When you are exploring the little town of Watery whilst playing as Saga in Alan Wake 2, you will have the chance to revisit certain areas once you have progressed in the story.
These areas will become accessible once the floodwaters recede after you have entered the Watery Overlap. One area in particular that can be accessed once the water recedes is the Ranger Cabin, where you can find a nursery rhyme.
We are going to be looking at where exactly you can find the Ranger Cabin and the nursery rhyme in Alan Wake 2 as well as how to solve it and what reward you will get from completing it.
Where is the Watery Ranger Cabin nursery rhyme in Alan Wake 2?
To get to the Ranger Cabin in Watery, you will need to backtrack after you have obtained the Clicker from the Overlap in Watery. Follow the path as shown on the map above and it will lead you to the cabin. It is well-marked on the map too so as long as you follow the path. Once you get to the cabin, go around the back and you will find the nursery rhyme.
A side note here is that when I arrived at the cabin, there were two Taken wolves darting around and coming up to me. However, they did not attack me. I’m not sure if this was meant to happen, maybe due to the whole camaraderie with beasts theme that this particular nursery rhyme revolves around (even though it doesn’t end well because… of course it doesn’t).
It’s not an important thing to mention but you don’t have to kill the wolves as they will merely watch you with interest as you explore the area. They might make you jump though as they can suddenly appear when they are rushing around, but you don’t need to waste your ammo by shooting at them. I wish you could have a pet Taken Wolf in this game, but I will settle for them not trying to maul me at least.
Where are the dolls needed to solve the Watery Ranger Cabin nursery rhyme in Alan Wake 2?
The Maiden Doll
For this nursery rhyme, you are going to need the Maiden doll and the Bear doll. The Maiden doll can be found on-site in the Ranger Cabin. To collect it, go into the cabin and go upstairs. You will find the doll on the dresser in the main bedroom, next to a box of chocolate and some bottles of wine. You can also pick up the Monster doll here, which is on the other side of the wine and chocolates, though you won’t need it to solve this nursery rhyme.
The Bear Doll
Unless you picked it up already, you will need to revisit the Watery Lighthouse trailer park to collect the Bear doll. The area you find it in is another that will not be accessible until you have progressed in the story, as it is covered with water at first.
Once the waters have gone down, make your way through the trailer park. As you keep walking, you will eventually come to a Fish Cleaning station on the left-hand side. The Bear doll can be found sitting on the station worktop. There is a nursery rhyme nearby too, so feel free to try solving that one too whilst you are in the area.
What is the Watery Ranger Cabin nursery rhyme in Alan Wake 2?
Whilst the small story behind the Ranger Cabin nursery rhyme is relatively simple, one of the elements of it can be a bit hard to figure out. The rhyme reads as follows:
“A young Woman eager and
smart
Ventured into the woods,
The beast’s lair
The King of the Forest stole
her heart
And together they now live,
without a care”
There are a ton of clues as to how to solve this rhyme in the Ranger Cabin, but I being the illogical being I am didn’t connect the dots straight away. Let’s take a look at how to solve this nursery rhyme.
How to solve the Watery Ranger Cabin nursery rhyme in Alan Wake 2
The rhyme speaks of a woman who ventures into the forest, so you will first need to place the Maiden doll on the chalk drawing of the forest. This was simple enough to decipher, but I was unsure as to what doll needed to be used to represent the king of the forest, whom the woman falls in love with and stays within the forest.
As I mentioned, there are clues in the Ranger Cabin as to the odd love story that the rhyme takes inspiration. Have a look around, and you will notice the Beauty and the Beast references. The rhyme itself speaks of the woman going to the beast’s lair and since there were wolves in the area—they don’t attack though, as I said—, I was adamant that I must have needed the Wolf doll.
After my failed attempt, I re-read the rhyme and focused on the “King of the Forest” part. A beast that had a king-like nature, but must have been more powerful than a wolf.
It took me way too long to figure out that the rhyme was referring to a bear. Place the Bear doll onto the heart chalk drawing to represent how the beast stole the heart of the woman, and the rhyme will be solved.
How to collect your reward after solving the Watery Ranger Cabin nursery rhyme in Alan Wake 2
I was certain that the wolves from before were going to start attacking me when the nursery rhyme was solved, but this wasn’t the case. They kept dashing around incredibly quickly, but they still simply watched me in curiosity.
You don’t need to attack them, so leave them be to conserve your resources. It’s also a nice thing to not kill them when they aren’t attacking you. Just don’t kill them, okay? It’s the best outcome for all the parties involved.
As you approach the front door to the cabin, you will notice some black shadow smears on the floor. Follow the trail, and it will lead you up into the bedroom, where it becomes clear there is no fairy tale ending to be had for the maiden and the king of the forest. Not if the suspiciously blood-like shadow smears everywhere and the crime scene-like chaos and mess in the cabin are anything to go by.
Approach the bed and you will see a small orange box. It contains your Charm reward for solving the nursery rhyme. Grab it and it will be added to your inventory.
What is the reward for solving the Watery Ranger Cabin nursery rhyme in Alan Wake 2?
The Charm that you will receive for solving the Ranger Cabin nursery rhyme is the FBC Charm, referencing the Federal Bureau of Control— from the spin-off Control game— who created the nursery rhymes to test the theory of altering reality with stories. The Charm is a must-have for those who prefer the stealthy approach, as it will increase Saga’s damage when she is not being detected by enemies.
To equip it to Saga’s Charm bracelet, hover over it in your inventory and press the action button to select the move option. Move it to an empty space on Saga’s bracelet, which is shown as the three spaces just to the left of the main inventory section.
If you have a full bracelet already and you want to mix and match your Charms by replacing an old one with a newer one or vice versa, all you need to do is move the Charm that you no longer want equipped back into the inventory section.
This will leave an empty space on Saga’s bracelet and, you will be able to move your new Charm onto it. Saga will then have access to the buff associated with the specific Charm that you have chosen, and you can start using it in the game.
Final thoughts on the Watery Ranger Cabin nursery rhyme in Alan Wake 2
Whilst I did have some trouble figuring out what doll needed to be placed on the heart chalk drawing to represent the king of the forest, the rest of this nursery rhyme is pretty straightforward. It is also another one that doesn’t require you to engage in combat to collect your reward, which is always nice.
The Charm reward is also a useful one, particularly for players who tend to focus their play around stealth tactics. The docile wolves in the area were also an interesting addition to this nursery rhyme, though they did make me wish that there was a way to take the darkness out of them and recruit them to fight at your side. Make it happen, Remedy.
When you have obtained the Clicker from the Overlap, I would highly recommend retracing your steps and heading to the Ranger’s Cabin to complete this puzzle, grab the FBC Charm, and make friends with some shadow doggos.
