Metro Last Light: Factions

Information on the various factions you'll encounter in the Metro.

Introduction

The aim of this guide is to give you a bit more story and lore about the most important factions in Metro Last Light. To do this, I will describe the politics, history, strengths and weaknesses of each faction.

Short history

Before the Metro was split into many factions, it was governed by the Central Metro Command, which took control shortly after the nuclear apocalypse. Their aim was to keep all metro dwellers united under their government until the country’s leadership was restored. When this hadn’t happened a few years later, Central Metro Command crumbled and smaller factions took control of different parts of the Metro.

Polis

Overview

Polis is the Heart of the Metro: the largest station in which rebuilding civilization is the main priority. The Rangers (or “the Order”) ensure the safety of Polis together with a militia and act as a military force. Polis and the Rangers remain neutral in every conflict between other factions: before the Red Line’s attack on D6 no other faction dared to attack Polis in fear of retaliation of the Rangers and the other factions. The main objective of the Rangers is to defend all human life from mutant attacks, regardless of what faction they are.



Politics

Polis is ruled by a council of high placed inhabitants of the station. There are about 15 members, led by an unnamed chairman. Whenever an important decision has to be made, the councilmembers will debate and vote on the matter.

History

Pre metro 2033

Not much is known about how Polis came to be, it can be assumed that it was created short after the collapse of the Central Metro Command. Being the largest and the central station, Polis gained fame for being home of the Rangers, the protectors of mankind. Because of this, all other factions respected Polis. Being a faction not interested in expansion, Polis had no enemy, with exception of mutants and the overly aggressive Reich.

Metro 2033

In Metro 2033 Polis tries to hold on to its role as a neutral station in a changing Metro system. However they have started arming themselves to defend the station if needed, possible against Reich attacks from Black Station. The defences of Polis are unmatched, including bunkers with heavy guns and mobile panzer-like vehicles.

The Rangers of Polis, more specifically their Stalker branch, have been scouting the surface world, setting up at least one outpost in a church known as Sparta Base. Using vehicles to scout the area, they have located several rocket launch sites and are aiming to discover the bunker complex that is D6. This becomes their main priority after the Polis Council decides not to react to the threat the Dark Ones pose. The Rangers achieve their goal of finding D6, which becomes one of their bases.



Metro Last Light

After the discovery of D6, rumours spread quickly through the Metro, sparking the interest of other factions. Unwilling to be dragged into conflict, Polis keeps silent over the discovery of D6 and does not recognize it as a possession. Instead, D6 remains a Ranger outpost. After the discovery of D6 becomes public knowledge, Polis tries to avert war over it by offering to share their findings. The most powerful factions of the Metro, Polis, Hansa, Red Line and Reich reach an agreement at the Polis Peace Conference. Although this conference brought peace between the Fourth Reich and Polis, the Red Line attacked D6 trying to take it by force, in which they almost succeeded.

During the events of Last Light, the Order sets up a second outpost on the surface, in Saints Basil's Cathedral, to defend an entrance to D6. However, both this outpost and Sparta Base are attacked and whiped out by elite units of the Red Line.

Strengths

The main strength of Polis lies in its ability to remain neutral by offering protection against mutants for everyone.

The Polis Rangers, although not a large force, is one of the, if not the, best trained and equipped force in the Metro.

Weaknesses

The desire to remain neutral affects all decisions made by the Council, making it hard to undertake military actions, even for defensive reasons.

Summary:

Full Name: Polis
Politics: Democratic council, headed by chairman
Stations: 5: (Aleksandrovskiy Sad, Smolenskaya Arbatskaya, Borovitskaya, Biblioteka im. Lenina)-> Polis, D6, Sparta Base outpost, Saint Basil’s Cathedral Outpost

Hansa

Overview:

Hansa, short for the Hanseastic League or The Commonwealth of the Stations of the Ring Line, is an alliance between stations in the ring line, known for their focus on trading. Hansa consists of the richest stations of the Metro, ensuring fast and safe trading between the stations. Traders from other stations wanting to get in or out the ring, must pay taxes. As the riches of Hansa cause envy along other factions, they keep a strong military force to counter any threat. Their main enemy consists of bandits, both organised an unorganised.



Politics:

Being a commonwealth, independence is an important right of each station. Hansa is presumably led by a council composed of members of every station. The president of Hansa is called Rusakov, the Prime minister is called Loginov. Rusakov represents Hansa’s interests during the Polis Peace Council.

History:

Pre Metro 2033

Shortly after the collapse of the Central Metro, the stations in the ringline were quickly becoming important tradehubs. Realising they could gain much, both financially and in terms of safety, by forming a coalition, several stations in the Northern Arc formed the Commonwealth. A short time after, the stations in the Southern Arc joined the Commonwealth too. Both arcs could not join up however, as the newly emerged Red Line held the important stations of Komsomol’skaya and Park Kul’tury. The threat of the newly emerging Red Line caused Hansa to join forces with the Arbat Confederation and several other independent stations.

During the war both sides tried to capture several of the enemies stations with little success. In the end, a peace treaty was signed between Hansa, the Arbat Confederation and the Red Line. Though both sides claim victory, Hansa got the most out of the treaty: they managed to close the ring and gained the Arbat Confederation as a dependant faction.

Metro 2033

During the events of Metro 2033, Hansa is the richest and possibly the most powerful faction. Their troops are actively patrolling the metrosystem, using railcars to attack bandits. Although entrance to Hansa stations is restricted, they do not directly wage war with other factions.

Metro Last Light

The map shown in D6, suggests that Hansa is at war with the Fourth Reich, being a victim to the Reich’s aggressive expansion. Other than that, Hansa keeps to itself for most of the time. As the other factions, Hansa wants to gain access to D6 after hearing rumours about it. As war is not in their best interest, as it is bad for trade, their strategy is to use trade embargos to force Polis to surrender D6. Hansa organises medical care for the people affected by the plague. As businessmen, they use this in the negotiations during the Polis Peace Conference.

Strenghts:

Holding the Ring Line, they control almost all of the trade in the Metro. This ensures the position of wealthiest faction in the Metro.

Working trains ensure a fast transition to other Hansa Stations

Their armed forces are well equipped and trained, as Hansa can afford the best weaponry.

Weaknesses:

Their position, while being great for controlling trade, also makes them vulnerable for attacks from outside and within the ring.

Summary:

Full Name: The Commonwealth of the Stations of the Ring Line
Politics: Commonwealth, headed by President and Prime Minister
Stations: 16: Mendeleevskaya, Novoslobodskaya, Belorusskaya, Krasnopresnenskaya, Kievskaya, Park Kul’tury, Oktyabr’skaya, Dobryninskaya, Serpukhovskaya, Paveletskaya, Taganskaya, Marksistskaya, Kurskaya, Chkalovskaya, Komsomol’skaya, Market Station.

Fourth Reich

Overview

The Fourth Reich, or Reich, is the smallest of the four important factions in Metro Last Light and Metro 2033, although it does seem to expand during the games. The main strength of the Reich, is the quality of its military.

Being a faction based on the Third Reich, the Fourth Reich is possible the most aggressive and ruthless faction in the Metro. Due to xenophobia, soldiers of the Reich are most likely to shoot strangers at sight. Idolizing the Third Reich, many German words and names are used by people that live in the Reich.
The main goal of the Fourth Reich is to clear the Metro of mutants and genetically impure people. They are known to use parts of the Metro as concentration camps and Stalags. Due to their aggressiveness many other factions are hostile towards the Fourth Reich.

Politics

The Reich is headed by an unnamed Führer, as a reference to the title Hitler used. There is a strict chain of command in the army and common life. Many ranks in the army are based on German ranks during the Second World War. The Reich seems to have a political police force called, also in reference to the Third Reich, the Gestapo. Their main activities seem to concern the loyalty of citizens of the Reich, but they are also tasked with interrogation of (certain) prisoners.



History of the Fourth Reich

Pre-Metro 2033

The Reich as a faction did not start as an alliance between multiple metro stations, but finds its roots in political group that was active in the Central Government. After the collapse of the Central Government, this group assumed control of Chekhovskaya, Pushkinskaya and Tverskaya stations. Now under leadership of the Führer, these stations where renamed to Reich.
The Reich mainly waged war with its archenemy, the Red Line, but was hostile to other factions and neutral stations as well. As a means of increasing its influence, the Reich held several outposts at nearby stations.

Metro 2033

During the events of Metro the Reich is fully at war with the Red Line. The war develops into a stalemate in a stretch of tunnels called ‘Frontline’ between the heart of the Reich and the heart of the Red Line.

Despite being outmanned in the war with the Red Line, the Reich manages to set up an outpost on the surface, being the second faction to do so (after the Rangers), at Black Station. This base is used as a base to stage attacks on the nearby neutral Hole Station, which was weakened by several mutant attacks. During the attack on the station, the Reich relies on a small unit of specialised troops to capture the station and its airlock intact.

Metro Last Light

At the beginning of Metro Last Light, Miller’s map indicates that the Fourth Reich is aggressively expanding its borders, with Hansa being the new main target. Hole Station, taken during events in Metro 2033 is part of the Reich, which is using it as a base to fight Hansa. Black station and the Reich Outpost are still operational during Metro Last Light. In addition, Reich forces have captured Barrikadnaya Station from the (not in-game mentioned) Year 1905 Confederation, an ally of Hansa. As with Hole Station, Barrikadnaya is used as a base to attack Hansa. In the same region, the Reich is using the tunnels going to Mayakovskaya and Tsvetnoy Bulvar station to advance to the Hansa stations of Belorusskaya and Novoslobodskaya. The advance of the Reich in this sector may have something to do with their intention to locate an entrance to D6.



The Reich participates in the Polis Peace Conference, meaning they are willing to cease hostilities between them and the other participating factions in order to get their share of D6. After the betrayal of Korbut and Moskvin became clear, it seems the Red Line opened a new assault on the Reich, trying to push once again through the frontline area towards the heart of the Reich. Specialist manage to repel this attack.

Strengths

The main strength of the Reich, is its superior army. Reich troops are among the best equipped and best trained soldiers in the Metro. The strong military is probably the only reason why the Reich was invited for the Polis Peace Conference.

Weaknesses

The main weakness of the Reich is the male/female ratio in its stations. Only a small part of the total population consists of females, ever increasing standards regarding ‘purity’ lower these numbers even more, as many inhabitants are forced to flee to prevent being arrested as a mutant.

Due to the policies of the Reich, all other factions are hostile or at least unfriendly towards it.

Summary:

Full Name: Fourth Reich
Politics: Fascist Autocracy led by Führer
Stations: 6: (Tverskaya, Pushkinskaya, Chekhovskaya)-> Reich, Barrikadnaya, Hole Station, Black Station with surface outpost.

Red Line

Overview:

The Red Line is a group stations that have united under communist rule. Most of the stations are part of the former Sokol Line. The heart of the Red Line consist of the stations Okhotny Ryad, Theatre, and Revolutionary Square. The aim of the Red Line is to unite the entire Metro once again, under communist rule. Although not as hostile and aggressively expansive as the Fourth Reich, the Red Line tries to expand by influencing neighbouring neutral stations and putting them under ‘their watchful eye’.

The army of the Red Line is possibly the largest of the Metro. Due to the many stations and large population under Red control, they seem to have a nearly endless amount of men. However, the quality of the troops differs greatly. Many soldiers are mere conscripts given a weapon and send to the front. Not all troops are conscripts though, and the Red Army fields specialists like soldiers with flamethrowers, heavy weaponry and snipers.

Politics:

The Red line is officially led by Comrade Moskvin, who is the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Red Line Communist Party. The Committee leads the Red Line, as it has done since the Sokol Line Revolution. The Head of Intelligence, Korbut, holds a lot of power as he is also in command of the Red Line Army.

Like the Soviet Union, the Red Line uses political commissars to control their armed forces. These commissars lead the troops, but also spread propaganda and execute ‘traitors’: often men who are caught retreating from battle.



History:

Pre Metro 2033

The rise of the Red Line started with the Sokol Line Revolution. Communist Sympathisers gathered in the Northern Station of Preobrazhenskaya Ploschad, revolted and organised a communist government led by a committee. Neighbouring stations soon learned of this revolution and joined the communist cause. It did not take long before almost all the stations in Sokol Line were part of the now renamed Red Line.

Other factions and several neighbouring neutral stations felt threatened by this revolution, as the revolutionaries tried to force as many stations as possible to join their cause. An alliance was formed by Hansa, the Arbat Confederacy and several neutral stations. Although the Hansa – Red Line War resulted in the Red Line gaining control over several central stations, it also cut the Red line in parts, as Hansa managed to gain control the entire Ring Line. After the peace treaty was signed, the relations between the Red Line and Hansa improved, especially due to trading between the two.

Being political opposites, the Fourth Reich becomes the main enemy of the Red Line. Fighting in the tunnels between the Red Line Heartland and the Reich, a frontline is formed which results in a stalemate.

Metro 2033

In Metro 2033 the main enemy of the Red Line is still the Fourth Reich. The war between the two factions continues, neither side gaining or losing ground. At some point during the war, every Red Line and Reich soldier at the frontline was killed. Although Red Line reinforcements were the first to arrive and even scouted the now undefended enemy positions, they did not use this moment to push into the Reich. Soon after, both factions manned the defences again and the war at the Frontline waged on.

While at war with the Reich, the Red Line also focuses on spreading their influence to neighbouring neutral stations. Occupational forces are no exception, and most stations remain independent only in name. The most important station the Red Line is trying to take over, is Armoury Station. This station is vital to the Red Line’s war effort, as it is the largest producer of firearms in the Metro. As many other stations, Armoury remains independent in name, but is mainly governed by the Red Line.

Metro Last Light

Having signed a peace treaty with the Fourth Reich, the Red Line starts raising a large, better trained army. Having learned that D6 had been found, the Red Line focused its resources on finding entrances to it and weak spots in the Ranger’s defensive positions. Red patrols are scouting the Metro and the surface world to look for interesting locations. Although some stations that were known as independent (like Armoury Station) are now fully under Red Line governing, Miller’s map at the start of Metro Last Light shows several stations formally belonging to the Red Line as neutral. One of these stations is Preobrazhenskaya Ploschad, where the revolution started. In the southern part of the Metro, the Red Line seems to have annexed 3 stations formally belonging to the mythical “Emerald City” faction (including University Station).



During the events in Metro Last Light, the Red Line is the first faction to test biological weaponry in the Metro. After this, Elite Red Line units attacked and captured both Ranger Outposts, Sparta Base and St Basil’s Cathedral. While the first was abandoned soon after the attack, the team defending the second was killed, leaving both outpost empty. As the Polis Peace Treaty is discussed, the Red Line Army nearly succeeds in using this as a cover for a huge new offensive aimed at capturing D6 by force. It is highly likely that the Red Line uses this same moment to renew their offensive at the Frontline, to break through the Reich’s defences while the Reich’s army is distracted.

Although the huge amounts of units were used for the offensives, including specialists and armoured tanks, both were unsuccessful. At the Frontline, a Reich Heavy Unit Squad arrived just in time to block the Red advance. The other offensive not only failed to capture D6, but also meant the death of Korbut, the Head of Intelligence and mastermind behind all military actions.

Strengths

The large population of the Red Line means it can field a large army.

Holding Armoury Station ensures the Red Line controls the largest part of weapon production in the Metro.

Weaknesses

Due to the nature of the communist government, many talented people rather flee their home than be part of the Red Line.

Events in Metro Last Light caused a blow to the relations between the Red Line and other large factions.

The Red Line is cut in three parts by the Hansa Ringline.

Summary:

Full Name: The Red Line
Politics: One Party State, Governing body is the Central Committee of the Red Line Communist Party, headed by General Secretary Moskvin
Stations: 16: Sokol’Niki, Krasnosel’skaya, Komsomol’skaya, Krasnye Vorota, Chistye Prudy, Turgenevskaya, Lubyanka, Armoury Station, Okhotny Ryad, Theatre, Revolutionary Square, Frunzenskaya, Sportivnaya, University, Prospekt Vernadskogo and Yugo-Zapadnaya.

Smaller Factions

Many of the smaller factions mentioned in the novel, are not part of the game(s). Some of these small factions have been named in the previous sections, like the Arbat Confederation, Emerald City and the Year 1905 Confederation. However, as my main aim is to create a guide describing in-game factions, I will not discuss these any further. However, there are two factions that are present in the games: Organised Crime and the VDNH Commonwealth.

Organised Crime

Although Organised Crime might not be considered a faction like the factions discussed above, the fact that it is ‘organised’ makes it a faction. Given the fact that this faction owns several stations, I decided to describe them as one of the smaller factions.

Not all bandits and criminals are part of the organised crime faction, but a large part of them is. They can be compared to the mafia, and follow a strict chain of command. The stations where organised criminals call the shots are Venice (Tretyakovskaya and Novokuznetskaya station) and China Town (the double station of Kitay-Gorod). Not all people living in these stations are criminals, many come to these stations for the (in other stations sometimes illegal) possibilities, like visiting strip clubs, buying special kinds of drugs, or hiring criminals.

While all factions are hostile towards the Organised Crime faction, Hansa is particularly aggressive, as their trade routes are tempting targets for the criminals. Their main weakness is the fact they are mainly considered a nuisance, not a faction. Sooner or later a larger faction will grow tired of them and annex their stations.

VDNH Commonwealth

The VDNH Commonwealth is a small faction encountered in Metro 2033. Three stations are part of this Commonwealth: VDNH, better known as Exhibition, the station that is Artyom’s home, Riga Station and Market Station. Each station has its own administration and leaders.

The Commonwealth is one of the youngest factions that can be encountered as it is formed at the beginning of Metro 2033. The three stations Exhibition, Riga and Market form this alliance to deal with several threads. Exhibition gains partners in fighting the Dark Ones, who are using the Botanical Gardens Station to enter the Metro. Convoys to Riga Station are better guarded, and Market Station can resist the expanding influence of Hansa together with its allies.

It is unknown what happened with the stations that formed the VDNH Commonwealth. Miller’s map at the beginning of Last Light shows Market Station being part of Hansa. It is possible that Exhibition and Riga station remain part of the Commonwealth, though this is not certain. Soldiers in Last Light mention that Exhibition station has recovered from the attacks by the Dark Ones, and is once again one of the best producers of mushroom tea.

[Fritz Derochebrune]

Thank you for your comment. It is good to see people read my guide and want to provide tips to improve it. This guide is by no means complete and unfortunately I am unable to work on it further as I have too little time.

[I lost a bet]

you forgot about the bandits (yes they are a faction), Children of the Underground, rangers of the order (sparta) and maybe more (i got most of information from the metro wiki/fandom)

[Fritz Derochebrune]

Thanks!

[about 47 t-rexes]

Wow, nice guide!

[Klayn]

Great Reading, good job bro.

[randygilmore2001]

This makes for a nice read, thank you for your effort.

[Fritz Derochebrune]

Thanks! I've created this guide before I read the book, so I had to use in-game information. I plan on changing the two things you've discussed, haven't had the time to do it though.

[JohnnyRyu]

Gonna add two things to this guide:
1. The Polis station is not exactly Democratic because its society is leveled by family name, which make the Polis kindda like our modern India socirty.
2. Market station is not part of the VDNH Commonwealth in the first place since 2033; only Riga Station and the Exhibition are part of the alliance as well as a small station known as Alex Station between them want to join the alliance.

Still, this is a pretty solid guide. Nice job!

[Arcade]

Nice read!