Metro Exodus: Complete Guide

A practical guide to Metro Exodus on PC: survival systems, crafting, weapons, a chapter-by-chapter outline, how to get the good ending, the DLCs, and which PC edition to play.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the August/September 2026 PC patch (Deep Silver Account integration; DLSS options restored to the Enhanced Edition on 2 September 2026). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Series news: 4A Games' next mainline game, METRO 2039, is dated for 4 February 2027 on all platforms. Metro Exodus remains fully playable and supported.

Quick Start

• Pick the right edition. Owning Metro Exodus on Steam also gives you the PC Enhanced Edition (a separate install that requires a ray-tracing-capable GPU). If your card cannot do ray tracing, play the original version.
• Your backpack is a mobile crafting bench. Open it anywhere to craft medkits, gas mask filters, and throwables, and to swap weapon attachments. Crafting 500 resources' worth also earns the Handyman achievement along the way.
• Workbenches do the rest. Regular ammunition is crafted at workbenches (on the Aurora train and at safe houses), where you can also clean weapons and repair your mask.
• Watch your filters. Filters run out quickly in toxic areas. Check the timer on Artyom's wristwatch and never enter a toxic zone with fewer than two spares.
• Wipe and patch your mask. Blood and dirt obscure your view; a cracked mask leaks. Wipe it, and use duct tape to seal cracks until you reach a workbench.
• Stealth pays off twice. It saves ammo and it drives the karma system that decides the ending.
• Knock out, don't kill, when you can. Melee takedowns from behind can be non-lethal. Spared enemies and helped survivors count toward the good ending.
• Sleep in safe houses to heal, save, and switch between day and night. Night is darker, but human enemies are sleepier; mutants are more active.
• Explore question-mark points of interest on your map. Upgrades for Artyom's gear and weapon parts are hidden there.

Survival Systems

Resources

Metro Exodus uses two scavenged resources:

Resource | Used for

Materials | Ammo, weapon attachments, repairs, throwables

Chemicals | Medkits, filters, and some ammo types

Loot everything: crates, bodies, and small pickups all add to these pools. Weapons picked up from enemies can be dismantled for attachments you do not already own.

The gas mask

• Put the mask on as soon as you enter a toxic area; coughing and a tinted screen are your warning.
• Filters tick down; the watch on Artyom's wrist shows remaining time.
• Mask damage from hits cracks the glass; you breathe faster and burn filters. Patch it immediately.
• Keep a spare mask in mind: you can replace a destroyed mask by picking up one from an enemy.

Weapon condition

Guns get dirty with use, which increases jams and misfires. Clean them at a workbench. Hand-made Metro weapons are fragile; this is intended.

Health

Medkits heal over time and you carry a limited number. In Ranger modes there is no HUD, so learn the audio cues: heavy breathing, heartbeat, and a blood-tinted screen mean you are close to dying.

Weapons and Customization

You carry three weapons plus throwables. Weapons are modular: receiver, barrel, stock, magazine, and scope can all be swapped in the backpack if you have found or dismantled the part.

Weapon | Type | Notes

Bastard | Improvised SMG | Early all-rounder; overheats and jams if unmodded

Kalash | Assault rifle | Reliable backbone weapon once found

Shambler | Shotgun | Revolver-cylinder shotgun; great for mutants indoors

Duplet | Double-barrel shotgun | Huge burst damage, slow reload

Ashot | Single/double-shot pistol-shotgun | Sidearm option for close quarters

Revolver | Pistol | Accurate; can be converted toward a carbine setup

Tikhar | Pneumatic rifle | Silent; pump pressure for power

Helsing | Pneumatic crossbow | Silent, retrievable bolts; stealth favorite

Valve | Bolt-action rifle | Long-range precision

Vyhlop | Heavy rifle | Very high damage per shot

Recommended loadout for most of the game: one silent weapon (Helsing or Tikhar with a suppressor or scope), one automatic (Kalash or modded Bastard), one shotgun (Shambler or Duplet). Throwing knives are silent and retrievable, which makes them excellent for stealth.

Difficulty and Modes

• Easy / Normal / Hardcore set damage and resource scarcity.
• Ranger modes remove most of the HUD and make both you and enemies more lethal. Recommended for a second run, or a first run if you want maximum immersion.
• New Game+ lets you replay with your gear (and hides the three toys for the Toy seller achievement).
• Iron Mode has its own achievement; treat it as a challenge run for veterans.

Chapter Walkthrough Outline

The campaign spans a year, from winter in Moscow through spring, summer, and autumn, to winter again.

Chapter | Season | Type | What to know

Moscow | Winter | Linear | Prologue and escape from the Metro onto the Aurora

The Volga | Spring | Open sandbox | Large area with the Church of the Tsar Fish cultists and bandits; first real exploration zone; decides Duke's fate

Yamantau | Spring | Linear | Military bunker; tense corridors and big story beat

The Caspian | Summer | Open sandbox | Desert, oil barons, slaves, and a lighthouse; decides Damir's fate

The Taiga | Autumn | Semi-open | Forest, Children of the Forest (pioneers), pirates; decides Alyosha's fate

Dead City (Novosibirsk) | Winter | Linear | Heavy radiation, filters matter most here; the finale

Tip for sandbox chapters: follow the main quest marker loosely, but clear question marks on the way. The Volga and Caspian each hide significant gear upgrades, and you can only explore freely while in that chapter.

How to Get the Good Ending

The ending depends on karma accumulated through your actions across the whole campaign. Near the end, Artyom's survival hinges on whether enough of the crew is alive and able to help. Community guides agree on three big checkpoints:

The Volga — Duke

• At the church, do not kill anyone. Sneak through and knock out rather than kill.
• Help and free villagers held by bandits when you find them; it's good karma and costs little.
• At the bridge finale of the chapter, do not kill anyone. Community guides are blunt about it: kill even one person there and Duke dies.

The Caspian — Damir

• Do not kill slaves anywhere in the region.
• Free every group of slaves you find, including those at the oasis and the caged prisoners freed by lever at the shipwreck.
• Recover the photo from the bunker (a dead body holds it in a room on the way to the ventilation shaft) and return it to Giul.
• You'll know Damir has joined if he rides the zipline with you when leaving.
• Knock out, rather than kill, thugs that surrender or are mistreating slaves when possible. The Baron's armed guards are fair targets in combat areas.

The Taiga — Alyosha

• Do not hurt the pioneers (Children of the Forest). Use stealth and knockouts, or avoid them entirely.
• Pirates are hostile adults and are treated differently, but stealth through the chapter is safest.
• Completing the Taiga without attacking anyone or getting noticed also earns the Forest child achievement.
• How to tell you succeeded: community guides note that if Alyosha makes it down the final zipline on his own feet, you kept him; if he passes out, you didn't.

Everywhere

• Holster your weapon when talking to friendly survivors.
• Spare enemies who surrender (they raise their hands).
• Listen to crew conversations on the Aurora between chapters; it costs nothing and enriches the story.

Community reports indicate the game tolerates some mistakes (many players report that two of the three companions surviving is enough), but going for all three checkpoints is the only way to be sure. Keep a manual save at the start of each open chapter.

Missables and Achievement Notes

• Brakeman is a hidden achievement (about 5% of players have it); check a dedicated achievement guide before the train sections if you're hunting 100%.
• Friend of the Crew: find the guitar and the teddy bear in the Volga. Grab both before leaving the chapter.
• Fisherman: kill the giant Catfish in the Volga. It's a tough, ammo-hungry fight, so stock up first.
• Forest child: complete the Taiga without attacking anyone or getting noticed.
• Roller coaster: use the bucket lift in the Caspian to reach the Oasis.
• Old world pictures (all 21 postcards) and Librarian (all 70 diary pages) are the big collectible achievements. Some are in areas you cannot return to after the story moves on, including one at the Caspian lighthouse. Collect them before leaving each area.
• Toy seller is New Game+ only: find the teddy bear, sun, and fish toys.
• Iron Mode: complete the game in Iron Mode.

DLC

DLC | Released | What it is

The Two Colonels | August 2019 | Short, linear prequel about Colonel Khlebnikov in Novosibirsk's tunnels on New Year's Eve; flamethrower-heavy and story-focused

Sam's Story | 11 February 2020 | Larger, open-style expansion following Sam as he tries to reach Vladivostok

Both are included in the Expansion Pass and in the Gold Edition. Owning either DLC gives you the Enhanced version as well.

PC Tips

• Enhanced Edition (released May 2021) rebuilds lighting with full ray-traced global illumination. It requires a ray-tracing-capable GPU as a minimum. It is a separate executable/entry in your library.
• DLSS: a September 2026 patch restored the DLSS options to the Enhanced Edition after they briefly disappeared.
• Deep Silver Account: the August 2026 update added optional account linking; it is not required to play.
• Original version runs on non-RT cards and still looks excellent.
• Saves: Enhanced and original saves are separate; decide which version you will finish in before investing hours.
• Performance: on the original version, ray tracing (if your GPU supports it) is the biggest performance cost; drop it first if your frame rate struggles, then lower the quality preset.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Running out of filters in Dead City. Stockpile chemicals before Novosibirsk.
• Going loud everywhere in the Volga or Caspian, then getting the bad ending.
• Not cleaning weapons, leading to jams in fights that matter.
• Ignoring dismantling. Picking apart enemy guns is how you get new attachments.
• Selling the Aurora conversations short. Much of the character work is optional dialogue.
• Rushing sandbox chapters. Gear upgrades found there make later chapters much easier.
• Assuming the Enhanced Edition will run on any GPU. It requires ray-tracing hardware.

Advanced Tips

• Night raids: attack human camps at night; guards are fewer and less alert, and knockouts are easier.
• Throwing knives are silent, reusable, and one-shot unaware humans.
• Helsing with a scope is the best stealth weapon; retrieve bolts after fights.
• Suppressors reduce detection but many degrade range or damage; pick your fights.
• Watch indicator: the light on Artyom's wrist gear shows when you are visible; stay in shadow and turn off your flashlight when sneaking.
• Ranger Hardcore: fewer resources and no HUD; learn weapon magazine sizes by count since there is no ammo display.

FAQ

Is Metro Exodus open world? Partly. Volga, Caspian, and Taiga are large sandbox areas; other chapters are linear.

How long is Metro Exodus? Most players finish the story in roughly 20 to 30 hours, more if they explore every sandbox.

Do I need to play Metro 2033 and Last Light first? It helps with characters and tone, but Exodus explains what you need.

Can I play the Enhanced Edition without ray tracing? No. Ray tracing is part of the minimum spec for the Enhanced Edition. Use the original version instead.

What decides the good ending? Karma from how you treat people across the campaign, with key checkpoints in Volga (Duke), Caspian (Damir), and Taiga (Alyosha).

When does METRO 2039 come out? 4 February 2027, according to 4A Games' September 2026 announcement.

Are the DLCs worth it? Sam's Story is the bigger, more open one; The Two Colonels is short but strong on story. Both are well regarded.

Sources

• Steam — Metro Exodus store page and announcements
• Steam — METRO EXODUS 2026 Patch Notes
• Wikipedia — Metro Exodus
• Steam Community — How to get the Good Ending
• Steam — Metro Exodus global achievements list
• Steam Community — 100% Achievement Guide: Metro Exodus