The “Lost Boys” quest in STALKER 2 presents you with a tough decision: align with the Ninth, who is a soldier of the Monolith, or Dew, the leader of a group of mercenaries. This optional mission starts when you investigate the disappearance of a gang of diggers who failed to return to Lens. During your search, you meet a member of the Ninth who assisted Mastiff, one of the missing individuals, while Dew, suspicious of the Monolith, believes he must eliminate the Ninth to prevent Mastiff from becoming a zombie mutant.
This side mission isn’t straightforward and culminates in a choice without much background. This guide provides a step-by-step walkthrough for the Lost Boys quest in STALKER 2, detailing how to complete it and the implications of siding with either the Ninth or Dew.
Discover What Happened to Mastiff’s Group in STALKER 2
To start, you’ll need to locate where Mastiff and his crew went missing. Follow the blue waypoint, which will lead you south of Zalissya for a short distance until you find a concrete bunker entrance. Once inside, continue to look for clues about the gang’s fate.
Search any bodies you find and delve deeper into the bunker while being cautious of various electrical anomalies. Eventually, you’ll find an injured man named Max Saturday. Heal him and talk to him to learn that a member of the Monolith has taken Mastiff. After this, restore power in the level behind Max, and then exit through the nearby door.
Locate Mastiff in STALKER 2
Next, to find Mastiff, travel southeast from the facility for several hundred meters, keeping an eye on the blue waypoint. You will arrive at a small set of buildings, one of which contains Mastiff, as you can hear him moaning in pain. Unfortunately, the door to the building is locked, and you can’t open it directly.
Instead, go to the smaller shed next to the house (located to the right of the front entrance) and break the yellow padlock. Inside, look for a hole in the floor that leads to an underground tunnel, conveniently allowing you to access the locked door in the house where Mastiff is lying on a bed.
Mastiff will mention the attic, leading you to the Ninth. After speaking with him, you’ll soon be interrupted by Dew and his gang. At this juncture, you need to decide whether to assist the Ninth in fighting off Dew or to take action against the Ninth.
Choosing the Ninth in STALKER 2: The Lost Boys
If you decide to support the Ninth, prepare to combat Dew’s mercenaries. Although the Ninth will join you in the fight, defeating Dew’s skilled armed team will be challenging. The skirmish becomes easier if it transitions indoors, where the Ninth can aid you, albeit at the risk of his own life.
Once the fight concludes, talk to the Ninth to learn more about him and his faction. You’ll also receive the Rubber Layer blueprint, which can be used to upgrade your gear at any technician (the vendors responsible for weapon repairs in STALKER 2).
Upon returning to Lens, you’ll earn 500 coupons for finding Mastiff. However, the Ninth will caution you that most characters in STALKER 2 are less tolerant of Monolith members than he is, expressing strong opinions about them in the process.
Choosing Dew in STALKER 2: The Lost Boys
If you choose to side with Dew, you will initiate a fight against the Ninth. While the Ninth is a single adversary, he has superior health, acting as a tank compared to Dew’s fighters. Defeating him won’t yield much loot, though.
The advantage of this decision emerges when you return to Lens, as he’ll reward you with 1,000 coupons for completing the quest, double the amount if you choose the Ninth. The trade-off is that you miss out on the blueprint.
Can You Prevent Dew from Attacking the Ninth?
Attempting a non-violent resolution to the Lost Boys quest by persuading Dew not to attack the Ninth won’t work. Despite the Ninth suggesting you could try to talk Dew down, if you claim the house is empty, he will search it anyway, leading to a confrontation. If you assert the Monolithian’s honesty, Dew will perceive you as a traitor and initiate combat. No matter your dialogue choices, one side—Dew’s group or the Ninth—will ultimately fall.
Looking for more decisions to explore? Check out whether you should help or eliminate Squint in STALKER 2, or the best recipient for the religious icon in STALKER 2.
