You can find yourself running out of ammo or filters, so always look for extra loot when in a mission. You'd be surprised to know how much loot you missed throughout the game, so always look for things that might be useful later! (You can also go full caveman style and just spam 'E' at any opportunity of finding loot.)

If you're not sure that they're dead, shoot one or two bullets and wait. Don't waste your entire magazine just to realize that you've been shooting a dead body for nothing. That can put you at a high risk of death, don't let your fear overpower you in combat

If you don't do it first, they will approach you and do it themselves faster and easier.

I myself liked coming in and opening fire at any movement ever without any surpressors, but that will lead you into wasting ammo and dying alot. Some missions let you benefit from stealth and make them alot easier for you.

You might think that finding the throwable weapons might be rare and that you should save them, but the hard truth is that you will find them alot and you will be mad at yourself for not using them when they are right by you.

Same with throwable weapons, you will find medkits often, so chances are you will find one right after you use one. Also only use one when your screen is very bright flashing red and not when it's only a slight red color. That makes you fully utilize the medkit.

As soon as you enter a safe place with merchants in it, look for stuff you will need in your next adventure. Buy guns or get some attachments for the ones you like. It will take a while until you get to another safe place and get to use your ammo there.

If you are in the middle of a fight and you just run out of your kalash ammo then you can use your premium ammo with no worries if you need to survive. Survival should be your top priority.

Having 2 weapons with the same ammo type can be a waste of ammo and mostly a waste of a weapon slot. Try to have at least one full automatic gun that uses normal rifle bullets or at least one buckshot shotgun or both.

You won't be utilizing the silencer all the time in your journey but it's nice to have one for the one luxury when you get to complete a mission in a sneaky way. That's why it's nice to have at least one of those silent weapons. I recommend a semi- and/or auto weapons like the revolver or the kalash

I'll leave the attachment choice to you.
look at the wiki links at your own discretion (as to avoid any potential spoilers)

------------------------------------------Late game--------------------------------------------------

1. Kalash 2012

[metrovideogame.fandom.com]
This weapon is like an AK-74M and P90 combined and it's powerful and amazing. It can use premium ammo and regular ammo and it features the accuracy of the VSV and the firerate of the bastard gun. You can get it pretty late in the game though. It helped me in the late game and it will surely help you too.

2. Abzats

[metrovideogame.fandom.com]
Pretty much everyone needs a shotgun if they want to survive. The Abzats is a semi to full automatic shotgun that's very powerful and just what you might need for dealing with big hordes of mutants.

3. Hellbreath

[metrovideogame.fandom.com]
This is a great weapon, i never really used pneumatic weapons through my journey because i thought they were kind of bad, but never underestimate any weapon. This is a railgun that shoots balls and is very good. Make sure you have enough ammo before getting it though... treat it like a sniper and don't waste ammo rapid firing it at a single enemy

4. Flamethrower

[metrovideogame.fandom.com]
This weapon sets all of your worst enemies on fire. It enables a new playstyle in which you target groups without using too much ammo. That means that it's a good replacement for the Abzats or Hellbreath. You can use it when you run out of ammo or seek that specific gameplay style. it's also non-customizable :c

---------------------------------------Early-mid game-----------------------------------------------

1. Kalash

[metrovideogame.fandom.com]
This is an all-around good weapon for spraying bullets on enemies and can be used for stealth once you get a surpressor on it. When you run out of ammo you can use premium ammo to ignite your enemies. This is probably the most common weapon with many people carrying it whether it be a ♥♥♥♥, commie or a regular stalker.

As a close competitor to the kalash, the VSV is a good alternative to its predecessor, where the silencer comes directly attached to the gun. The gun is also very accurate and with a scope attached it can be used as a DMR to secure stealthy kills.

3. Revolver

[metrovideogame.fandom.com]
This is a good gun that packs a serious punch when dealing with whatever. It can be silenced and used in stealth with great effectiveness. It's also the only gun that uses revolver ammo, so you are pretty safe if it comes to picking up new guns that require a different ammo type. Once you equip a stock on it you basically turn it into a portable sniper/pistol hybrid.

4. Shambler

[metrovideogame.fandom.com]
The revolving shotgun is a must have in the midgame, as it's big magazine lets you use it to the fullest and if you're the easily scared type, you can unload your magazine easily onto the enemy guaranteeing a kill. the alternative to this (Bigun) gets outclassed by it because of it's lack of attachments

5. Helsing

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Pneumatic weapons might not be something that's interesting at first glance, but this crossbow-like weapon is extremely good for early-game stealth because of it's amazing ammo that can be repurpoused and used again on your next target. This weapon's ammo is expensive though, so remember to pick your bolts back up.

6. Tihar

[metrovideogame.fandom.com]
Another pneumatic weapon, that is also very good for stealth, but the bullets (balls) cannot be picked up. It's a great alternative to the Helsing if you don't feel like running after your bullets. The ammo is also cheaper than for the Helsing and it can be used for other guns later aswell (Hellbreath).

The blue watch light indicates your visibility, once you're visible, enemies can spot you and you will fail stealthing a mission. If the blue light isn't turned on that means you are pretty much invisible to your enemies.




Stay in the dark and away from light, be sure to blow candles or lamps out whenever you're near them to stay stealthy to make your life easier down the line.