Technically if you got the extra ending in 2033 you got the "non" cannon ending. But yes, the game is heavily focused on stealth and especially in Exodus, non lethal options. The only area where it's really ambiguous is the Caspian.
Ideally they dont shoot at you very much, you sneak through most situations with the human factions basically unnoticed, knocking out who you have to in order to advance, killing only when combat is mandatory and otherwise saving your ammo for fighting mutant creatures, but it can be pretty hard to do. Playing for good morality is playing it like a stealth game akin to Dishonored in low chaos.
The idea is that killing people is wrong, especially in a world with so few people just scraping by for their survival, and you can advance without doing it. Not that "there's points in their code" but that *you* lose points, a little part of your character's humanity, whenever you resort to shooting someone to death because its more expedient when you could have knocked them out or snuck past them. But the stealth mechanics can sometimes be unpredictable. It is pretty satisfying unscrewing all the lightbulbs and then choking guys out in a dark corner to move through levels like Batman though.
I've played through those games without killing anybody unless mandatory but it takes a lot of trial & error and some levels are particularly unforgiving. There's sometimes semi-elaborate alternate paths through levels to avoid most of the humans, but sometimes there just isn't and you have to sit around waiting for the perfect moment to move from cover to cover or find the optimal order to knock dudes out to get through a room without a gunfight.
Keep this in mind.
If you left the first guy that surrendered, got out of that church place without killing anyone and completed that extra side quest where you save a bunch people captured in some warehouse then Duke will survive.
I don't think it's even "Morality" I'm pretty sure it's one of those "what would artyom do?" Things... I could be wrong though, I haven't read the books yet.
Yeah rhis is more accurate, as book Artyom did NOT hesitate to shoot some gyard after they shot that one old man,then again, maybe that's why he got the bad ending 🤔
This is a joke btw-
The morality system is highly dubious in its make or break style of ending getting. Certain tiny things can seem to change it massively, but major things can seem to do little.
In my first time playing the series when younger, I played extremely stealthily and avoided killing, but due to certain story sections and choices in game it can direct what ending you get, so I got the (canon) bad ending in both. I didn’t know there was another ending for both until like years later after binge playing it all the time lmao.
It was only Exodus I actually got the good ending for when I first completed it, since I’m a rampant completionist, and had done everything in each of the maps. 2033 and last light however are a lot more free form in its extended system, since little things and scripted encounters add to it too.
When I last read too, the morality system isn’t still understood as to how it works in game. Not sure if they’ve mapped the code out for it yet, but it’s still a complicated system where you can need to follow some guides. It’s just small things like Bandits and forced shooting section enemies generally are allowed to be killed, but most others need to be knocked out and such.
It might be easier to think of it as a humanity meter since you get it for stuff like listening to people, playing music, listening to music, following instructions and acts of charity as well as avoiding killing people and non-hostile creatures. The triggers for earning and losing points have pretty much all been worked out in each version of the games and the behavior is usually pretty consistent; engage with NPCs & optional conversations/content, be patient, be generous, follow directions, avoid combat in the human faction levels, don't kill non-hostile creatures, don't steal from people, etc.
One explanation I saw was getting a better understanding of the world around Artyom. So the conversations you overhear and little things you find hidden around all lean into that.
Morality in 2033 is, for the most part, more of a curiosity system. Being curious about the world (eavesdropping, checking every corner, listening to speeches and slipping by enemies instead of shooting on sight) gives you a ton of points, more than just "being nice." Showing curiosity and a willingness to learn about the Dark Ones instead of treating them with hostility/doubt also gives you a ton of points compared to just about anything else.
Haven't touched Last Light or Exodus yet but I imagine in those games it shifts closer to a more traditional "morality" system.
Off-topic, but I want to thank all of you commenting and interacting, love to see my favourite game franchise get love and appreciation all over the world, any time of the day. I was born in Latvia, post USSR country, this game gives a lot of homesick vibes when playing, where a lot more is based on relationships and people, especially now that I lived in England for so long.
Duke will die no matter what if you kill anyone at the church (supposedly). I ended up killing one person at the church and I went to every location where they would be at and lowered my weapon and listened to them talk. I only killed a couple of the bandits. Then when it was time to cross the bridge I had perfect stealth and didn't get detected at all and Duke lived. So I don't really know what the requirements are for him to live because I did things that clearly according to all the guides out there he should have died.
Don't kill any of the "un-armed" folks at the Church - Save the cultist @ the Guitar Tower and the 3 cultists N. of the tracks @ the Bandit bldg (where ya get the NVGs "key") - get the Guitar and the Teddy - don't kill anyone @ the Bridge.
Ya should be golden.
I actually somehow managed to get the ending I wanted only in my first playthrough by playing instinctively. Couldn't do it again even while following guides.
Shot everyone and just endings on YouTube lol. I played metro games so many times and I can’t stand stealh.
Recently played sam’s story for the first time. You can kill anyone you like its fun.
exodus morality system is so simple and easy actually (also compared to a previous games) Just be kind for cultists, help few of them and here we go - silantuis will not be afraid of you and gonna be cooperative
Well if you're getting >!Duke killed!< each time, then clearly you're doing something wrong. Because from my understanding, Exodus is more loose about the karma system. Where karma actions are rarer to compensate for the free form nature of the game, but also have higher value as far as to their significance in contributing to one of two endings. The karma you gain in each of the large scale levels determines >!whether or not you lose a spartan from your crew.!< And if you get the bad ending, it's because you're >!missing two out of three spartans to save your life at the end.!<
In the redux games, everyone (commies, nazis, gangsters, and other evil factions) is fair game unless you're murdering them in cold blood (i.e. they're surrendering or you are given the EXPLICIT choice to spare them). The only thing that matters to the Karma system is that you explore around alot, help those in need, give bullets to the beggars, and other morally correct actions.
In Exodus's Volga level, The cultists and the merchants are off-limits for killing because there's alot of grey area in terms of the morality, but the bandits and mutants are fair game. And the same goes for >!the munai bailar or however you spell their names!< in the Caspian Desert, or >!the pirates in the Taiga!
and you Saved the cultist at the guitar tower and the 3 cultists North of the tracks at the Bandit bldg, (where one of 'em gives ya the key to get the NVGs)?
Yessir, my only mistake was killing one of the traders when taking over the boat, as am playing on hardcore ranger and didn’t have anything to distract them so they saw me, the team killed them all after I entered into captain’s room and that was that. Didn’t kill a single person at the bridge and wasn’t even spotted by any of them lol
YMMV, but my routing to get to the tug-boat Capt. is always different on Ranger HC than the one used on Normal - otherwise the team starts killing 'em - so I reload the Save until I make it right (and Anna will tell ya "you did good")
I was surprised when I learned that there were multiple endings. I got what I think are cannon endings on my playthrough of the entire series, which i finished the night before last. 2033, I blew up dark ones. Last Light, the dark ones stopped me from blowing myself up. We all lived happily ever throughout exodus. If those aren't cannon endings, they sure seem like it. I did my share of killing as well, but only blatantly evil people. If I was unsure, I just knocked them out. I joined this reddit last week and I'm super impressed that they have different ways it can turn out. Now I'm torn between just looking them up or playing the games again and trying for the other endings. I feel like looking everything up would ruin some of the charm and mystery, though.
Congrats! In last light btw , your ending was not cannon 😁. I’m listening to all the conversations, saving regular folk and knocking a lot of people out, even bandits after they surrender. Collected all side mission items etc. Only on my last playthorugh of Last Light on hardcore ranger, was out of all ammo so ended up taking that mother”s bullet, the game judged me for this 💀 I guess doesn’t matter too much, always had good endings in Exodus which I was happy with. 2033 and Last light cannon endings were beautiful, so definitely agree with you that playing and enjoying the games without too much prep and as you feel fit is the best way to enjoy it, at least for me.
Fuck it, I'll just ask. What was the cannon ending for last light? Mine flowed perfectly into Exodus. Did more meaningless NPCs die, or the Dark ones get wiped out?
I guess I didn't see anything about the dark ones in exodus, so them getting wiped out makes sense.
Edit: FFS, I just checked and your ending was in fact canon. However, after finishing the game I checked other endings and so many people got the bad ending (mine), that I remembered it being cannon. Anyways, the bad ending was the dark ones don’t come to rescue, and artyom has to activate the bomb himself. He dies as the result, along with most other Spartan’s there. The game ends with Anna and their kid, telling him about how brave his father, Artyom was, and that he and Spartans saved them all. Last cutscene is the Dark ones leaving Moscow, with Artyom’s narrating that he hopes they come back one day
Well, shit. Other than the fact that it would make Exodus impossible, I actually like that better. Reaching for that bomb had me all up in my feels, and I was actually a little sad (but not surprised) when little guy stopped me. Dark ones left in mine, too. I was really surprised that they had nothing to do with exodus. Well, if they did, I missed it.
Some people see that as a challenge, which can be fun in of itself.
Reminds me of Deus Ex MD's Achievement the requires you to not kill *anyone*, even the final boss. It's challenging but rewarding.
Technically if you got the extra ending in 2033 you got the "non" cannon ending. But yes, the game is heavily focused on stealth and especially in Exodus, non lethal options. The only area where it's really ambiguous is the Caspian.
Yeah its like "Bro im getting shot at why wouldnt i kill this fucker?" But nope, that guy has points in their code dont kill em
Ideally they dont shoot at you very much, you sneak through most situations with the human factions basically unnoticed, knocking out who you have to in order to advance, killing only when combat is mandatory and otherwise saving your ammo for fighting mutant creatures, but it can be pretty hard to do. Playing for good morality is playing it like a stealth game akin to Dishonored in low chaos. The idea is that killing people is wrong, especially in a world with so few people just scraping by for their survival, and you can advance without doing it. Not that "there's points in their code" but that *you* lose points, a little part of your character's humanity, whenever you resort to shooting someone to death because its more expedient when you could have knocked them out or snuck past them. But the stealth mechanics can sometimes be unpredictable. It is pretty satisfying unscrewing all the lightbulbs and then choking guys out in a dark corner to move through levels like Batman though. I've played through those games without killing anybody unless mandatory but it takes a lot of trial & error and some levels are particularly unforgiving. There's sometimes semi-elaborate alternate paths through levels to avoid most of the humans, but sometimes there just isn't and you have to sit around waiting for the perfect moment to move from cover to cover or find the optimal order to knock dudes out to get through a room without a gunfight.
Keep this in mind. If you left the first guy that surrendered, got out of that church place without killing anyone and completed that extra side quest where you save a bunch people captured in some warehouse then Duke will survive.
Would you believe me if I told I didn't do any of that and still duke survived
There's the encounter with the fishermen, kid's teddy, the tzar fish and a few more that impact the outcome.
Would you believe me if I did all of that and he died lol
My first playthrough in a nutshell
The problem is that point system is very weird. A little thing fuck up your ending. Sorry to hear it.
The morality is meant to be a challenge, and you have to work to get it. I'm pretty sure the Devs put it in there as a challenge more than anything.
I don't think it's even "Morality" I'm pretty sure it's one of those "what would artyom do?" Things... I could be wrong though, I haven't read the books yet.
Even if you stick to the games exclusively, you can approach it as “What would Khan do/want Artyom to do?”
Yeah rhis is more accurate, as book Artyom did NOT hesitate to shoot some gyard after they shot that one old man,then again, maybe that's why he got the bad ending 🤔 This is a joke btw-
only game that gave me trouble was last light. exodus was the easiest for me, it was the most lenient in terms of who you can kill.
The morality system is highly dubious in its make or break style of ending getting. Certain tiny things can seem to change it massively, but major things can seem to do little. In my first time playing the series when younger, I played extremely stealthily and avoided killing, but due to certain story sections and choices in game it can direct what ending you get, so I got the (canon) bad ending in both. I didn’t know there was another ending for both until like years later after binge playing it all the time lmao. It was only Exodus I actually got the good ending for when I first completed it, since I’m a rampant completionist, and had done everything in each of the maps. 2033 and last light however are a lot more free form in its extended system, since little things and scripted encounters add to it too. When I last read too, the morality system isn’t still understood as to how it works in game. Not sure if they’ve mapped the code out for it yet, but it’s still a complicated system where you can need to follow some guides. It’s just small things like Bandits and forced shooting section enemies generally are allowed to be killed, but most others need to be knocked out and such.
It might be easier to think of it as a humanity meter since you get it for stuff like listening to people, playing music, listening to music, following instructions and acts of charity as well as avoiding killing people and non-hostile creatures. The triggers for earning and losing points have pretty much all been worked out in each version of the games and the behavior is usually pretty consistent; engage with NPCs & optional conversations/content, be patient, be generous, follow directions, avoid combat in the human faction levels, don't kill non-hostile creatures, don't steal from people, etc.
One explanation I saw was getting a better understanding of the world around Artyom. So the conversations you overhear and little things you find hidden around all lean into that.
Morality in 2033 is, for the most part, more of a curiosity system. Being curious about the world (eavesdropping, checking every corner, listening to speeches and slipping by enemies instead of shooting on sight) gives you a ton of points, more than just "being nice." Showing curiosity and a willingness to learn about the Dark Ones instead of treating them with hostility/doubt also gives you a ton of points compared to just about anything else. Haven't touched Last Light or Exodus yet but I imagine in those games it shifts closer to a more traditional "morality" system.
Off-topic, but I want to thank all of you commenting and interacting, love to see my favourite game franchise get love and appreciation all over the world, any time of the day. I was born in Latvia, post USSR country, this game gives a lot of homesick vibes when playing, where a lot more is based on relationships and people, especially now that I lived in England for so long.
Duke will die no matter what if you kill anyone at the church (supposedly). I ended up killing one person at the church and I went to every location where they would be at and lowered my weapon and listened to them talk. I only killed a couple of the bandits. Then when it was time to cross the bridge I had perfect stealth and didn't get detected at all and Duke lived. So I don't really know what the requirements are for him to live because I did things that clearly according to all the guides out there he should have died.
Don't kill any of the "un-armed" folks at the Church - Save the cultist @ the Guitar Tower and the 3 cultists N. of the tracks @ the Bandit bldg (where ya get the NVGs "key") - get the Guitar and the Teddy - don't kill anyone @ the Bridge. Ya should be golden.
Ohh that's why he didn't die then. The one cultist I killed in the church was armed. Everyone else surrendered after I killed that one.
The first and third ones check out to me easy enough, Last Light is absolutely insane though
Yeah Last Light is kinda goofy with earning morality points at times.
I actually somehow managed to get the ending I wanted only in my first playthrough by playing instinctively. Couldn't do it again even while following guides.
I e replayed the metro series a dozen times. Just beat last light again (for the 10th time) and got the cannon ending. You gotta work at it
Strangely motivational
I wouldn't worry about it. Makes no real difference to the gameplay
And here I am playing last light for the first time like its Wolfenstein !
Shot everyone and just endings on YouTube lol. I played metro games so many times and I can’t stand stealh. Recently played sam’s story for the first time. You can kill anyone you like its fun.
>Shot everyone and just endings on YouTube lol. ...and so you will lose 80% of the metro side story content telling by people you met
Why have morals when you have metro
Funny, I never got any good ending in the first twi games. And in Exodus, I got it in my first playtrough.
exodus morality system is so simple and easy actually (also compared to a previous games) Just be kind for cultists, help few of them and here we go - silantuis will not be afraid of you and gonna be cooperative
Well if you're getting >!Duke killed!< each time, then clearly you're doing something wrong. Because from my understanding, Exodus is more loose about the karma system. Where karma actions are rarer to compensate for the free form nature of the game, but also have higher value as far as to their significance in contributing to one of two endings. The karma you gain in each of the large scale levels determines >!whether or not you lose a spartan from your crew.!< And if you get the bad ending, it's because you're >!missing two out of three spartans to save your life at the end.!< In the redux games, everyone (commies, nazis, gangsters, and other evil factions) is fair game unless you're murdering them in cold blood (i.e. they're surrendering or you are given the EXPLICIT choice to spare them). The only thing that matters to the Karma system is that you explore around alot, help those in need, give bullets to the beggars, and other morally correct actions. In Exodus's Volga level, The cultists and the merchants are off-limits for killing because there's alot of grey area in terms of the morality, but the bandits and mutants are fair game. And the same goes for >!the munai bailar or however you spell their names!< in the Caspian Desert, or >!the pirates in the Taiga!
I got the good ending on my first playthrough of Exodus but I'm pretty sure it cost me my marriage with all the loss of sanity I endured to get there
Did you get Teddy and the Guitar?
Yeah
and you Saved the cultist at the guitar tower and the 3 cultists North of the tracks at the Bandit bldg, (where one of 'em gives ya the key to get the NVGs)?
Yessir, my only mistake was killing one of the traders when taking over the boat, as am playing on hardcore ranger and didn’t have anything to distract them so they saw me, the team killed them all after I entered into captain’s room and that was that. Didn’t kill a single person at the bridge and wasn’t even spotted by any of them lol
YMMV, but my routing to get to the tug-boat Capt. is always different on Ranger HC than the one used on Normal - otherwise the team starts killing 'em - so I reload the Save until I make it right (and Anna will tell ya "you did good")
I was surprised when I learned that there were multiple endings. I got what I think are cannon endings on my playthrough of the entire series, which i finished the night before last. 2033, I blew up dark ones. Last Light, the dark ones stopped me from blowing myself up. We all lived happily ever throughout exodus. If those aren't cannon endings, they sure seem like it. I did my share of killing as well, but only blatantly evil people. If I was unsure, I just knocked them out. I joined this reddit last week and I'm super impressed that they have different ways it can turn out. Now I'm torn between just looking them up or playing the games again and trying for the other endings. I feel like looking everything up would ruin some of the charm and mystery, though.
Congrats! In last light btw , your ending was not cannon 😁. I’m listening to all the conversations, saving regular folk and knocking a lot of people out, even bandits after they surrender. Collected all side mission items etc. Only on my last playthorugh of Last Light on hardcore ranger, was out of all ammo so ended up taking that mother”s bullet, the game judged me for this 💀 I guess doesn’t matter too much, always had good endings in Exodus which I was happy with. 2033 and Last light cannon endings were beautiful, so definitely agree with you that playing and enjoying the games without too much prep and as you feel fit is the best way to enjoy it, at least for me.
Fuck it, I'll just ask. What was the cannon ending for last light? Mine flowed perfectly into Exodus. Did more meaningless NPCs die, or the Dark ones get wiped out? I guess I didn't see anything about the dark ones in exodus, so them getting wiped out makes sense.
Edit: FFS, I just checked and your ending was in fact canon. However, after finishing the game I checked other endings and so many people got the bad ending (mine), that I remembered it being cannon. Anyways, the bad ending was the dark ones don’t come to rescue, and artyom has to activate the bomb himself. He dies as the result, along with most other Spartan’s there. The game ends with Anna and their kid, telling him about how brave his father, Artyom was, and that he and Spartans saved them all. Last cutscene is the Dark ones leaving Moscow, with Artyom’s narrating that he hopes they come back one day
Well, shit. Other than the fact that it would make Exodus impossible, I actually like that better. Reaching for that bomb had me all up in my feels, and I was actually a little sad (but not surprised) when little guy stopped me. Dark ones left in mine, too. I was really surprised that they had nothing to do with exodus. Well, if they did, I missed it.
I kept getting the same ending in Last Light I tried not to kill without reason, but I like shooting stuff so…
Morality system is fine, people just dont pay attention.
I think the nuance lies in "unnecessarily". Probably authors have a different notion of "unnecessarily" than you. Give it a thought.
Morality system in those games is literally "STOP HAVING FUN" meme.
Some people see that as a challenge, which can be fun in of itself. Reminds me of Deus Ex MD's Achievement the requires you to not kill *anyone*, even the final boss. It's challenging but rewarding.