Metro Exodus

"To live without hope is to cease to live."

- Dostoevsky

Metro Exodus (Korean: Метро: Исход) is the third part in the Metro video game series, set after the events of Metro: Last Light and Metro 2035. It follows the adventures of Artyom, who returns to reprise his role as the protagonist of the game.

Overview
Exodus is a story-driven first-person shooter from 4A Games that blends deadly combat and stealth with exploration and survival horror. It features a mixture of confined corridors and vast, non-linear levels (set in the Russian wilderness), tying up together to follow a storyline that spans an entire year through all four seasons. Inspired by the novels of Dmitry Glukhovsky, Metro Exodus is the first game to be set completely after the books rather than during or between them. It continues Artyom's story from where Metro 2035 left off.

It was first announced at E3 2017 with a release date of 'departing 2018' and then given a specific release date of 22nd February 2019 during E3 2018. By mid-December of 2018, Exodus went gold and its launch was pulled earlier to the 15th of February, 2019. On 28th January, 2019, it was announced that Deep Silver and 4A Games were partnering with Epic to sell digital PC copies exclusively in the Epic Store, though all Steam pre-orders would be honoured. It was later announced that Metro Exodus would return to Steam and other digital storefronts on 14th February, 2020.

Due to the delay of the proper Steam release and negative public opinion regarding the Epic Games Store, Deep Silver's decision was met with much controversy among PC gamers and longtime fans of the series.

Premise
Like with the previous games, Dmitry Glukhovsky worked on the scenario of Exodus. The heavily modified steam locomotive used by the main characters is known as the Aurora. Artyom recruits various comrades along the way, but not all will survive the journey, as 4A delivered on its promise of decisions with consequences as part of a gripping storyline with replayability.

Since Exodus is set in 2036, after the events of Metro: Last Light, Artyom is still the protagonist and his partner Anna (Miller's daughter) plays a part in the game's plot as a member of Aurora's crew - the best sniper in the Spartan Order. She is also Artyom's adviser and provides support on missions outside of the Aurora. Some of the events of the third book (Metro 2035) are canon in the video game continuity as well, so Artyom and Anna are now a married couple.

They flee from the metro, leaving Moscow entirely, on a journey to find a new home. The Aurora travels across the country using the Trans-Siberian Railway. In the game, Artyom can explore vast stretches of the Russian wilderness, where the air is breathable without the use of filters and the soil may be fertile in some areas; this confirms information already presented to the reader in the Universe of Metro 2033 book series.

The Redemption ending of the previous game is canon. Metro Exodus follows on from this, where Artyom has gathered a group of survivors to leave the metro and embark on a journey. Anna and Miller are some of the familiar returning characters, but there are more. Some of the new characters include: Alyosha, Duke, Tokarev, and Yermak - among others. The Moscow Metro's bullet economy does not apply outside of the city, but scavenging is even more important than it was before.

Gameplay
Much like previous games in the Metro series, Exodus is a first-person shooter with survival horror and stealth elements - however, it is not quite the same formula, as the experience has been greatly expanded and built upon for even more variation and non-linearity. Since the core teams at both studios have experience from working on S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, their idea was to combine the mostly linear gameplay of the Metro franchise with the more open-ended nature of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 4A Games creative director Andriy "Prof" Prokhorov described Metro Exodus’ structure as almost like an accordion, with every level shrinking or expanding depending on what the story calls for.

Therefore Exodus consists of two large sandbox areas tied together by linear or semi-open world areas. The developers refer to this as "Sandbox Survival", highlighting the fact that it is not a fully open-world title. The largest areas of Metro: Last Light capped out at 200x100 metres, while the regions of Metro Exodus stretch to 2 square kilometres. Exodus includes a full weather system with a dynamic day/night cycle (Artyom can rest in Hideouts to pass time).

Customisation
Players can customise almost every aspect of Artyom's loadout, including: Artyom's wristband can be customised with indicators (the nixie watch from Last Light is back as part of this), while the firearms utilised in the game can be modified in five different areas: scopes, barrels, magazines, attachments, and stocks. Artyom can strip the attachments off of the weaponry he finds on his fallen enemies to later apply to his own guns. Armour upgrades are less common and are found in certain set spots. The notable exception to this is the Tihar, in which all upgrades are given to Artyom by Tokarev or, in one instance, Miller.
 * Two main weapons and either the Tikhar or the Helsing
 * Helmet and gas mask
 * Bracer
 * Plate carrier
 * Electronic equipment

This system makes extensive use of the new scavenging system present in Metro Exodus. Two new resources have been added to the game: materials and chemicals. Materials are used for such items as repairing the gas mask or creating throwing knives. This extensive scavenging/crafting system has been put in place to replace the bullet economy of the previous games, which does not apply outside of Moscow.

Seasons
The changing seasons (each with its own factions, wildlife, and weather) are an important new feature in Metro Exodus that have a direct effect on how players behave and how NPCs react to the environment.

Winter
Metro Exodus begins in Moscow, during the harsh winter that fans are already familiar with. The freezing cold is a natural habitat for demons, nosalises, watchmen, and so on. This chapter is the shortest and one of the most linear, serving as the tutorial for new players.

Spring
Winter is still hanging on this flatland archipelago at the Volga river when the Aurora arrives. Spring will begin to dominate and warm sunlight will melt ice and snow. This region centres on a bridge that must be lowered so the Aurora can pass. The bridge, however, is occupied by religious fanatics while various beasts and anomalies stalk the land and water. Notable places here include a port, a train depot, and an old church where Silantius (a cult leader) indoctrinates his followers to abandon electricity as sinful and to worship the Tsar Fish, a giant mutated catfish. Prepare to meet various bandits, fanatics, lurkers, humanimals, watchmen, shrimp and the Tsar Fish.

Summer
Some zones of post-apocalyptic Russia bacame arid. During the summer we will come across a dried-out, desert area near the Caspian Sea and Kazakhstan. Rusted cargo ships litter the sand, while oil pipelines run along vast stretches of the land. Vehicles are useful to move through this region. Sandstorms will occasionally whip through the area, giving players a dynamic weather element to deal with. This region is also controlled by the Munai-bailer, a group of raiders led by a man known as The Baron. The crew will be low on water and fuel, so Artyom will have to find both with the help of Damir. Artyom will encounter hordes of humanimals (or chameleons as Damir calls them), lurkers, spiderbugs and demons.

Autumn
A gorgeous, mountainous, riverside valley featuring many elevations changes with a complex system of caves to explore in the region the Aurora’s crew finds in autumn. This area is controlled by Pioneers and Pirates (the Children of the Forest) who made many man-made wooden fortresses and tree-houses to protect themselves from wolves and the master of the forest (a mutated bear). Meanwhile, marshlands and swamps are infested by shrimps and snakes. Artyom will also encounter deer and hares who will not be a threat to him.

Winter (again)
The second winter will be faced in Novosibirsk, the dead city. Radiation is 8 times as high as in Moscow so the place is extremely deadly and toxic. The metro tunnels will offer some protection but are overrun by packs of nosalis and new threats such as worms. The main objective here is an institute which is ruled by Blind Ones.

Moscow
After the Battle for D6, Artyom along with his wife Anna, leave the Order to settle down at VDNKh station. However, Artyom's growing paranoia and his dreams of leaving the metro lead him to regularly go up to the surface to attempt to tune into any outside radio broadcasts. During one such expedition, Artyom, on his way to his home station, is wounded by a pack of watchmen and is narrowly saved by a small detachment of Rangers. Colonel Miller rebukes him for his frequent travels on the surface, and personally travels to Exhibition to offer Artyom and Anna a place in the order once again, this time training new recruits from the comfort of Polis.

One week later, Anna accompanies Artyom on a trip to the surface and while traversing through a Hanza-restricted zone, they come across a functional train travelling through Moscow. The couple is subsequently captured by Hanza realizing that the outside world has survived for over 20 years, and two travellers have come to Moscow in search of their relative. The vehicle pulls over and the Hanza soldiers prepare to execute the two travellers before Artyom intervenes but he is shot and left for dead in a ravine filled with piles of dead bodies. Gravely wounded, Artyom manages to enter the Hanza outpost, and with the aid of the train driver, Yermak, is able to find Anna. It is revealed by the commander in the outpost that the war is still ongoing, and the outpost is a broadcast jammer, stopping anybody from contacting the outside world, and alerting any foreign powers about the people still alive in Moscow.

Artyom, Anna and Yermak devise a plan to steal the train to escape from Hanza and to warn the rest of the metro of the current situation. However, a Hanza-Spartan joint force led by Miller storms the train and capture the trio. Learning that the assailants are Anna and Artyom, Miller turns on the Hanza soldiers and hijacks the train to escape Moscow. They are intercepted by a heavily-armed Hanza armored train, but Artyom is able to sabotage it, allowing the Rangers to make a clean getaway.

Stopping some distance outside of Moscow, Miller reveals to the crew that the major factions in the metro, including Hanza, the Spartan Order and both the Red Line and the Reich, are secretly controlled by the urban legend, known only by few in the Metro as the Invisible Watchers. He goes on to say that shortly after the Battle for D6 he was briefed by them and told that the war is still on-going, that Moscow is hiding, and the government had survived, residing in the Ural Mountains, and should he reveal this information would result in a death penalty. Knowing that they would be executed anyway if they return to the metro, Miller decides to set the newly-named train Aurora on a course to Yamantau.

The Volga
After travelling for some time, the Aurora stops on the banks of the Volga river after running into a hostile roadblock. Assuming the roadblock to be the occupying forces, Miller halts the expedition and tasks the Rangers with scouting the area, gathering supplies and finding away across the bridge in the distance. Anna and Artyom both set off towards a nearby church, where Artyom is lured in by a preacher, who exclaims that technology is evil and the crew of the Aurora are heretics needing to be purged. Within the church Artyom meets Katya and her daughter, Nastya, travellers who have been held hostage by the fanatics for over a year. They reveal that the fanatics hold the bridge across the Volga and that a nearby engineer, Krest, resides in a fortified dock crane. Anna assists in helping the hostages escape, whilst Artyom makes his way to Krest, who agrees to join the Aurora in exchange for his help in maintaining the train.

Anna is tasked with scouting out a nearby radio tower and is lured into an underground munitions facility by an American flag tied to a tree. Artyom manages to rescue her, with Sam and Damir providing support when the bunker doors are opened. Katya and Nastya are reluctantly invited aboard the Aurora, in exchange for the location of a nearby passenger car that Artyom manages to steal from a group of bandits holed up in a nearby train depot. After this Artyom, Duke and Krest steal a traveling merchants tug boat to infiltrate the bridge, in which Silantius, the fanatic's leader and preacher, is located. Based on the player's actions throughout the chapter, the chapter could end in two ways:
 * Duke gets shot by the alerted fanatics and tells Artyom to jump alone, leaving him for dead in the bridge. This happens when Artyom does not attain enough moral points, and kills much of the fanatics throughout the chapter.
 * Duke and Artyom is able to jump safely into the train after Silantius convinces the fanatics in the bridge to hold fire and advise to make the train move slowly across the bridge. This ending if Artyom attains a sufficient amount of moral points, and spares the lives of the fanatics throughout the chapter.

Yamantau
The crew aboard the Aurora make their way to Mount Yamantau in the Urals, where the Ark Project, and the surviving government are supposedly located. Due to the levels of radiation surrounding the mountain, Miller takes a small crew on a rail car to scout the facility, before moving the Aurora closer. The entrance to the base is littered with dozens of vehicles from across the country, signs that survivors have been making their way to the facility for years. However, once inside, it is revealed that the government never made it to the bunker, and the inhabitants, mostly low-ranking military personnel and building crews, had slowly resorted to cannibalism, contacting survivors and luring unsuspecting people to their deaths. The crew is split up, with Krest, Sam and Idiot staying at the entrance with the rail car, whilst Miller, Anna and Artyom are interrogated by the Doctor, one of the leaders in the heart of the complex.

Anna is taken away separately to be tested whilst the cannibals prepare Artyom and Miller to be killed. However Sam and Idiot have infiltrated the base to rescue them before their demise. After escaping the room on a lift, it is revealed the facility is almost a carbon copy of D6, which they use to their advantage to split up to look for Anna. Sam is ordered to secure the central chamber of the facility to allow for a quick escape, Idiot and Miller assault the command centre, and Artyom is tasked with searching the Armory and living quarters. Artyom fights his way through familiar scenery to rescue Anna, who kills the Doctor. The crew reunites in the command centre where Miller executes the surviving military officers in charge of the facility. They make a narrow escape in Krest's railcar back the safety of the Aurora, leaving behind their supposed only hope of a future.

The Caspian
Miller orders the Aurora south, into Kazakhstan and to the Caspian Sea in search of a satellite facility that may hold maps of radiation hotspots around the country. After travelling for many months, and almost out of fuel and water, the Aurora reaches its destination. The celebrations are short-lived as half of the crew are down with heatstroke and local thugs have been alerted to the Aurora's presence. Artyom and Damir are tasked with scouting local ruins in search of a vehicle that witnessed their arrival. Artyom is attacked by an assailant, known as Saul, the leader of the outpost. Artyom kills or spares Saul, but in any case, he steals his van and heads north to a nearby lighthouse, where a local woman named Giul has offered to assist the Rangers.

She reveals that her mother worked in the nearby satellite station, but after the war, they moved out due to the worsening state of the facility. She guides Artyom to the entrance but warns him of the dangers that lurk in the dilapidated station. After fighting his way through the spider infested bunker he manages to find the most recent satellite maps and escapes with Damir and Giul in tow. [Giul tells the pair that the area is controlled by the Munai-bailer, the remnants of the Oil drilling facilities in the region, led by the Baron, who has enslaved the majority of the local population.

Artyom and Damir then infiltrate the local well, where the Baron has his water operation. They successfully sneak through the facility and escape with a tanker full of water, however, the Baron's men followed them back to the Aurora, where a firefight breaks out. Miller once again tasks Artyom, Damir and Giul with infiltrating the Baron's fortress to steal a train car with enough fuel for the Aurora. However, Giul plans to kill the Baron and separates from the infiltrating Rangers to set up explosives around the fortress.

Giul manages to set the explosives detonating, sparking a revolution against the Munai-bailer, and depending on the player's actions throughout the chapter, the ending can go two ways:
 * Damir chooses to remain and accompany Giul in freeing the slaves, stating that the war for the freedom of his people has now become his main concern too. This occurs if Artyom has not enough moral points and kills slaves throughout his Caspian journey.
 * Damir chooses to accompany Artyom in the zipline, thanking him for helping and freeing his people of the Munai-bailer's abuse and slavery. This happens if Artyom has adequate moral points, frees the slaves from different regions of the Caspian sea, and hasn't killed slaves while roaming the Caspian Sea.

The Taiga
With the newly acquired satellite maps, Miller proposes a new destination to settle down: a forest valley on the edge of a lake. At dinner, he makes the announcement, whilst also marrying Stepan and Katya. However, during the celebrations, Anna begins to cough blood and reveals the Doctor in The Ark informed her that her lungs are failing, most likely as a result of an unknown toxic gas exposure after falling into an abandoned ammo dump in Volga. Katya informs Miller and Artyom that her mother, a doctor, had received a miracle drug from Novosibirsk just before the onset of the war that could likely cure Anna of her infliction. Miller decides to head for the forest valley, hoping their current stock of antibiotics and the fresh air will do Anna well. Not wanting surprises, he sends Artyom and Alyosha to scout ahead of the Aurora in the railcar. Before they can make it to the dam near the valley, a rock slide destroys the tracks and knocks the rail car, along with Artyom and Alyosha into the water.

Artyom founds himself in a small village, having been saved by a local inhabitant, Olga. Artyom must make his way up the valley to re-unite with Alyosha and to warn the Aurora of the dangers in the forest. It is revealed that Alyosha was captured by the locals, known as the Children of the Forest, the remnants of the local summer camp that lay claim to the valley. Artyom encounters the two main tribes: the Pirates led by Roman, who adopt a more violent approach to outsiders, and the Pioneers led by Olga, who is more passive. Each tribe interpret the word of the camp teacher differently, and both are against the local bandits who have set up shop in the nearby village.

Artyom makes his way up the Valley and finally reunites with Alyosha, who reveals the dam will not last much longer and will flood the valley with radioactive sediment, that will pose a potential deadly threat for the valley occupants. As they make their way to escape, they are ambushed by the Master of the Forest; a giant mutated Bear, that Artyom manages to knock off of a cliff and into the river below.

Depending on the Artyom's actions throughout the chapter, the ending can go in two ways:
 * Olga and her Pioneers arrive at the scene and chase down the Spartan pair as they zipline to the dam, chastising Alyosha for being Artyom's ally. They begin to shoot arrows at the latter and his friend, and hitting Alyosha. For the rest of the game, Alyosha is confined to a wheelchair for his wounds and further implications that affect the game's ending. This outcome happens if Artyom makes his way through the valley by killing the local bandits, Pioneers and Pirates alike.
 * Olga and her Pioneers arrive at the scene, the former ordering her companions to stand down, and share her feelings for Alyosha as he and Artyom are about to leave the valley. As they zipline to the dam, Alyosha warns Olga about the dam breaking down and spelling doom for the valley and its inhabitants, and stating her companion's stubbornness. The ending happens if Artyom only kills the local bandits, spares any of the Children of the Forest, and even saves some of them on his journey across the forests.

The Dead City
With Anna's state worsening, Miller informs the crew that he and Artyom must go to Novosibirsk alone to attempt to find the serum developed there. Idiot informs him that the radiation maps obtained in the Caspian bunker reveal Novosibirsk to have lethal levels of radiation, worse than in Moscow. Miller tasks the remaining crew to search a nearby rail museum for essential upgrades for the Aurora to prepare for the upcoming winter, whilst he and Artyom search for the antidote in the radioactive city.

Having modified Saul's van from the Caspian, the pair head out in search of the institute where the drug may be located. However, large doses of radiation and heavily blocked roads force them to go to the city underground. As they explore deeper into the city metro, they encounter familiar mutants, as well as the decomposing remains of a battle, mirroring the Metro in Moscow. They discover a boy, Kirill, living underground who tells them that the population has been able to survive for so long due to a powerful anti-radiation drug, known as the green stuff. Kirill tells them of the situation, in which the dwindling supply had led to the metro's downfall, in which only he and his father survived. In his hideout he reveals that the city's satellite communications facility survived the war and had surveyed much more than the facility in the Caspian and for far longer.

Miller and Artyom split up, with Miller heading for the Sat-Com centre to look for the satellite maps and Artyom searching in the Institute for the antidote. Despite suffering from overwhelming doses of radiation, and the dangers of mutants, such as the local nosalises, giant worms, and the telepathic and deadly Blind Ones, Artyom is able to reach deep into the Institute. Fighting his way through the hordes of mutants, he finally finds the remaining cache of serum, only to be attacked by a Blind One. Critically wounded and suffering heavily from the radiation, Artyom collapses outside the Institute.

Meanwhile, Miller is able to retrieve the maps, returns to Kirill and sets out to find Artyom in the lead-lined van. Finding him gravely wounded, Miller uses his remaining dose of the anti-radiation drug on Artyom and drives them out of the city. However, Miller succumbs to the radiation and dies at the wheel. Artyom wakes up and still gravely wounded, drives the van further before passing out. Waking up in the morning, Kirill hears the Aurora and the crew stops to rush and rescue Artyom and retrieve the dead body of Miller. Katya says they must perform a blood transfusion on Artyom if he is to survive. It is also revealed that the serum had saved Anna, who makes a quick recovery, and here, Artyom's fate depends on the outcomes of his actions throughout the game.

Endings
Your Destination (Good Ending) - This ending is attained if Artyom manages to save at least two or all of his following individual companions from the three open-world chapters. In the good ending, Artyom is saved by the crew via transfusion and meets Miller in a vision. The latter takes him outside the vision's tunnel, revealing it to be Lake Baikal, the Aurora's next destination. He says that he can't believe that life in the outside world is possible, and that Artyom was ready for it, while he prioritizes life in the underground metro. Miller states that it was his fault that Anna fell into the bunker in the Volga and contracted the disease. The colonel finally parts with Artyom by requesting him to bury his body near the shores of Lake Baikal, and take his place as the leader of the Spartan Rangers. Artyom wakes up, and later fulfills Miller's request, with the crew appointing him as leader of the order.
 *  Duke (Volga Chapter) - He jumps with Artyom on the Aurora in the fortified bridge after convincing Silantius to lower the bridge.
 *  Damir  (Caspian Sea Chapter) - He chooses to go with Artyom and the Rangers after eliminating the Baron in his fortress.
 *  Alyosha  (Taiga Chapter) - He is able to zipline with Artyom into the dam safely, after killing the Master of the Forest and leaving the valley.

After that, Artyom states that the new home for him and Anna as well as the rest of the Aurora's crew is far too large for just them and the Spartan Order is meant to save people. Consequently, there is a hint that Artyom will order the rest of his crew to return to Moscow and take the fight against the Invisible Watchers to finally liberate the people of the Metro from their influence.

Eternal Voyage (Bad Ending) - This ending is attained if the Artyom is not able to save at least two of his companions from the three open-world chapters. The outcomes obtained are otherwise contradictory to the aforementioned results of each chapter's ending.

In the bad ending, the crew still manages to rescue Artyom and performs transfusion, but since there aren't enough blood donors (a.k.a. the companions that he must save in the three chapters), he succumbs to his wounds and the radiation poisoning. A vision has him waking up in a tunnel, but instead of Miller talking to him, the Aurora runs his body over. He wakes up again in the afterlife, inside his room in the darker version of the Aurora, meeting familiar faces along the train, like his close childhood friend Eugine, his partner Bourbon, and Khan, who seems to come from the land of the living. The ever-spiritual man state that the train Artyom is riding will go on eternally. Finally, he encounters Miller, who retains the same personality as it was when he was alive. Artyom stops on a train station, looking at a postcard of Lake Baikal. In reality, Artyom dies, and he and Miller were buried near the shores of Lake Baikal, with Anna angrily complaining at her husband about dying, and the crew performing a firing salute to honor his burial.

Development
The game was first announced at E3 2017, with a late 2018 release date, which was later delayed to February of 2019. Initially Exodus was to be set in Moscow, linking the vast network of stations together in a more open world, but the studio was not enthusiastic about staying in the metro for several more years of development time. The decision to explore the rest of post-nuclear Russia was first brought forward by two artists, whose idea became popular with the team and with Dmitry Glukhovsky, as it suited his book Metro 2035 as well. Jon Bloch from 4A Games has claimed that Metro Exodus is their most ambitious project yet; this can be seen easily by looking at the scale and graphics of the game.

It runs on the same engine that was used in Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light - the proprietary 4A Engine - but this technology has been heavily updated since the first title was released, as well as evolving significantly over the course of Exodus' development. Physics-based rendering, overhauled lighting, full facial capture for cinematics, a dynamic weather system with day/night cycles, a state-of-the-art atmospherics system, simulated AI biomes, and an AI motion controller that automates the blending of animations for NPCs are some of the new features. The engine was built to be cross-platform from the ground up, so it is said to take full advantage of each console and the PC.

About 80 people in Kiev (Ukraine) and 70 team members in Sliema (Malta) are working on the game, connected together by an almost always online live connection to better coordinate their efforts. A dedicated team of 6 people are assigned with the job of making sure that each of the post-apocalyptic weapons crafted in Metro Exodus would actually work in real life. Furthermore, 4A Games recorded gunfire in an array of environments to provide realistic 3D audio effects for the game's firearms, as gun blasts accurately reverberate around thick walls or brick rooms, while rifle shots produce an echo in open spaces.

Special Editions
The "Aurora Limited Edition" and pre-order bonuses for Metro Exodus were announced in August of 2018. The Aurora edition - available at select retailers worldwide, in limited supply - includes the following:
 * One copy of the game in an exclusive steelbook case
 * One 32-page art book from the world of Metro
 * One season pass for Metro Exodus
 * All contained in a metal outer case inspired by the Aurora

A cheaper "Gold Edition” includes just the game and its expansion pass. Pre-order bonuses for (whichever edition of) Metro Exodus, included with either the physical or digital version, were:
 * Microsoft Windows - a digital art book and the Metro Exodus original soundtrack
 * PlayStation 4 - a PS4 dynamic theme based on the Metro Exodus "Winter" artwork
 * Xbox One - a copy of Metro 2033 Redux for X-One

The Spartan Collector's Edition, with even more physical extras, was revealed some time later.

New Game Plus
Added in the 27th March, 2019 "Ranger" update, New Game Plus allows players who have completed the game to make use of some of their equipment from the beginning of the game. In the most basic format, players can make use of all the weapons and weapon upgrades they have found during the game from the start of the Volga level (suit upgrades must be found again). However, the system can be changed and modified to better suit the player. These changes include:
 * Armoured Enemies: All human enemies are upgraded by one armour level.
 * Backpack Limitations: All crafting in the backpack is forbidden. Artyom can only modify his weapons and must do every other form of crafting at a workbench.
 * Bad Weather: Rain, Snow and Sandstorms are all more common in their applicable levels.
 * Developer Commentary: Green tape player throughout the game will be available to play developer commentary.
 * Grenadiers: Human enemies use grenades more often.
 * Iron Mode: AKA the Iron Man mode of the game, manual & quick saves are completely disabled, but progress is saved upon the completion of a chapter.
 * Radiation is Forever: Radioactive hotspots (areas requiring the gas mask) are more common throughout levels.
 * Real-Time Weather: The game's day/night cycle is swapped from 2 hours to 24 hours.
 * Tougher Hide: All mutants have high health pools.
 * Crossbow: Simply provides the Helsing to Artyom in the Moscow level
 * One Weapon: Artyom is limited solely to one weapon of any type.
 * Crossbow: Provides Artyom with the crossbow at the beginning of the game. Yermak gives Artyom the crossbow after the jammer scene in Moscow.
 * My Weapons: Allows you to start a new play-through with all weapons and attachments found in the last play-through.

Downloadable Content
There are two pieces of story content: The Two Colonels, released on the 20th August 2019, and Sam's Story, released on 11th February 2020.

The Two Colonels
The first expansion will focus on Colonel Khlebnikov under the dead city of Novosibirsk, as he makes his way home to his son, Kirill, for New Year’s Eve.

But all is not well with the people here: the slime is further consuming the tunnels, mutant attacks appear to be on the rise, and the precious ‘green stuff’ that protects the people from radiation poisoning is running low. In order to secure the survival of any of the people, those in charge may need to take drastic measures…

Following the journey and experiences of Khlebnikov during the last days of life in Novosibirsk, which Colonel Miller retraces a year later, players can expect the classic story-driven gameplay of the Metro series in this new linear chapter, complete with a brand new weapon, the deadly flamethrower, claustrophobic environments, and the all-too-familiar hair-raising tension.

Sam's Story
The second expansion is the brand new sandbox survival level set in Vladivostok. Sam, a US marine at the Moscow embassy before the bombs were dropped, has long dreamed of returning to his homeland, and maybe finding his family alive. The prospect seemed impossible in the darkened tunnels of the metro, but when the Spartans discovered that Moscow was not the only city left alive after the war, holding out hope did not feel so foolish anymore.

Sam makes his way away from the Aurora in search of a way back to the USA, arriving at the remains of Vladivostok’s tsunami ravaged harbours, ruined industrial buildings, and crumbling residential districts. To complete his journey, Sam will discover that he needs every tactic he has learned so far to survive, as his surroundings prove to be far trickier than expected.

Artyom will forge Sam's path through the sandbox survival landscape of Vladivostok, as he takes a brand new journey across the wasteland of post-apocalyptic Russia.

Reception
Metro Exodus received "generally favorable" reviews on Metacritic getting a metascore of 82/100 on both PC & Xbox One and 80/100 on PS4.

Videos
Metro Exodus ru:Metro: Exodus Metro Exodus Metro Exodus Metro Exodus Metro Exodus