TheBest Words Of Power In Alan Wake 2

Alan Wake 2 uses a separate upgrade system for its two protagonists. Alan’s Words of Power give you a bit more flexibility in developing his build, but you’re limited by which specific Words you find while exploring the Dark Place.

Each type of Word offers multiple options, and most of Alan’s skills can be upgraded one or more times once they’re taken. With so many choices, it can be hard to pick the best option for surviving Initiation. We’ve listed our selections for the best overall Words of Power to help you fight back against the Darkness.

Updated on November 7, 2024, by Dennis Moiseyev: Alan Wake 2 introduces perhaps one of the most unique upgrade systems ever in a survival horror game that also ties into each character’s story.

For our titular protagonist, his upgrades are done through what is called ‘Words of Power,’ which appear on note cards inside a desk drawer of his Writer’s Room. These provide Alan with immense benefits that can mean the difference between winning and losing to the Darkness, so here are a couple more you should know about!

16

Battery

Words Of Stuff

• Effect: Gain an extra Battery Charge slot for Alan’s flashlight.

Just like in the original Alan Wake game, flashlight batteries are critical for combat. You have to continue replacing batteries once your flashlight charge drains, based on how many slots in your meter you have available. The Battery upgrade from Words of Stuff will immediately grant you an additional Charge slot for your flashlight, so you can prolong each battery’s usage.

This one is an absolute must when you come across your first Words of Stuff. Remember that batteries, like ammo, won’t be something that the game just gives out (depending on your difficulty), so you need to make every flashlight charge count. You never know when there will be a Darkness Node puzzle or a horde of enemies awaiting you.

15

Torchbearer

Words Of Aid

• Effect: Increases the effectiveness and duration of the Hand Flare.

In addition to your flashlight, flares are another excellent weapon for fighting against the Darkness. If you get grabbed by a Taken enemy, you can jab them with a Hand Flare to take them out that way, or you can use flares to have them do the work of your flashlight and get rid of enemies’ Darkness shields, especially effective when you toss one at a large group.

Torchbearer seems like a sound Word of Aid upgrade to have. Each tier makes the Hand Flare last longer by a few seconds and increases its reach so that more Taken can get affected by it in a single use. The name ‘Torchbearer’ also alludes to the Champions of Light who were protecting Bright Falls from the Dark Presence before the Cult of the Tree.

14

God Rays

Words Of Fix

• Effect: Increases the amount of health Alan can recover from Safe Havens.

Health is very important in any survival horror game, but Alan Wake 2 is an intense experience combat-wise, given the extra steps you have to take with your flashlight against enemies and projectiles, and how healing works. To heal yourself during a fight, you’ll need to equip the health item instead of your weapon and hold down the button to regain some health, which is dangerous.

If you’re down to your final bit of health mid-encounter, you have to do what you have to do, but a better suggestion would be running to a Safe Haven and letting the rays of light heal you up, which is where the God Rays upgrade comes in. With this, Alan will automatically regenerate a good amount of health when escaping to the nearest light source, be it a Break Room or streetlight.

13

Main Attraction

Words Of Lamp

• Effect: Regain health when using Flashlight Boost on enemies.

If you find yourself low on healing items and are nowhere near a light source to utilize your God Rays upgrade, Main Attraction from Words of Lamp is another fantastic alternative for Alan to regenerate some of his health. This Word of Power ability essentially allows Alan’s health to recharge as his flashlight loses its charge when using Boost to destroy Darkness shields on Shadows.

It’s pretty neat, considering that fighting enemies will now also reward you with some healing, starting with 50 health in the first tier of Main Attraction. The other Words of Lamp upgrade, Lucky Strike, goes hand-in-hand with Main Attraction, and there’s more info on that one further down the list.

12

Turning Tables

Words Of Action

• Effect: Reduces the amount of damage Alan takes from Darkness Projectiles.

You’ll find some annoying enemies in Alan Wake 2, but one of the worst things is constantly getting struck by Darkness Projectiles, which slows you down and is devastating to Alan’s health. Whether you’re in the streets, subway tunnels, or the close-quarters environments of the Oceanview Hotel or Poet’s Cinema, taking damage from those projectiles is never a fun experience.

Luckily, you can turn the tables on the Dark Place with the Turning Tables option from the Words of Action upgrades. There are three tiers to this one, and it will significantly decrease the amount of health that gets depleted whenever you fail to avoid these projectiles, starting with 25 percent.

11

It’s Personal

Words Of Action

• Effect: Enemies in close proximity to Alan take more damage.

Combat in Alan Wake 2 gets very up close and personal, which is why it’s essential that you get this Word of Action upgrade. It’s Personal increases the amount of damage you can do when Taken enemies get very close to Alan, which happens in almost every location in the Dark Place, so it will come in handy often.

It’s Personal starts with ten percent more damage done to enemies in close proximity (and then up to 20 percent when fully upgraded). This will give you the upper hand in combat and also have you consume less ammo when enemies can go down quicker.

10

Sunny Skies

Words Of Gun

• Effect: Increases the blast radius of the Flare Gun’s projectile.

Alan will often find himself beset by multiple enemies at once, making the Flare Gun a critical part of his arsenal. Its projectile explodes on contact and can kill most Shadows caught in the blast.

Increasing the area affected by the explosion makes it less likely that any enemies will survive the attack. The last thing you need is for the smoke to clear only for you to see a flying blade or a charging Taken bearing down on you!

9

Roulette

Words Of Gun

• Effect: Provides a small chance each time you fire the Revolver of immediately recovering the spent bullet.

The Revolver upgrade from the Words of Gun doesn’t always work, but it can be very useful over the long term if taken early. The chance of saving a bullet is small – only five percent per level – but when you consider just how many shots you’ll be firing in the course of the game, it adds up!

With Roulette fully upgraded, you can expect to average slightly less than one extra bullet per reload.

8

Tourist Map

Words Of Stuff

• Effect: Reveals all resources and points of interest on the map if Alan gets close enough to them.

Scrounging for limited supplies is a staple of survival horror. If you’re low on ammo or healing items, you certainly don’t want to miss an opportunity to top up! Tourist Map helps to ensure that nothing escapes your notice.

The Dark Place is a bit of a maze, so it’s safe to assume you’ll be checking your map often. Even if you don’t lay eyes on a box of supplies, Tourist Map will mark them if you just walk by. Having an extra heal or reload in your pocket is never a bad thing!

7

Lucky Strike

Words Of Lamp

• Effect: Provides a chance to partially recharge your flashlight battery each time you kill an enemy.

The flashlight is absolutely essential, as it can penetrate Darkness Barriers, remove enemy shields, and even destroy weak Shadows altogether. Being out of batteries isn’t quite as bad as being out of ammo, but it’s close.

Lucky Strike helps keep your flashlight fully charged by occasionally recovering your battery meter after killing an enemy. You’ll often use more battery than you intend to since your aim needs to be perfect in order to expose an enemy in one Boost, so this really helps keep you fully prepared for each encounter.

6

Never There

Words Of Action

• Effect: Unaware enemies are less likely to notice Alan.

The most successful fight is one that never happens. There are Shadows everywhere in the Dark Place, but if you’re careful, you can evade many of them, saving your health and ammo for when you really need them.

Shadows can’t see Alan until they become aggressive; move slowly and avoid shining your flashlight directly on them to have the best chance of avoiding a fight.

Never There reduces the likelihood that Shadows will notice you. It’s not a guarantee, but it gives you a lot more flexibility and freedom of movement, especially in crowded areas that would otherwise turn into a dangerous battle.

5

Wheels Within Wheels

Words Of Fix

• Effect: Recover health whenever you find a new Word of Power.

Words of Power are everywhere, though they’re usually well-hidden. You already have a good reason to seek them out, since they’re the only way to get the upgrades on this list, but taking Wheels Within Wheels makes finding a Word even better.

This Word of Fix recovers a large portion of Alan’s health (or all of it, if Wheels Within Wheels is fully upgraded) whenever you find a new Word of Power. That much healing usually requires a rare and bulky First Aid Kit, and getting it for free makes it all the sweeter.

4

Full Stop

Words Of War

• Effect: The last bullet in the Revolver’s chamber always deals extra damage.

Alan’s basic weapon, the Revolver, has a limited ammo capacity, especially compared to Saga’s Pistol. It’s not uncommon to empty the gun during even a standard encounter.

Full Stop lets you get the most out of your final shot before reloading or switching weapons. If you’ve already weakened an enemy with your first five bullets, extra damage on the sixth could make all the difference when it comes to finishing them off. Be sure to make it count!

3

Wellness Retreat

Words Of Fix

• Effect: Increases Alan’s maximum health.

Thanks to his other Words of Power, Alan has many more options for recovery than Saga. As a result, you’re more likely to be at full health at a given time when playing as Alan.

Increasing Alan’s maximum health doesn’t just give you more overall survivability; it also increases your efficiency with all the other healing Words. For example, if you recover all your health with Wheels Within Wheels, you’ll get more out of it if your maximum is higher!

2

Magic Pocket

Words of Stuff

• Effect: Increases Alan’s inventory space.

Once you’ve got the Shotgun, you’re going to start finding yourself low on space in your inventory. You can alleviate this problem by visiting the Shoebox in the Break Room, but if you don’t want to have to make a trip every time you find a supply box, you’re going to need a more permanent solution.

Magic Pocket gives you an extra row in Alan’s inventory, freeing up more room for important items. You’ll still have to be picky about what you carry and what you leave in the Shoebox, but it’s a big improvement overall.

1

Prescription

Words Of Aid

• Effect: Extends the healing-over-time effect of Painkillers.

Painkillers are the most common healing item in the game, but also the least effective overall. However, they’re the only healing item that’s even remotely viable in combat, since the others take too long to use safely while you’re under attack.

Painkillers restore a small amount of health right away, but also give a brief regeneration effect that restores health over time. Prescription causes that effect to last longer, increasing the overall amount of health that Alan regains.

ER is another great Word of Aid upgrade to obtain now that the Anniversary update allows you to toggle an assist option to have healing be done with a tap instead of having to hold. This one has a similar effect to Prescription, but applies to Trauma Pads, which means a greater amount of health getting restored for Alan!