Remedy Entertainment’s Alan Wake 2 has several collectibles, from Writer’s Journey Videos to Cult Stashes and locked cases. However, you also have weapons to collect and upgrades to unlock for Alan Wake and Saga Anderson. If you don’t go out of your way in the story, it can be very easy to miss some of the best weapons (which make some of the boss fights easier).
First, let’s go over all the weapons in the game and how to find them, and then discuss the upgrades, particularly Alan’s Words of Power and Saga’s Inventory Upgrade Satchels.
All Weapons and How to Find Them
| Weapon | Chapter | How to Get |
|---|---|---|
| Pistol | Return Chapter 1: Invitation | Saga Anderson’s starting weapon. |
| Sawed-Off Shotgun | Return Chapter 2: The Heart | Found in the Cauldron Lake General Store while searching for Nightingale’s heart. It’s in the backroom but requires a combination to open the padlock. Head here for all safe and lock combinations in Alan Wake 2. |
| Crossbow | Return Chapter 3: Local Girl | Clear out the enemies and go to Coffee World. Look for a cabin on the road where you’ll find a Break Room. A Cult Stash with the Crossbow is located outside. Once again, refer to our guide above for details on the combination (or look for the crossbow bolts with numbers). |
| Hunting Rifle | Return Chapter 5 | The Hunting Rifle is found in the Wellness Center’s security office in the workshop but requires a doorknob to obtain. First, enter the code into the computer to unlock the doors. Go to the Reception Area, which is North of the security office and go right. Check under the desk for a box – the doorknob is inside. Bring it back to the workshop to unlock the door and get the Hunting Rifle. |
| Pump-Action Shotgun | Return Chapter 6: Scratch | Found in the Bright Fall Sheriff’s Station, but you first need the key. Get it from Agent Estevez and then enter the Sheriff’s office. Use the code on the desk nearby to unlock the weapon case and claim the shotgun. |
| Revolver | Initiation Chapter 2: Casey | After leaving the Talk Show Studio in The Dark Place, go towards the alley with the green light. After a brief cutscene, Alan Wake will receive the Revolver and Flashlight. |
| Flare Gun | Initiation Chapter 4: We Sing | Obtained near the end of the chapter, on the desk with the typewriter. |
| Double-Barreled Shotgun | Initiation Chapter 5: Room 665 | You get this in the Oceanview Hotel, but first, you must find the alternate entrance. First, go to the main entrance and follow the red carpet. Go inside the area with the Mirror Peak sign, where the Double-Barreled Shotgun is locked away in the back. Switch the light on with your lamp to brighten the place, and then hit the Clicker to enter the area with the shotgun. |
All Words of Power and Their Locations
Saga Anderson relies on Manuscript Fragments to upgrade her weapons, which you can find in Casey Lunch Boxes scattered through the world. Alan Wake, on the other hand, must find Words of Power, and there are multiple types which can upgrade different stats (Words of Gun, for instance, will increase weapon damage).
Here’s where to find all 27 Words of Power. Remember to aim your Flashlight at each Word of Power to add them to your upgrades.
| Words of Power | Chapter | How to Unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Words of Fix #1 | Initiation Chapter 2: Casey | After getting the Revolver and Flashlight, take the light with your lamp. Take the left path until you see a circle of words above the door, and use your Flashlight to unlock it. |
| Words of Lamp #1 | Initiation Chapter 2: Casey | Go to Caldera St. Station and up the staircase after using your lamp to clear the obstruction. Climb the ladder up and go through the door. You’ll eventually find some yellow arrows which lead to the Words of Power. |
| Words of War #1 | Initiation Chapter 2: Casey | Go to Caldera St. Station and up the staircase after using your lamp to clear the obstruction. Climb the ladder up and go through the door. You’ll eventually find some yellow arrows which lead to the Words of Power. |
| Words of War #1 | Initiation Chapter 2: Casey | Go South of the previous Words of Power to the street. Look for a ladder and climb it. Look for two vents on the right side to find the third Word of Power. |
| Words of Gun #1 | Initiation Chapter 2: Casey | In the same area as the last Words of Power, look for a taxi. Use the lamp to spawn some enemies. After killing them, approach the place they spawned from. Look up and to the left for the next Words of Power. |
| Words of Action #1 | Initiation Chapter 2: Casey | Go South of High-Line Station to Draft Street. Check beneath the tracks above you for the Words of Power. |
| Words of Fix #2 | Initiation Chapter 2: Casey | Head West through the plaza to Wheeler Street, and you will find this Word of Power outside the studio in a corner. |
| Words of Gun #2 | Initiation Chapter 2: Casey | In the subway, after interacting with the Echo, go right. The Words of Power are at the door of the train. |
| Words of Aid #1 | Initiation Chapter 2: Casey | While still in the subway, check opposite the Break Room. |
| Words of Lamp #2 | Initiation Chapter 2: Casey | Once you take the light from here using the lamp, explore the nearby room. Hidden behind the shelf are the Words of Power. |
| Words of War #2 | Initiation Chapter 2: Casey | After venturing up the ladder, turn around. Crawl beneath the scaffolding and check the ceiling for the Words of Power. |
| Words of Action #2 | Initiation Chapter 2: Casey | After entering the torched train, go down the ladder, but don’t take the stairs. Instead, go behind and look for a wooden piece. Shoot it to find the Words of Power. |
| Words of Fix #3 | Initiation Chapter 2: Casey | In the next room, look through the gate on the left after venturing down the stairs. |
| Words of Lamp #3 | Initiation Chapter 2: Casey | In the Shrine St. Station, after the Light Shift is active, check the left side of the area. You must venture into the water to see the Words of Power on the wall. |
| Words of Gun #3 | Initiation Chapter 2: Casey | In Shrine St. Station, enter the train on the right. If you observe the adjacent train, the Words of Power will be visible outside. |
| Words of Action #3 | Initiation Chapter 2: Casey | Just slightly North-West of the previous Words of Power in Shrine St. Station is a room. Go inside for more Words of Power. |
| Words of Fix #4 | Initiation Chapter 2: Casey | North of the Scene: Derailed Train, next to the Break Room, look through the fence after heading upstairs. |
| Words of Aid #2 | Initiation Chapter 5: Room 665 | Crawl through the hut on the roof and then go to the corner. On the left is the Words of Power. |
| Words of Lamp #4 | Initiation Chapter 5: Room 665 | On the same rooftop, look for some ladders to climb. Once there, look for a Light Shift and then on the right for a water tower where the Words of Power are visible. |
| Words of Gun #4 | Initiation Chapter 5: Room 665 | Take the left stairs and then go below. Look up underneath the stairs for the Words of Power. |
| Words of Aid #3 | Initiation Chapter 5: Room 665 | Located in the North-West alley on a wall after taking the elevator. |
| Words of War #3 | Initiation Chapter 5: Room 665 | On the second floor of the Oceanview Hotel, enter Room 224. Shoot the wooden panel to enter the bathroom where the Words of Power are located. |
| Words of War #4 | Initiation Chapter 5: Room 665 | While in the Second Floor Hallway of the Hotel, look for a door to the left of the stairwell. Aim your flashlight through the glass above it to find the next Words of Power. |
| Words of Stuff #1 | Initiation Chapter 5: Room 665 | Go to the bar in the Ballroom and check the ceiling. |
| Words of Fix #5 | Initiation Chapter 8: Zane’s Film | Near the Break Room in Scene: Lobby of Poet’s Cinema (near the Concession Stand), check the upstairs wall. |
| Words of Action #4 | Initiation Chapter 8: Zane’s Film | On the right-hand side of the Concession Stand area, go through the bathroom. Check the ceiling in the back room to find these Words of Power. |
| Words of Stuff #2 | Initiation Chapter 8: Zane’s Film | After entering the Spotlights area of the cinema, turn around to your left to find this on a wall. |
| Words of Lamp #5 | Initiation Chapter 8: Zane’s Film | North-West of the maintenance rooms, go back through the door. Look for a water tower – the Words of Power are on its side. |
All Inventory Upgrades for Saga Anderson and How to Get Them
While Alan Wake can rely on Words of Stuff to increase inventory space, Saga must locate inventory upgrade satchels. Fortunately, they’re not too out of the way. Here are all of their locations.
| Upgrade | Chapter | How to Get |
|---|---|---|
| Inventory upgrade satchel #1 | Return Chapter 2: The Heart | Inside the Cauldron Lake General Store (where the Sawed-Off Shotgun is located), Saga will be attacked by a Taken for the first time. After dispatching it, check the area it broke through to find the first satchel on a toppled file cabinet. |
| Inventory upgrade satchel #2 | Return Chapter 2: The Heart | On Cauldron Lake Coast, after the battle with Nightingale in The Dark Place, Saga will encounter Alan Wake. Once Agent Casey shows up and the two speak, go up the eastern side of the coast. Crawl under the brambles for a Cult Stash. While locked, it doesn’t require a combination – press the buttons that light up sequentially to open it. |
| Inventory upgrade satchel #3 | Return Chapter 5 | Following the battle in Valhalla Nursing Home, Saga will get the Bolt Cutters. As you return to Bright Falls, go to the Fresh Seafood building and open the entrance with the Bolt Cutters. On the right side, check the first shack to find a Cult Stash. It requires a passcode, but you can find the solution in our guide here. |
Alan Wake 2 is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC. Check out our review here. You can also read up on ten tips and tricks or learn more about how the PS5 and PC versions compare in terms of graphics with our analysis.