Ashot

Ashot
General Characteristics
Real name:	Ashot
Type:	Pistol

The Ashot is a small, Metro-made shotgun-pistol (or shot-pistol) that appears in Metro Last Light.

Overview

The Ashot seems to be a popular weapon in the Metro, especially for criminals or individuals who do not have a lot of money. While high in damage output, the Ashot fires only a single 12x70 shotgun shell before it must be reloaded. It is an adequate weapon for close combat, very slow, without question; but very economic in shots when taking down mutants like the Nosalis in Undercity. It has a higher damage output than the Duplet, Shambler or Saiga, which makes sense that the user only has one round before reloading; but lacks their range, rate of fire, magazine size, and versatility. While this makes the weapon evidently quite lethal at close range, it leaves Artyom very vulnerable - especially when under attack from multiple targets or vectors. It can be used effectively against shrimps, as seen in use by Fedor, but generally, the Ashot is an ineffective weapon in most situations and the player is recommended to swap the Ashot for another weapon whenever possible. At the beginning of the game, however, the Ashot is very common among Nazis in the early stage of the game, so the player may have to rely on it for a while due to the shortage of other types of ammunition.

Physically the Ashot is compact, yet unremarkable. These pistols may have been inspired by flare guns, as adaptors in real life can be purchased that can turn flare guns into shotguns. A notable feature of the pistol's design is the offsetting of the barrel during the reloading of each shot, reminiscent of a revolver's cylinder.

The Ashot becomes very useful in the Faction Pack DLC mission, Kshatriya. Even as a starting weapon, it can fire the powerful 12x70 Dragonbreath rounds, capable of killing Nosalis in one shot on every difficulty. However, once again, it is outclassed by the Duplet and Shambler loading the same ammunition, as the Ashot is a poor choice during attacks by Nosalis hordes or when facing a Librarian. The same goes for the Tower Pack DLC, where the players may find using the Ashot risky.

Attachments

• Silencer
• Extended barrel
• Stock and foregrip
• Reflex sight
• Infra-red sight
• Laser sight

Related Achievements

	Gunslinger	Bronze Trophy - 15
	Kill at least one Enemy with each Weapon available in the game.

Trivia

Ashot variants in Metro: Last Light

• In the previews of Last Light, Khan was seen as owning a special version of the Ashot featuring the pistol grip and forend which is unobtainable in the final game. It was planned alongside with other attachment combinations seen in concept arts.
• With the ashot, you can aim down the sights while reloading.
• All Ashots acquired from enemies have stocks.
• The Ashot is sometimes confused with Revolver due to their similar appearance.
• Ashot, originally an Armenian given name, is a common nickname, that native Russians give to the immigrants from the Caucasus. This indicates that this weapon was possibly constructed by one of the surviving immigrants.
  • The gun's name may also be a play on words, getting its name by the amount of the ammunition it can hold (a-shot).
  • Fans of 4A may recall that Ashot is also the name of the Freedom Trader in S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Clear Sky, who sells weapons, suits, and various items to the player (Mercenary Scar). He also engages in bizarre and at times hilarious arguments with the base mechanic Uncle Yar which can be listened to here.
• If left idle, Artyom will study the gun. If it is equipped with a stock and forend he will put his finger in front of the hammer, only to have it close on him and hurt his finger.
• If watched in slow motion, the idle animation for the ashot with a forent and stock, and when reloading, the hammer sometimes doesn't move. This could be an oversight or a glitch, though the reload animation is very fast, so many players would not have noticed.
• Ashot can be seen in the Metro 2033 Redux in Market level on the guard that Bourbon calls Mike, but is unobtainable. Another is also seen in Lost Tunnel, with its grips removed and used as part of a tripwire trap.

Gallery

In-game Ashot, as seen from the first person perspective in Metro: Last Light.

As seen in the pre-alpha teaser trailer

As seen in E3 2011 demo

Khan shooting the Ashot in the E3 demo

An Ashot modified with pistol grip, extended barrel, laser designator and an IR scope.

This one is modified with suppressor, red dot sight, stock and forend and a laser designator.

Artyom reloading his shotgun that is equipped with the stock and forend, showing part of the Ashot's "swing out" mechanism.

Concept Art for the Ashot

The Ashot in pistol form