Kill Shah or Roosevelt? Who to kill and who to spare is an important choice in Stalker 2. During the quest “King of the Hill,” you face a choice between killing two rival gang leaders, Shah or Roosevelt, to gain information about the main quest.
Both of these characters are hidden in different locations but just like the Squint choice, this choice has little to no implications on the main story of the game. Still some changes will happen to the kind of loot you get.
All Choices and Consequences
| Action | Shah’s Hideout Access | Roosevelt’s Hideout Access | Peaceful Resolution with Commissary | Maximum Loot | Varan’s Betrayal | Vendor Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kill Shah only | ❌ (locked forever) | ✅ | ✅ | Partial (only Roosevelt’s) | ✅ (Varan betrays you anyway) | Roosevelt only |
| Kill Roosevelt only | ✅ | ❌ (locked) | ❌ (no peaceful option in later quest) | Partial (only Shah’s) | ✅ | Shah only |
| Kill both Shah & Roosevelt | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (all loot + stashes) | ✅ | None |
| Kill Varan immediately | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ (can still resolve with Commissary) | ❌ (miss Shah/Roosevelt stashes) | ❌ (you stop the betrayal) | Both (for now) |
Killing Shah in Stalker 2
Shah is located at the Brood hideout west of Slag Heap which is relatively straightforward to access because the location is marked as The Brood on your map.
If you are going to kill him, the best option is to use a vantage point for a sniper shot. If you don’t have a sniper, then approach directly.
As I mentioned above, a Vantage point is the best way to deal with them and I think while a sniper is best, any weapon would actually work now that I think about it.
The vantage point in question is a watchtower that overlooks The Brood hideout. Climb up and pick them off one by one.
After killing Shah, you can loot his body for useful items and his PDA, which reveals stash locations.
Once you are done, look for an artifact on the east side of The Brood hideout, near the magma-spouting anomalies.
Killing Roosevelt in Stalker 2
Roosevelt is hidden within the Commissariat and reaching him typically requires more planning. You can go in with a direct assault which is not the recommended approach, or you can use stealth which is the best way to deal with Roosevelt and his people.
I approached the base through the base’s backdoor through the shooting range.
Similar to Shah, killing Roosevelt provides access to his stash and valuable loot, but getting there may take more time and effort. If you kill Roosevelt, pick up his PDA to complete the mission.
Should You Kill Roosevelt or Shah? My Recommended Best Choice
While both options ultimately lead to similar outcomes in terms of quest progression (both PDAs are needed), I recommend killing Shah first. First? Yeah, you can kill them both and killing them both is the way to go but kill Shah first.
Shah’s hideout is easier to infiltrate compared to Roosevelt’s base, which often requires additional steps to get inside.
After eliminating Shah, you can then proceed to Roosevelt’s location with less resistance if you choose to go after him next.
If you kill both leaders before returning to Varan, you can collect all available loot from their bases.
Alternative Option: Kill Varan
You can choose to spare both Shah and Roosevelt. Bypass them both and kill Varan. Killing Varan leads directly into a fight but skips the intermediary steps of dealing with either gang leader.
This is not the best option because you will end up missing out on Shah and Roosevelt’s loot.
