As I said in my Metro Exodus review, it's an absolutely brilliant game, and it's free new "Ranger Update" should only make it better. As developer 4A Games explained, on top of a laundry list of performance improvements and bug fixes, the update adds new game plus mode as well as several modifiers which let you further customize your difficulty level. If like me, you've been looking for an excuse to play through it again, this is right up your alley.
Unlike the standard chapter system, new game plus mode lets you play through the entire game with all the weapons you obtained in your previous run. This will clear your auto-saves and chapter saves, but it'll also give you a chance to hit all the Metro Exodus map locations and hoover up any upgrades you missed the first time around, not to mention some new game plus-only collectibles. While you're at it, why not up the ante with a few of the Ranger Update's difficulty modifiers? Here's the full list of modifiers at your disposal:
- My weapons: start with all the weapons and attachments from your last playthrough. Armor and wrist upgrades don't carry over.
- One weapon: you can only carry one weapon, but you can swap weapons in the field.
- Crossbow: you also receive the Helsing crossbow when you receive the Tikhar pneumatic rifle.
- Backpack limitations: backpack crafting is disabled; you can only mod weapons out in the field.
- Armored enemies: human enemies have more armor.
- Tougher creatures: non-human enemies have more armor.
- Grenadiers: human enemies throw more explosives.
- Real-time weather: day and night work on an actual 24-hour cycle instead of a simulated two-hour one.
- Bad weather: rain, sand storms, and other weather events occur more frequently.
- Radiation is forever: levels have more irradiated zones.
- Iron mode: saving is disabled apart from auto-saves at the start of each level.
- Developer commentary: Green Tape Players containing developer commentary can be found throughout the world.
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