Stalker 2: Should You Side with The Ninth or Dew in The Lost Boys

During “The Lost Boys” side quest in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, you will be given an option to either side with The Ninth, a member of the Monolith cult, or Dew and his gang. If you are stuck on which option to choose, then this guide has got you covered.

Stalker 2 The Lost Boy Side Quest Walkthrough

You will get the Lost Boy side quest from Lens, who will tell you about a group of diggers who were sent on a mission to find valuables. However, they can no longer make any contact with the group. You are tasked with finding the group by heading to their last known location, a bunker.

Once you reach the objective marker and enter the bunker, drop down to the next level and enter the room on your right. You will find a PDA next to a corpse that reveals that the group was going to get killed by an emission.

Proceed to the passage, and you will find a shotgun and a bag on the floor. You will also find a fuse on the floor. Pick it up and install it in the fusebox inside the room on the left.

Keep following the path and cross the room with the anomaly. Go down the stairs while keeping yourself safe from the rat enemies. You will find one of the members of the group called Max Saturday, who you need to heal. Speak to him to learn about the leader of the group, Mastiff, who was kidnapped by a Monolithian and taken to a cursed apartment building.

Once you are done talking to him, go up the stairs and flip the switch to open the door. Head down the hallway and move to the next objective marker.

Upon arrival, you will get attacked by a bunch of dogs. Take them out and head to the shed at the left of the house. Break the lock and enter inside to find an underground tunnel. Get to the other side of the tunnel inside the house, and you will hear The Ninth inside.

You will find an injured Mastiff on a bed and a ladder that takes you to the attic. Go up the attic to find the Ninth. Speak to him to listen to his side of the story. During the conversation, you will get interrupted by a bunch of gang members led by Dew. They are out to hunt the Monolithian soldier. This is where you will have to choose between siding with The Ninth or Dew.

What Happens If You Side With The Ninth in The Lost Boy?

If you choose to listen to The Ninth and side with him, you will have to kill the gang members who are standing outside. There are plenty of them outside, and it will take a lot of your resources to get yourself out of that situation.

The Ninth will help you fight the mercenaries, but there is also a risk of him getting killed by them. Whatever you do, make sure he gets out safe from this fight if you want something out of this.

When you have killed the gang and its leader, talk to the Ninth to get to know more about the faction. He will give you a Rubber Layer blueprint, an upgrade the technicians can install on your automatic rifle.

When you get back to Lens and report on the missing diggers, he will give you 500 Coupons for finding Mastiff and lecture you for siding with a Monolithian.

What Happens If You Side With Dew in The Lost Boy?

If you side with Dew, you will have to help him and the gang kill The Ninth, who is hiding inside the house. The Ninth’s health will be more tanky than the other human enemies, so you will the help of the gang to get rid of him.

Once you have killed him, you will not find anything worth any money from him, but once you report to Lens, he will give you 1000 Coupons, double what you get when you side with The Ninth.

Which Option is the Best Choice in The Lost Boy?

It is better to side with The Ninth than with Dew, as you get the rare blueprint and half the reward you would get for siding with Dew.

You can only get the Rubber Layer blueprint from The Ninth in the game, and there is no other way to get it. It is a great upgrade for your automatic rifle that reduces the weapon recoil. But is it worth losing 500 Coupons over? Absolutely. There are other ways you can make money in the game. For more on this, take a look at our guide on how to make money fast in Stalker 2.

Can You Avoid the Conflict in The Lost Boy?

Even if you try to stop Drew from getting inside the building to kill the Ninth, he will brush you aside and enter the house with his gang. Also, if you tell the truth that the Monolithian saved Mastiff from the mutants, then he will consider you a traitor and start attacking you. So there is no way for you to avoid the conflict and you will have to choose a side.

And that’s all you need to know to help you choose your side during The Lost Boy side quest in Stalker 2. If you are struggling to manage your inventory space in the game, then take a look at our guide on how to carry more items in Stalker 2.