Endings

There are two Endings for Metro 2033, two endings for Metro Last Light, and two endings for Metro Exodus, both based on the moral choices that the player makes throughout the game. For Metro 2033, there is an "Enlightened" ending, where Artyom makes a decision of saving or destroying the Dark Ones, and a "Ranger" ending, where Artyom simply destroys them by the orders of Hunter. In Metro: Last Light, there is the "C'est La Vie" ending, in which Artyom and the Rangers sacrifice themselves and D6 to save the metro, and a "Redemption" ending, in which the baby Dark One brings the surviving Dark Ones to help save Artyom and the Rangers and turn the tide of the battle. In Metro Exodus, there is the "Your Destination" ending, where Artyom lives and becomes the new leader of both the Order and a new community at Lake Baikal, and the "Eternal Voyage" ending, where Artyom dies of radiation poisoning.

In the Novel
In the Metro 2033 novel, Artyom realizes that the Dark Ones are not as hostile as he had originally thought, and actually would assist humans in surviving the harshness of metro life, as they were —as the book says— "someone who could help establish communications between their deaf and blind elder brothers – with people". As the realization dawns on Artyom, so does the fact that he cannot do anything to stop the missiles, as they are a last thought going through his head. The 'Ranger' ending is considered the canonical ending, as it is very similar to the novel.

Ranger – Destroy the Dark Ones
"A wise man once said, "He who leads a war for the love of his fellow man, will defeat his enemies." I led my war protecting my family and friends, protecting my home - the Metro. We had won. But to this day I wonder: When we burned the Dark Ones from the face of the earth, was something lost as well...?"

- Artyom's Concluding Words If Artyom does not obtain enough positive moral points for the Enlightened ending, or decides not to shoot the guidance system, the Ranger ending will be shown. It simply ends in Artyom, having faced and killed the Dark Ones in a mental battle, coming out of the dream, and sitting back to watch as Botanicheskiy Sad (Botanical Gardens) is bombarded by missiles. The game ends with a short glimpse of Artyom's face as he watches the earth being scorched for a second time. Artyom's monologue shows his conviction that he had destroyed the Dark Ones out of the love for his fellow men – уet is already beginning to doubt his actions.

Enlightened – Spare the Dark Ones
"H.G. Wells once wrote, "If we don't end wars, wars will end us.". And somehow, I stopped my war. At the time, I couldn't say what had made me spare the Dark Ones. But, I came to realize that the strange visions that haunted my journey were their attempts to reach out to us. I don't know if I was the first to communicate with them, but I will not be the last. And the future--our future--stretches before us like an endless Metro tunnel."

- Artyom's Concluding Words

If Artyom obtains enough positive moral points for the Enlightened ending, then instead of allowing the guidance system on top of the tower to guide the missiles and ultimately destroy the Dark Ones, Artyom awakens several seconds earlier, and the player is presented a choice. As Artyom comes out of the dream, a quote from Khan is heard, and he sees the Dark One laying below the guidance system, reaching for it, trying to stop it - all the while still repeating the message of: "...we want peace...". The player then has about 20 seconds to make the choice in destroying the guidance system and stop the missile strike. In it, the Dark Ones of the surface praise Artyom's wisdom and mercy – Artyom's own monologue giving hint as to his own feelings of how war had already destroyed the world once, and he was not ready for it to do so again. Concluding that the future of humanity, and the Dark Ones, stretches beyond them – like an endless metro tunnel.

This ending is apparently no longer considered part of the Metro 2033 canon, as Metro: Last Light (and the novel, Metro 2034) picks up after the Ranger ending.

Video, English dub
Ranger ending

Enlightened ending

English / Russian Differences

 * The English version of the Enlightened ending has no last phrase: "И может быть, однажды, мы заслужим свет в конце этого тоннеля" — "And maybe, someday, we will deserve the light at the end of this tunnel". In the Russian version, this phrase is spoken, but not subbed, making this near-last sentence almost forgotten.
 * Similarly, the English version of the Ranger ending has a last phrase - beginning from "But to this day I wonder" - that doesn't exist in the Russian version.
 * H.G. Wells is not mentioned in the Russian version. Instead "A wise man once said" is used in both endings.

Metro Last Light
Contrary to Metro 2033, in Metro: Last Light, many fans believed that both endings were good, in-part because the C'est la Vie ending had a far more heroic spin to it than the Ranger ending did. It is possible to know which ending will occur at the end of the Polis level, just before the end of the level. As Artyom and the baby Dark One board the train in Polis to D6 and Anna stares at Artyom, the baby Dark One will say that he will ask his kin to aid the Rangers in the battle if enough moral points have been earned. If not, he will say that he has to save his family.

C'est la Vie
In the standard, or "bad" ending to Metro: Last Light, "C'est la Vie," the Rangers are overrun by the Red Army. Miller, down for the count, is approached by a gloating Korbut, who then turns to address Artyom. It is too late however, as Artyom, ordered by Miller, engages D6's self-destruct system.

In the final cutscene, Artyom stands alone on the platform and closes his eyes as the explosion begins. In a tunnel vision, Artyom sees the saluting Rangers, flashes of his childhood, Anna, the saluting visages of Hunter, Uhlman, Khan, Miller, Alex, and, apparently, Bourbon, too. His mother's words, "don't be afraid, there's nothing to be afraid of now" echoes in his head as D6 detonates. The Red Army, trapped and panicked, breaks rank as fire tears through their numbers and engulfs Metro 2 in an inferno.

The scene cuts to years later, with Anna giving the story to her and Artyom's son, about how his father saved the Metro. When prompted, she speaks of Artyom's bravery, and of the leaving of the Dark Ones and their promised return one day.

Redemption
In this ending, just before Artyom sets off the explosives to destroy D6, the baby Dark One stops him. He and his kin (the Dark Ones trapped in D6) save Miller, Artyom, and the rest of the Rangers, and kill Korbut and the Red Army by hypnotizing them to attack each other while Korbut is personally torn apart by the little Dark One. The Dark Ones are shown materializing near all the Reds, usually with one or two hands out reaching towards their targets. After this, several scenes play in a spinning metro tunnel cutscene section, with Artyom, in narration, providing more information about the aftermath of the victory against the Reds. Uhlman is revealed to have died, "like most of the Spartans". Miller is then shown in a wheelchair having lost his feet in D6's defense, and is revealed to have taken charge of the Polis guards. Next, Artyom says that Khan just disappeared after the battle. Artyom then says that Khan once told him that, "What if this little Dark One is the last of the angels sent to save us?" He then expresses that, "The fact that the little one came back and brought his kin... Maybe that was the pardon and salvation... For me... For the Order... For all of us in the Metro? The last light of hope in this kingdom of darkness.

Artyom is then in a field with the Baby Dark One and the other Dark Ones. The Baby Dark One tells him that it will be better if they go away, but that they will come back one day. Artyom then expresses that he knows that they will meet again, and that he thinks they really were sent to save them, "Maybe we did earn forgiveness."

This ending is considered canon as Metro 2035 and Metro Exodus follow this ending.

English / Russian Differences

 * Korbut says different reasons for D6 defence: in English he asks whether it was for Polis station or the Council, and in Russian he states that is was stupid stubbornness.
 * Next phrase: English states "All are cleansed by the fires of Revolution!", while Russian proclaims widespread saying that "Revolution will justify everything".
 * In C'est la Vie mother says "there's nothing to be afraid of now" in English and "there's nothing to be afraid, my dear" in Russian.

Your Destination
In this ending, Artyom secures the cure for Anna and nearly dies from Novosibirsk's radiation, but Miller arrives at the last moment and sacrifices himself by giving Artyom his dose of the anti-radiation drug. Artyom drives to the train tracks and is rescued by the other Rangers, who keep him alive through blood transfusions. As Artyom lapses in and out of consciousness, he dreams of Miller, who leads him through a metro tunnel with a bright light at the end. This light is revealed to be a hill overlooking Lake Baikal. Miller explains how he had been too afraid to leave Moscow, too attached to his rank and position as the leader of the Order. He also blames himself for what happened to Anna due to his false belief Russia had been under NATO occupation. Anna then appears and begs Artyom not to leave her. Miller asks Artyom to stay with his daughter, and that his body be buried at Lake Baikal. He also asks Artyom to become leader of the Order, and not to forget that the Order was created to save people. Bidding him farewell, Miller vanishes and Artyom wakes up.

Anna survives, and the crew bury her father on the shores of Lake Baikal, where they found a new community, with Artyom voted by the rest of the crew to be the new leader of the Order. Citing the deceased Miller's words, indicating the Order still intends to help people in Moscow.

Eternal Voyage
Artyom and Miller die from the radiation in Novosibirsk after finding the cure for Anna. Artyom is still rescued but succumbs to his radiation poisoning when there are not enough donors to give him blood. After he finally passes, he wakes up on a dark version of the Aurora, in his room. He is greeted by a shadow of the late Eugine from Exhibition, giving him a hard time about making him wait. A child is heard running down the passenger car and Artyom follows. This child might be Artyom as a child looking for his mother.

He meets a shadow of Bourbon in the Kitchen, where Bourbon has a few comments to make. He continues into the Bridge where he meets a shadow of Khan. Khan seems to be reaching out to Artyom from the land of the living, and says that Artyom will be on the train forever and that he will give everyone in Exhibition Artyom's regards, bidding goodbye.

Miller barges into the bridge spouting bravado and comments on seeing something strange in the distance. He and Artyom stop the train at a white train station, where Artyom finds a postcard of Lake Baikal and the Aurora leaves him behind. While Anna is still saved, she is deeply saddened by the loss of both her father and Artyom. The game ends with Miller and Artyom being buried on the shores of Lake Baikal (in the same place as shown in the postcard) while the remaining Rangers fire a three-volley salute.

Moral Points
Throughout the game the player will be given chances to obtain moral points, which accumulate to determine the ending that will be played. These moral points can be anywhere from giving ammunition to the poor, talking to certain people, doing what certain people ask, moving towards the dark ones in dreams, not stealing ammunition and supplies, etc. The screen will flash a bright blue and the player will hear water dripping whenever they acquire a positive moral point.

When a negative moral point is acquired, a darker sound can be heard and the screen will drop in color and lighting for a moment.

Negative points can also counteract the positive points, if for example Artyom refuses to help people, a negative point will be obtained. Other ways to gain negative points are to steal, to not listen to certain NPCs, disturbing the ghosts in Metro 2033 - shooting them, attacking a child while in the dream on Dead City 1, not listening to Bourbon when he tells Artyom to hide, shooting at non-aggressive or otherwise neutral mutants, etc.

Metro 2033

 * Khan will drop hints to Artyom to be especially careful of the moral behavioural choices he makes throughout the game, most notably during their encounter at Sparta.
 * If one listens to some of the conversations by the Nazis, they can hear one Nazi speak about a legend that the Dark Ones only want peace with the humans.
 * The story of Metro: Last Light confirms that the Ranger ending was the canon choice for Metro 2033.
 * In the "Enlightened" ending, if the player decides to save the Dark Ones and shoot down the guidance system, though accidentally shoots at the dark one lying on the steps, they can simply walk up to the guidance system and push it down using the "Interact" button.

Metro: Last Light

 * "C'est La Vie." means "That's life."or "Such is life!" or "It is what it is!" in French. It is sometimes used as an expression to say that life is harsh but that one must accept it.
 * Hunter, along with Khan, Uhlman, and Melnik can be seen giving Artyom an honor at the end of the "C'est la Vie" ending.