After 13 long years, Remedy has released the sequel to Alan Wake, and it’s more than anyone could have expected. Mixing psychedelic, dreamy visuals with Campbell’s monomyth concepts and survival horror elements, Alan Wake 2 manages to stand out even within the Finnish studio’s catalog.
Alan Wake 2 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S)
Developer: Remedy Entertainment
Publisher: Epic Games Publishing
Released: October 27, 2023
It’s not the easiest game to get the hang of and the story is a metafictional one that stretches beyond the boundaries of logic. Hence, while you’ll get the most enjoyment out of the game from going into it blind and figuring out the mysteries on your own, there’s no shame in needing help with some sections.
This hub page will feature guides for every Alan Wake 2 chapter, and you can use it whether you’re playing for the first time or completing the Final Draft. You’ll also find handy guides for grabbing all the collectibles, some of which are pretty well-hidden.
What is Final Draft?
AW 2 doesn’t take a typical approach to its New Game+. Keeping with its writer theme, it features a Final Draft mode, released December 11, which contains new content.
To play the Final Draft, you have to complete the main game first. There’s a post-credits scene that gives some context as to why a Final Draft is necessary. Without spoiling anything, “it’s not a loop, it’s a spiral.”
Currently, the Final Draft will continue from your first completed save of your game. This is a bummer, as if you have a second save where you decided to deal with all the collectibles, you won’t be able to transfer them into your New Game+.
New Game+ also introduces Nightmare mode, which is the hardest difficulty. It’s best tackled when you have all the upgrades, but as previously stated, if you handled that on a second playthrough, you won’t be able to use them in Final Draft.
As a word of advice, if it’s your first time playing Alan Wake 2, grab all your upgrades and collectibles on your first playthrough, as this is currently the only way to bring them with you into New Game+.
- All new Alan Wake 2 Final Draft manuscript pages and where to find them
- Where to find all Final Draft videos in Alan Wake 2
- Every change in Alan Wake 2’s Final Draft mode
What is Alan Wake 2?
The titular protagonist is a writer who travels to the cozy town of Bright Falls and discovers horrors that breach the barrier between fiction and reality. This sequel continues his tale as he attempts to defeat the Dark Presence which has trapped him in the Dark Place. This time around, FBI agent Saga Anderson is also on the case. You can switch between characters at key points and experience their separate narratives that eventually intertwine in strange ways.
In typical Remedy fashion, the game blends live-action elements and features some clever uses of music. It’s a dense tale, and you probably won’t understand it all on your first playthrough. You should expect nothing less from Sam Lake, a writer who has proven himself to be a master of postmodernism.
Alan Wake 2 tips and tricks
This isn’t a very action-oriented game, though as a survival horror title, it does have its terrifying encounters. The Taken are shrouded in darkness, requiring you to shine a flashlight on them first to make them vulnerable to your bullets.
Combat was one of the biggest criticisms of the first game in the franchise, and while things have improved drastically in the sequel, it’s still nothing to write home about. My advice – don’t be a hero. If you want to enjoy one of gaming’s greatest narratives, turn the difficulty down to story mode and enjoy a smoother, less frustrating experience.
This isn’t universal advice, of course. You may enjoy the combat Alan Wake 2 throws at you, especially once you’ve accumulated a good amount of ammo, flashbangs, and cool guns. To make the most of your gameplay, the following guides are useful:
- How long is Alan Wake 2 – Chapters and game length
- Best weapon upgrades in Alan Wake 2
- Best Charms to equip in Alan Wake 2 – Tier list
- How to increase inventory space in Alan Wake 2
Alan Wake 2 collectibles and puzzle solutions
There are several collectibles to be found in both Saga and Alan’s section of the game. It’s worth finding these, as they’ll provide you with the resources you need to take on the Taken, and they’ll allow you to upgrade the weapons your protagonists wield. Some collectibles also unlock amusing aspects of the story that provide a nice distraction from the horror you’re usually confronting.
These guides will help you find all the Alan Wake 2 collectibles:
- All Cult Stash locations and solutions in Alan Wake 2
- All Koskela Brother commercials locations in Alan Wake 2
- All licensed songs – Alan Wake 2 soundtrack
- All Nursery Rhyme locations in Alan Wake 2 – Dolls and solutions
- All lunchbox locations in Alan Wake 2
- All Words of Power locations in Alan Wake 2
- All Mayor Setter campaign ad locations in Alan Wake 2
- All Taxidermy Deer Head Locations in Alan Wake 2
With these guides, no puzzle will thwart you:
- How to solve the ‘What’s Behind that Smile’ Cult Stash puzzle in Alan Wake 2
- How to get the Lighthouse Key in Alan Wake 2
- How to solve the Coffee World safe code puzzle in Alan Wake 2
- How to find Valhalla Nursing Home basement code in Alan Wake 2
- How to get the Pump Action Shotgun in Alan Wake 2
- How to get the Hunting Rifle in Alan Wake 2
- How to solve the Battery Amps Cult Stash puzzle in Alan Wake 2
- How to get the Screwdriver in Alan Wake 2
- How to find Oceanview Hotel door code in Alan Wake 2
- Where to find the fuse for Espresso Express in Alan Wake 2
Alan Wake 2 chapter walkthroughs with Final Draft differences
With a few exceptions at the beginning and the end of the game, you can switch between playing Alan or Saga’s chapters. The following guides will help you reach the shocking conclusion and help you get collectibles as soon as they’re accessible to speed up your acquisition of upgrades.
These chapter-by-chapter walkthrough guides will help newcomers and list all the Final Draft changes in the story for return players.
- Return 0: The Cult
- Return 1: Invitation (Saga)
- Return 2: The Heart (Saga)
- Return 3: Local Girl (Saga)(Part 1)
- Return 3: Local Girl (Saga)(Part 2)
- Return 3: Local Girl (Saga)(Part 3)
- Return 4: No Chance (Saga)
- Return 5: Old Gods (Saga)
- Return 6: Scratch (Saga)
- Return 7: Summoning (Saga)
- Return 8: Deerfest (Alan)
- Initiation 1: Late Night (Alan)
- Initiation 2: Casey (Alan)
- Initiation 3: Haunting (Alan)
- Initiation 4: We Sing (Alan)
- Initiation 5: Room 665 (Alan)
- Initiation 6: Return (Alan)
- Initiation 7: Masks (Alan)
- Initiation 8: Zane’s Film (Alan)
- Initiation 9: Gone (Alan)
- Return 9: Come Home (Saga)
This is a useful hub to keep an eye on, as it’ll be updated with new Alan Wake 2 information as it is released. Our writer’s story is far from done, and there are two DLCs on the way which will also be covered in this hub.
