Attachments

Attachments are devices that can be attached to a weapons to enhance a certain aspect. Throughout the Metro system, Artyom will find many types of guns that are either standard models of the weapon, meaning it has nothing attached to it, or that it will have some sort of attachment on it. In Metro 2033, weapons cannot be customized but can be found with various attachments in the Metro. In Metro: Last Light the attachment options have been widened with customization possible at vendors, as well as a wider range of attachments available. The attachment system is added into Metro 2033 in the Redux version. In Metro Exodus, customization options have been greatly expanded and they take advantage of the new crafting and modification system, introduced to the game.

Scopes
Some of the guns found in the Metro will have a scope attached to it, which allows the user to engage in long-range combat. However, there are only two levels in Metro 2033 big enough to allow long-distance sniping. Glares and oily thumbprints on the optics obstruct vision in the dark and this problem is made even worse with night vision goggles equipped. Use of scopes is only recommended if precision is desired. The Tihar and Helsing are practical with scope equipped because of their stealthy nature.

Bayonet
The bayonet is only available for the Uboinik automatic shotgun in Metro 2033. It greatly increases the user's melee damage, and it is quite handy if you do not have time to reload and mutants are very close. It could be advantageous for stealth kills as the fact that ammunition is not required for the bayonet. There are no negatives to having this attached to the Uboinik, as it does not slow you down in any way, or restrict view like other attachments. The Bayonet is also featured on NPC versions of the Kalash, Kalash 2012, and the VSV but they are unusable. It was removed from the game in Redux.

Suppressor
The suppressor, or more commonly known as a silencer, is an extremely useful attachment for those who prefer a stealthy approach in combat, or for those who need to remain stealthy in some levels. The suppressor allows the user to eliminate hostiles without alerting others of their location. The suppressor can work as a flash hider that eliminates muzzle flash, which can be easily noticed during a firefight. It also reduces the recoil of the gun, increasing accuracy, but the bullets are slowed, meaning they inflict less damage on enemies. Some guns are naturally silent like those that use compressed air as a propellant such as the Tihar, Helsing, or the VSV, that has a built-in suppressor. However, the Suppressor doesn't muffle a gun completely, so enemies will become suspicious when firing too close or by missing a shot. The Suppressor is available for:
 * Bastard
 * Kalash 2012
 * Revolver

Laser Sight
The laser sight is a hugely beneficial attachment on any gun as it increases the user's accuracy and is even more useful in the Ranger difficulties as the HUD is removed and there are no on-screen crosshairs. With this attachment, Artyom can aim without using a scope or iron sight, as a red dot is projected wherever he is aiming. This cannot be seen by opponents. However, the red dot does not necessarily point exactly where you are shooting while on the move. When shooting stationary, the Laser sight provides better accuracy.

The Laser sight is available for:
 * Kalash 2012
 * Kalash
 * VSV

Extended Barrel
In Metro 2033 the extended barrel is exclusive to the revolver and provides an improvement over the standard revolver, adding more accuracy to the gun and increasing the range.

Rifle Stock
The rifle stock is another attachment that is also exclusive to the revolver. It greatly reduces the recoil of the gun and is always seen paired with either a suppressor or an extended barrel. Using this turns the revolver into a small carbine.

Metro: Last Light & 2033 Redux
In Metro: Last Light and 2033 Redux, weapons with attachments can be found like in the original Metro 2033, but with enough Military-Grade rounds, the attachments can be customized at weapon vendors. The prices of these attachments are different between difficulties; the higher difficulty, the more the attachment costs; with two exceptions in the first and last D6 level, where weapons can be equipped and customized for free. Artyom can get some MGRs back by uninstalling attachments.

Reflex Sight
"This pre-war sight makes aiming the gun at close and medium range easier, without sacrificing much of the field of view."

- Store description

The reflex sight, or red dot sight, is the cheapest power scope and is available for purchase for 25 MGR (37 on Hardcore) and sells for 7 (14 Hardcore and 4 Ranger mode). The reflex sight has no magnification, like the infrared sight. Its available right away at all gun kiosks and shops. Most smaller guns (non-heavy weapons) can support a reflex sight. It provides faster short-range target acquisition, but unless combined with the laser sight attachment it can make precise shots more difficult since despite its name it does not provide an actual dot, but rather a rounded reticle with no center marker. Adding the laser sight makes up for this, with the laser providing the actual dot at the center of the reticle. However, it is a cheap sight for early in the game that makes it easier to aim until more powerful scopes become available, and sometimes this is better than iron sight. It has one advantage over the other scopes is that it reduces vision a lot less than they do, so Artyom can see more looking through it. The sight is good for close-range combat since aiming down sight is faster than any other type of optics. It can be noted that the Reflex sight has very slight night-vision capability. The reflex optic is available in the Exhibition station, however, it is recommended to buy it in Riga station after Artyom gains more MGRs.

Infrared Sight
"A piece of pre-war military tech, this Night Vision sight allows for precisely hitting targets in the dark."

- Store description

The infrared sight is a unique sight. Unlike the other sights, which enhance zoom power, the infrared scope uses heat signatures to point out enemies in dark locations, it is also very similar to the effect of the night vision goggles. When the night vision goggles are equipped, the effect of the infrared scope is no longer apparent, but unlike night vision goggles, the infrared scope has a clearer sight picture when aiming at distant targets at the expense of a narrow field of view. It is available from the "Bolshoi" level and onwards at all gun shops or kiosks much like the reflex sight. Later in the game, when affected by the Darkness, the infrared scope will still work, unlike the flashlight or night vision goggles, but its limited field of view makes it impractical compared to the lighter. It does have one advantage however, enemies never notice the infrared scope while Artyom is hidden, which makes this attachment good for subtlety. It is recommended to attach at least one gun with infrared scope that you can navigate through the dark without being seen, while the night vision goggles is a better choice for this task, the infrared scope is available much earlier and no charging is required, as it never runs out of power. Like the laser sight and reflex sight. It costs 35 MGR (52 on Hardcore) and sells for 10 (20 Hardcore and 6 Ranger mode). In Metro 2033 Redux, the infrared optic is available in the Armory station and onwards.

2x Optical Sight
"The pre-war, 2x Sight facilitates weapon aiming at medium range but limits the field of view, making it hard to use in the confines of tunnels."

- Store description

The 2x sight acts like the reflex sight but the zoom is much higher. It's the second most powerful zoom sight with the 4x sight being the first. It can be purchased in the chapter "Bandits" level and onwards. It costs 45 MGR (67 on Hardcore) and sells for 13 (8 Ranger mode). The 2x sight can be equipped on most weapons excluding all shotguns and the four sniper rifles, which have a 4x optical sight instead. For players with a low-performance PC, using this attachment could pose a problem, as lag may occur while zoomed in. The scope itself is based on a Russian PO 3.5x21. In Metro 2033 Redux', 2x optic can be purchased for Tihar, instead of the standard 2x sight, Artyom will get the 3-aperture optic found on the original Tihar. 2x optic is available in Market station and onwards.

Suppressor
The suppressor, or more commonly known as a silencer, is an extremely useful attachment for those who prefer a stealthy approach in combat, or for those who need to remain stealthy in some levels. The suppressor allows the user to eliminate hostiles without alerting others of their location or just used to blow out lights. It also reduces the recoil of the gun increasing accuracy, but the bullets are slowed, meaning they inflict less damage on enemies. Some guns are naturally silent such as the Tihar or Helsing, that use compressed air as a propellant. Unlike in Metro 2033, the VSV in Metro: Last Light now has a removable suppressor, but the weapon's usefulness is greatly reduced without it. Also, the Clapper has an integral suppressor, thus making purchasing one unnecessary. However, the suppressor does not muffle a gun completely, so enemies will become suspicious when firing too close or by missing a shot. The suppressor also removes the muzzle flash for some weapons, making the user harder to detect. With all these stealth-related benefits, the suppressor is a recommended choice for at least one gun, although it costs 60 MGR on Hardcore. In Metro 2033 Redux, a suppressor is available in Exhibition station and onwards.

The suppressor is available for:
 * VSV (Not removable in 2033 Redux)
 * Bastard
 * Kalash 2012
 * Revolver
 * Ashot (Last Light only)
 * Duplet
 * Shambler
 * Lolife (Last Light only)
 * Kalash
 * Saiga (Last Light only)
 * AKS-74U (Last Light only)

Laser Sight
The laser sight is a hugely beneficial attachment on any gun as it increases the user's accuracy and is even more useful in the Ranger difficulties as the HUD is removed and there are no on-screen crosshairs. With this attachment, you can aim without using a scope or iron sight, as a red laser beam is projected wherever Artyom is aiming. In Metro: Last Light, Artyom's lighter can be used with a weapon equipped, so adding a laser sight to the weapon can greatly improve accuracy while doing so. This cannot be seen by opponents. It is best used together with the red dot sight/infrared scope for the best accuracy. The laser sight is relatively cheap compared to other attachments, 15 MGRs (22 on Hardcore) and sells for 4 (8 Hardcore and 2 Ranger mode), and most guns in-game can attach this mod.

The Laser sight is available for:
 * Kalash 2012
 * Kalash
 * VSV
 * Revolver
 * Saiga (Last Light only)
 * Hellbreath
 * Duplet
 * Lolife (Last Light only)
 * AKS-74U (Last Light only)
 * RPK (Last Light only)
 * Abzats
 * Valve (Last Light only)
 * Preved (Last Light only)
 * Helsing
 * Tihar
 * Clapper (Last Light only)

Extended Barrel
The extended barrel makes a reappearance in Metro: Last Light, but instead of being exclusive for the revolver, it now can be attached to shotguns, pistols, and a few other weapons Artyom comes across. It reduces recoil and increases accuracy, though at the cost of making pistols harder to wield. However, this apparent disadvantage does not appear to have any impact on gameplay. The extended barrel is a recommended attachment for the shotgun as it greatly reduces pellet spread, making it more accurate up close as well as increasing effective range. However, it isn't necessary to install this while you are low on MGR, shotguns without extended barrel still have a moderate range. This attachment costs 45 MGRs (67 on Hardcore) and sells for 13 (26 Hardcore and 8 Ranger mode).

The extended barrel is available for:
 * Revolver
 * Shambler
 * Duplet
 * Lolife (Last Light only)
 * Ashot (Last Light only)

Grips and stocks
Most secondary weapons can be fitted with some sort of stock or grip, like the revolver with rifle stock in the previous game. They still increase accuracy and decrease recoil, greatly improving pistols. With the Bastard, it improves its primary weakness of recoil and puts the Bastard on equal footing with other assault rifles like the Kalash. A Lolife with a rifle stock, suppressor and extended magazines can be found in the locker in "Facility" and is a powerful weapon so early in the game. Pistols with the full stock and foregrips become powerful carbines, especially if other attachments are added. The Duplet also has access to a grip and stock, greatly reducing the recoil. The stock costs 60 MGRs on Hardcore.

The rifle stock is available for:
 * Revolver
 * Lolife (Last Light only)
 * Ashot (Last Light only)
 * Bastard
 * Duplet

4x Sight
The 4x sight is similar to the 2x sight, except that it is twice as powerful. It is only useful for long-range sniping, therefore can only be fitted to sniper rifles, as the reduced field-of-view may hamper quick aiming. Despite the doubled magnification, it is visually similar to the 2x sight. It costs 67 MGRs on Hardcore.

The 4x sight is available for:
 * Valve (Last Light only)
 * Preved (Last Light only)
 * Hellbreath
 * Clapper (Last Light only)

Extended Magazine
The extended magazine increases the ammunition capacity of guns, and thus is handy in a fight, especially with fast mutants like nosalis. They come either as larger box magazines or drum magazines. The amount of capacity they increase varies per weapon. It costs 45 MGR (67 on Hardcore) and sells for 13 (26 Hardcore and 8 Ranger mode).

The extended magazine is available for:
 * Kalash (from 30 to 45 rounds)
 * Saiga (from 10 to 20 rounds; Last Light only)
 * AKS-74U (from 30 to 45 rounds; Last Light only)
 * RPK (from 45 to 100 rounds; Last Light only)
 * Abzats (from 20 to 40 rounds; Last Light only)
 * Lolife (from 8 to 20 rounds; Last Light only)
 * Valve (from 5 to 10 rounds; Last Light only)
 * Preved (from 1 to 5 rounds; Last Light only)

The quad barrel attachment for the Duplet technically increases capacity from two to four rounds, but two shells are fired at once with the primary trigger, and four with the secondary, meaning you will still have to reload as often as before the upgrade and the ammo reserve will chew up faster - but it will deliver some serious firepower at close range. Furthermore, the Hellbreath has two upgrades, heavy duty capacitor and extended battery, that both act like an extended mag in their own right (more so the latter one); only one can be installed at a time.

Airtight Valve
The airtight valve is a very useful attachment for pneumatic weapons. If Artyom can spare the MGRs, then it is a must. The valve stops the gradual leak of pressure from pneumatic weapons which occurs during use. This reduces the number of times the weapon needs to be pumped, which means one can always be certain the weapon will fire, as long as it's pumped after every fight. This also helps in turning them from long-range stealth weapons into ones that can handle close-range attacks. It costs 40 MGR (60 on Hardcore) and sells for 11 (23 Hardcore and 7 Ranger mode).

The airtight valve is available for:
 * Helsing
 * Tihar

Flash Suppressor
The flash suppressor is only available for sniper rifles and the Abzats shotgun. The suppressor reduces recoil, improves accuracy and reduces the flash of the weapon firing, meaning Artyom will not be blinded in small tunnels, and enemies will not be able to see him fire it. However, it does not reduce the sound of the weapon, so enemies will still fire in his general direction. With no obvious drawbacks, it is a must for all long-range snipers. This upgrade can only be purchased in Depot, and it costs 40 MGRs (60 on Hardcore) and sells for 11 (23 Hardcore and 7 Ranger mode). A free chance to get this upgrade is the armory just before the battle for D6.

The flash suppressor is available for:
 * Abzats
 * Preved (Last Light only)
 * Valve (Last Light only)

Heat Sink
The heat sink is only available for the Bastard and reduces its primary weakness, overheating, by venting excess heat via longitudinal metal fins and reducing the need to manually vent the weapon after prolonged firing. This upgrade allows Artyom to fire Bastard automatically longer before it overheats. Heat sinks cannot be bought, but instead, are only found pre-fitted on various Bastards scattered throughout the environment. It costs 40 MGR (60 on Hardcore) and sells for 11 (23 Hardcore and 7 Ranger mode).

The heat sink is available for:
 * Bastard

Autofire Adapter
The autofire adapter is a device allowing normally semi-automatic weapons to fire fully automatically, increasing rate of fire, but also increasing recoil, making it harder to control. In the Sniper team level, the Lolife already has this attachment equipped. This attachment costs 90 MGRs on Hardcore.

The autofire adapter is available for:
 * Lolife (Last Light only)
 * Abzats

Metro Exodus
The attachment system has been completely reworked and expanded in Metro Exodus. Artyom is now able to not only attach for example different sights or a bigger magazine to a weapon, but entire integral parts of the weapon. For exaple, its barrel, inner mechanism or stock can now be replaced with a different assembly, sometimes alternating the function of the weapon dramatically, like turning it from bolt-action into semi-automatic, or turning it into a completely different weapon class (for example, the Bastard can now essentially become a light machine gun, the revolver can be made into an effective sniper rifle, and the Tikhar can be turned into a railgun). Therefore, it's more accurate to refer to the attachments as "upgrades" or "customization parts".

Most weapons in the game have five different parts that can be modified: grip/stock, barrel/mechanism, sight, magazine and gadget. The only exceptions are the Ashot, which doesn't have a magazine upgrade slot, as its ammo capacity is determined by the upgrade installed in the barrel slot, and the gatling gun, which does not have any upgrades available and only has two upgrade slots.

Grip/stock
Grip/stock upgrades are available for all weapons except the gatling gun. Most weapons start with crudely made stocks usually referred to as light stocks, which claim to be suited for dynamic firefights because of their low weight. Heavier stocks affect the weapon swap speed, which can be detrimental in close quarters combat, such as when being swarmed by mutants. However, upgrading the stock is always a good idea, as it provides a considerable boost to stability, making the recoil of the weapon easier to control, which makes up for the slower draw speed of the weapon. Some weapons share stock upgrades together, for example, the stocks available for Kalash can also be used on the Bulldog and the Shambler.

Barrel Upgrades
Barrel upgrades can be installed on most weapons, except the pneumatic/exotic weapons, where its firing mechanism can be upgraded instead (see below). Longer barrels usually increase accuracy and damage of the gun, but decreases its stability, making it more suitable at longer range and slow, precise engagements, while being less effective at close range. However, the negative impact on stability can usually be easily balanced out by upgrading the stock. Some weapons can also mount a suppressor, which negatively impacts the damage of the gun, but makes it harder for enemies to spot Artyom when firing. Pneumatic weapons or throwing knives are the better option if one wants to remain completely unnoticed, as at close range, even suppressed weapon shots will be noticed by the enemy.

Mechanism Upgrades
Mechanism upgrades are present on the Tikhar and the Helsing instead of Barrel upgrades, as these weapons either do not have a barrel at all, or it wouldn't serve any purpose to upgrade it, because of the way the gun works. The Tikhar's pneumatic system can be upgraded to become airtight, to automatically refill, or it can be swapped out completely for a railgun assembly, effectively turning the weapon into the Volt Driver. Helsing's crossbow limbs can be upgraded to provide more kinetic energy to the bolt, increasing its damage and range, or it can be replaced with a pneumatic system with an increased rate of fire.

Sights
Various sights determine the method of target acquisition. By default, all weapons are fitted with iron sights, but they can be equipped with a reflex sight or a night vision scope, which allows Artyom to effectively aim in the dark while being mostly useless during the daytime. The last sight upgrade can either be a 4x scope (for example for the Kalash or the Helsing), a 6x sniper scope (Valve, Bulldog and Tikhar) or a closed reflex sight for the Bastard and shotguns. Weapons that are intended to be used at long range usually get a more powerful scope than close-range weapons.

Magazine Upgrades
Magazine upgrades affect the number of rounds Artyom can fire before reloading. Larger magazines usually decrease weapon's stability and sometimes take longer to reload (for example, the box magazine available for the Shambler). Some magazines (like the Bastard's box magazine) are so large, that the ammo vest upgrade is required to effectively use them, as the ammo capacity can exceed the total amount of rounds the player can carry by default. The revolver and the Valve have unique magazine upgrades available, which not only increase ammo capacity, but also turn the weapon from single-action/bolt-action to double-action/semi-auto, increasing their rate of fire noticeably.

Gadgets
Gadgets are various accessories that can be mounted on the underside/side of the weapon. These include various kinds of laser sights, which make it easier to aim without looking through the sights/scope, as they replace the default crosshair (which does not have a center point) with a laser dot that slows more clearly where exactly the gun is pointing at.

Visit each specific weapon's wiki page for the list of upgrades available to it.

General

 * The revolver has a gas seal system similar to the Nagant revolver, allowing it to be suppressed.
 * The laser sight is slightly different between games, in Metro 2033, only a red dot can be seen, in Merto: Last Light and the Redux version, however, the laser beam can be seen.

Metro 2033

 * The model of the scope used by all weapons except the Tihar is the Russian﻿ PK-AV scope.
 * The Tihar is the only weapon to use a unique scope. It uses a series of three aperture sights.
 * In the Metro 2033 launch trailer as well as in the "Prologue" cutscene, Artyom is seen with a fully upgraded Kalash 2012 with a bayonet, but in-game only the bayonet-attached automatic shotgun is available.

Metro: Last Light

 * The bayonet attachment is not available in Metro: Last Light, as the melee mechanics are changed.
 * The Laser sight is normally red in color, sometimes green laser sight can be seen, usually used by friendly NPCs like Rangers. An unique green laser sight mounted Kalash can be found in the "Red Square" level in Metro: Last Light, however.
 * The red dot sight, seen in Metro: Last Light, resembles the BSA multi dot sight instead of the much more likely Russian-made Kobra, PK-ASV, PK-04 or some other equivalent. The many specialized shops in Moscow probably had this particular model or similar replicas in stock before the bombs fell. A few might even be scavenged from airsoft guns, given the popularity of the attachment in airsoft.
 * The scope in Metro: Last Light resembles the Russian PK-A red dot optic, with chevron style reticle similar to the one found on a PSO-1 optic.
 * The 4X optic is based on PSO-1 scope, first used by Dragunov SVD.
 * The flash suppressor seems to be based on the arrowhead muzzle break that normally used by anti-materiel rifles like a Barrett M82 or the French PGM Hecate II.
 * The reflex sight appearance is closer to the American Sightmark Sure Shot red dot sight rather than a sight of Russian design.

Metro Exodus

 * There are 8 weapons with 20 different parts/upgrades (5 slots with 4 upgrades each), one weapon, the Ashot, with 16 upgrades (4 slots with 4 upgrades) and the Gatling Gun, which currently has no upgrades. Using the rules of combinatorics, it is possible to calculate that each weapon with 20 upgrades can have 1024 different combinations of upgrades/parts, the Ashot can have 256 combinations and the Gatling Gun currently has only one. This brings the total amount of unique weapons that can theoretically be encountered to 8449, far greater than in any of the previous games. However, fewer variants are used by NPCs, as the higher-tier upgrades are usually very rare and only found in one or two examples throughout the entire game.
 * The reflex sight uses a different model compared to previous games, which now seems custom-made, but the description remains the same, still claiming that it is a pre-war piece of equipment, which is no longer true.