Despite Alan Wake being the major character in the Alan Wake game series (in case the name wasn’t a dead giveaway), you don’t actually get to play as him until you have made progress—whilst playing as new character Saga Anderson—in Alan Wake 2.
When you do get to Alan’s level, you will find yourself trapped in the Dark Place, desperately trying to find a way to rewrite the series of events so that you can escape from the shadowy prison.
Once you have emerged from the television studio area in Alan’s first level, you have to make your way to the Caldera Street Station subway. However, getting into the subway station isn’t as simple as you might think.
With this in mind, we are going to be looking at how to enter Caldera Street Station in Alan Wake 2, so you don’t have to wander for too long in the dangerous and unpredictable shadows.
Where is Caldera Station in Alan Wake 2?
As mentioned, you will need to head to Caldera Street Station when you have left the talk show set. When you exit the set, you will hear a payphone ringing and Alan will comment that he needs to answer it. The phone is well-illuminated and isn’t far from where you come out of the talk show set, so head over there to answer the phone. You will find a map of the Dark Place right next to the phone, so pick it up and you will be able to find the subway station much more easily.
As per the image above, when you open up the map, you will see that Caldera Street Station can be found to the east. Head over there and you will see that there is no way to get in. This is where you will have to start making use of the Angel Lamp, which you would have picked up during your time on the talk show set.
What is the Angel Lamp in Alan Wake 2?
You will have used the Angel Lamp whilst escaping the television set, so you’ll know how it works by now. To recap, the Angel Lamp captures light from certain light sources and changes the environment in the area. It is necessary to use the Angel Lamp in Alan’s levels to absorb and redirect light as well as to change the environment so that you can open up the way forward.
You will know when a light source is able to be absorbed by the Angel Lamp, as a prompt will appear on the screen with an icon pointing in the direction of the source that you can use.
To gain entrance to the subway, you will need two light charges. Whilst you can get into the station with just one charge, you won’t have anywhere to go unless you have a second charge of light within the Angel Lamp.
Obtaining the first light charge
To get the first light charge, you need to follow a light down an alleyway that can be found on the west side of the map. The alley is relatively easy to find as there are various neon lights in the area, as well as a large sign that says Neighborhood Illumination nearby. You can see the bright sign in the image above. Head down the stairs close to that giant sign and go through the gate to get to the light (you can see on the right in the picture above).
Keep going down the alley and after a short cutscene, you will see a prompt that will allow you to capture the street light with your Angel Lamp. When you have captured the light, go back to the station area. Remember, it might seem like you can get into the station at this point, but you won’t get very far until you have captured another light charge.
Obtaining the second light charge
The path to the second light charge isn’t quite as straightforward as the first one was, so prepare to do some trekking before you can get it. When back at the station, you will see there is another flickering light to the right. Use your Angel Lamp to transfer the charge into the street light and you will change the surrounding environment to reveal a set of steps that will lead to a bridge.
Next, go across the train tracks and you will see a ladder that you will need to climb up. When you have climbed the ladder, there is a chance to find a Words of Power collectible and containers with supplies if you explore the area a little bit. These can be incredibly helpful during Alan’s segments, as the Words of Power will offer buffs and power-ups, whilst resources can sometimes be in short supply (especially if you are playing on the more intense difficult levels). I’d advise looking around to find what you can.
When you are done exploring, head to the door with a lamp above it and go down the stairs behind the door. Come out of the other door at the bottom of the stairs on the left and there will be an illuminated save room. Make sure that you head inside and save your game, as you won’t have another chance to until you get to the next save room.
When you come out of the save room, use your flashlight to look around until you find a yellow arrow that is only visible when illuminated by the light. Follow it to the left and head through another door, which will lead you back down to the street.
Once on the street, you will see a yellow taxi with flashing headlights that can absorbed by your Angel Lamp to be used as a light charge. Make sure you are ready for a fight before you take the light, as a group of Taken will appear close by to the vehicle. Have your weapons and health quick-slotted and ready to go beforehand so that you know you will be ready for the Taken to strike.
When you are ready, take the light from the taxi to turn it into a police car and cause the Taken to appear. Fight them with your flashlight and revolver, which you will have received earlier on in the alleyway when you obtained the first charge for your Angel Lamp. There is another Words of Power collectible in the area too, so search for the yellow arrow with your flashlight as it will point you in the right direction.
Go back to the entrance of Caldera Street Station
You can get back to the entrance of the subway station pretty easily once you have fought the Taken. Walk straight forward from the taxi/police car and you will come to a gate that you can open. When you are through the gate, the subway station will be on the right.
You’ll now have the chance to use both of the light charges that you captured with your Angel Lamp to open the way forward. Use the first charge to open up the stairwell down to the subway and then the second charge to light up the stairwell itself once you start going down it. The station will open up and you will get a prompt to explore. With the subway fully illuminated, you should then be able to use the subway pass that you picked up earlier—during your payphone call—to open the gate into the subway.
Final verdict on how to enter Caldera Station
So there is everything you need to know about how to enter Caldera Station in Alan Wake 2. It can be a little bit tricky to navigate the shadowy world of the Dark Place, especially if you are new to the Alan Wake games, but once you get your bearings, you should be able to find your way into the subway with no problems.
Make sure you look around as you go, as there are plenty of resources to be found on the way—as mentioned—that will make your journey go much smoother (depending on your chosen difficulty level).
Not to spoil the following section of the game too much, but it’s important to note that you will be facing more of the Taken as you venture through the creepy subway station. This is why it is particularly useful to search the area for supplies while you still can when you are trying to open up the pathway to Caldera Street Station, as they will come in very handy once you get into the station.
There are also several Words of Power collectibles to be found on the way, as we mentioned earlier. They can be found by following the yellow highlighted arrows that we talked about before, which can only be seen if you shine your flashlight onto them. Check along the way for yellow arrows to help you even further in the upcoming fights with the Taken.
Check for resources and Words of Power whilst you are on the way and don’t forget to look out for the prompt on the screen so that you know when your Angel Lamp can absorb a light charge, and you are sure to open up the Caldera station in no time and find your way a little more clearly during your journey through the shadows.
