What Are Words of Power in Alan Wake 2?

While wandering The Dark Place as Alan, you’ll start gathering Words of Power in Alan Wake 2. These are crucial to overcoming many of the odds thrown your way, so here’s a breakdown of what Words of Power are in Alan Wake 2 and their uses.

How Words of Power Work in Alan Wake 2

Unlike Manuscript Fragments that Saga will find, Words of Power act as a skill tree that provides meaningful boosts to Alan’s stats or arsenal. For instance, one can increase the final magazine shot of his Revolver by a percentage, while another makes him less noticeable to enemies. 

In total, there are seven types of Words of Power, each benefiting a different area to improve Alan in combat or his survivability. Furthermore, all Words of Power have tiers for each ability you can upgrade, so you’ll have to decide which ones to acquire and increase over time.

The entire system is simple, but finding a Word of Power in Alan Wake 2 to unlock these abilities will require some investigating through The Dark Place.

Related: Should You Play as Saga or Alan in Alan Wake 2?

Where to Find a Word of Power in Alan Wake 2

Ordinarily, you’d find a Word of Power by following yellow arrows scattered over The Dark Place. To see these arrows, make sure to have your Flashlight on and be curious about any side paths, rooms, or walls to locate them. In some cases, running past them can happen, but thankfully, Alan Wake 2 will mark these areas so you can investigate later.

Anytime you cross one, the map should show the area circled in yellow with a swirling circle and question mark symbol. The marks will stay there as you progress through the game, so you can return to them later whenever possible.

After following the arrows, you’ll discover a swirling yellow circle. Point the Flashlight at this strange icon to get a Word of Power. The map won’t tell you what type of Word of Power you’ll get, meaning it will be random, but each discovery does contribute a lot toward improving Alan.

Best Words of Power to Upgrade First in Alan Wake 2

Once you start upgrading abilities, it can be tough to figure out which ones to invest in. Below are the Words of Power I found the most useful throughout my experience:

• Words of Fix: Wellness Retreat – Increases maximum health
• Words of Gun: Roulette – A chance to not consume ammo when firing the Revolver.
• Words of War: Paint the Town – Increases Double-Barrelled Shotgun damage when hitting multiple enemies with one shot.
• Words of Stuff: Tourist Map – Makes all nearby resources and points of interest on Wake’s map.
• Words of Aid: Torchbearer – Increases Hand Flare’s area of effect and duration.
• Words of Action: It’s Personal – Increases damage dealt to enemies in close proximity.
• Words of Lamp: Lucky Strike – A chance to regain a Flashlight Charge on killing an enemy.

If you’re looking for more, check out if you need to play Alan Wake 1 and Control before the sequel.