How to Solve Alan Wake 2’s Pump-Action Shotgun Puzzle

The sawed-off shotgun just isn’t doing enough to kill off all those Taken, huh? If that’s the case, then here’s a guide to solve the puzzle that unlocks the pump-action shotgun in Alan Wake 2.

Saga’s Boomstick

Since the pump-action shotgun is the final weapon Saga can unlock in Alan Wake 2, it makes sense that the game is going to make you work for it. It becomes available once you reach ‘Return 6: Scratch’, and you don’t need to go trekking through the woods to pick it up. All that’s expected of you is to venture into Sheriff Breaker’s office (in the Police Station) and crack the code to his display case.

Related: Where to Find Alan Wake 2’s Inventory Upgrades

Of course, the head peacekeeper isn’t just going to let anyone take his pump-action shotty. Poke around a little, and you’ll find that his desk has clues and ciphers that clearly have something to do with the lock. His notes are a little daunting, so if you’re struggling to figure out the correct combination, I’ve got you covered.

UF-OH NO

The most important thing you need to remember is that Sheriff Breaker is a UFO nut. I can’t recall if that detail is ever mentioned in Alan Wake 2 outside of this puzzle to get the pump-action shotgun, but the guy is all about Martians and flying saucers. Just knowing that makes this challenge a whole lot easier.

Firstly, make your way to Breaker’s desk and examine the books on display. There will be two about memory loss (which is fitting) and three about aliens. What’s more, each of the novels on UFOs is part of a trilogy. Given that the combination we’re looking for requires three digits, that seems like a pretty good starting point.

Related: Is Max Payne in Alan Wake 2?

Now, check out the scrawled note below the books. Breaker has scratched down the first few letters of the alphabet with a number underneath some of them. A, B, and C are labeled 1, 2, and 3 respectively while I is 9, J is 0, and K is 1 again. The pattern is a repeating number sequence that starts from 0 whenever it would reach 10. While it doesn’t start with 0, the next number that must always follow a 9 is 0, which will then be followed by 1, 2, 3, and so on until each letter in the alphabet has a digit.

Now that we have all the potential digits of the cipher, we need to figure out which letters are used to build the combination. Look back at the books I mentioned earlier; you notice how the author’s name is big and bold at the very top? Take the first letter of each writer in the order of their novels and match it to the corresponding number.

You should end up with 723.

With that number in your back pocket, walk back to the display case and plug it into the combination lock. It’ll spring open and the pump-action shotgun will be yours to keep. Given that you’re about to face some seriously strong Taken, there’s never been a better time to upgrade from the sawed-off.