Ashes (Metro Last Light Level)

"Just a year ago I stood on top of the TV tower and saw missiles rain on the Botanical Gardens, turning flesh into ashes, smelting metal and glass. Nobody and nothing could survive that inferno. Yet Khan did find a Dark One there. Now my mission is to find and eliminate it. To finish what I started."

- Level description

Ashes is the third level of Metro: Last Light. In this mission, Anna and Artyom must travel to the Botanical Garden in search for the last of the Dark Ones. This level is revisited from Anna's perspective during the Anna level, found in the Chronicles Pack.

Overview
The level begins with Anna and Artyom leaving the D6 tunnels on the Automatic Train, arriving at a service station, where they proceed to climb up a narrow staircase filled with various skeletons. The two exit at the top of the stairs into a sewer, which, if the player looks left, can be seen housing many graves. As the two proceed, Anna will be startled by a lurker. If shot quickly, Anna will complement Artyom's speed. The two continue along until there is a ladder where you proceed to the surface, Anna commenting that Artyom should stop 'looking at her ass'.

The pair make it to the surface and proceed to a cliff overlooking the Botanical Garden. They split up, Artyom continuing on the ground as Anna climbs the Exhibition front gate to set up a sniping position. Approaching the crater of the Botanical Gardens, Anna comments that Artyom did a good job incinerating the place. She then says she can see something at the edge of the crater, but cannot get a decent view. Artyom moves closer, but Anna suddenly realizes that it was a watcher. Three quickly attack Artyom, though they are killed quickly with aid from Anna. However, their cries have alerted the rest of the pack, who advance on Artyom. After three waves of them, the pack is defeated. Anna commends Artyom's fighting skills, but asks he moves on.

Moving closer to the Gardens, Anna spots the Dark One and shoots at it, but misses, leaving Artyom to follow it. Then begins a short chase, culminating in the Dark One trapped and injured by one of Anna's shots. Artyom proceeds to grab the baby, causing a link between them, knocking him and the Dark One unconscious. A cutscene interjects, where Reich Stalkers find Artyom just as he wakes up, only to knock him back out as he does so.

Diary Entries
2. In the sewers, if the player goes beyond the ladder to the surface that Anna waits on, proceeding down the tunnel beyond cobwebs leads to an ammunition cache and a diary entry.

Moral Points
Gain:
 * Walk to the back of the train you start the level on.
 * At the ladder, continue past it, further into the tunnel. Burn some cobwebs to get to a corpse that also has the first note in Ashes.
 * Staying near Anna until she begins climbing to her sniping position.
 * Before the first encounter with watchmen, do not fire any weapons (except Abzats) or perform knife attack (even if it doesn't hit any objects). The exception of Abzats seems to be an oversight by the game developer. You will earn the moral point when you meet the first watchmen pack.

Trivia

 * On the walls of the underground section are small phrases inscribed in Russian. These can be seen in ascending order of going up the stairs.
 * "12 8 7 4 ВСЕ"  (12 8 7 4 ALL) it started at 12 but there are 19 bodies 17 adults and 2 children.
 * The next is "НАС ОСТАЛОСЬ ТРОЕ МЫ УМРЕМ МИТЯ ТАНЬКА СЛАВИК" (THERE ARE THREE OF US LEFT WE'll DIE MITYA TANYA SLAVIK)
 * There are few other names on the walls: "ЗИНА АЛЁШИНА" (ZINA ALYOSHINA),  "КОСТЯ ФЁДОРОВ" (KOSTYA FEDOROV), "ГАЛКА САМОХИНА" (GALKA SAMOKHINA), "ТОНЯ КРАВЕЦ" (TONYA KRAVEC), "ИРА ТИМЧЕНКО" (IRA TIMCHENKO), "ЮРА ДАШКЕВИЧ" (YURA DASHKEVICH)
 * The other inscriptions are: 1985-2013 (probably one of survivors years of life), "НЕТ НАДЕЖДЬ!" (There is no hope!),  "ЛЮДИ ЗА ЧТО?" (PEOPLE, WHY?), "ПОГИБЛИ В 6 УТРА ИРА ТИМЧЕНКО ТОНЯ КРАВЕЦ" (DIED AT 6 AM IRA TIMCHENKO TONYA KRAVEC), "НЕВОЗМОЖНО ВЫЖИТЬ" (IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SURVIVE), "МАМОЧКА Я ИДУ К ТЕБЕ" (MAMMY I'M COMING TO YOU), "ГОСПОДИ СПАСИ НАС!" (GOD SAVE US)
 * Once you arrive on the surface, a crashed Russian Hind helicopter can be seen directly to the left.
 * There are a few real-life Moscow landmarks on this level: Monument to the Conquerors of Space, the main entrance, Central Pavilion and Moscow-850 Ferris Wheel of All-Russia Exhibition Centre, Cosmos Hotel, and Ostankino Tower.
 * While playing as Anna in the Chronicles Pack DLC Anna level, the player will encounter an NPC Artyom. He wears an orange hazard suit with a ranger helmet/gas mask (just like in the menu) and carries a Kalash equipped with a laser and a reflex sight. In this level, Artyom salutes Anna before they split up. But in "Ashes", he doesn't salute.
 * It's shown in the “Anna” level that the nazis were there looking for an entrance to D-6.
 * It's not clear how long Artyom was knocked out in "Ashes". However, in the Anna level it appears he was not unconscious long, as Anna reaches him in only a few minutes (player dependant), but he has already been captured.
 * If you climb the ladder to the surface without looking upwards (you simply look at the wall as you climb) Anna's line "Stop looking at my ass, you're too far to reach it" doesn't play.
 * A Duplet can can be obtained and kept here (can be kept in Ranger Mode only).

Bugs

 * After climbing to the surface, if you run immediately to the main entrance area leaving Anna behind, you would see second Anna immediately spawns on top of the ruin at her sniping position, however another Anna who is still running behind won't despawn until she climbs to the top of the ruin, so you would end up seeing two Anna in the game.

Gallery
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