Hello, soldiers!

Twilight is thickening over Zalessye. There's a rustling behind the trees, silhouettes flicker in the darkness. It seems someone is watching your every step. The Cursed Forest is living up to its name—your squad will have to return there and face its inhabitants once again.

From October 21 to November 18, Caliber will host the Shadows of Fear Marathon dedicated to Halloween. Join battles, earn rewards for accumulated points, and compete for places in the leaderboards.

The main reward of the thematic Container is the GAUCHA-IGA 12GA Monster Slayer secondary weapon. You can also find the new Altar of Evil HQ Background, Camos, and other Halloween items in these Containers.

You can return from the Cursed Forest not only with unsettling memories.

During the Marathon, the Sinister Container will be available in the Armory. It combines new thematic items and rewards from past Halloween events. The Container can be purchased for 1,000 Sinister Pumpkins—the currency you earn for places in the Daily Rating.

A double-barreled shotgun will come in handy for meeting whatever lurks in the forest.

Enemy got too close? Switch to the Monster Slayer. This shotgun is designed for close range and suits those who prefer to close in on the enemy.

The GAUCHA-IGA 12GA Monster Slayer shotgun is balanced as secondary weapon, but its close-range damage remains impressive. The price for this is a short effective range and only two shots before reloading.

The Container features versions of the shotgun for seven operators: Sly, Prorok, Fortress, Buggy, Bones, Archer, and Avalanche.

Part of the event's dark atmosphere can be brought into your HQ as well. The new Altar of Evil HQ Background is also among the Sinister Container items.

Among the new items are the “Boo!” and Gummy Worms Camos, as well as thematic Emblems.

You can view all items that can drop from the Container on its in-game page.

There are three stages of the reward hunt. Venture into battles, earn Rating Points, and get Sinister Pumpkins to exchange for thematic items.

During the Marathon, the thematic Onslaught: Shadows of Fear mode returns to the game.  A fireteam of six players will head into the Cursed Forest, where demons, shadow clones of operators, and their overlords—Deimos and Phobos—await them.

Complete objectives, cover each other, and clear six rounds to defeat the creatures of the cursed forest.

The Shadows of Fear mode will also appear in Clan Wars on the Forest map and will be available from October 21 to November 18.

Each stage consists of a main part where you can earn Rating Points, and a results period.

At each new stage, the Total Rating starts over. Results from the previous stage are not carried over.

The Armory will be available throughout the Marathon, until November 18, including on results days.

Points are awarded for in-battle results: rounds cleared, checkpoints, and other actions—depending on the mode.

For fully clearing six rounds of Shadows of Fear, you will receive 80 Rating Points. You can also participate in the Marathon in other modes.

Points earned in battles are simultaneously counted in two tables: the Daily Rating and the Total Rating.  There's no need to choose between them—you can earn rewards in both.

This table tracks your results for one game day. It starts at 8 AM UTC and ends at 8 AM the next day. Based on the day's results, the top 15,000 participants receive Sinister Pumpkins. The higher your place, the more currency for purchases.

Daily Rating rewards do not stack: you receive the amount corresponding to your final place.

Each of the three Marathon stages has its own Total Rating with two types of rewards: for accumulated points and for final place. With the start of a new stage, Points reset, and rewards can be earned again.

Rewards for points

At each stage, there will be rewards for reaching marks from 200 to 2,000 Rating Points: Credits, Premium, Containers, and Coins. They are credited immediately once you reach the required number of Points.

To receive these rewards, you don't need to outpace other participants: only the number of Points you earn is counted.

Reward for placement

Based on the results of each stage, the top 1,000 participants in the Total Rating receive additional prizes. Among the rewards are the stage Emblem, Weapon Containers, Days of Premium, and Coins. First place also comes with two Elite Weapon Containers.

These rewards stack: the higher your position, the more prizes you receive. For example, a participant in 50th place will get the stage Emblem, five Weapon Containers, and five Days of Premium.

They are issued in addition to the rewards for accumulated Points.

Each stage has its own distinctive Emblem. To get it, you need to enter the top 1000 of the Total Rating for that stage:

Collect all three, and you'll receive an additional Shadows of Fear: Nightmare Emblem.

Another goal of the Marathon is to collect Sinister Pumpkins. Thematic Emblems are provided for reaching a certain amount of the currency:

The total number of Pumpkins received during the event is counted. You can spend them freely—purchases do not reduce progress.

You can spend Sinister Pumpkins not only on thematic Containers in the Marathon Armory but also on items from the regular Showcase.

During the event, Emotes, Camos, and Emblems, as well as Weapon Containers for 5,000 Pumpkins each, will be available for purchasing.

After the Marathon ends on November 18, remaining Pumpkins will be exchanged for Credits: 5 Credits per Pumpkin without Premium and 20 with active Premium.