Nosalis

Nosalis (Russian: Носач; binomial nomenclature: Talpa Nasuta Miraculosa, meaning "sensory miraculous mole"), the plural of which is: Nosalis and Nosalises, often jokingly referred to in large numbers as snouts, is the catchall term for the most common form of mutant encountered in the Metro.

They are one of the most common enemies encountered in Metro 2033, being found on most underground levels. They are also prominent mutants found on both the surface and underground in Metro: Last Light. Simulated nosalises are also one of the two primary enemies in the Tower Pack DLC. They reappear in the final level of Metro Exodus.

Overview
Nosalises are the standard enemy of the Metro game series. They are fierce predators, extremely territorial, and can easily overwhelm fortified positions in large numbers. Nosalises differ from most other mutant types by the sheer number of variant subspecies that exist under the generalisation of "nosalis". Common between all types, however, is a bipedal and humanoid shape with two arms and legs, arched spines, and large round heads that prominently display big noses, gaping jaws, and huge teeth. Their nests are seemingly everywhere in the metro, but the creatures are less frequently seen on the surface. Nosalises seem to be derived from moles, as indicated by their Latin name, as well as their prominent snout and large claws. Like most animal inhabitants of the Metro and surface, they have undergone extreme mutation due to prolonged radioactive exposure. Some nosalis variants may instead be derived from shrews or desmans, both of which were native to Russia before the war.

Variants
Nosalises are a diverse species, with many variants. Listed below are the five types found in the game series.

Common Nosalis
Common nosalises are one of the most common enemies encountered in Metro 2033, easily distinguished by their pinkish skin tone and lanky arms. This variant’s relative weakness is offset by one factor; they are always encountered in masses. Common nosalises are not hardy creatures and, depending on the difficulty, situation, or weapon, can easily be dealt with via a few good chest-shots or a well-aimed headshot.

Though encountered less often, the common nosalises makes a return in Metro: Last Light. Here the design of the creature has undergone some dramatic changes, most notably to the head. No longer is the head round or pig-like, but instead, angular and with a pronounced jaw-line. The skin of the face is always pulled back from the front, around the maw and nose, revealing a set of jagged and crooked teeth. No longer is the nosalis' body stocky - instead it's compact, almost built triangularly, with more weight and emphasis on the head, shoulders, and upper arms than the torso.

The change to the nosalis in Metro: Last Light is not simply cosmetic either. Nosalises have maintained the ground-speed they had in Metro 2033 and, though sacrificing many of their long-distance leaping attacks, are much more fluid and powerful at close-range. A single nosalis can cause massive damage with high-frequency swipes and bites, which can combo and easily kill Artyom if he is unprepared. Nosalises in Metro: Last Light are still quite lightweight and cannot take much in the way of damage - only able to withstand two shots from a Shambler or a third of a Bastard magazine before dropping on Ranger Hardcore. This weakness is made further by the fact that nosalises will frequently turn away momentarily upon being hit by a powerful single shot, making them prime for another blast. This weakness is not the case in non hardcore modes where a common nosalis can soak up 2-4 shotgun blasts and alternatively ten or more assault rifle bullets on normal difficulty before dying (unless with a successful headshot), the situation is exacerbated by the fact that they hunt in packs of three or more. Sufficiently hard hitting weapons (such as the RPK or any shotgun) will stagger a nosalis and weapons upgraded with drum magazines such as the RPK-74 or Saiga-12 work wonders against them even in large numbers.

Dark Nosalis
Stronger and deadlier than the common variant, these nosalises are easy to distinguish from the rest because of their darker hair. They take more hits, deal more damage, and are more frequently found in the centre of the metro. One is seen at the end of "Chase", but they are not encountered in force until "Defense". Massive hordes are found on the levels leading to D6.

Green Nosalis
The subtler equivalent to Metro 2033's dark nosalis, the green nosalis is a common variant of Last Light's common nosalis. Though inflicting the same amount of damage, and moving at an identical rate to that of their standard cousins, green nosalises reportedly have about one and a quarter times the health of their counterparts. In the Tower Pack (DLC) for Metro: Last Light, green nosalises are quite notably different as they emit a seemingly radioactive-green fog. These variants in the Tower Pack have a definite health boost in comparison to the standards of the arena.

Green nosalis yet again appear in Metro 2033 Redux, where they seem to have a strength and lethality almost similar to their dark nosalis cousins encountered through the course of the game. Much like the one from the Tower Pack DLC for Metro: Last Light, these nosalises seems to emit a similar radioactive-green fog which can blurs the vision of Artyom and deal damage upon contact with them. They appear to be much tougher than the other nosalis variants, able to take even more damage than a dark nosalis and can be worthy opponents to Artyom himself.

Winged Nosalis
One of the rarer subtypes, they are only fought directly during Depot and Defense. It's never revealed within the game itself, but the sound files of Metro 2033 indicate that this variant of nosalis is the female of the species. This can be seen more clearly in Metro: Last Light, where they have numerous teats visible along their bellies, similar to those of the nosalis rhino. Winged nosalises are typified by pronounced noses, with a smaller mouth than other nosalises, as well as vestigial membranes of skin under their arms hinting at wings. They also have a split lower jaw, irritated red flesh surrounding the eyes, and heavily clawed feet.

It's unknown how a winged nosalis makes the transformation into the alpha female rhino. Looking at the differences, it does seem that this process would take quite some time to accomplish.

These versions are faster than normal nosalises, and have the ability to jump much further. They also have the ability to unleash a powerful sonic attack which sends a wave of distortion that inflicts damage, causes dizziness and deafness, and can stun opponents for short periods of time. Their strengths, however, are offset by poor endurance; they take less ammo to bring down than even a common nosalis.

The winged nosalis appears again in Metro: Last Light, in the catacombs underneath the swamp church, and on the bridge. Aside from a less pronounced head and new sonic attack animation, these nosalises remain greatly unchanged, still producing their signature move, and still moderately vulnerable to gunfire. They also appear in numerous levels in the Tower Pack, wherein they pose a significant threat to players wishing to combat nosalises while backpedaling. While dealing with them, always slay them at range that their sonic attack is useless against the player.

In Metro 2033 Redux, winged nosalises behave differently in the level "Defense" – rather than move forward in a straight line towards the defenders and being minced up, they will stick to walls and launch sonic attacks, often from beyond the reach of Artyom's flashlight.

Albino Nosalis
A rare variant of the common nosalis only appears in the level "Dungeon" and is most notable for being the kind that killed Boris on the way to D6. They are identified by their pale white fur tone, luminescent eyes, and massive jaw span.

Plated Nosalis
The most powerful - and rarest - of all nosalis strains. The strongest of the family, plated nosalises only appear in the vicinity of D6. They retain the agility of their weaker brethren while doing much more damage and have armor plating which makes them much harder to bring down. Making matters worse, they can see perfectly in total darkness. Their eyes adapted for the dark, are easily blinded; shining the flashlight directly on a plated nosalis will cause it to back away unless Artyom is within striking distance. Artyom will only encounter two of these, both on the Caves level and both can be completely evaded.

This type of nosalis doesn't appear in the Redux version and was presumably replaced by the male and female variants of the spiderbugs.

Nosalis Rhino
The nosalis rhino is a large nosalis leader encountered in Metro: Last Light, and is the equivalent to a brood mother, or alpha female. The rhino derives its name from method of attacks the beast performs - which are frequently in a linear charge fashion, like that of a wild boar or rhino.

It can be hypothesized that the Rhinos are a later stage of the winged nosalis, seeing as both are the female variants of the Nosalis and that they both share some similar features, such as the nine teats on their abdomens.

Metro Exodus
The nosalises are quite rare in the third game, which is not surprising since the adventure takes place mostly outside. They only appear during the last level, in the undergrounds of Novosibirsk. They look differently to the ones from the last games, but whether this a result of different mutations or simply an artistic choice made by the developers is unclear (as is the case with other notably reworked mutants, like the demons, watchmen and lurkers). These nosalises are much more mammalian-like compared to the ones from Metro: Last Light and are, in fact, somewhat similar to the ones from Metro 2033, since they have an elongated nose and distinct, albeit very small, eyes, which glow red in the dark. Their noses can also be raised to reveal the teeth when they are attacking or "howling", similar to their Metro 2033 counterparts. All things considered, their heads resemble those of moles or shrews now more than ever. However, their ears are eerily similar to those of humans. In Metro Exodus, the nosalises come in two variants, dark and light grey. Other than colour, there seems to be no difference between the two and it's unclear whether or not they are of different sexes. They dig holes in the ground or walls and are more often seen coming out of them when attacking instead of already being spawned in a given area. Lone ones or pairs can still be seen roaming around or feeding of carcasses. When Artyom and Miller are exploring the undergrounds of Novosibirsk, the latter notes these mutants are different than the ones from Moscow metro and this fact might be caused by a different mutation. The nosalises from Novosibirsk also seem quite cunning, as, in one instance, they managed to surprise and ambush the two characters by hiding under dead human bodies. The large worms seem to be preying on nosalises. Artyom witnessed at least one large worm entering a hole, which determined multiple nosalises to quickly exit the hole and flee in terror. In such a case, the nosalises will even ignore Artyom if he keeps a reasonable distance from the said hole.

In The Two Colonels DLC, Khlebnikov also encounters nosalises in large numbers during the very last part of the story. Interestingly, in this DLC nosalises can be seen together with blind ones, although such interactions were never witnessed in the base game campaign. Despite being very ferocious mutants, nosalises seem to be totally outmatched in combat even when they heavily outnumber a single blind one. Many dead and partially eaten nosalises can be found by Khlebnikov in areas where blind ones also reside, which might mean they are an important food source for the large simians.

From a tactical standpoint, nosalises retain much of their abilities, damage, speed and phenomenal combos from Metro: Last Light. When they sense Artyom or Khlebnikov, they will let out their trademark "howls", which also might act as calls to arms, because many more will immediately swarm the area. These mutants are as deadly as ever and two or three of them attacking at the same time can bring down a human in seconds even on Normal difficulty. When Artyom and Miller fight the nosalises together, one can use almost any weapon because Miller will make short work of most of them. When going against them alone, the best weapons to counter them are the Shambler and the Tikhar, especially the Volt Driver variant which Miller hands to Artyom during the last level. Both of these weapons would benefit greatly from expanded magazines as nosalises attack in their typical large groups. Automatic weapons with high damage like the Kalash and Bulldog are also good enough as long as headshots are taken. If going for body shots, these two automatic rifles deal subpar damage to nosalises and this might prove disastrous when many of them attack. In The Two Colonels DLC, Khlebnikov only has a flamethrower at his disposal when fighting them. This weapon is very effective against nosalises as not only it brings down their health rapidly, it also makes them run away in pain instead of fighting back. It is advised to install the latest pump mechanism on the flamethrower, which prevents it from losing pressure and, thus, doesn't require the user to increase it at a critical time. The largest magazine is also very welcome as the nosalises attack in large numbers (larger than in the base game).

Trivia

 * The Russian name for the nosalis translates as "nose" (Russian "nosach" - the one with a big or spectacular nose) or sometimes "ghoul" and "vampire" (Russian "upyr").
 * The best tactic for dealing with nosalis is to always keep moving, as their combo attack will greatly slow them down, never corner yourself.
 * There are two types of quick-time encounters with nosalises in Metro 2033:
 * One event has a nosalis pounce on top of the Artyom, and he will stab it in the side of the neck.
 * The second quick-time event is where it will knock Artyom to the ground. He will get his knife out, stab it through its lower lip and then through the top of its skull, before finishing it with a stab to the neck, forcing it off of him.

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Носач