Improving on the few weapons you have is key for Alan Wake 2, no matter which of the two protagonists you play. As Alan, if you keep an eye out for glows in the Dark Place, you’ll get those improvements in a snap.
Here is how to find and upgrade Words of Power, Alan Wake 2‘s system of improving Alan’s kit as he fights his way through the Dark Place.
How to find Words of Power in Alan Wake 2
To start, Alan’s journey through the Dark Place is very different visually than the other character you play as, Saga. Where she is an FBI agent stuck searching for clues in the state of Washington, filled with rainy skies and plenty of greenery, Alan is locked away in a nightmare version of New York City.
This leads to plenty of scary moments avoiding the darkness, but while using your flashlight as Alan, you might spot some arrows pointing to general areas across the city. From my experience, these are usually placed on walls or ceilings, with the end result only requiring the right angle to spot.
These arrows are guides towards Words of Power, phrases presumably written by Alan to keep himself sane. These mantras, once found and focused on, will lead to improvements that Alan can access from the same room his Plot Board is in.
You’ll know you’ve gotten the power when your screen shows some static at the edges and zooms in slightly before going back to normal.
Aside from the yellow arrows that only appear when light hits them, maps show potential Words of Power locations, too. Those yellow circles on maps are locations for Words of Power, essentially giving you a hint of where to look for arrows to narrow the location down. Also keep in mind that some Words of Power require some creativity to unlock, like using the Angel Lamp to change the world around Alan. Just know that if you spot arrows that lead to nothing, much like I did, and there’s a flickering light or solid safe zone nearby, you probably have to change the environment.
How to upgrade Words of Power in Alan Wake 2
Once you’ve scanned Words of Power across the grimy version of New York City in the Dark Place, go to the writer’s room using the same key or button you have registered to open the map or Plot Board. Then, walk to the desk, where there will be an overlay mentioning Words of Power.
Interacting with it will open a drawer in the desk, splitting the Words of Power into multiple categories. Depending on which Word of Power you found, they will offer a different choice of improvement.
- Words of Fix improves health and health regeneration
- Words of Stuff improves inventory and item pickups
- Words of Action improves damage and stealth
- Words of Lamp improves flashlight utility
- Words of Aid improves healing items and flares
- Words of War improves overall weapon damage
- Words of Gun improves ammo and gun utility
All these improvements are relatively minor, but can add up over time. Plus, while players can’t choose which version of the Words of Power they will receive, they can choose between three options for each section. For example, you can choose to either give Alan the chance to not lose ammo for his revolver when he shoots it, or increase the knockback of his shotgun for the Words of Gun category.
Either way, as soon as you pick your improvement, it sticks, as there is no way to refund a Word of Power after you’ve gotten the upgrade. When I got my first Words of Power, I unlocked the recommended option from the game, and then proceeded to get the first option out of three, thinking that was all I could do.
In reality (or Alan Wake’s version of it), you can choose any of the three. Make sure to choose whatever fits your playstyle best, and start finding your way out of the Dark Place.
