Armory (Metro 2033 Level)

"Armory Station was where most of the weapons in the Metro were made. There had been an arms factory located above and after the nukes fell, many of the workers settled here. I was looking for Andrew the Smith but he found me first."

- Level description

Armory is a short action and resupply level, in which Artyom meets Andrew the Blacksmith and first encounters the Red Line.

Overview
Armory begins with Artyom venturing from the abandoned tunnels beyond Armory Station. After being let through the front gate, Artyom is advised by a local member of the militia that despite the station's tendency to call itself "free" the people are constantly under the surveillance of the Red Line. As Artyom walks onto the platform an unscheduled lockdown is announced and inspections ensue. Still trying to understand what is happening, Artyom walks in on an interrogation and is promptly arrested. A few lucky hits later, Artyom and his unnamed accomplice escape the custody of the Communists as a chase ensues. Nearing the end of this chase Artyom's partner is shot and killed, leaving Artyom surrounded on a second-floor walkway. The walkway is destroyed, but Artyom is rescued by Andrew. Directing Artyom to wear a disguise, Andrew informs Artyom that the path to Polis is closed and that the only path available is through the Front line between the Fourth Reich and Red Line. Andrew will direct Artyom to Armory's market, in which the player may wish to note the exchange kiosk, and the two different kinds of armor available. After passing through Armory's market, Andrew directs Artyom to climb into a storage cart, which will secretly smuggle him to the front line.

Trivia

 * Here you can overhear some Communist soldiers talk about how they defeated the Nazis in the past. This is probably a reference to World War II, as Artyom will mention this again in the next level.
 * When being chased through the station while handcuffed, if a guard catches you, he will hit you in the head, knocking you to the ground and then stomp on your face, resulting in a death.
 * If you found the Volt Driver in the Lost Tunnels, trade it for a Duplet to earn an extra 232 MGR, then go back to Andrew's room and get the Volt Driver there. For additional MGR, if you're going to take either the Heavy Automatic Shotgun or the Volt Driver, it's best advised to pick up the unwanted weapon and to trade it for a Duplet again as this will grant you with extra MGR without a lot of effort.
 * Taking the Volt Driver or Heavy Automatic Shotgun is a tough decision. If you took the Volt Driver in "Lost Tunnels", then by now you should have a good amount of shotgun shells saved up, which should be able to carry you until the next ammo exchange kiosk should you take the Heavy Automatic Shotgun. However, ball bearings are much cheaper than shotgun shells, so the Volt Driver is by far more sustainable since you can buy a great deal of ammunition for only a few MGR (Granted, ball bearings are rarer to find.) Taking the Heavy Automatic Shotgun will make chapters such as "Frontline" harder because you will be fighting at long range more than close range. However, once you get past that, it makes the coming levels much easier, especially "Defense", as the Heavy Automatic Shotgun is perfect for the swarms of enemies that attack you, as opposed to the Volt Driver which is better for one or two encounters as you need to charge the weapon back up. This is one of the only chances you have to take a Heavy Automatic Shotgun, while weapons that can fire ball bearings can still be found. Granted, Uboiniks are not hard to find either.
 * The real name (and location) of Armory is Kuznetsky Most.
 * Near the shops, a red officer can be seen talking with a subordinate about possible blind spots the Nazis can use to invade the station. After being reassured that all entrances are covered, the officer inquires about the surface, implying the Nazis have operations there. This suspicion is later confirmed at the level “Outpost”, where the Nazis are seen operating on the surface between Paveletskaya and Black station.
 * The next level (and most of the next chapter) will involve heavy firefights, except if you need to take a stealth approach (Recommended for Ranger difficulties), don't buy the VSV, Ulman will give you one in the Black Station, where stealth is recommended.
 * Alternately, purchasing a VSV will permit early elimination of many enemies without risk of return fire, and contributes noticeably to your position being forgotten in this somewhat complicated level. Be aware however that local lighting conditions make the VSV-with-scope even more useless than usual.
 * Some of the weapon sold by vendors are "exclusive" to this station, it's highly recommended that the player not miss out if they ever want to use them.
 * Laying next to you while riding on the railcart at the end of the level is a copy of Metro 2033: Piter.
 * The communist soldiers on the railcar at the end of the level are similar to a group of Marxist partisans, who save Artyom from the Nazis in the novel.

Gallery
Waffenkammer (Level) Кузнецкий Мост (уровень)