War, war never changes— oh, wrong game, but that still applies in Metro Exodus. It's also a game where you scavenge around a nuclear winter wasteland sometimes looking for sanctuary but most often, looking for better weapons. Because in Metro Exodus, you'll have to prepare for war if you want peace. That's why a majority of us players are all about tossing and flipping over the open-world looking for weapon upgrades or better weapons.
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Of course, being the efficient Spartan you are in Metro Exodus, you'll want the very best that mankind has recovered in terms of killing capabilities. Too bad most of the weapons in Metro Exodus are crude or sound like they're made out of tin cans, courtesy of the lack of resources and a functioning economy. Still, you'll want the very best of those bargain bin weapons if you want to outlive the mutants and bandits of Metro Exodus.
Bastard Gun for an automatic backup
- High rate of fire
- Low bullet damage
- Uses handgun ammo
- Jams frequently and gets dirty fast
- Parts are easy to find
The Bastard Gun isn't the most ideal, prettiest, or best damaging weapon around but it makes up for it with its availability. It functions well as a good sidearm for when your primary automatic weapon is running low or when your stealth run goes sour.
The bullet damage is one of the lowest but the gun makes up for it with the burst-fire mode that can make quick work of lightly armored enemies. It's also easy to find upgrades and parts for this weapon, especially in the Caspian level.
A-shot for close encounters
- High damage
- Low rate of fire
- Low ammo capacity
- Uses shotgun ammo
- Great for close-ranged combat against mutants
- Parts are easy to find
Artyom is surprisingly wimpy in melee combat for someone who's considered as a special forces operative. So naturally, you'll have to compensate for his poor close-range combat skills with either stealth or a loud but portable boomstick, namely the A-shot.
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The A-shot, is an improvised shotgun in Metro Exodus made out of pistol parts. While the A-shot is initially janky to use due to having just one barrel, this can be upgraded later on to make the weapon smoother to fire.
Shambler For Tougher Enemies
- High damage
- Uses shotgun ammo
- Great for tough enemies and close-ranged mutants
While the A-shot is useful for the Volga, you'll want a "real" shotgun that does the job against several bull-rushing opponents. The Shambler is the perfect tool for that and it makes a return in Metro Exodus, which is a delight as it's one of the most popular weapons in the previous Metro games.
The Shambler starts off only a little bit better than the A-shot, however, with only three bullets available in its chamber. You can upgrade this, later on, to make it more useful for general combat, and truth be told, it will be hard to go back to the A-shot after using this weapon.
Kalash for general purpose and reliability
- Decent damage
- High rate of fire
- Uses assault rifle ammo
- Versatile, can be transformed into sniper rifles or close-ranged weapons
- Lots of attachments
- Reliable and doesn't jam too much
For one of the most versatile and most useful weapons the game has on offer, you really can't go wrong with the ole reliable Kalash or AK. The weapon survived the war, that much is a testament to its reliability and it's one of the few weapons you can continuously use without much problem even though the gunk in its mechanism has solidified.
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The only problem with it is the wild recoil. It's an ammo-hungry weapon but that depends on what you use the Kalash for; it can be turned into a makeshift sniper rifle with the right scope and barrel.
Bulldog is a better Kalash but less reliable
- High damage
- Accurate
- Uses assault rifle ammo
- Slower rate of fire compared to the Kalash
- Versatile
The Kalash might have its nostalgic value in the battlefield, but the Bulldog is simply a more powerful gun when you calculate the bullet damage. It does have a slower rate of fire but that means it's more accurate and the recoil won't have you wasting precious magazines.
This is a rather important quality of the Bulldog as ammunition is surprisingly scarce the higher the difficulty. You can also use the Bulldog as a sniper rifle. The only downside is that it's not as reliable as the Kalash but the lower rate of fire means the dirt buildup isn't that fast anyway.
Tikhar for saving ammunition
- Decent damage depending on the charge
- Rate of fire is flexible
- Has its own special ammo
- Has ammo variants
- Ammunition is easy to craft
- Great for sniping
- Also great for stealth
Speaking of saving ammunition, the Tikhar might just be one of the best weapons for that that doesn't make your compromise too much on firepower. The Tikhar or pneumatic rifle uses steel balls to kill enemies and they're quite deadly as long as the pressure is red and if you go for the head.
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Of course, it's still weaker and can be impractical for prolonged fights compared to the assault rifles, but its strength lies in strategically letting you conserve other more precious ammunition types for the end of the fight. It's also silent.
Helsing is a better Tikhar
- Decent damage
- Has its own special ammo
- Has ammo variants
- Even more ammo efficient than the Tikhar
- Great for sniping
- Great for stealth
For something that's a bit cooler and deadlier-looking than the Tikhar, the Helsing ought to be a more appealing weapon. It's named after Van Helsing who uses a similar crossbow in his live-action film. It's not as robust as that outrageous invention but the Helsing is a stealth powerhouse.
It makes stealth runs faster and comes with the convenience of not having to charge up its pressure, unlike the Tikhar. You can also retrieve most of the ammunition later on since they're just crossbow bolts.
Molotov cocktails for troublesome bullet-sponges
- Fire does good continuous damage
- Good for enemy groups
- Easy to craft
- Great against armored enemies
As varied as the guns are in Metro Exodus, they still don't hold a candle to the functionality and lack of maintenance needed for the throwing weapons. The Molotov cocktail is a classic DIY weapon that has proven its effectiveness beyond civilization or the lack thereof.
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It's highly effective in taking down armored enemies, such as those in the cannibal bunker before the Caspian level. If not those, then you can use them against tough mutants. The cherry on top is that you get to conserve ammo.
Grenades for groups and mini-bosses
- High, instant damage
- Great for groups
- Great against armored enemies
- Easy to craft
- Can hit blindspots
If you do find Molotov cocktails slow, then something like the Grenades should work better. It's an explosive weapon that reduces the most heavily-armored opponents to shreds or chunks of meat in the blink of an eye.
The crafting requirements are a bit more expensive but it's still easy enough to acquire. It does explode on impact but the large explosion radius means the Grenade can any hiding target nearby.
Throwing Knives for one-hit kills
- Kills most enemies in one hit
- Silent
- Easy to craft, dirt cheap
If you play Metro Exodus on the highest difficulty level, then you likely know which is the best weapon already. It's the throwing knife, not the loud and cumbersome power of gunpowder that makes salvation in the nuclear wasteland possible for Artyom.
It's cheap enough to make and quickly kills anything in one hit, no need for too much aiming. It's also silent and has a good range, meaning it's a godsend for Ranger stealth runs. Forget about guns, this is the real deal.
NEXT: Metro Exodus: The Most Terrifying Enemies, Ranked
