe repositioning or escape. Combined with Shadow Dive, the Assassin can also generate a smoke field by diving from mid-air, giving them a second, mobility-based method of triggering the same invisibility effect. Smoke Screen has a cooldown of approximately 10 seconds, so timing placements carefully around engagements rather than using it reactively is key to maintaining the Assassin's pressure.