STALKER 2 All That is Left: Mateus or Zaretskyi Choice Explained

All That is Left is a Ward side mission at the Chemical Plant in STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Lt. Mateus asks you to recover the Soul artifact from the nearby Chemical Tanks, but as soon as you pick it up, Professor Zaretskyi contacts you, wanting the same artifact for study. The choice between them changes your reward and your standing with the Ward, and a third route lets you keep the artifact entirely.

Quick answer: Give the Soul artifact to Mateus for the largest coupon payout and to protect your Ward reputation. For the best overall haul, do not hand over the artifact at all. Loot the dead soldier’s PDA underground, complete Zaretskyi’s body-in-the-anomaly request for coupons, then show the PDA to Mateus for a smaller payout while keeping the Soul artifact.

Every choice and what it gives you

There are three main endings, plus an optional route that combines two of them. The exact coupon amounts scale with your difficulty setting. Harder difficulties pay fewer coupons for sold items and completed jobs, which is why the numbers you see in-game may differ from any single reference figure.

Choice	Result
Give the Soul artifact to Mateus	Highest single coupon payout and keeps your reputation with the Ward. Completes the quest.
Give the Soul artifact to Zaretskyi	Slightly fewer coupons. Mateus turns on you and you lose the chance to raise Ward reputation.
Do the research task, then show Mateus the PDA	Coupons for dropping the body in the anomaly, plus a small PDA reward from Mateus. You keep the Soul artifact.
Keep the artifact	No coupons. Equip the Soul for its Endurance bonus.

The story impact is minor either way since this is a side mission. The real trade-off is coupons versus reputation. Handing the artifact to Zaretskyi nets marginally more money in a plain sale, but it costs you Ward goodwill. If you are playing a Ward-aligned run, Mateus is the straightforward pick.

Image credit: GSC Game World / Game Guides Channel

Before you start the mission

All That is Left only becomes available once you commit to the Ward’s storyline. You need to give the Ward Sensors to Captain Zotov during Needle in a Haystack, then finish Behind Seven Seals and reach Garbage so you can cross the pontoon bridge. That path leads you to Lt. Mateus at the Chemical Plant, who offers the job after confirming you belong there.

Speak with Mateus, ask about the job he mentioned, and agree to retrieve the artifact to begin the quest.

Note: This mission fails automatically if you leave it too long. The Chemical Tanks are a short walk south of the Chemical Plant base, so head there and finish it before wandering off.

How to get the Soul artifact

Follow the waypoint south to the Chemical Tanks. As you approach the entrance, a pack of Psy Dogs (Pseudodogs) attacks. They keep spawning psychic clones until you kill the pack leader, so focus fire on the one that does not vanish when hit. A shotgun ends it quickly.

Move toward the center of the compound, among the chemical tanks on your left, and find the opening in the metal grates on the floor. Mutants wait below, so lure one up if you can, then drop in and clear the rest.

Loot the underground area. There is a dead soldier carrying a PDA and a stash with more loot. Grab the PDA specifically. It records what happened to the soldier and unlocks the route that lets you keep the artifact later.

Take the stairs at the back of the room up to a gate beside a ramp. Go up the ramp, around to the left, and walk along the top of the chemical tank until you can hop onto the railing leading to the catwalk. The Soul artifact sits at the end of it.

Picking up the Soul immediately triggers a radio call from Professor Zaretskyi, who asks you to meet near the entrance to discuss the artifact. Avoid jumping straight down from the catwalk, since mutants are waiting in the pit below.

Best outcome: keep the artifact and get paid twice

If you looted the PDA underground, you can satisfy both characters without giving up the Soul artifact. This is the route that leaves you with the most in hand.

Decline to sell the Soul artifact to Zaretskyi. Instead, tell the professor about the PDA and the dead soldier’s body. Zaretskyi then asks you to retrieve the body and dispose of it.

Pick up the fallen soldier’s body from the underground area and throw it into the anomaly near the ramp by the underground exit. Return to Zaretskyi to collect the coupon reward for completing the research request.

Head back to Mateus and show him the soldier’s PDA rather than the artifact. He pays a smaller coupon reward for the information, and you walk away still holding the Soul artifact.

You end this path with two coupon payments plus the artifact itself. The Soul raises your Endurance when equipped, though it also pushes up your radiation level, so weigh that before slotting it in.

Confirming the quest is done

Handing the Soul artifact to Mateus closes the mission immediately, with his thanks and a coupon payout. He explains the artifact was the last thing left behind after his group was attacked and his friend Budnik was taken as a test subject.

If you sold or gave the artifact to Zaretskyi instead, you can still speak to Mateus, but telling him you failed to find it prompts him to dismiss you, and no Ward reputation is gained. On the PDA route, the quest tracker updates after you drop the body in the anomaly and again after Mateus reviews the PDA. Should you show Mateus the PDA and keep the artifact, you may later find his body away from the base.

For a clean, reputation-friendly run, give the Soul artifact to Mateus. For maximum value, take the PDA route and keep the artifact for its Endurance boost. Either way, grab the PDA underground first so the choice stays open until you decide.