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Alan Wake 2 Guide

Get out of the Dark Place Alan Wake 2 guide, walkthrough is tips for beginners, all trophies. We present solutions to all puzzles, all bosses, secrets, collectibles, chapter order, Minds Place, best weapons, endings, system requirements, controls.

Last update: 14 March 2024

Our Alan Wake 2 guide will help you survive the nightmares experienced by the titular writer and FBI agent Saga Anderson. It will help you, above all, in completing the game, as it offers solutions to puzzles (plot puzzles, nursery rhymes, cult stashes, hidden weapons), descriptions of boss fights and information about the ending. The guide includes information about secrets and collectibles (lunch boxes, manuscript pages, increasing inventory, dolls, echoes, words of power and others), various tips for key gameplay mechanics and answers to frequently asked questions. Using our tips will also help you to get the platinum trophy and complete Alan Wake 2 in 100%.

Alan Wake 2: Guide content

Our guide to the game Alan Wake 2 starts with starting tips and we talk about important things worth knowing before starting the game. The chapter on the basics of gameplay also describes, among other things, all available weapons, the Mind Place and the Writer's Room, or the available difficulty levels.

We have also prepared solutions to puzzles - those related to the main plot, as well as unique weapons, nursery rhymes and cult stashes. All boss fights are discussed in a separate section, from which you will learn about their moves and recommended combat tactics.

Our guide also has secrets and collectibles with their exact locations. Among them are, for example, manuscript pages, lunch boxes, maps of locations, echoes, words of power, or Koskelas Ads. We have also prepared a FAQ section, from which you will learn, among others: how to save the game, how to play as Alan, whether there is a point of no return, how to heal wounds or where to find a screwdriver and bolt cutters.

The guide also has an appendix where you can find a trophy guide that will help you unlock the platinum trophy. In addition, we have prepared pages on topics such as the controls, system requirements, language versions, availability on Steam and on Game Pass, and whether you need to be familiar with the Alan Wake series.

Alan Wake 2: Tips and tricks

Saga must be up to date with all investigations. The most common reason for getting stuck in some place in her chapters is not placing the gathered clues to the case board.
Use shortcuts to quickly select items. You have to create it yourself and, for example, a quick access to a painkiller or switching to another weapon can save your life.
You don't have to fight everyone. Avoiding confrontation can reduce the risk of injury and help you conserve supplies. You can avoid enemies or run away from them to the light.
You won't be able to explore every place 100% right away, because your character may not have a key, skill or a quest item. However, examine everything, so that the map of the area gets filled with icons.

More tips and hints can be found on a separate page: Tips and tricks.

Alan Wake 2: Basics

Difficulty levels - We have described the basic differences between the available difficulty levels.
Mind Place - We explain why you should visit Saga Anderson's mind and what you can do there.
All weapons - We have prepared lists of the available and, in our opinion, best weapons separately for Alan Wake and Saga Anderson.
Best weapon upgrades - We have prepared a list of the best upgrades that you should spend your manuscript fragments on.
Writer's Room - We explain how to visit this place and what practical uses it has when playing as Alan.
Best Words of Power upgrades - We present the most interesting perks and bonuses available in Alan's story and unlocked with Words of Power.

Alan Wake 2: FAQ

Campaign

How to play as Alan? - Learn when you can switch from Saga to Alan.
How to save the game? - We explain whether you can use manual saves and when the game creates autosaves.
How does switching between stories work? - We explain how to change the character at will and when you can unlock this option.
How to assign quick items? - We explain how to add weapons and single-use items to quick slots in the inventory.
Does the game feature a Photo Mode? - You can find out if the game has photo mode and if you can turn off the UI.
How to heal? - Learn how to regenerate lost health points and keep your heroes alive more effectively.
Can you turn off jumpscares? - We explain whether the game uses this method to scare the player with sudden loud noises or images.
Is there a point of no return? - Find out whether you can miss collectibles and when is the last chance for free exploration of the map.
Are there different endings? - We answer whether the game has more than one ending and how to watch an extra cut-scene after completing the campaign.

Tasks and puzzles

How to survive a confrontation in the morgue? - We explain how to retrieve the pistol and win the first fight in the morgue in Bright Falls.
How to leave the morgue? - We solve the problem of a blocked exit from the morgue.
How to get into a car? - The page describes the problem with the lack of interaction with the vehicle and return to Bright Falls. You will learn how to be able to enter the car.
How to open the gate in the parking lot? - We explain a fairly simple problem of how to get the key to the gate next to the parking lot in Cauldron Lake.
How to unlock For Later tracks? - You will learn how to remove the For Later limitation and add more clues to Saga's case board.
What hides behind the smile? - We describe the cult stash next to the Huotari well puzzle, which requires finding a smiling figure.
How to come up with a new plan? - We described this problematic main mission objective in the Sheriff's Office in the Return 6 chapter.
How to pet the dog? - We suggest where to find the barking dog in Watery, when Saga can pet it and what the reward is for that.
How many amps does B2 have? - We described one of the more difficult puzzles of the Watery cult stashes, which requires calculating amperes and batteries.

Unique items

How to get the gun and flashlight for Alan? - Learn how to make Alan stop being defenseless. We show where to find revolver and flashlight in the Dark Place.
Where to find screwdriver? - You can find out where to get this gadget useful for destroying locks and opening containers.
Where to find Bolt Cutters? - Thanks to the bolt cutters, Saga will be able to open gates and reach new places on the maps.
How to take father-doll out of the chest? - The page explains what are the requirements to find the last doll from the nursery rhymes and how to solve the problem of taking it out of the container.

Alan Wake 2: Bosses

Nightingale - On this page, you will find a description of the fight with the first main boss that Saga must defeat in Cauldron Lake.
Dark Presence - We described the fight with a ghost in the subway tunnels and escaping from the monster as Alan Wake.
Mulligan and Thornton - Saga faces these two bosses and the former sheriff's deputies in Collision at Watery.
Cynthia - You must face this boss as Saga. Cynthia is hiding in the Collision in the Wellness Center.
Scratch - Saga fights the dark version of Alan Wake for the first time in the parking lot of the sheriff's office in Return 6.
Final boss - On this page we have included a description of the fight with the final boss of the game. Saga fights this boss at the Cauldron Lake Shore in Return 7.

Alan Wake 2: Puzzle solutions

Main story missions

Cauldron Lake Murder Site - We have described the first big puzzle in the game, which involves examining the corpse and analyzing all the traces.
Door codes in the Talk Show studio - You will learn how to get the codes for the electronic door lock in the TV studio.
Safe in the souvenir shop - You will learn how to determine the combination to the safe during your stay at Coffee World.
Padlock in the Kalevala Knights Workshop - We show where to find the instructions for the right symbols sequence on the padlock.
Circuit Board in Espresso Express - We show where the circuit board is located at the carousel, how to reach it and how to install it in the platform.
Password for the computer in the Wellness Center - You will find out what is the correct code for the computer in the Valhalla Nursing Home.
Fuse in the Valhalla Nursing Home - Learn how to reach the fuse box in the basement of the building and what is the code to the box.
Code for Oceanview Hotel - We show you where to find the combination to the hotel door while playing as Alan Wake.
Inserting photos from the Talk Show studio - We tell you where to find the box with Alice's photos as Alan and how to deliver the photos to the square.

Cult Stashes

Cauldron Lake - We have described all the hidden stashes you can get while exploring Cauldron Lake as Saga.
Bright Falls - You will learn about the location and solutions to all the stashes in Bright Falls.
Watery - We show where the caches are hidden on the Watery map and how to solve their puzzles.

Nursery Rhymes

Cauldron Lake - Here you will find solutions to puzzles for nursery rhymes found in Cauldron Lake.
Bright Falls - We have prepared a list of nursery rhymes that can be found and completed in the town and Bunker Woods.
Watery - We have described solving all the nursery rhymes puzzles hidden in Watery.
Final nursery rhyme - Here you will learn how to unlock the final nursery rhyme and how to arrange the dolls in Witchfinder's Station.

Locked places and unique loot

Display case with a sawed-off shotgun - We inform you how to open the display case with the weapon located in the General Store in Cauldron Lake.
Computer in Witchfinder's Station - Learn how to find out the password to the computer in Cauldron Lake.
Stash with a hunting crossbow - We show where to find the hunting cabin and the cult stash in Watery, as well as how to complete the puzzle and obtain the crossbow.
Door knob to the workshop with a rifle - We show where the hunting rifle is hidden in the Wellness Center and how to get to the weapon.
Code for the shotgun in the sheriff's office - Learn how to obtain the Pump-Action Shotgun from the display case in Tim Breaker's office.
Lighthouse key - We explain the requirements for obtaining the key and what secrets the Watery lighthouse hides.
Double-Barrelled Shotgun next to the Oceanview Hotel - The page explains how to get the shotgun hidden in the Mirror Peak Bar while playing as Alan Wake.

Alan Wake 2: Secrets and collectibles

Return - Saga Anderson

Manuscript pages - Return 1-3 - The page contains a list of collectible pages from the first 3 chapters as Saga.
Manuscript pages - Return 5-7 - The page contains a list of secret pages from the next stages played as Saga.
Location maps - On this page we show where to find location maps during Saga's chapters. This is a useful collectible to have as you can use once-obtained maps to facilitate exploration of locations, find collectibles, and return to missed pathways.
Lunch Boxes - Cauldron Lake - Here you can find the locations of Lunch Boxes appearing in Cauldron Lake and learn how to obtain additional manuscript pages thanks to them.
Lunch Boxes - Bright Falls - We inform you where to look for Lunch Boxes in the titular town and in Bunker Woods.
Lunch Boxes - Watery - Here we show the locations of Lunch Boxes containing the Manuscript Fragments from the Watery region.
Inventory upgrades - We have prepared a list of locations where you can find inventory upgrades for Saga. We also explain how to increase Alan's inventory.
Nursery Rhyme Dolls - We have compiled all 13 dolls for you to find as Saga. They are required to solve nursery rhymes.
Koskelas Ads - We show you how to collect a set of TV commercials while completing subsequent Return chapters.
Deer heads - On this page you will learn where to find deer trophies and what the reward is for locating all of them.

Initiation - Alan Wake

Location maps - This page shows the locations where you can find maps of Dark Place regions visited during Alan's chapters.
Echoes - We show where echoes are hidden and how to unlock them while playing as Alan.
Words of Power - We prepared a list of locations where you find all Words of Power used to upgrade Alan's abilities.
Writer's Journey - You will learn how to get all the TV collectibles.

Alan Wake 2: Game length

On average, completing Alan Wake 2 should take a dozen hours, but exploring 100% of the game's content and unlocking all trophies will increase this time. You will find more information on the page: Game length.

Alan Wake 2: Trophies, Achievements

Alan Wake 2 has 67 trophies. Achievements can be earned on all platforms, including the PC version on the Epic Games Store. You can find our trophy guide on the page: Trophies/Achievements.

Alan Wake 2: Minimum PC sysytem requirements

Operating system: Windows10 64-bit
Processor: Intel Core i5-7600K
Graphics card: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 with 6 GB VRAM / AMD Radeon RX 6600 with 8 GB VRAM
RAM: 16 GB
Disk space: approximately 90 GB (SSD recommended)

More about the recommended requirements and the game's performance on consoles can be found on the page: System requirements.