| “ | A makeshift rotating barrel machinegun capable of long sustained fire barrages. Requires spin-up before it can actually shoot. | „ |
— Last Light in-game description | ||
The Gatling or Hand-Held Minigun is a multi-stroke pneumatic machine gun that appears in Metro: Last Light. A different version of this weapon, albeit with the same name, also appears in Metro Exodus.
Overview[]
Metro: Last Light[]
The Gatling is an automatic weapon that uses 12.7x108mm rounds and has a spring mechanism that needs to wound up to fire. Because of the high value of 12.7x108mm rounds, firing at full auto will be expensive and should be used only in extreme danger.
This weapon is first seen in the campaign when caught by Andrew the Blacksmith at the end of the "Revolution" level. It's only available, however, during the last few minutes of the game, where the Rangers make their final stand. Artyom can use this weapon to easily mow down the attacking Red Line troops with 500 rounds to use. Once the ammunition belt is used up, the gun cannot be reloaded and Artyom has to kill the remaining Reds with his other weapons. The weapon will lose accuracy if it's fired fully automatically - a single bullet fired from the Gatling will do a lot of damage, so it is advised that ammunition is used sparingly; keep the barrels rotating at all times so it can be fired quickly. It is unknown why the Rangers use a makeshift Gatling when a DShK 12.7mm Machinegun would fire the same cartridge and probably do the job just as well, if not better as it would have been made before the war.
The Rangers are not the only group to have a Gatling, as the Fourth Reich use one during their defense of the Frontline in the mission Heavy Squad. Their best shock trooper, Hans, uses this to great effect against invading Red Line troops. Hans' Gatling, however, is slightly different to the Ranger's, namely the fact that the Reich Gatling has an engine, as opposed to the chain operated system in the Ranger's, meaning the barrels can be spun constantly, and a support stock to reduce recoil. This makes it a formidable weapon against opposing enemies. It can also be reloaded with a box magazine containing 500 rounds in a disintegrating ammunition belt, showing that the Reich probably have more stockpiles of the 12.7x108mm available. One of the Reds Hans fights against carries a Gatling as well, though it is unknown what type/attachments he has. The Gatling has a high vertical recoil and can easily make the gun climb up. A way to cope with this trait is to fire in no more than 3 seconds, aim at the ground in front of the target or aim at their feet or leg. So when the recoil makes the gun climb, the bullets have a better chance hitting their mark. This can come in handy in medium ranges, where foes will start shooting.
The Gatling appears in the last stage of The Tower Pack, where it is invaluable tool to fend off nosalis hordes and librarians. In general, if the player character has access to this weapon, expect fighting a large horde of enemies at close to mid range.
The Gatling is also seen in the Developer Pack at the Shooting Gallery and AI Arena with all attachments available.
Metro Exodus[]
Unlike its predecessor from Metro: Last Light, the iteration of the Gatling seen in Metro Exodus possesses dual fixed barrels, is spring operated rather than crank- or motor-powered, has a 75-round quadrant-type magazine and fires 5.45x39mm ammunition (same as the Kalash or the Bulldog). It does not seem to be based on any real-life weapon and is probably custom-made in the post-apocalyptic world.
The Gatling is usually seen in the hands of heavy troopers. These armored enemies usually walk slowly towards Artyom while firing their gun in long bursts until the line of sight with him is broken. The gun can obliterate the him very quickly if caught in the open, so carefully taking down these enemies from behind cover and at longer distance is advised. When they are killed, the gun can be picked up and used by Artyom as well, however, it does not come with any upgrades.
When firing the gun, the rate of fire is fairly slow at first, but increases noticeably after the first few seconds of firing, similar to its predecessor from Metro: Last Light.
As impressive as it might seem, the Gatling can be disadvantageous in most situations, as it is cumbersome, inaccurate (with no option to aim down sights) and burns through ammunition very quickly. It can fill in for a shotgun if the player has more 5.45x39mm ammunition than shotgun shells, as the weapon is capable of killing most mutants and human enemies in a single body hit (oddly, given the short barrels and assault rifle caliber), while tougher enemies only require a few shots at most, even on hard difficulty. Using it at close range in such a manner offsets it's poor accuracy at a distance. So, while other weapons are generally more well rounded compared to the situational Gatling, the weapon is far from useless.
Upgrades and Customization[]
Metro: Last Light[]
The Gatling has four unique attachments that are not available for any other weapon. They focus on increasing the rate of fire, reducing recoil and eliminating the necessity to hand-crank the weapon in order to achieve maximum fire rate.
| Available attachments | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slot | Icon | Name | Effect | Description |
 Barrel |
|
Five-barrel assembly | Increased rate of fire with no negative impact on spring mechanism | Increases Gatling's rate of fire without additional wear. |
 Base |
|
Gatling stabiliser | Decreased recoil | This gyro stabilizer makes the gatling gun easier to control while spinning barrels and firing. |
|
Gatling engine | Doesn't need to be handcranked, fires at maximum fire rate indefinitely | Replaces the spring-operated spin-up mechanism, allowing for indefinite spin time. | |
 Misc |
|
Gatling support | Decreased recoil while moving | Makes movement easier while spinning barrels and firing. |
Metro Exodus[]
The Gatling has provisions for barrel and magazine mods in Metro Exodus. There are not, however, attachments available for it.
| List of upgrades | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slot | Icon | Name | Effect | Description |
 Barrel |
|
Short barrels and spring mechanism | None (default) | This dual short-barreled mechanical-fed system boasts fast rate of fire combined with having good damage and penetration, but its drive spring slowly loses tension over time |
 Magazine |
|
Quadrant-type magazine | 75-round magazine | This quadrant-shaped magazine can hold up to 75 rounds of ammunition, while staying considerably less bulky than pan-type magazines |
Acquisition[]
Metro Exodus[]
Yamantau[]
There is one Gatling Gun that can be found in the Yamantau Bunker.
- In the hands of an armored heavy trooper that will attack Artyom at the choke-point just before the second barracks section.
The Caspian[]
There are seven Gatling Guns that can be found in the Caspian.
- In the Munai-bailer ship breaking camp, In the stern section of the ship, on the middle decks of the superstructure, after coming up the ladder, on a stack of wooden crates.
- At the central crossroads southwest of the central oil field, you will come across a wrecked van, In the back of the van, next to a dead heavy trooper.
- In the third and intact hanger on the abandon helicopter base, in the middle of the second turn, on a wooden crate.
- On the north side of the second floor of the partially destroyed Air Control tower, next to a dead heavy trooper.
- After Artyom wakes up after stealing the water tanker, in the hands of an armored heavy trooper.
- In the Munai-bailer prison hulk on the south side of the coastal road, in the hands of an armored heavy trooper.
- In the hands of an armored heavy trooper, who will storm the entrance to the Baron's penthouse.
Related Achievements/Trophies[]
Metro: Last Light[]
|
Gunslinger |  / 15 
|
| Kill at least one Enemy with each Weapon available in the game. | ||
|
Homo Homini Lupus Est | / 15
|
| Kill 100 enemies with heavy weapons. | ||
Metro Exodus[]
|
Professional | / 15
|
| Make at least one kill with every ranged weapon. | ||
Trivia[]
Metro: Last Light[]
- In real life, a Gatling, even a smaller one and especially a 12.7x108mm one, would be very difficult to operate without special equipment or mounted on vehicles. Even if it was feasible to use, it would be so unwieldy for someone such as Artyom or even Hans that targets would be difficult to hit. At the very least, both characters should have a sling to support the weapon, as they would be unable to raise the firearm for that long without proper support.
- Modern Gatling guns are powered by an external power source in order for one to work. In game, the Gatling uses a large coil spring wound up using a purposed ratchet strap. It can also be upgraded with a small petrol engine used to run the mechanism. This engine, however, appears to be too small to have enough torque to turn the barrels and run the rest of the mechanism.
- Ammunition is also a problem, as 500 rounds of 12.7x108mm weights about 24 kilograms, or about 53 pounds. So the ammo box linked to the weapon would be very difficult to carry, let alone fire accurately.
- The only known Eastern Bloc 12.7 mm Gatling gun similar to the in-game Gatling is the YakB-12.7, which has four barrels instead of three or five. The Yak-B-12.7 is the primary armament of the Mil Mi-24 Hind Attack Helicopter. The Western counterpart of the YakB-12.7 is the less popular GAU-19/A, which uses 3 or 6 rotaty barrels, fire a slightly shorter 12.7x99mm BMG, and is the primary weapon of V-22 Osprey or OH-58D Kiowa Helicopter.
- Before Metro: Last Light was released, the Gatling could be seen outside of D6. It was shown to be found in a Reich outpost during the first gameplay trailer, and again in the full 12-minute gameplay video, along with a Helsing, while Artyom is battling a rhino. It also seemed the Gatling needed to be charged, as the trailer shows Artyom using a handle which fills the gauge that can be coloured green from yellow to red.
- When left idle, Artyom will pull the handle back and forth.
- Killing an enemy with the Gatling causes a large cloud of blood, even when the target is heavily armored. This is understandable given the large calibre round entering and exiting their body.
- One of the Reich soldiers in the Faction Pack's Heavy Squad mission refers to the Gatling as the "pepperbox", most likely referring its multi-barrel design.
- Despite using the same ammunition, the Gatling and Preved do not share ammo in the level D6.
- In the D6 level, Artyom cannot reload the Gatling, and there is no additional ammunition for it.
- It appears that the default Gatling uses a clockwork-spring mechanism to spin the barrels to full firing speed. With attachments, this can be changed:
- In the Faction Pack, Hans' Gatling has a small engine to spin the barrels indefinitely (realistically until the fuel runs out, though it will not in-game).
- In the Tower Pack, the Captain must crank the handle at the breech in between firefights to maintain its astounding fire rates.
- In the Developer Pack, both mechanisms are used, depending on the attachments selected.
- In real life, a Gatling would not need the barrels to reach a certain momentum to fire. The second a barrel moves into the firing position it would fire. It has become a video game cliche, however, for Gatlings and miniguns to spool up before they fire, so it's possible this is why it was included.
- Although the stock on the Gatling might seem trivial compared to its massive bulk, it actually has some practical use. The stock could be used as a counterweight to help balance the Gatling, and can also be braced to the side of the body to hold the weapon during firing.
- Although a DShK might seem like a better choice for a machine gun, the Gatling does have some advantages; it can be used as a psychological weapon due to the number of barrels and high rate of fire, has a higher rate of fire compared to a DShK, doesn't overheat, can sustain fire longer, and it may possibly be lighter than a DShK.
- Despite the fact that the ammobox is identical to the DShK, the Gatling has a capacity of 500 rounds, while DShK has 50.
- There is a glitch in the Developer Pack that removes all of the Gatling's barrels when the five-barrel modification is removed.
- Despite using the biggest caliber in the metro, the Gatling's gunshot sound effects are some of the quietest in the game.
Metro Exodus[]
- The description at the workbench claims that the Gatling has rotating barrels, while in fact, it has dual fixed barrels. It's possible - as suggested by some concept art - that rotating barrels were intended as one of the attachments, which eventually didn't make it into the game.
- Other attachments seen in concept art indicate that multiple magazine types, barrel assemblies, and mechanisms for spooling the weapon up were planned, with the maxed out Gatling having a 5-barrel assembly, powered with an electric motor and loaded with a belt fed magazine.
- Because this weapon does not have a set of crank-powered rotating barrels, it technically is not a Gatling gun. The name was probably chosen as most games call similar multi-barelled heavy machine guns "Gatling guns", so the players immediately know what kind of weapon they are dealing with.
Gallery[]
Metro: Last Light[]
Metro Exodus[]
| Weapons of Metro Last Light and Metro Redux | |
|---|---|
| Melee | |
| Handguns | |
| Assault Rifles | |
| Sniper Rifles | |
| Shotguns | |
| Pneumatic Weapons | |
| Heavy Weapons | Flamethrower • Gatling • Medved |
| Explosives | |
| Emplacement Weapons | |
| Attachments | |
| Weapons of Metro Exodus | |
|---|---|
| Melee | |
| Handguns | |
| Assault Rifles | |
| Sniper Rifles | |
| Shotguns | |
| Pneumatic Weapons | |
| Heavy Weapons | Flamethrower • Gatling |
| Throwables | |
| Attachments | |