Metro 2033

• *Artyom , the main character and a resident of VDNKh, travels to Polis to save his home station from the threat of the Blacks.

Hunter is a ranger of the Sparta Order. Before leaving VDNKh, he gives Artyom a badge and instructs him to contact Melnik if Hunter doesn't return.

Alexander Sukhoi is Artyom's stepfather, the head of the VDNKh station.

Bourbon is a smuggler and Artyom's first partner. He helps them get to Sukharevskaya, but is killed by bandits.

Khan is a wandering philosopher. He helps Artyom navigate the anomalous tunnels and gives important advice.

Andrey Kuznets (Master) is Khan's friend and helps Artyom leave the Red Line.

Melnik , the leader of the Sparta Order and a former special forces officer, decides to help Artyom find Bunker D-6 and destroy the Dark Ones' lair.

Ulman is a Spartan and Melnik's confidant. He has a sense of humor and rescues Artyom from captivity in the Fourth Reich.

Pavel is a Spartan who accompanies Artyom through the territory of the Fourth Reich and dies in battle.

Captain Maxim Komarov , commander of the Children of the Underground, defender of Paveletskaya. Artyom relays his message to Polis.

Sasha is a boy whom Artyom saves during the defense of Paveletskaya.

Snezhana , a resident of Rizhskaya, may try to rob Artyom if he accepts her offer.

Factions

• *The Sparta Order (Rangers) *is a peacekeeping paramilitary organization. Consisting of experienced fighters, it often acts as a mediator between factions. It is based in various locations (including Smolenskaya Station and Bunker D-6).
• The Red Line (Union of Soviet Socialist Stations) *is a communist faction reviving the ideology of the USSR. It controls the Sokolnicheskaya Line and has the largest army in the metro.
• The Fourth Reich *is a neo-Nazi organization. It occupies the Pushkinskaya, Tverskaya, and Chekhovskaya stations. It is at odds with the Red Line and other factions, but trades with the Hansa.
• The Hansa *is a trading union of the stations of the Circle Line. It is the richest and most developed faction. Collaborates with various groups for profit and fights smugglers.
• Polis *is a city-state consisting of four stations (Arbatskaya, Borovitskaya, Aleksandrovsky Sad, and the Lenin Library). It is a center of culture and knowledge, an influential political powerhouse.
• Children of the Underground is a squad of defenders of Paveletskaya (the "Hole"). They attempt to hold back the mutant onslaught, but are defeated.

The action takes place in Moscow 20 years after a nuclear war (in 2033). The survivors have taken refuge in the metro, transforming it into a network of separate station-states.

The protagonist is Artyom, a 24-year-old resident of the VDNKh station (renamed "Vystavochnaya"). The station is under attack by mysterious creatures—"Blacks"—whose powers affect people's psyches.

Before leaving the station, Sparta Order elite ranger Hunter gives Artyom his tokens and instructs him to go to Polis and ask Melnik for help if he doesn't return.

The main stages of Artyom's journey: *

1.* Caravan to Rizhskaya. Artyom joins a caravan that encounters an anomaly and a mutant attack.
2. Meeting Bourbon. At Rizhskaya, the hero meets the smuggler Bourbon, who offers to accompany him further. Bourbon is killed along the way.
3. Help from Khan. Artyom is saved by the wandering philosopher Khan—he accompanies the hero through tunnels with anomalies and helps in the battle for Turgenevskaya.
4. Kuznetsky Most and captivity by the Fourth Reich. With the help of Andrey the Master (Kuznets), Artyom leaves the Red Line territory, but is captured by Nazis from the Fourth Reich.
5. Rescue by the Spartans. Ulman and Pavel rescue Artyom. Pavel dies while escorting the hero through Nazi territory.
6. Defense of Paveletskaya. Artyom participates in the station's defense against a horde of mutants, saves the boy Sasha, and receives Captain Komarov's message for Polis.
7. Polis. Artyom reports the threat to the Polis Council, but is refused assistance. Melnik decides to help personally.
8. Search for Bunker D-6. Together with Melnik and Ulman, Artyom finds the bunker and restarts the reactor, overcoming the resistance of hostile biomass.
9. Ostankino TV Tower. Artyom climbs the tower to install a laser designator for a missile strike on the Dark Ones' lair. During the installation, the Dark Ones attack him mentally.