The origin of the Rangers are unknown, but some of the members may have been soldiers from the Russian Army or from the Russian Special Forces (Spetsnaz) before the 2013 apocalypse. They may as well have been mercenaries or some sort of other armed forces. However it is known that they have been operating in the Metro since the Great War of 2013. The group has always been lead by Miller who is often referred to as "The Colonel". The Rangers have also always been the guard and military force of Polis. Ss 73fa2cc3bd0d650aea321d57e6526064bf44da55.1920x1080 Rangers seem to be greatly feared by the bandits, Reds and Nazis alike. In the level "Dry", a conversation between a few bandits near the rails can be heard. One bandit mentions how a lone Ranger single-handedly took out large groups of men and how nothing in the tunnels can stop them. The bandit also mentioned that they might not even be human because of their fighting skills. Ironically, upon questioning the bandit reveals the group was killed by a "lone Ranger" outside Riga station - the same bandit outpost taken down by Artyom when he was traveling with Bourbon. Also in the early stage of Last Light, a Nazi officer mentions that normally the Fourth Reich does not interfere with the business of the Rangers. The Spartans maintain a large amount of bases and outpost throughout the Metro. In both the Metro 2033 book and game, their main base is Polis. However, in Metro Last Light, after the Discovery of D6 they make their main base there. The Rangers maintain a permanent base located in a church on the surface, known as Sparta.What the rangers lack in number, they make up for in technological standards and considered to the most technological advance in the whole metro system along with Polis. Most of them were soldiers and technicians before the Armageddon, giving them an upper hand in understanding various pieces of equipment. Pre-war Weapons are maintained by the most skilled gunsmiths the metro can offer, giving them a Kalash over a Bastard. While the Rangers have a superior armory over any in the metro, their mechanics also make sure that they have a steady supply of maintained Vehicles. Whether on a rail track or off-road on the surface, the Rangers have a well maintained collection of motor vehicles. Due to their alliance with Polis, they also be able to understand a lot of pre-war scientific knowledge about technology or biology since D6 and Polis are only two stations able to analyze and understand the bio-weapon unleashed by the Red Line.On terms of the Rangers' tactical methods, it goes without saying as being xenophobic towards specializing in multiple uses of weaponry. The Rangers maintain and keep their infantry the strongest. The group uses more front line riflemen tactics though exceptions exist. The group contains a elite sniper squad, one member being Anna, and a small Demolition squad as seen in D6. However, while the Sparta has a wide variety of skilled specialists, they act mainly as a infantry force. StrengthEdit
The Order have approximately 100 combat ready members due mostly to the fact that they only take in the best of the best. This is very small, even for Reich standards. However, what they lack in size they make up for being the greatest warriors in the whole Metro. They are the best of the best and a frequent comparison is 5 red solders are equivalent to one Ranger. One ranger in D6 asks another ranger what their strength is, guessing around 200. It is possible that the Order has more than 100 people, but some may be dedicated specialists such as technicians and engineers, wounded rangers, and members deployed elsewhere, meaning that there is roughly 100 combat ready members that can be drawn upon, but there are more in total.The first Ranger Artyom encounters during the course of his journey is his step-father's friend, Hunter. Hunter has come to Exhibition because of reports of telepathic mutants attacking the station. He, Artyom, and Artyom's step-father, Alex, defend the entrance to the Hospital against several waves of nosalises. After the battle he leaves and tells Artyom that if he doesn't return to Exhibition, Artyom must deliver a message to Polis. He then hands Artyom his Ranger Token, an enameled dog tag, and tells him to find Miller in Polis. He never returns, and in the game's canon is presumed to be dead or missing. Artyom himself had been addressed as "Ranger" a couple of times during the game. The first takes place if Artyom rescues a group of Red soldiers captured by the Fourth Reich on the frontline between the Red Line and the Fourth Reich. One will say "We heard there was a Ranger in the vicinity, good work". The second occurs when Artyom returns Sasha to his mother. Before Artyom walks to the surface, one of the soldiers bids him goodbye by saying "...good luck to you, Ranger". Artyom encounters many Rangers, and much evidence of their work along his journey in the game. Hunter's message to another ranger named Red can be found near the end of Dead City 1. The message talks about heading to Exhibition with some heavy gear, to try and help fight against the coming threat. One man named Khan, who is affiliated with the rangers, guides Artyom to the Armory. Khan has a different outlook on the situation compared to that of the other rangers. He does not believe the Dark Ones, mutants, or anomalies are evil, they are just now what the world is, and that humanity should move on with them. The next group of rangers Artyom meets are Pavel and Ulman, who save Artyom from being executed by two Nazis. Ulman leaves the group while Pavel and Artyom head to Polis. Pavel does not survive the trip. Artyom meets up with Ulman later on and they reach Polis
At Polis, Artyom meets Miller, the leader of the rangers. After failing to gain support from the Polis Council, Miller and Artyom decide to find D6. Miller, Artyom, and Danila head towards the library to find the location of D6. On the way, Danila is injured and must be taken back to Polis, and Miller leaves Artyom on his own to find the documents leading to D6. When Artyom leaves the library with the D6 dossier, he is confronted by a librarian, but before the Librarian could attack Artyom, Miller and Ulman showed up in an armored car, and run it over. They take Artyom to Sparta where Artyom meets the remainder of the rangers: Boris, Vladimir, Stepan, along with Khan and three unnamed rangers. Together the Rangers and Artyom travel to D6, and though citing a few casualties in their numbers, are able to get D6 functioning enough to send a missile to the Botanical Gardens. On the surface, Miller and Artyom encounter more Rangers, and they are all ambushed by watchers and demons. Barely making it out alive, the two make their way up Ostankino Tower where they launch the missiles at the Dark Ones.
