Alan Wake 2 - All Nursery Rhyme Locations and Solutions

On top of Alan Wake 2's other valuable collectibles like the Alex Casey Lunch Boxes and Cult Stashes, there's also one incredibly useful collectible type: Nursery Rhymes.

While the Nursery Rhymes themselves aren't technically collectibles, the rewards you get are: you get Charms, which are effectively Alan Wake 2's perks. When equipped, Charms grant Saga improved abilities and powers that can take your game to the next level.

There are 17 Nursery Rhymes in Alan Wake 2 to find and solve, all that can be found while playing as Saga: there are 5 in Cauldron Lake, 4 in Bright Falls and 8 in Watery. In order to solve all of them, however, you first need to get all of Alan Wake 2’s Dolls, which are figurines used for these puzzles (you’ll also get the I’ll Find You achievement for collecting them all).

Once you have all of the Dolls, you'll be able to solve all of the Nursery Rhymes (although you will need to wait until you've unlocked both the Screwdriver (the Finding a Way achievement) and the Boltcutters (the Cut Short achievement).

When you reach the end of chapter 5, "Return: Old Gods," you'll be able to find and solve the lot. It should be noted, though, that in order to unlock and access the 17th (which appears at the Witchfinder’s Station in Cauldron Lake), you’ll need to solve all the other 16 first.

Whichever your last Nursery Rhyme is, you’ll also get an FBC crate spawn, which contains the Father Doll, and allows you to complete the aforementioned final Cauldron Lake Nursery Rhyme, which expands your Charm slot by one.

Here’s all of Alan Wake 2’s Nursery Rhyme locations and their solutions. Once you get all of them you’ll unlock the Shift in Reality achievement too.

Cauldron Lake Nursery Rhyme Locations

• Cauldron Lake Nursery Rhyme #1 - West of the Witch’s Hut, over the bridge, is a small picnic area, which houses one of the game’s Nursery Rhyme Puzzles. Pick up the Crow Doll and put it on the sun for a Charm. Don’t forget to pick up the Crow Doll when you’re done. Your reward is the Hammer Charm.

• Cauldron Lake Nursery Rhyme #2 - Just outside the Private Cabin is another Nursery Rhyme. You’ll need the Hero and Wolf Doll (from the Nursery Rhyme below) to complete it. To complete it, you need to put the Hero on the heart symbol, the Crow on the egg, and the Wolf on the house. Once you’ve done that, go under the log and follow the prints to the small body of water to the north. The crows will knock down a birdhouse in northern Streamside, where the Kalevala Knights Charm can be found.

• Cauldron Lake Nursery Rhyme #3 - On the southwest side of the Witchfinder’s Station, in the far northwest corner of Cauldron Lake. You’ll need the Wolf and Hero Doll to solve this. They’re upstairs in the Witchfinder’s Station. Then, outside, put the Wolf Doll on the tree, and the Hero Doll on the boat. Then, follow the footprints upstairs to the Coffee Mug Charm.

• Cauldron Lake Nursery Rhyme #4 - In the Rental Cabins area, in cabin #4, after you’ve got the Boltcutters. You get to cabin #4 out of the back of 3 and crouching under a log to the left and following it around. The solution is: the Monster Doll on the egg symbol; the Crow Doll on the eye symbol, and the Hero Doll on the jewelry symbol. The reward is a Coffee Mug Charm, which can be found opposite in cabin #6.

• Cauldron Lake Nursery Rhyme #5 (The Final One) - Once you’ve got the other 16 Nursery Rhymes complete, you can do the last Nursery Rhyme at the Wichfinder’s Station in northwest Cauldron Lake. To solve it, and unlock a fourth charm slot, do the following:
  • Put the Father Doll on the eye symbol (downstairs, main room).
  • Put the Hero Doll on the sun symbol (downstairs in the bedroom with two beds).
  • Put the Mother Doll on the heart symbol (in the kitchen).
  • Put the Trickster Doll on the water symbol (in the bathroom upstairs).
  • Put the Child Doll on the egg hatching symbol (in the child’s play area upstairs).

 

Watery Nursery Rhyme Locations

• Watery Nursery Rhyme #1 - After fighting the Taken Thrower who splits in two on the path to Coffee World, there’ll be a path off the main path that splits down to the south. Follow it to the Nursery Rhyme. There you’ll not only find the puzzle to solve, but also the Deer Doll and the Moose Doll. To solve the puzzle and get a Coffee Mug Charm, put the Moose on the tree.

• Watery Nursery Rhyme #2 - Just slightly south of the Radio Tower is a picnic area, and this Nursery Rhyme. Put the Deer Doll on the house to solve it, and then head north to the dead deer to get the Deer Charm.

• Watery Nursery Rhyme #3 - At the end of the jetty at the Lighthouse Trailer Park, to the left, is another Nursery Rhyme. The solution is: put the Bear Doll on the sweet symbol, and the Wise Elder Doll on the sea symbol. The reward is the Coffee World Token Charm.

• Watery Nursery Rhyme #4 - At the peak that overlooks Downtown Watery by the Watery Lighthouse, is a Nursery Rhyme. Solution is: put the Trickster Doll on the sea symbol; and put the Wise Elder Doll on the eye symbol. The reward is miles away, down the stairs, on the beach area by the bridge back to Downtown Watery. You’ll get a Lighthouse Charm for your troubles.

• Watery Nursery Rhyme #5 - Head back to Coffee World after closing the Overlap, and the previously flooded area north of the Fair Trade Fun Zone (the Latte Lagoon) is now accessible. At the end of the jetty is a Nursery Rhyme. Put the Moose Doll on the water symbol, the Deer Doll on the boat, and the Trickster Doll on the ring to get the Mr. Drippy Charm.

• Watery Nursery Rhyme #6 - Out the back of the Ranger Station, in northern Watery (which was previously flooded). The Bear Doll goes on the heart, and the Maiden Doll goes on the tree. You’ll receive the FBC Charm.

• Watery Nursery Rhyme #7 - Back in Downtown Watery when you have the Screwdriver, there’s a trailer behind Suomi Hall. Use the Screwdriver to break the lock and go into the back room on the left. To solve it, put the Maiden Doll in the house, and the Trickster Doll on the ring symbol. The charm, a Coffee Mug Charm, can be found out the front in the post box.

• Watery Nursery Rhyme #8 - Use the Boltcutters to get into chain link fenced off area by cabin #5 in the Lighthouse Trailer Park. Inside cabin #5 to the left, is this Nursery Rhyme. The solution is: put the Wise Elder Doll on the eye symbol, and the Deer Doll on the heart. This will unlock the Deerfest Charm.

 

Bright Falls Nursery Rhyme Locations

• Bright Falls Nursery Rhyme #1 - North of the Break Room by the bridge (on the west side of the stream, in the western part of the Bunker Woods), is a Nursery Rhyme, near a tent and some camping equipment. Put the Mother Doll on the house, and put the Child Doll on the tree, and follow the trail back down the path to get the Lantern Charm.

• Bright Falls Nursery Rhyme #2 - Inside the Ranger Station, downstairs, southeast of the Valhalla Nursing Home. To solve, put the Child Doll on the house symbol and the Monster Doll on the sweet symbol. The reward, a Coffee Mug Charm, can be found upstairs on one of the beds, but only after you’ve opened the door near the darkness smudge, and followed the footprints.

• Bright Falls Nursery Rhyme #3 - On the beach east-northeast of the Ranger Station is another Nursery Rhyme. To solve, put the Child Doll on the jewelry symbol, the Monster Doll on the water symbol, and the Mother Doll on the boat symbol. Solving it will unlock the Valhalla Nursing Home Charm.

 

• Bright Falls Nursery Rhyme #4 - On the most eastern jetty at Billie’s Boast Yard is another Nursery Rhyme. The solution is to put the Monster Doll on the boat and the Mother Doll on the water symbol. Follow the darkness to the ramp down to the water and get the Anchor Charm.