Overview:
- Estimated achievement difficulty: 4/10 [Achievement Difficulty Rating]
- Offline: 66 [1000gs.png]
- Online: 0
- Approximate amount of time to 1000gs.png: 15-20 Hours [Estimated Time to 100%]
- Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 1 (if you don’t miss any collectibles)
- Missable achievements: Lots - particularly The Trail of the Writer (10G) and The Koskela Brothers (15G), and maybe The Nice Things in Life (10G). Technically All Smiles (30G) is missable too, as you can’t fully upgrade every weapon.
- Does difficulty affect achievements: No
- Unobtainable/glitched achievements: None
 
  • DLC: Night Springs
    • Difficulty: 2/10
    • Time to 200gs.png: 2-3 hours
    • Missable achievements: None [replay episodes]
    • Unobtainable/glitched achievements: None
Introduction:
After a 13-year hiatus - not including Alan Wake Remastered or Control’s AWE DLC, of course - Alan Wake is back. This time in an all-new adventure, in a very similar setting. Alan Wake 2 is Remedy doing Remedy things, introducing a touch more survival-horror into its excellent narrative-driven affair.

You’ll play as both Alan Wake, and FBI Agent, Saga Anderson, as you look to uncover the new and old mysteries resurfacing around Bright Falls. Taking place across two dimensions and realities, it’s up to you to return this once-quaint midwestern town to something that isn’t straight out of a horror book. Alan Wake 2 is an excellent follow-up to Remedy’s 2010 smash hit, and a fairly easy 1000gs.png too.

Walkthrough:
While Alan Wake 2’s achievement list may be fairly easy to do in one playthrough - you’re looking at around 15-20 hours, with very few difficulty spikes - it does take a lot of planning. Because there’s no chapter select after all is said and done, and the world state changes from chapter to chapter, there are tons of missable achievements.

While you could say that they’re all missable, because if you continue past certain points, they become locked out (unless you load a previous save), there are two that we’d class as highly missable. A lot of the collectibles you can get as you go along so long as you don’t advance the story past a certain point, but the aforementioned 2 have one-time only collectibles that you simply must grab before you advance. These two achievements are:
 Fear not though, we’ll run you through them all below and tell you when to grab what.

Step 1 - Play Saga’s Adventure to a Point:
The good news is that you can pretty much play Saga’s “Return” campaign up until the end of chapter 5, “Return 5” Old Gods” without missing any collectibles (except the Koskelas commercials - below), because at the end of chapter 5, before you go into chapter 6, you can go back to Cauldron Lake, Bright Falls and Watery and collect anything you’ve missed.

That said, before we push on with our rundown, just know that you will be forced into Alan’s campaign after the main mission, “Return 2: The Heart” and there are 2 missable videos in the first 3 Alan Wake chapters, which we’ve also listed below (both in “Initiation 2: Casey”). 

Once you’ve finished “Initiation 3: The Haunting,” you’ll zoom back to Sagas perspective, and can continue on with the next chapter, “Return 3: Local Girl.”

While playing as Saga, we advise you to collect the Alex Casey Lunch Boxes, Nursery Rhymes and Cult Stashes as you go for the first 5 chapters - just to save you time in the grand scheme of things. None of them are locked out until later on in the game, but you should get them all but one (which you’ll get in chapter 6) before you’ve even started chapter 6. The guides for all of the collectibles can be found here:
 This will net you the following collectible achievements:
 While you’re in Coffee World in “Return 3: Local Girl,” go for the following achievement too:
 And at the end of “Return 5: Old Gods,” head to Watery’s Suomi Hall to do the following:
 You should also keep an eye out for the weapons too:
 There are the missable collectibles we talked about:
 
  • Return 1: Invitation - 1 x Koskelas Ad
  • Initiation 2 - Casey - 2 x Writer’s Journey Videos
  • Return 3: Local Girl - 3 x Koskelas Ad
  • Return 5: Old Gods - 1 x Koskelas Ad
  • Return 5: Old Gods - The Nice Things in Life (10G) (which we also mentioned above)
You’ll naturally earn the following story-related achievements as you go:
 You should naturally get the following combat achievements too - pay attention to the one-and-done item achievements too, like using a Flashbang Grenade, destroying a Darkness Shield, etc.:
 Once the credits have rolled on “Return 5: Old Gods” - after beating Cynthia - you now can use this time to mop up any of the above collectibles you might have missed. You should have all the Lunch Boxes, Charms, Dolls and all but one of the Cult Stashes (the missing one is in the Sheriff’s Station in Bright Falls, the scene for the sixth chapter).

Then, you’ll want to start and finish chapter 6 (also grabbing the Pump-Action Shotgun and the last Cult Stash):
 Only when you have all of those should you go to a mop and bucket and change to Alan Wake’s “Initiation” campaign.

Step 2 - Play Alan’s Adventure to a Point:
From this point you’ll be able to play through Alan’s campaign until you hit the end brick wall - which will send you back to Saga. The only real issue with Alan’s campaign, like Saga’s, are the missable TV shows, which we’ve listed below.

Missable collectibles:
 
  • Initiation 4: We Sing - 1 x Writer’s Journey Video
  • Initiation 5: Room 665 - 1 x Writer’s Journey Video
  • Initiation 7: Masks - 1 x Writer’s Journey Video
  • Initiation 8: Zane’s Film - 2 x Writer’s Journey Videos
On top of that, there are a ton of story-related, unmissable achievements you’ll get naturally:
 You’ll also want to grab the Double-Barrelled Shotgun in the fifth chapter, “Initiation 5: Room 665.” Doing that will net you the following achievement:
 
  • All Accounted For (30G) - Find all weapons for both characters (as we said earlier, we didn’t unlock this achievement until we got the Dark Place version of the Double-Barrelled Shotgun).
Again, just make sure you get all those Writer’s Journey videos for The Trail of the Writer (10G), which you’ll unlock before you return to Saga. 
 Step 3 - Finish Up:
And finally, it’s a straight shot to the finish from here. The only thing you’ll need to do is snap up the one missable collectible in chapter 8, and that’ll net you the The Koskela Brothers (15G) achievement (for watching all the Koskela brother commercials).

Missable Collectibles:
 
  • Return 8: Deerfest - 1 x Koskelas Ad
Other than that, the rest are all story-related achievement:
 Alan Wake II Conclusion:
And there you have it, folks. A slightly complicated and precarious list, that while not hard, will need you to be switched on as you work through it. After a hard-fought 15-20 hours, you should be able to say goodnight to Alan Wake and Alan Wake 2 until his DLC drops some time in 2024. Either way, it’s a hell of an experience, and one that will stay with us for years to come.

Night Springs DLC​

Introduction:
Out of nowhere at this year’s Summer Game Fest, Remedy decided to effectively shadow drop Alan Wake 2’s first piece of DLC, Night Springs.

Night Springs is a relatively short DLC that comprises of 3 Twin Peaks/Outer Limits-style wacky side stories. You’ll take control of Rose, Control’s Jesse and Sheriff Breaker in three short side stories that get better with each subsequent episode.

While Rose’s episode is fairly generic, it basically ramps up with Jesse and reaches the pinnacle with Breaker, which is peak Remedy. So, do yourself a favour, and set aside a few hours this weekend to lose yourself in yet more bizarre Remedy stories.

Walkthrough:
Alan Wake 2’s Night Springs DLC is a super short and super easy romp if you want to get all the achievements. Most of them are story-related, except for a few (1 in episode 1, 2 in episode 2 and none in episode 3).

However, there is one set of collectibles in episode 2 (the Stashes) and there’s a highly missable stealth one in the same episode (Smooth Blend (10G)) that if you fail twice, you’ll need to redo the entire episode. To be fair though, it’s rather easy when you know what you’re doing, so don’t worry too much about that.

Here’s the breakdown in terms of achievements per episode:

Episode 1: Number One Fan achievements:

Episode 2: North Star achievements:

Episode 3: Time Breaker achievements:

Night Springs Conclusion:
And there you have it, folks! 3 short stories, each better than the one before it, and 12 easy achievements to wrack up! All that’s left to do now is to listen to Keita’s ‘Night Springs’ song on repeat until the next piece of DLC drops later on in the year!

[XBA would like to thank Webb for this Roadmap]
[XBA would like to thank Webb for the Night Springs DLC Roadmap]

Alan Wake II Achievement Guide

Printable Guide
Show completed achievements
Show secret achievements

There are 78 achievements with a total of 1200 points

  • Use a Hand Flare to escape an enemy Grapple

    If you happen to have a Hand Flare in your inventory, when a Taken grabs you in Alan Wake 2, you’ll be able to hit rt.png to jab the flare in their face, allowing you to wriggle free from the grapple. Do this, and the ‘Escape its Gravity’ achievement is all yours.

    In terms of where to find Hand Flares, well, you need to be looking inside all the Cult Stashes that you come across. Because you need to unlock them all for the Hidden by the Trees (30G) achievement anyway, you should have plenty at hand after a few chapters.

    If you’re looking to get grabbed, just let a Taken get close to you and when it isn’t trying to hit you, it’ll try to grapple you. I find it hard to believe that you won’t get grappled at least once in the 15-20 hours of playing the game, just make sure you have a Hand Flare handy. 

    If that’s the case, though, the enemies in and around Poet’s Cinema in Alan Wake’s eighth chapter love a good hug.
  • Dodge at the last minute to avoid an enemy attack

    When you get into the meat of the combat, which happens when you reach the General Store in chapter 2, you’ll be shooting and dodging the Taken from there on out.

    In order to unlock the ‘This is the Moment’ achievement, you’ll have to wait for an enemy to get close, and when they do, just before their attack lands, you’ll need to hit the lb.png button, and dodge. If you time it perfectly, you’ll unlock this achievement. If not, keep trying. There will be tons of different occasions you’ll be able to get this one, so don’t worry if you don’t unlock it on your first attempt.
  • Pick up the first Manuscript Page

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    You’ll find the first Manuscript page near the Witch’s Ladle area of the map, near the Witch’s Sign information point. It’s next to the large tree. You’ll need to pick it up as part of the investigation. As the name suggests, it won’t be the last, but it’ll most certainly be the first.
  • Ignite a Hand Flare to keep enemies at bay

    In typical Alan Wake fashion, Hand Flares play a big part in crowd control and are vital if you ever get mobbed. For ‘Shining in the Light,’ you can waltz into a group of Taken and ignite one Hand Flare to unlock it, or you can do what we did, and that’s wait to be grappled to jab it in their face.

    Not only will you unlock the ‘Shining in the Night’ achievement, but you’ll also unlock the Escape its Gravity (10G) achievement as well. So, two birds, one stone. Not bad, eh?

    If you’re looking for Hand Flares, seek the Cult Stashes out as they often have a few in there.
  • Discover one Cult Stash and one Lunch Box

    Two of Alan Wake’s collectibles are Cult Stashes and Lunch Boxes. Both of these are found all over Bright Falls and its surrounding areas, and when found, have a wealth of supplies in them. A Cult Stash can contain a ton of items like ammo and healing kits, while inside an Alex Casey Lunch Box you’ll be able to find Manuscript Fragments, which are used to upgrade weapons.

    You’re going to need them all for the Hidden by the Trees (30G) achievement anyway, but this can be unlocked very early on in Alan Wake 2.

    For the first Lunch Box, there’s one near Mortar Falls’ lookout point (northwest of the Bony-Legged path), while there’s one Cult Stash just south of the Murder Site. Grab one of each and you’ll unlock the ‘Secret Stashes’ achievement.

    Here’s a list of all the Cult Stash and Lunch Box collectibles, and where to find them:
  • Find the Screwdriver

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    During Saga’s main mission, “Return 3: Local Girl,” you’ll head to Watery in search of a trailer. This trip will take you all over Watery, thanks to a downed bridge, and in particular, it’ll take you through Coffee World, as you’ll need to retrieve the trailer keys.

    The trailer keys, however, are stuck in the Gift Shop safe, and the only way to get in is to find a Screwdriver. The Screwdriver itself is on the east side of Coffee World, on the panel at the back of the Percolator ride. So, head there, grab it, and the ‘Finding a Way’ achievement is all yours. Just be careful of the ambush that will commence as soon as you step foot on the Percolator. There are only 2 of them, but the one in the middle does like to duck behind cover rather frequently and take cheap pot shots.

    If you’re struggling or need more assistance, check out our Alan Wake 2 - How to unlock the Screwdriver guide. It also contains assistance on how to open the Gift Shop safe.
  • Find the Boltcutters

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    There's nothing more frustrating in open-world games coming across Metroidvania aspects that require certain tools to see newer parts of the level. In Alan Wake, that such tool is the Boltcutters.

    If you're wondering when and where you unlock them, wonder no more! The Boltcutters are actually an unmissable item, but you won't unlock them until the fifth chapter of the Bright Falls real-world saga (yes, with Saga) called "Return 5: Old Gods."

    In fact, you won't unlock them until right at the end of the chapter, when you head into the Overlap after Tor and Cynthia Weaver.

    While traversing through the loopyness of the Overlap, you'll come to a tool locker, which houses these badboys. After hitting a few light switches and finding the keys, you’ll now own a very handy set of Boltcutters - which also allows you to get the rest of the collectibles. It’s part of the story, so fear not, you won’t miss them.

    For a full walkthrough - if you get a touch stuck - check out our Alan Wake 2 - How to unlock the Boltcutters guide.
  • Destroy a Source Point

    A Source Point in Alan Wake 2 is effectively a weak point on an enemy - one that is hidden by a Darkness Shield. So, in order to destroy a Source Point, you first have to blast away the Darkness Shield using rb.png to boost your flashlight, and then, when the darkness has been repelled, all you need to do then is shoot the red glowing weak spot.

    The first and easiest chance you’ll have to get this is when you have to head to the General Store in chapter 2, “Return 2: The Heart.” When you get inside the store a Taken Cultist will crash through a wall and charge at you. Blast him with the flashlight (rb.png) and then shoot the red glowing spot. Do that and you’ll unlock the ‘Chased the Source’ achievement.
  • Destroy a Darkness Shield

    This one is effectively story-related and unmissable, in that you'll actually have to perform the flashlight boost to dismiss the text on the screen.

    You'll basically unlock this in "Return 2: The Heart" after you've unlocked your first Break Room. When you're at the General Store looking for Nightingale's heart, a Taken will burst out the back room and you'll have to hit rb.png to nuke his Darkness Shield - a Darkness Shield being a dark glow around an enemy that will soak up your bullets. Destroy the shield and then shoot the Source Point and you can unlock this and Chased the Source (10G) as a double whammy.
  • Solve five Nursery Rhyme puzzles

    See the Shift in Reality (30G) achievement, which requires that you solve all of Alan Wake 2’s Nursery Rhymes.
  • Watch all Koskela brother commercials

    **Highly Missable**

    In the same way that the original Alan Wake was chock full of zany shows like Night Springs, Alan Wake 2 has a few alternatives - although nowhere near as good as the original’s. 

    One of the Alan Wake 2 alternatives (kind of) are its Koskela brother commercials, which are surreal and all kinds of zany TV ads that will be playing on TVs during Saga’s “Return” campaign.

    There are 6 to find, in all, that can only be uncovered at very specific moments in the game, in very specific places. Yes, they are highly missable. Sure, they’re easy to find, but if you miss one, you may miss the window to see it.

    Here is where all the Koskela brother commercials can be found:
    • “Return 1: Invitation” - Adventure Tours - In the room next to the Conference Room (the Employee Lounge) in the Bright Falls Sheriff Station, you’ll find a TV with this TV show playing on it.
    • “Return 3: Local Girl” - Coffee World - In the foyer of the Elderwood Palace Lodge is a TV (near reception). This ad will be playing when you’re leaving the Lodge itself.
    • “Return 3: Local Girl” - Ahma Beer - Head into the Oh Deer Diner and this will be playing on the TV in there.
    • “Return 3: Local Girl” - Parade Floats - In the Lighthouse Trailer Park, go in the number 1 trailer, opposite the Andersons, and this will be playing in the lounge.
    • “Return 5: Old Gods” - Bright Falls Blend - In the Rec Room of the Valhalla Nursing Home.
    • “Return 8: Deerfest” - Return Review - Head into the Oh Deer Diner once again to get the sixth and final Koskelas Ad.
    If you need more specific assistance, check out our Alan Wake 2 - All Koskela Brothers Commercials Locations guide.
  • Defeat five enemies with headshots

    In order to unlock the ‘Aimed Ahead’ achievement, you simply need to defeat 5 enemies with headshots. These don’t need to be consecutive, and it doesn’t matter who you kill (or as who), just so long as the kill shot is a headshot. Just get 5 headshot kills and this achievement is all yours - you should be aiming for headshots anyway, to conserve ammo, so you’ll likely get this one naturally.
  • Discover a Break Room

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    Break Rooms in Alan Wake 2 serve as safe rooms - think Resident Evil’s safe rooms. Here, you can manually save your game, find supplies, hide from the Taken, and so on. During chapter 2, “Return 2: The Heart,” you’ll discover your first Break Room as part of the story - at the Witch’s Hut. Once you’ve turned the fuse on and gone inside, this achievement will pop. If you’re struggling to find the fuse, then check out our guide on how to manually save in Alan Wake 2, which points you to its very location.
  • Use a Healing Item

    Self-explanatory, this one. In fact, the game will effectively give you a bit of a tutorial for it, when you fight your first Taken Cultist in chapter 2.

    Simply hit button-y.png to get up your inventory, hit button-a.png and then button-a.png again to equip the healing item (whether it’s a painkiller or a trauma pad). And finally, hit rt.png to use it. You’ll use hundreds of these, no doubt, throughout your time in Alan Wake 2.
  • Interrupt a Taken Thrower's relocation attempt with the Flashlight Boost

    Taken Throwers will get introduced in Alan Wake 2 in Saga’s main mission, “Return 3: Local Girl,” just after you’ve grabbed the Screwdriver (see Finding a Way (10G)).

    Once you’ve got the Screwdriver from the Percolator, and are on your way back to the Gift Shop, a Taken Thrower will appear. Now, Taken Throwers are exactly how they sound: ranged Taken, however, these ones teleport too, to keep you on your toes.

    What you need to do to get the ‘Stop the Monster’ achievement is to use the rb.png torch blast on them just as they’re about to relocate. Now, this might sound tricky, but honestly, we got this without even trying. It might have been dumb luck, but they do teleport a lot, and we just kept blasting the torch at them when we locked onto their new position. We literally did it first time, so we fear you won’t have any troubles.

    If you do, there are loads more of these throughout the campaign, this was just the first encounter.
  • Upgrade any weapon once

    In Alan Wake 2, Saga Anderson can upgrade her weapons with Manuscript Fragments. Manuscript Fragments can be found all over the real-world, when controlling Saga, in something called “Alex Casey’s Lunch Boxes.”

    Lunch Boxes are hidden stashes of Manuscript Fragments, left behind by a mysterious helpful individual. They’re usually indicated by colourful stones or by colourful Dreamcatcher-like hanging targets dangling from nearby trees.

    You’ll need to get all of them for the Hidden by the Trees (30G) achievement anyway, but as soon as you have a batch, head to the Mind Place and interact with the weapon mags on the side. The cheapest weapon to upgrade is the Pistol (with 3 perks costing 12, 12 and 18 Manuscript Fragments). 

    For this achievement you only need to unlock one. For All Smiles (30G), however, you’ll need to fully upgrade one weapon in its entirety.
  • Fully upgrade a single weapon

    **Potentially Missable**

    In order to fully upgrade a single weapon in Alan Wake 2, you’re going to need to get your hands on a decent amount of Manuscript Fragments, which are hidden away in conveniently located Alex Casey Lunch Boxes

    For every one you find, you’ll get a batch of Manuscript Fragments, which range from a few in the early stages, and get more numerous as you progress.

    The truth is, if you’re going for the full 1,000gs.png, you’ll need to find all Alex Casey Lunch Boxes for the Hidden by the Trees (30G) achievement anyway, so you will get the necessary amount to fully upgrade one weapon in your playthrough regardless. 

    The cheapest weapon to upgrade - although Manuscript Fragments are plentiful if you’re seeking everything out - is the pistol, needing only 42 fragments to fully upgrade. 

    NOTE: You won’t be able to upgrade them all though, so fully upgrade the pistol (or your weapon of choice) before moving onto the other weapons.
  • Discover a Word of Power

    Words of Power in Alan Wake 2 are effectively perks that you can unlock when you’re playing as Alan Wake. They’re basically glowing spirals of certain phrases found in the environment, that when Alan is close enough to them and shines his torch on them (holding in lt.png), they imbue him with the power to unlock one of the perks of the Word of Power he just unlocked (accessible in the start menu).

    During Alan Wake’s chapter 2, “Initiation 2: Casey,” when you’re exploring the Dark Place, you’ll be able to unlock 3 Words of Power before even going into Caldera Street Station. You only need 1 for the ‘Carry His Words’ achievement, but the more the merrier. All 3 of these can be found in the northeastern area of The Dark Place, accessible via the High-Line Station platform. 

    In order to get up there, however, you’ll need to use a light source to power the light source at the base of its steps. Once you do that, you’ll be able to climb the stairs and traverse across the train station.

    There’s also one to the right of the platform, in the train, when you’re inside the Caldera Street Station.
  • Pick up a map

    When you take control of Agent Saga Andersen, you’ll pull the car up at a car park near Cauldron Lake. Your first objective will be to check out the map next to Sam Lake, errr, we mean Agent Alex Casey, and as soon as you interact with the map, you’ll unlock the ‘Nightmare Territory’ achievement.
  • Upgrade the inventory's size

    Dotted around Alan Wake 2’s world are small satchels that increase how much Saga can hold. Picking one up will automatically upgrade your inventory by 5 slots.

    The first one you’ll find is in the General Store in chapter 2, “Return 2: The Heart,” just after you fight your first Taken Cultist. In the room that he barged out of, on the right (where the Sawed-Off Shotgun is), is the satchel to expand your inventory.

    Pick it up and you’ll get this achievement. That said, even if you do miss it, there’ll be another one to pilfer at the end of the same chapter, in a Cult Stash (which you’ll no doubt be getting all for the Hidden by the Trees (30G) achievement).
  • Find all Nursery Rhyme dolls

    The ‘I’ll Find You’ achievement is inherently linked to the Shift in Reality (30G) achievement, in that you need all the Nursery Rhyme Dolls to solve all the Nursery Rhymes.

    There are 13 dolls in all, and while most of them are relatively straightforward and near relevant Nursery Rhymes, you might miss some of them. That’s why we’ve prepared a list, just in case.

    Before we jump to that list, though, it should be noted that you’ll need to solve 16 Nursery Rhymes to unlock the 17th Nursery Rhyme and the Father Doll. The Father Doll will be a drop next to the Charm you receive for the 16th Nursery Rhyme you complete.

    For a full list of all 13 Nursery Rhyme Dolls and where to find them, check out the following guide, Alan Wake 2 - All Nursery Rhyme Dolls Locations.
  • Stun an enemy with a Flashbang

    Whether you’re playing as Saga or Alan in Alan Wake 2, you’ll no doubt come across a fairly healthy supply of Flashbangs. When it comes to Saga, they’re often found in Cult Stashes, while with Alan, they’re definitely more plentiful.

    All you need to do to unlock the ‘Stunning Vistas’ achievement is to quite simply pick one up, equip it, and throw it at an enemy. Just be sure that if you’re attempting this with Alan, that they’re actually an enemy, and not just a bog standard shadow - who is no threat at all.
  • Defeat an enemy with an explosion

    Throughout Saga’s episodes in Alan Wake 2, you’ll come across what are known as Propane Tanks. These small throwable gas canisters, which are usually found in Cult Stashes, can be thrown at a Taken, and then shot to cause an almighty explosion.

    The easiest Propane Canister to find is the one found at the beginning of chapter 3/end of chapter 2, after you’ve saved Alan Wake. Nearby, after crouching under the log near Alan and Alex, you can follow the path until there’s another set of logs to crouch under. At the end of this short path is a Cult Stash, with a Propane Tank, Hand Flare, Shotgun Ammo, and inventory expansion satchel.

    Now you have the Propane Tank, find a Taken on its own - preferably a weak one, and not a Taken Wolf - and throw the Propane Tank at its feet. Then, shoot it. If they’re close enough, the explosion should kill them and the ‘Gone for Good’ achievement is all yours.
  • Find all weapons for both characters

    There are a smattering of weapons for each character to unlock in Alan Wake 2. While Alan Wake himself is consigned to just 3 (two of which are story-related pick-ups, and the other a devastating shotgun), Saga has a good mix of weapons to grab off the beaten path - 4 to be unlocked, on top of the pistol that she starts with.

    Before we press on, it should be noted that while you’ll get the Yippee Ki-yay (30G) achievement for picking up the Double-Barrelled Shotgun as part of the story when you’re Alan Wake in the Return chapter, “Return 5: No Chance,” you’ll need to pick up the Double-Barrelled Shotgun in the Dark Place for this achievement (“Initiation 5: Room 665”).

    Below you’ll find when you can unlock each weapon, with a brief description of where to find them. If you need more assistance, we’ve provided in-depth guides for each of the 5 additional weapons too.

    Saga:
    Sawed-Off Shotgun - “Return 2: The Heart” - You’ll find the shotgun on the wall inside the room where you find Nightingale’s heart in the General Store in Cauldron Lake (Alan Wake 2 - How to unlock the Sawed-Off Shotgun)
    Crossbow - “Return 3: Local Girl” - You’ll find the Crossbow in a Cult Stash in Watery, just south of the Radio Tower (Alan Wake 2 - How to get the Crossbow)
    Hunting Rifle - “Return 5: Old Gods” - This one can be found in the room next to the Security Room in the Wellness Center (Alan Wake 2 - How to unlock the Hunting Rifle)
    Pump-Action Shotgun - “Return 6: Scratch” - This is on Sheriff Tim Breaker’s office wall, which you’ll be able to access once you get the Sheriff Station Keys off Estevez early on in the chapter (Alan Wake 2 - How to unlock the Pump Shotgun)

    Alan Wake:
    Revolver - “Initiation: 2: Casey” - Story-related, cannot miss
    Flare Gun - “Initiation 4: We Sing” - Story-related, cannot miss
    Double-Barrelled Shotgun - “Initiation 5: Room 665” - You’ll find this one in the rooftop bar where you get the passcode to get into the Oceanview Hotel (Alan Wake 2 - How to unlock the Double-Barrelled Shotgun)
  • Defeat an enemy with a single shot from the Crossbow

    First things first, you’ll need to get your hands on the Crossbow. This can be found in a Cult Stash near the Hunting Shack in northern Watery, while on your way to Coffee World in the Saga chapter, “Return 3: Local Girl” - see Greatest Hits (10G) if you still need more assistance on where to find it.

    Now, in order to get the ‘In One Go’ achievement, you basically need to headshot a Taken to take them down in one shot. So, firstly, use the torch boost to get rid of any Darkness Shield if they have one, and then, shoot one in the head.
    We actually got this very early on after getting the Crossbow. When we went to get the Screwdriver for Finding a Way (10G), there’s a perfect moment to snipe one in the head without them charging you.

    This instance happens when you’re fighting the 2 Taken who ambush you in the Percolator. The one in the central pillar pops his head up every so often and doesn’t move around too much. So, aim for his dome when he pops out from behind cover, and stick a crossbow bolt in between his eyes.

    There are plenty of opportunities to get this achievement, as you get the crossbow early on, but if you want to do it the above way, just save at the nearby Break Room (just north of the Gift Shop) and then it’s a quick hop, skip and a jump to the Percolator. Honestly, I wouldn’t worry too much, there’s plenty of bolts and Taken along the way to get this one.
  • Complete all Nursery Rhyme puzzles

    One of Alan Wake 2’s collectibles comes in the form of Charms, which are unlocked by - for the most part - solving the game’s Nursery Rhyme puzzles. These Charms are in-game perks for Saga, and the Nursery Rhymes only appear during Saga’s “Return” chapters.

    Nursery Rhyme puzzles in Alan Wake 2 require you to find a relevant Nursery Rhyme Doll, and place it on the relevant symbol that the inner poem relates to.

    There are 17 Nursery Rhymes to solve in all:
    • There are 5 Nursery Rhymes in Cauldron Lake
    • There are 8 Nursery Rhymes in Watery
    • There are 4 in Bright Falls
    Before we push on with the where and how, it should be noted that while there are 5 in Cauldron Lake, only 4 of them are solvable from the off. To get the fifth Cauldron Lake Nursery Rhyme to appear, you must complete all the other 16 Nursery Rhymes. 

    The last one will be a large puzzle inside the Witchfinder’s Station, which when solved will reward Saga with a fourth Charm slot on her bracelet. Effectively making you 33% more powerful.

    For a full list of where every Nursery Rhyme is and how to solve them, then jump through the link to our Nursery Rhyme guide: Alan Wake 2 - All Nursery Rhyme Locations and Solutions.
  • Find all Cult Stashes and Lunch Boxes

    Dotted throughout Alan Wake's large interconnected open-worlds are a ton of really meaningful collectibles. Ones that truly will benefit your survival in Remedy's sought after sequel. Two of those are what are known as Cult Stashes and the Alex Casey Lunch Boxes.

    While the former has tons of goodies like weapons, inventory size expansions, ammo and meds galore (and even the Crossbow!), the latter contains Manuscript Fragments, which are used to upgrade weapons. So, they’re pretty damn priceless in the grand scheme of things, if you ask us.

    You'll find both of these only during the “Return” chapters when you play as Saga, and only in Cauldron Lake, Bright Falls and Watery. While you can get maps for the Cult Stashes at the very end of the Watery chapter, it's only after you've trekked through all 3 of the major regions already (with the exception being Bright Falls), but when it comes to the Lunch Boxes, you're on your own. Well, at least you were.

    There are 22 Cult Stashes and 21 Lunch Boxes to collect in all. In each region you can find the following of the aforementioned collectibles:

    Cauldron Lake: 8 Lunch Boxes & 5 Cult Stashes
    Bright Falls: 7 Lunch Boxes & 9 Cult Stashes
    Watery: 6 Lunch Boxes & 8 Cult Stashes

    You won’t be able to unlock a few of them until you’ve unlocked certain things in the story - like areas, the Boltcutters and the Screwdriver, but come the end of “Return 5: Old Gods,” before you head to the Sheriff’s Station, you can get all but 1 of the aforementioned collectibles (with the 1 being in the Sheriff’s Station itself).

    We’re currently putting the finishing touches on our Alan Wake 2 - All Collectibles Guide (Weapons, Lunch Boxes, Cult Stashes, Containers, Words of Power, Echos, etc.), but for now we also have individual guides to assist. They can be found at the following links:Get all 43 collectibles and the ‘Hidden by the Trees’ achievement is all yours.
  • Place a Charm in all of the bracelet's slots

    When you hit button-y.png, you’ll bring up your inventory screen. While the blocks of 5 on the right are for your items, the box next to them on the left is specifically for the Saga’s Charms.

    Charms in Alan Wake 2 effectively give your character a perk of sorts (like more health, or longer lasting flares). These Charms are exclusive to Saga in Alan Wake 2, and from the off, she has 3 bracelet slots to fill - although, if you complete all the Nursery Rhymes, you can unlock a fourth slot.

    You’ll be able to get this achievement before you “start” chapter 3, and the reason we put “start” in quotation marks is simply because you can get it after you’ve seen the end of chapter 2 (and unlocked the achievement for completing the chapter), and before the chapter 3 start text shows on your screen.

    There are a few ways to unlock Charms in Alan Wake 2, although the vast majority will come with completing the game’s “Nursery Rhyme” puzzles. There are 3 to finish before you head back to Bright Falls at the end of chapter 2, “Return 2: The Heart,” to start chapter 3.

    The location of the first 3 Charms are (not including the one you start with, of course):
    • The bridge to the northeast of Cauldron Lake itself - after passing through the previously flooded area.
    • The Witchfinder’s Station.
    • The Private Cabin.
    These 3 locations are all in the northwest of Cauldron Lake, and the named areas are all marked on the map.

    To solve the first one you’ll need the Crow Doll (which is found at the same site as the Nursery Rhyme). To solve the second one you’ll need the Wolf and Hero Doll (located in the house next to the Nursery Rhyme, upstairs). To solve the third one you’ll need all 3 of the aforementioned dolls.

    So, solve all 3 Nursery Rhymes and snag their prizes, and then equip the lot, and you’ll unlock the ‘Filling the Shape’ achievement.

    If you’re struggling with the locations of the Nursery Rhymes - or want a complete list of all the game’s Charms Nursery Dolls and Dolls, then check out these three links:
  • Find all the Charms

    Charms are effectively equipable perks for Saga in the “Return” chapters of Alan Wake 2. There are 18 Charms to collect in all, if you want to unlock the ‘Rustic Charm’ achievement. However, the truth is, you’ll get this one naturally if you’re going for the full 1,000gs.png.

    The reason for this is that you get 1 when you start the game; 16 when you complete all Nursery Rhymes (Shift in Reality (30G)); and one for petting Mayor Setter (see The Nice Things in Life (10G)). Just make sure you grab the Charm after completing each Nursery Rhyme though.

    If you need more assistance with the Nursery Rhymes, where the Dolls are, or even what the Charms do and where to find them, we’ve prepared supplementary guides for all those topics:
  • Use a Coffee Mug Charm to prevent defeat

    Alan Wake 2 introduces Charms into the franchise for the very first time. Charms are effectively items with perks that Saga can equip during the Return chapters.

    While most Charms are unique, and there is only one instance of each Charm, there is an exception to the rule: the Coffee Mug Charm, of which there are multiple (5, in fact). 

    The Coffee Mug Charm effectively gives you an extra life. However, once used, the Charm ceases to be and destroys itself.

    To unlock the 'Back to Life' achievement, you need to equip one of these Charms and die. As a result you won’t actually die, but instead you’ll cheat death, but at the cost of a Charm. If we’re being honest, we’d save them for “Return 7: Summoning,” when they will come in very handy!

    If you’re wondering how to equip one, head into the inventory menu, using button-y.png, and then move the Charm you picked up, and equip it in the Charm slot (the blocks on the left-hand side).

    You can find Coffee Mug Charms at the following locations (and yes, you do have to solve a Nursery Rhyme to get one, but you need to do them all for the Shift in Reality (30G) achievement anyway):
    • Cauldron Lake Nursery Rhyme #1 - 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.
    • Watery Nursery Rhyme #1 - After fighting the Taken Thrower who splits in two, 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. Follow the path up from the Nursery Rhyme to get the Charm.
    • Watery Nursery Rhyme #2 - Back in Downtown Watery after you've unlocked 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 the puzzle, put the Maiden Doll on the house, and the Trickster Doll on the ring symbol. The charm, a Coffee Mug Charm, can be found out the front in the letterbox.
    • Bright Falls Nursery Rhyme (after you’ve completed the Overlap) - 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 Charm Mug, can be found upstairs on one of the beds.
    • Cauldron Lake Nursery Rhyme #2 - In the Rental Cabins area once you have the Boltcutters, in cabin #4, which you get to out of the back of 3 and crouching under a log and following it round. The solution is: the Monster Doll on the egg; the Crow Doll on the eye symbol, and the Hero on the jewellery symbol. The reward is another Coffee Mug Charm, and can be found opposite in cabin #6.
    For more detailed descriptions and maps, check out the following links:
  • Change between stories once

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    At the end of Alan Wake’s third chapter, “Initiation 3: Haunting,” this achievement will unlock automatically. There’s nothing special you need to do for this one. Just enjoy the ride, get a really easy achievement for literally doing nothing.
 

Secret achievements

  • Watch all the Writer's Journey videos

    **Highly Missable**

    There are 8 Writer’s Journey videos to collect in Alan Wake 2. While Saga and the “Return” chapters have the highly missable Koskelas Ads (for The Koskela Brothers (15G) achievement), Alan and his “Initiation” chapters have “Writer’s Journey” videos. They’re basically short videos that give an insight into Alan’s state of mind. 

    Collect all 8, which are highly missable - in case you missed the red text at the beginning - and will only be available during certain chapters, so pay attention to when they crop up. Some you can get a short time after, but don’t risk it and grab them when you should below.

    Initiation 2 - Casey - Writer’s Journey Videos
    • Writer’s Journey - The Dark Place - Story-related. You’ll get this when you reach the end of the Talk Show Studio.
    • Writer’s Journey - Writing - On Ocean Avenue, near the Alley where you got the gun (just slightly north) is a TV shop. Walk up to it and you’ll collect this Alan Wake video clip called Writing.
    • Writer’s Journey - The Murder Sites - In the Break Room, around the corner, in the Subway - about midway through the Subway level. This one is pretty hard to miss, to be honest.
    Initiation 4: We Sing - Writer’s Journey Video
    • Writer’s Journey - The Dark Presence - Same place as the ‘Writing’ episode, just at a different time. Head to the TV store near the alleyway (slightly north of it) after you’ve exited the TV from the previous chapter. The next chapter hasn’t started officially yet, so technically, despite getting the chapter 4 achievement, you’ll still be in chapter 4.
    Initiation 5: Room 665 - Writer’s Journey Video
    • Writer’s Room - Visions - Head into Room 101 in the Oceanview Hotel, when you have the Room 101 Key, and there’ll be one of Alan’s Writer episodes in there. You can get the Room 101 Key from the Ballroom Break Room.
    Initiation 7: Masks - Writer’s Journey Video
    • Writer’s Room - Drowning - Grab the photographs from Alice’s shoebox in the Workshop of the Talk Show Studio in the Masks mission (Ahti will tell you to go down there and grab them, but it’s actually possible to not grab them). Once you’ve grabbed them, this episode will play at the beginning of the next chapter.
    Initiation 8: Zane’s Film - Writer’s Journey Videos
    • Writer’s Room - Stop Writing - In the Break Room in the Poet’s Cinema lobby is another of Alan’s Writer’s Journey videos.
    • Writer’s Journey - Initiation - Follow the film reel maze in the Poet’s Cinema until you get into the third loop, where you see Casey in a chair. In the back left corner, down the stairs, is this TV clip, through an exit door.
    If you need more assistance and maps, then head to our Alan Wake 2 - All Writer’s Journey Video Locations guide for more help.
  • Find the Sawed-Off Shotgun

    The first additional weapon you can find in Alan Wake 2 is none other than the Sawed-Off Shotgun.

    This devastating shotgun can be found fairly early on in the game, in chapter 2, “Return 2: The Heart,” just after you’ve established your first Break Room in Cauldron Lake (at the Witch’s Hut).

    At this point you’ll head back to the General Store, and while inside, a Taken Cultist will crash through a wall looking for blood. After defeating it, you can head into the room at the back (where the heart is), and there’ll be a locked cabinet on the wall on the right, which has the Sawed-Off Shotgun in it.

    To unlock the weapon cabinet, head to the front desk to get the code from next to the till. The code is found using the pattern of crossed out lottery numbers and the lottery ticket. The code is 739.

    Use the code on the locked glass display case and you’ll be able to grab the Sawed-Off Shotgun, as well as unlocking the ‘Bring It’ achievement. 

    If you need more assistance, check out our Alan Wake 2 - How to unlock the Sawed-Off Shotgun guide.
  • Find the Hunting Rifle

    During Chapter 5 of Saga’s story, “Return 5: Old Gods,” you’ll first make your way to the Valhalla Nursing Home, and then into the Wellness Center. In the Wellness Center, in Blum’s Workshop, you’ll actually be able to get your hands on the game’s Hunting Rifle.

    However, there are a few steps you need to take before you grab it.

    Firstly, you need to get as far in the story that takes you into the Rehabilitation room. There, the story will push you to the Security Room, so that you can open the door to chase after Tor. When you get to the Security Room you may notice a door on your right that leads to the Workshop, with the Hunting Rifle icon now on your map. To get in you need a Door Knob.

    The first step to getting the Hunting Rifle is opening all the security doors in the Wellness Center, which is part of the story anyway - the code, incidentally, is 170823.

    Once you’ve done that, backtrack to the previously locked entrance (not where you came in, the actual Wellness Center’s main entrance). Then, go through the Staff Room into the small reception area. The Door Knob is under the desk in a cardboard box.

    Once you’ve got that, head back to the Workshop, which is next to the Security Room, use the Door Knob, and then grab the Hunting Rifle. Not only do you get the ‘Ready for a Fight’ achievement, but you’ll also have a pretty devastating weapon… just make sure you have 4 inventory slots free before you grab it, as it’s a bit chunky!

    For a more in-depth walkthrough with maps and images, check out our Alan Wake 2 - How to unlock the Hunting Rifle guide.
  • Find the Crossbow

    The Crossbow in Alan Wake 2 is a weapon for Saga, and can be found during chapter 3, “Return 3: Local Girl.”

    On your way to Coffee World, you’ll come across a Hunting Shack, south of the radio tower. While the Hunting Shack might be a Break Room, the more interesting aspect is that outside, near a little shack, there’s another Cult Stash. In said Cult Stash is the Crossbow.

    Simply put the code 527 into the padlock (which was communicated by the amount of arrows in each number in the shooting range) and the Crossbow (and the ‘Greatest Hits’ achievement) is all yours.

    If you need more assistance, check out our Crossbow guide: Alan Wake 2 - How to get the Crossbow.
  • Find the Pump-Action Shotgun

    You’ll be able to grab the Pump-Action Shotgun during Saga’s campaign, specifically during the sixth chapter, “Return 6: Scratch” - when you grab it is entirely up to you, before or after the encounter with Scratch. You’ll actually be able to grab it right up until the “end game” point of no return moment.

    The Pump-Action Shotgun can be found in Sheriff Tim Breaker’s office, on the wall, in a glass gun cabinet with a lock on it - you can open Breaker’s office as soon as you get the Sheriff’s Station Keys from Esteves at the beginning of what is a relatively short chapter.

    The cipher for the shotgun cabinet is on Tim Breaker’s desk, along with a stack of books. The code for the cabinet isn’t something simple like UFO or AWE, oh no, the code is actually the first initials of the three UFO book authors on his desk. That being QBW, which translates to 723. 

    Whack that code into the cabinet and get yourself the devastating Pump-Action Shotgun, which is definitely better than the Sawed-Off Shotgun if you ask us.

    If you need some pictures, a map or a more detailed walkthrough, check out our Alan Wake 2 - How to unlock the Pump-Action Shotgun guide for more assistance.
  • Find the Flashlight and Revolver

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    During Alan Wake’s storyline, in chapter 2, “Initiation 2: Casey,” if you head west down the alleyway from the phone box (and Caldera Street Station), you’ll come across Casey. After a short cutscene, follow Casey to the end of the alleyway, where at the end you’ll be able to grab his revolver and his flashlight - it’s near a light source.

    Simply interact with the flashlight on the ground to pick up both items, and unlock the ‘Find the Light’ achievement.
  • Find the Flare Gun

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    It’s only fitting, really, that Alan Wake in his “Initiation” campaign only has a few weapons, and of those few weapons, only one is optional. The two that aren’t are Alan’s trademark weapons: his Revolver (which you’ll earn the Find the Light (10G) achievement for when you unlock it) and his trusty Flare Gun.

    Like the Revolver though, you can’t actually miss the Flare Gun, and you’ll get it off a desk during the wacky, “Initiation 4: We Sing” main mission. Grab the gun, continue on, and unlock the ‘Lights Shining’ achievement along the way.
  • Find the Double-Barrelled Shotgun

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    At the beginning of chapter 4, “Return 4: No Chance,” you’ll take control of Alan Wake in Bright Falls’ Elderwood Palace Lodge very briefly. When you head out the back door, Alan will need to pick up a gun and a flashlight. That gun is none other than the Double-Barrelled Shotgun. Pick that up and the ‘Yippee Ki-yay’ achievement is all yours.
  • Lawman

     

    30

    Defeat Nightingale

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    At the end of chapter 2, “Return 2: The Heart,” you’ll enter your first Overlap and have a showdown with Nightingale. Nightingale is a slow and cumbersome Taken boss, who if he gets close to you, will do significant damage. So, whatever happens in this fight, always try and leave some breathing room between you and Nightingale. The key to beat him is to firstly destroy his Darkness Shield with your torch, and then destroy his Source Point. From then, it’s a matter of dodging and retreating when he gets close, and then headshots galore.

    Fairly early on, you’ll do enough damage to Nightingale that he’ll effectively do an AOE explosion attack around himself - the screen will go purple. Don’t try and fight during this bit, just run. Then it’s a case of rinsing and repeating.

    There’ll be a couple of respite locations to grab supplies, and heal up along the way, so take advantage of the downtime to make sure you’re ready to fight him again. As soon as enough damage is done, a cutscene will trigger and the ‘Lawman’ achievement will unlock.
  • Defeat Mulligan and Thornton

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    In chapter 3 of Saga’s journey, in a chapter called, “Return 3: Local Girl,” you will have trekked all through Watery - from Coffee World to the Lighthouse Trailer Park - trying to locate the Clicker.

    At the end of the chapter, you’ll come to the Kalevala Knights Workshop, and in order to access the Overlap, you’ll have to complete the parade float ritual. Doing so will grant you access to the Overlap, and to the showdown with former Bright Falls Sheriffs, Mulligan and Thornton.

    After navigating through the loop, you’ll come to a fairly straightforward (if you know what you’re doing) boss fight against the pair. You’ll know the encounter is just ahead when you come across a shoebox at the bottom of a set of stairs.

    To defeat Mulligan and Thornton, the key here is to destroy the dark spots that are pop around the arena when they appear. The pair behave differently: one of them follows you around the arena; while the other shoots at you from the elevated rock positions. As soon as you hear the click of the shotgun, dodge. 

    When you’re not dodging you should be destroying all the dark spots, while destroying both Mulligan and Thornton when you’ve destroyed them all. This process will repeat a few times, before Saga says, “Now they’re not coming back” (or something to that effect), which means you’ve destroyed the last of the dark spots that are allowing them to respawn.

    Once you’ve done that, kill them as usual, and watch the end cutscene, and basque in your ‘Bright Falls’ Finest’ achievement.
  • Defeat Cynthia

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    At the end of Saga’s story, “Return 5: Old Gods,” you’ll have to head into the Overlap located at the Valhalla Nursing Home’s pond to not only rescue Tor, but to defeat Cynthia as well - yes, the same Cynthia from the original. None other than the lamp lady, Cynthia Weaver - a nod to Twin Peaks’ “Log Lady.”

    The boss fight with Cynthia is two-fold. Firstly, when you reach the core of the Overlap - which seems to be the central column for an elaborate underground bunker - you’ll first have to restore the power. Restoring the power allows you to push back the water and climb lower into the depths of the bunker’s central column.

    In order to do step one, you’ll need to make it out of the circular centre room, and into the corridor around the outside. Now, in this phase, you’ll only be able to stay in the water for 5-10 seconds, so the key to success here is to run from platform to platform, and whenever you hear Cynthia coming from under the water, get to solid ground. When in the outer chamber, head anticlockwise until you can go no further. Just before the end, on the right, will be a ledge up, and a generator you can start to turn on the lights. From there, make your way into the centre platform again, and hit the button.

    Then, you’re going to want to go down the stairs, near to where you’re situated. When you’re downstairs Cynthia will appear and the proper boss fight will commence.

    Now, Cynthia herself isn’t too hard if you dodge her wave attacks and attack from range. Try and find the cover you can stand behind, but still shoot her from. Every so often she’ll throw darkness orbs at you - use your torch charged beam to destroy them. If a wave or an orb does get through, then dodge to the left or right.

    Once you’ve done enough damage, she’ll go feral. In this stage she’ll charge at you and attempt a flurry of furious attacks. They’re easy enough to dodge, so dodge backwards, get some distance and continue shooting. Then, it’s a case of rinse and repeat until you kill her and the cutscene rolls. 

    Once you’ve done that, the ‘Girl in Love’ achievement will unlock, and the boss fight will be over.
  • Defeat Scratch

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    Throughout the Return chapters, when taking control of Saga, you’ll encounter Scratch on a few occasions. Firstly, in chapter 6, “Return 6: Scratch,” but it’s not until the end of “Return 7: Summoning,” that you’ll fight him and unlock the ‘Filled with Rage’ achievement.

    While the first time you encounter Scratch, you have to shoot him until you can turn on the containment cubes, the second time - while similar - it will have you turning handles instead. You won’t be able to complete each handle in one go, it’ll take you multiple staggers of Scratch to do so - roughly 3, depending on what difficulty you’re playing on. 

    But basically: deal damage to Scratch until Estevez blasts him with the light and stuns him, and when she does, go to the handle and hold down button-a.png. Rinse and repeat until both handles are locked in place. Then, run into the holding cell. 
    As soon as you do that a cutscene will trigger and this achievement will pop just as the end song kicks in.
  • Escape from the Dark Presence

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    During chapter 2, “Initiation 2: Casey,” you’ll head into the Subway system under fake New York in the Dark Place. Once you’ve navigated your way through the entire tunnel system, and picked up all 4 Plot Elements, you’ll have to head back to the Collapsed Tunnel. There, you’ll have to use the Summoning Ritual Plot Element on the Plot Board under that scene.

    As soon as you use it the Dark Presence will chase you. Run back through the train cart, mash button-a.png on the door and bolt for the Break Room. When the Dark Presence has subsided, head back to the Collapsed Tunnel, which will now be clear thanks to the Summoning Ritual scene you just enacted. However, don’t dally. Don’t stop, just keep running into the now cleared tunnel, as the Dark Presence will re-emerge and chase you once again.

    When you get into the tight tunnel, and the roof collapses behind you, you’re safe, and the ‘Storm Cloud’ achievement will unlock.  
  • Complete Alan Wake 2

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    The ‘Story Come True’ achievement will be the final story-related chapter in Alan Wake 2. It’s a no-action, 100% cutscene mission, and looks to attempt to wrap up the story. As soon as the credits start to roll, this achievement will unlock.
  • Complete chapter "The Cult"

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    “The Cult” chapter in Alan Wake 2 is a really short intro chapter (a prologue of sorts), that introduces you to the game’s new cast of characters and sets up the events of Alan Wake 2. The ‘Hunting Season’ achievement is unmissable, and unlocks when you encounter the Cult of the Tree at the end. And yes, you play as a naked man running through the woods.
  • Complete chapter "Invitation"

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    After your shenanigans in Cauldron Lake, in “Return 1: Invitation,” you’ll then head back to Bright Falls as part of your ongoing investigation. This chapter will come to a close after you’ve done the autopsy in the Sheriff’s Station back in Bright Falls. After your combat tutorial, the chapter song will play and the ‘Somebody’s Home’ achievement will pop.
  • Complete chapter "The Heart"

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    This is effectively the same achievement as Lawman (30G), because as soon as you defeat him, and after watching a cutscene, the second chapter, “Return 2: The Heart” will come to an end, and this achievement will unlock.
  • Complete chapter "Local Girl"

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    The ‘Back in Watery’ achievement is another unmissable story achievement, this time you’ll receive it for completing Saga’s third chapter, “Return 3: Local Girl,” where you have to go to Watery to get the Clicker.

    It’s a fairly lengthy chapter, in truth, as you make your way through the trail, into Coffee World, down to the Lighthouse Trailer Park, and back up to the Kalevala Knights Workshop to finally get your hands on the Clicker.

    Once you’ve complete the ritual, descended into the Overlap, defeated Mulligan and Thornton (and unlocked Bright Falls' Finest (30G), this achievement will unlock too.
  • Complete chapter "No Chance"

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    After the relatively long “Return 3: Local Girl” chapter, chapter 4, “Return 4: No Chance” is a super short chapter - as seems to be the case in Alan Wake 2.

    When you return from Watery to Bright Falls, perspective will shift to Wake and Casey at the Elderwood Palace Lodge. To sum it up: things go to hell, and this chapter has you playing briefly as Wake, as he chases after Casey. 

    When you get to the bridge in the woods, the final cutscene will roll, and this chapter will come to a close. As a bit of advice: don’t worry about anything in this chapter. After picking up the Double-Barrelled Shotgun for the Yippee Ki-yay (30G) achievement, just run and run at that point. Ammo and batteries aren’t in big supply, and all you need to do is run to trigger a cutscene, basically. If anything, leaving the supplies means that Saga can grab them in the next chapter.
  • Complete chapter "Old Gods"

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    The fifth main story chapter for Saga's trip around Bright Falls comes in the form of the chapter called, "Return 5: Old Gods."

    In it you'll trek through the previously unexplored area of Bright Falls itself, as you make your way west through the dangerous woods on your way to visit Tor and Odin at the Valhalla Nursing Home. 

    Not all is as it all seems though. In this chapter you'll traipse through not just the Valhalla Nursing Home, but the Wellness Center as well. It's not an especially long chapter, but it is a gripping hour or so. The chapter concludes with a battle against Alan Wake familiar, Cynthia Weaver in the Overlap (which will also net you the Girl in Love (30G) achievement). 

    Defeat Weaver and get to the chapter end-screen, and you'll also unlock "The Old Gods" achievement too.
  • Complete chapter "Scratch"

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    The sixth chapter of Saga’s adventure in Alan Wake 2 comes in the form of “Return 6: Scratch,” and is started by entering the Sheriff’s Station in Bright Falls. It’s a relatively short chapter, in truth, which will have you turning the power back on in the Sheriff’s Station, speaking to Wake, and confronting Scratch for the first time.

    As soon as you’ve pushed the evil back (for now), you’ll unlock the ‘Seeing Double’ achievement, and chapter 6 of Return will come to a close.
  • Complete chapter "Summoning"

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    After coming up with a new plan with Estevez and Casey, you’ll take one last trip to Cauldron Lake as Sage, after you scared off Scratch in “Return 6: Scratch.”

    This is the start of the end-game, effectively - and we’re fairly sure you need to advance Wake’s story up to and including “Initiation 8: Zane’s Film” as everything is starting to come to a head here (which is what you should have done anyway, if you’ve been following our guide and Road Map).

    “Return 7: Summoning” is a relatively short chapter, and will see you head to the Cauldron Lake shore to perform the Summoning Ritual - the clue’s in the name “Return 7: Summoning.” While on the beach, you’ll effectively perform a similar showdown that you might have experienced in the original Alan Wake, with the Old Gods of Asgard back once again. The goal is, basically, to survive the encounter and hit the Clicker.

    However, while this might seem like the end of the scene, it is not. You’ll flash back to Wake before finishing off this chapter (to complete His Way Out (10G)). When things return to Saga, you’ll have to deal with Scratch himself.

    Once you’ve defeated him and the cutscene kicks in, you’ll not only unlock the Filled with Rage (30G) achievement), after the chapter end song you’ll also unlock this achievement.
  • Complete chapter "Deerfest"

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    After Scratch has been defeated, Alan must head into Bright Falls to put an end to all of this. The eight Return chapter, “Return 8: Deerfest” is relatively short, and pretty simple, in truth. It’s basically a lot of walking, and running. That’s it. When you get to the writing room at the Valhalla Nursing Room, the chapter will come to an end not long after.

    You’re on the home straight now, folks!
  • Complete chapter "Come Home"

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    After the “Return 8: Deerfest” chapter, you’ll find yourself in Saga’s Mind Place looking to escape. This short mission is, “Return 9: Come Home,” the game’s penultimate chapter. Simply head to Parliament Plaza (going through Caldera St. Station), go to the shoebox, get the clicker and bullet, answer the phone, and then head back to where you came from. It’s as simple as that.

    Do all that, and a load of Mind Place stuff too, and you’ll be ready to finish Alan Wake 2 - and you’ll also unlock the ‘Come Home’ achievement too.
  • Complete chapter "Late Night"

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    After leaving Cauldron Lake in the chapter, “Return 2: The Heart,” you’ll head back to Bright Falls with Alan and Casey. When you reach the Lodge, Wake will try to recall the events of the last 13 years, and in doing so, will start his storyline, which starts with the “Late Night” chapter. Simply complete that chapter, by escaping the Movie Studio, and this achievement will unlock.
  • Complete chapter "Casey"

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    You’ll get the ‘New York City’ achievement when you’ve completed the fairly lengthy chapter 2 for Alan Wake’s story, called “Initiation 2: Casey.” In this chapter you’ll venture into New York City AKA the Dark Place, before heading into the Subway system. Once you’ve cleared the Collapsed Tunnel by clearing the way (done by getting all 4 Plot Elements) and escaped the Dark Presence, you’ll come across the Murder Site and the chapter will end.
  • Return

     

    10

    Complete chapter "Haunting"

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    Compared to how lengthy the previous Alan Wake story chapter was (for “Initiation 2: Casey”), the next chapter, “Initiation 3: Haunting,” is the opposite. It’s literally 5-minutes long.

    You’ll basically leave the Subway, walk over Parliament Square, go into the apartment block, watch a couple of videos, and then the chapter ends.
  • Complete chapter "We Sing"

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    The fourth Alan Wake chapter, “Initiation 4: We Sing,” is a fairly short but fantastic chapter, and that’s all we’re going to say. We don’t want to say anything or spoil anything. So, all you need to know is that the ‘All His Life' achievement is unmissable. Complete the chapter, unlock this achievement. That’s it. Oh, and enjoy!
  • Complete chapter "Room 665"

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    The Alan Wake in the Dark Place chapter, “Initiation 5: Room 665,” is a pretty great and decently lengthy chapter. In it, you’ll have to make your way to the Oceanview Hotel, in search of another Murder Site, so that you can penetrate the other side once again, and slowly write Alan out of this mess. The scene will climax and the chapter will end when you’ve unlocked the Climax Plot Element, and made your way into Room 108 using it. 

    The ‘In a Fancy Hotel’ achievement will pop after the ending song, when you’re dropped back into the world.
  • Complete chapter "Return"

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    As seems to be the case in Alan Wake 2, every long story mission is followed by a super short narrative-driven mission. Chapter 6, “Initiation 6: Return” is exactly that. After leaving the Oceanview Hotel you’ll make your way to the Parliament Tower apartment once again. There, you’ll be able to watch a few of Alice’s documentary parts, and then after a short cutscene, the chapter is over, and the ‘Told and Retold’ achievement is all yours.
  • Complete chapter "Masks"

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    If you thought chapter 6 was short, “Initiation 7: Masks” is perhaps even shorter. In it, you’ll leave the dressing room, speak to Door, speak to Ahti, go to the Basement Storage area (specifically the Workshop) to grab Alice’s photographs (so you can one of the entries for the The Trail of the Writer (10G) achievement) and then you’ll leave via the basement in the TV studio. That’s it. Chapter over. Onto chapter 8!
  • Complete chapter "Zane's Film"

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    Alan Wake’s 8th chapter is the chapter called, “Initiation 8: Zane’s Film,” where you’ll have to trek to Poet’s Cinema in the southeast of the Dark Place. In another fairly and often confusing chapter, you’ll fight through Taken all while attempting to get to another Murder Site, found in the Projection Room. 

    Once you’ve interacted with the corpse in the Projection Room, this chapter will come to a close and this achievement will unlock.
  • Complete chapter "Gone"

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    The chapter “Initiation 9: Gone” cannot be started or completed until you’ve finished off part of Saga’s “Return 7: Summoning” main mission. After the encounter, you’ll zoom back to Wake for a brief chapter, one where you enter Parliament Tower, go into the apartment again, and watch one of Alice’s Documentaries and see a cutscene. That’s it.

    At this point, you’ll be transported back to Saga, and when you do, the achievement will unlock.
  • Shoot Mr. Drippy or any other cardboard cutout in Coffee World

    During chapter 3 with Saga, “Return 3: Local Girl,” you’ll head to Coffee World. When you’re in Coffee World, all you need to do is to find a cardboard cutout of Mr. Drippy or any other cardboard cutout and shoot it. 

    Now, the difficulty with this achievement is that it’s hard to tell what is cardboard and what is wood. So, to cut down the guesswork… Head to the path just to the west of the Slow Roaster Ferris Wheel. If you’re heading from north to south you’ll come to a crossroads.

    You’ll find a sign, which will say “The Percolator” to the left, and “The Espresso Express” to the right. There’ll be a bear cutout next to it. It looks like wood, right? Shoot it. It’s supposedly cardboard, and with that one shot, the ‘Coffee-Themed Fun’ achievement will unlock.

    Funny bit of cardboard, eh? My bullet barely left a scratch… although, to be fair, if you do get really close to it, you can see its corrugated texture.
  • Pet Mayor Setter

    **Highly Missable (we think)**

    It should come as no surprise to you, if you've read the slogans on the Mayor Settler campaign posters or heard the radio shows, that the new mayor running for the next electoral campaign is nothing but a bloody dog - which is a great satirist take on our current political landscape.

    In order to unlock the 'The Nice Things in Life' achievement, you need to basically pet Mayor Setter, the dog. That said, Mayor Setter, AKA the dog, seems to only be available after a certain point, and we have a feeling he won’t be there forever.

    After you’ve finished “Return 5: Old Gods,” head back to Watery, specifically Suomi Hall in Downtown Watery, and you should find Mayor Setter on the stage. Simply walk up to him and hit button-a.png to pet the Mayor. Not only does that reward the good boy! But you also get rewarded with a achievement too. Win-win.

    alan-wake-2-mayor-setter-location-1_f8d8169a-887b-4461-8cde-1ed568339c80.jpg
    alan-wake-2-mayor-setter-location-3_d07b54ea-95e7-4cf2-83c6-fc5962a73cfc.jpg

DLC: Night Springs

There are 12 achievements with a total of 200 points

  • Take the "accessories" from the kitchen

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    After serving coffee and clearing up the plates as Rose in Episode 1: Number One Fan, you’ll head into the storage room to grab a book. After you’ve grabbed the book, the objective will change to “Gather your accessories from the back room.” Once you grab them and head outside, the ‘Accessorize!’ achievement will unlock.

  • Defeat 3 Haters at once with any kind of explosive

    The easiest way to get this achievement is early on in Rose’s chapter of the game, Episode 1: Number One Fan, after you’ve spoken to the guy by the motorbike in the boatyard.

    After the initial conversation, three enemies will spawn straight ahead of you. Kill them - remember, you have LOADS of ammo, so don’t hold back - and you’ll trigger the next phase of the encounter. Once you’ve defeated those 3, enemies will then start to come out of the water to the left of the boatyard. At the top of the slope where the enemies come from the water, there’s a canister on the floor (near a boat). Use the boat as cover and back up to where you came from, and then wait until they’re coming round the corner. When there are 3 within close proximity of the gas container on the floor near the boat, shoot it and kill the lot of them. 

    This one is harder than it sounds, but stick to the above strategy and you’ll get the ‘Hot Biscuits!’ achievement with sublime ease.

  • Solve all Stashes

    In Episode 2: North Star, you’ll head to Coffee World as Jesse from Control at night. Your first port of call when getting into this chapter is to head to the gazebo and speak to Sheriff Breaker. Once you’ve done that you’ll get both a gun and a torch. At this point you’ll have the complete freedom - and protection - to explore the whole map.

    To unlock the ‘Percolate’ achievement, then, you need to seek out and open the 6 Stashes dotted around Coffee World. For more assistance on where to find all 6 of the Stashes, check out the following guide:

  • Read the screenplay in the Green Room

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    In Episode 3: Time Breaker, you’ll have to speak to Sam Lake, the director, about your role in the show at the beginning of the episode. After you’ve spoken to him, you’ll have to head to the green room. When in there, the objective will change to a 2-part objective: “Examine the body” and “Look over the script.” Read the script on the floor to unlock the ‘This Page Here’ achievement.

 

Secret achievements

  • Listen to all the Writer's messages

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    During Episode 1: Number One Fan, after you’ve headed to the cabin in the woods while chasing after the biker, you’ll then have to head back into the woods and up to the mansion on the hill - the Valhalla Nursing Home. Once you get about halfway, a deer who seems to be embodied with the spirit of Alan Wake, will talk to Rose. After that conversation, the ‘I Could Listen to Him All Day’ achievement will unlock.

  • Complete Episode 1: Number One Fan

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    Load up Episode 1 from the main menu, Number One Fan, and see it through to its completion to unlock the ‘Love Always Wins!’ achievement. Once you’ve reached the Valhalla Nursing Home and made it to the top of the mansion, the first episode is done and this achievement is yours.

  • In two tries or less, enter the warehouse office without being caught by the Coffee Mascots

    In order to get the ‘Smooth Blend’ achievement, you’ll first need to get access to the warehouse, on the left-hand side of Coffee World in Episode 2: North Star.

    To get into the warehouse, however, you need to pass a few password checks:

    • Firstly, you need to find out the “4th word of the Dark Triangle Coffee’s Mission Statement as seen in our orientation video.” To get the orientation video, head back to Sheriff Breaker to get the Slow Roaster key. Then, move the Slow Roaster so you can access cable car 4, where you’ll find the tape. Then, head to the Welcome Center tent and watch the tape. There you’ll learn the 4th word is “truth.”
    • Next up, you need to find the optimal roasting temperature of Dark Triangle Coffee (see Dark as the Void (10G) for more assistance there). The answer is 487, by the way, and only shows when you’ve solved the puzzle near the entrance.
    • Then, you’ll need to head to the Tasting Room and try some coffee.

    Once you’ve done all that, head back to the warehouse and interact with the panel until you have to give up your weapons. Then, the doors to the warehouse will open, and inside you’ll find 2 Coffee Mascots patrolling the area, who will insta-kill you if they see you. So, you need to get in, find the keys to the warehouse office, and open the door, all without being seen - although you do get a little wiggle room, and can get it wrong once.

    The truth is, this is harder than it sounds. 

    Simply go inside and wait until the first Coffee Mascot you see goes left. When it does and has its back to you, go right and right again into the corner nearest to you (on the opposite side of the warehouse to the aforementioned Coffee Mascot). On the table in the corner there is a red container with a key inside - the key to the warehouse office.

    Then, wait until the nearest Coffee Mascot (the one you just avoided) comes your way and then turns its back on you. When it does, make your way to the door on the right of the warehouse (the same warehouse office from the main game).

    However, one final note before you move: just be careful of the other Coffee Mascot who patrols the far end of the warehouse (from where you start), as he can spot you as well if you’re incredibly unlucky. When it turns his back (and the other is still walking away from you), head for the door, and then when you’re inside, the ‘Smooth Blend’ achievement will unlock.

  • Solve the optimal roasting temperature of Dark Triangle Coffee

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    As part of the story in Episode 2: North Star, you need to solve the Dark Triangle Coffee puzzle, which can be found in the entrance area to Coffee World, just after passing through the gate on the left. The best thing here is that you don’t need to wait until you’re prompted to in the story to solve this puzzle, you can literally do it and unlock the 'Dark as the Void'achievement as soon as you get into Coffee World.

    To solve the puzzle you need to find a number that meets the following criteria:

    • More than 180 - “greater than the sum of the triangle.”
    • First digit is half of the second digit.
    • The third digit is one less than the one before.

    The answer to the Dark Triangle Coffee puzzle and solution to Alan Wake 2’s Night Springs coffee code puzzle is: 487. Input that and the ‘Dark as the Void’ achievement is all yours.

  • Complete Episode 2: North Star

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    In order to unlock the ‘You Are Coffee’ achievement, you need to load Episode 2: North Star from the expansions menu on the start screen, and see it through to its conclusion. When you reach the warehouse office at the end of the chapter, and make it down the ladder, this chapter will come to a close and the achievement is all yours.

  • Retro

     

    15

    Survive the arcade game reality

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    In Episode 3: Time Breaker, you’ll head through various different worlds trying to find Sheriff Breaker’s nemesis, Warlin Door. After you’ve solved the hotel lobby puzzle and finished the comic book world, you’ll end up in the arcade game reality. Simply survive 5 waves - by spamming the shoot button - and the ‘Retro’ achievement is all yours.

  • Travel to a new reality using a Lumivista TV

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    In Episode 3: Time Breaker, after spending some time in the TV studio, you’ll eventually end up in the woods. As part of the story, and to progress, you’ll need to find a power node in the woods (near the creek) and draw the power from it. Doing so will allow you to power up the Lumivista TV, which can be found in the trailer that you previously walked past on the way to the creek. Once you’ve done that, and interacted with the TV (to travel to a new dimension), the ‘Ride the Vortex’ achievement will unlock.

  • Complete Episode 3: Time Breaker

    Story-related, cannot miss.

    In order to unlock the ‘Multiversal Agent’ achievement in Alan Wake 2, you need to load Episode 3: Time Breaker from the expansions menu on the start screen, and see it through to its conclusion. The less said - and less spoilers - the better, so that’s all we’ll say on the matter. Enjoy this one, though, as it’s a right doozy! Proper Alan Wake zaniness, and we love it!

Other Alan Wake II Game Guides

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Alan Wake II Achievement GUIDE FAQ

  • What is the estimated achievement difficulty for Alan Wake II?
    The estimated achievement difficulty for Alan Wake II is 4/10.
  • How many offline achievements are there in Alan Wake II?
    There are 66 offline achievements in Alan Wake II.
  • How many online achievements are there in Alan Wake II?
    There are 0 online achievements in Alan Wake II.
  • How long does it take to get 100% in Alan Wake II?
    The estimated time to get 100% in Alan Wake II is 15-20 Hours.
  • How many playthroughs is needed to get 100% in Alan Wake II?
    1 (if you don't miss any collectibles).
  • How many missable achievements are there in Alan Wake II?
    There are Lots - particularly "The Trail of the Writer" and "The Koskela Brothers", and maybe "The Nice Things in Life" (10G). Technically "All Smiles" is missable too, as you can’t fully upgrade every weapon. missable achievements in Alan Wake II.
  • Does difficulty affect achievements in Alan Wake II?
    Difficulty does not affect achievements in Alan Wake II.
  • Are there any unobtainable/glitched achievements in Alan Wake II?
    There are no unobtainable/glitched achievements in Alan Wake II.

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Author

  • Webb, DLC by Webb

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