In the Metro universe, pre-war military-grade (MGR) 5.45x39mm rounds are used as a primary currency for trading amongst the survivors living beneath the irradiated ruins of Moscow. It's always been a fascinating system. It not only fuels Metro's exceptional sense of place and immersion, but always forces players to make a difficult decision:

MGR ammunition is a powerful alternative to the standard rounds most weapons take, but every round ejected from a Kalash in combat is akin to literally shooting your money away. And given the increased challenge in Metro 2039 – a new global faction of human combatants, and monsters who have suffered further mutation in the four years since Artyom and the Spartan Rangers fled the Metro system – currency is king if you want any chance of survival.

Speaking to the decision to bring this system back in Metro 2039, executive producer Jon Bloch tells me the decision was easy for the team at 4A Games. "That is the currency of the Metro, so how could we go back to the Metro without having the currency come back as well?"

This was a prominent part of Metro 2033 and Last Light, but was ultimately removed from 2019's Metro Exodus due to the story taking place far beyond the confines of the Metro system. "It didn't make sense from a lore standpoint to have it in Exodus because you were leaving. Who are you going to trade it with? Who has established MGR as a currency out in the middle of nowhere, right?

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