As you journey through the story of Alan Wake 2, you will stumble across various nursery rhyme puzzles. The nursery rhyme found in the Ranger Station in Bunker Woods is one that can’t be solved unless you have found two particular dolls, so it’s best to pick the right ones.
This requirement of some nursery rhymes can be tricky to figure out, as you will have to pick the right dolls beforehand. All nursery rhyme puzzles will reward you with a charm for Saga’s bracelet once completed. These Charms offer various perks and buffs that can be game-changing as you play as Saga.
We are going to be looking at how to solve the nursery rhyme at the Ranger Station in Bunker Woods in Alan Wake 2, as well as where you need to go beforehand to pick up the dolls that you will need to complete the puzzle.
Where is the Ranger Station nursery rhyme in Alan Wake 2?
This nursery rhyme is pretty easy to find, as it is inside the Ranger Station in Bunker Woods. As per the map above, the Ranger Station can be found at the bottom left of the Bunker Woods map.
The best time to go to the Ranger Station is when you have completed the Cynthia boss fight at the Valhalla Nursing Home. When you have done so, you will have a chance to explore the Bunker Woods area a bit more.
Once the fight is complete, and you have defeated Cynthia and freed Tor from the Overlap, go over the bridge near the pond at the Valhalla Nursing Home and you will see an iron gate with a padlock on it. At this point in the game, you will have gotten your hands on the bolt cutters. Get ready to use them, as you will need them to cut off the padlock and get through the gate.
When you have cut the padlock with your bolt cutters, head through the gate, and you will be in the main Bunker Woods area. If you check the map, you will see that there is a thick black line that acts as the path to Bright Falls. Start following that path, and you will eventually come to the Ranger Station, as you can see on the map above.
How to get into the Ranger Station in Bunker Woods in Alan Wake 2
Getting into the Ranger Station will require some elbow grease as there is a padlock on the main entrance. You will have the screwdriver in your inventory at this point; you will need to have used it beforehand whilst getting into the Coffee World gift shop.
You’ll need to break the lock with the screwdriver to get into the building. To do so, interact with the lock and then scroll down in your item inventory until you get to the screwdriver. Click on it and Saga will use it to break open the lock.
Once you’re inside the Ranger Station, have a look around on the first floor and you will find a closed door. The nursery rhyme is inside this room, just on the other side of the door.
What is the nursery rhyme at the Ranger Station in Alan Wake 2?
The nursery rhyme in the Ranger Station revolves around a child, a mother, and a monster. It reads as follows:
“A child needs their Mother to keep them sage
And a home as their hiding place
Because outside the Monsters roam and chase
When they ring your doorbell, don’t yell
Don’t tell them to go away
Give them treats and pray
They won’t rock your house down to the ground”
Much like the other nursery rhymes in the games, it’s all a little bit dark and menacing. You can be sure that this story isn’t going to end well. Happy endings are apparently not a thing for the characters in these nursery rhymes.
What dolls do you need to solve the Ranger Station nursery rhyme in Alan Wake 2?
As mentioned, the dolls that you will need to solve this puzzle will have to have been collected beforehand. If you don’t have them with you when you get to the Ranger Station, you’ll have to backtrack if you want to complete it.
There are two dolls that are required for the Ranger Station nursery rhyme: the Monster doll and the Child doll. You might think the Mother doll is also needed, but this is a bit of a red herring.
Spoiler alert: Whilst the mother is mentioned as needing to protect the child in the nursery rhyme, she doesn’t actually appear. That explains why things end the way that they do. Apologies for the spoilers, but like I said, these rhymes aren’t exactly known for their cheerful natures. You can collect the Monster and the Child doll whilst you are in Watery, though they are in different places in the area.
The Monster Doll
The Monster doll can be picked up from the Ranger Cabin in Watery, which is all the way up to the north. There is another nursery rhyme in that area that requires the Monster doll, so if you did some exploring whilst in Watery and happened upon the Ranger Cabin nursery rhyme, then you should have it to hand.
The Child Doll
The Child doll can be found in the previously flooded area of the Watery Lighthouse trailer park. This doll—along with the Mother doll—can be found on a bench near the wharf at the far end of the trailer park. Much like with the Monster doll, there is a nursery rhyme in the area, so if you already figured it out, then you should have the Child doll in your inventory (as long as you picked it up again after figuring out the rhyme).
How to solve the Ranger Station nursery rhyme in Alan Wake 2
To solve this puzzle, place the Monster doll on the candy chalk drawing to symbolize the mother and child giving the monsters treats to keep them away. Next, place the Child doll on the house chalk drawing to symbolize the child in the rhyme remaining inside the house to stay safe from the monsters.
I spent a while trying to figure out where the Mother doll needed to go, but the game definitely pulled one over on me with this implication, as she isn’t actually involved.
How to collect your reward for solving the Ranger Station nursery rhyme in Alan Wake 2
Once you have solved the nursery rhyme, the environment will change, and you will be able to collect your Charm reward. You have to find it first, though.
Exit the room and go toward the back door of the Ranger Cabin. Look down at the bottom of the doorway, and you will see a large puddle of shadowy darkness with footsteps leading away from it. Follow the footsteps and they will lead you upstairs. There are two sets of footsteps, with one leading into the bathroom and another to the bedroom. You will need to follow the footsteps that lead to the bedroom.
When you are in the bedroom, keep following the footsteps, and they will lead to the bed. You’ll find another grisly scene if the darkness patches are anything to go by. It would seem that the treats weren’t enough to deter the monsters. I warned you that it wasn’t a happy ending, didn’t I?
What is the reward for solving the Ranger Station nursery rhyme in Alan Wake 2?
The Charm that you will get from solving this particular nursery rhyme is the Coffee Mug Charm. The Charm gives Saga a buff that will save her from death. When Saga’s health depletes to the point of death, the Charm will break. However, it will regenerate her health completely.
This is a Charm that is available to collect from a previous nursery rhyme too, but I can’t emphasize just how useful it is. I had the previous Charm with the same buff equipped beforehand, and it saved me from a situation that would have resulted in me having to go back in the game a long way, as I hadn’t been to a save point in a while.
I can’t stress enough how lifesaving this kind of Charm is, so if you have space on your Charm bracelet—or if you have any Charms that you are willing to replace—then I would definitely suggest using this one.
Final thoughts on the Ranger Station Nursery Rhyme in Alan Wake 2
This nursery rhyme threw me through a bit of a hoop, as I was certain that I would need to use the Mother doll. Hopefully, you won’t have to deal with the same frustration that I did after reading our walkthrough.
The Charm that you get from this nursery rhyme is a highly useful one that can get you out of situations that would otherwise kill you, so make sure that you equip it if you can.
Before you head towards this nursery rhyme in Bunker Woods, make sure that you have the Monster doll and the Child doll to hand so that you don’t have to keep backtracking.
