Alan Wake 2 offers mind-bending thrills and tense atmosphere as you attempt to escape the Dark Place. Along the way, you’ll find a few perks that can truly improve your chances at survival. Our guide discusses the locations of all 27 Words of Power in Alan Wake 2. These are scribbled drawings that glow, granting perks that boost your character further. Likewise, please be reminded that this article contains spoilers.

Where to find Words of Power in Alan Wake 2

The Alan Wake 2 Words of Power are glyphs that you’ll discover while exploring the titular character’s levels in the Dark Place. There are usually arrows that only appear when you shine your flashlight on surfaces, pointing you toward a scribbled drawing. Once you spot one, look at it and position yourself properly so that the screen flickers. After a couple of seconds, the perk should get unlocked.

Bear in mind that each Word of Power glyph belongs to a particular category. For instance, Words of War and Words of Gun have combat-oriented perks, whereas Words of Fix and Words of Aid offer restorative properties. Likewise, as of the time of this writing, we’re unable to confirm if the Words of Power perk types are set or if they’re randomized for every player. We still noted the types/categories that we got based on our playthrough.

There are seven Words of Power categories.

How to reveal more Words of Power

It’s possible to reveal more Alan Wake 2 Words of Power, along with other collectibles like Echoes and even stashed loot. In each level while you’re playing as Alan, you might hear someone humming along. Follow that sound to meet Tim Breaker. This sheriff is played by actor Shawn Ashmore, a nod to his role in Remedy’s previous title, Quantum Break.

Speak with Tim whenever you encounter him and take a look at the map in his room. Doing so marks collectibles and points of interest on Alan’s own map. Just be forewarned that we did experience some UI bugs (i.e. icons remained on our map even though we had already obtained those rewards).

There’s a map near Sheriff Tim Breaker that reveals various goodies.

Initiation 2: Casey – Words of Power in the Main Plaza

There are six Words of Power in the Main Plaza in this Dark Place version of New York. While your objective is to head into the subway, we suggest exploring a bit so you can obtain these perks, along with other goodies.

A map showing the Words of Power in the Main Plaza.

Word of Power #1

• Type: Fix
• Location: At the end of the alley where you meet Casey, you’ll see a glowing arrow leading to a narrow section. It only loops around. But if you look at the wall above the doorway, you’ll spot the glyph.

Word of Power #2

• Type: Fix
• Location: Check the area with the trash cans outside the Talk Show Studio.

Word of Power #3

• Type: Action
• Location: Head on over to Draft Street, which is in the eastern portion of the main plaza. Then, shine your flashlight on the railway above you.

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Words of Power #1, 2, and 3 in the Main Plaza.

Word of Power #4

• Type: Lamp
• Location: Use your Angel Lamp on the post to the right of the one that leads to Caldera Street Station (don’t go down the subway just yet). The post will disappear and you’ll find steps that lead to High-Line Station. Proceed onward until you tag the Break Room (i.e. save point). You’ll see an arrow to the left once you exit, and it points to a glyph just down below.

Word of Power #5

• Type: Gun
• Location: After meeting up with Tim Breaker, go through the door that leads to the other section of this alley. You’ll notice a ladder that you can climb. Head up top, make a right, and take a look between the two air-conditioning units.

Word of Power #6

• Type: War
• Location: In the same area which has #5, check the street for a police car. Once you’re ready, use your Angel Lamp to alter your surroundings. A couple of Taken shades will appear, so eliminate them. You should be able to safely check the interior wall of the building right next to the police car.

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Words of Power #4, 5, and 6 in the Main Plaza.

Initiation 2: Casey – Words of Power in the Subway

The subway level has a lot of Words of Power in Alan Wake 2. This is compounded by the fact that the twisting tunnels are almost labyrinthine, where you’ll exit on passage only to end up in a more distant area. We also suggest obtaining all the perks during the Initiation 2 – Casey chapter as some tunnels might become inaccessible later on.

A map showing the Words of Power in the Subway.

Word of Power #1

• Type: Gun
• Location: Use your Angel Lamp and go down to the Caldera Street Station subway. Before heading deeper into the darkness, look to your right to spot a train abandoned on the tracks. Use your Angel Lamp once more to shift reality, which then reveals this perk.

Word of Power #2

• Type: Aid
• Location: Just past the first subway save point, you’ll see some construction materials that have been left behind. Loop around and check the arrows to acquire this perk.

Word of Power #3

• Type: Lamp
• Location: Just past the Collapsed Tunnel (i.e. the large one), you’ll see two narrower tunnels that are side by side. The other portion has a cart that will disappear if you use your Angel Lamp. You can then enter a small room that has a glyph on the wall.

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Words of Power #1, 2, and 3 in the Subway.

Word of Power #4

• Type: War
• Location: When you see the Derailed Train scene appear on your screen, take a look above you to spot this drawing.

Word of Power #5

• Type: Action
• Location: A couple of these Alan Wake 2 Words of Power are found in quick succession. After you switch the Derailed Train scene to Torchbearers, you should be able to pass through the wreckage, and you’ll find yourself in a small room with an Echo. Climb the ladder down and you’ll notice three glowing arrows pointing at a wooden board. Shoot it to break it and reveal this glyph.

Word of Power #6

• Type: Fix
• Location: Immediately after getting #5, proceed to the next area, which happens to have lots of Taken shades. Kill them and take a look at the wall behind the ticketing booth that has the “Lost” graffiti.

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Words of Power #4, 5, and 6 in the Subway.

Word of Power #7

• Type: Lamp
• Location: Once you’ve exited the previous area, you’ll arrive at Shrine Street Station. To your left, there’s a segment that’s partially flooded. Check the arrow and the far wall for this perk.

Word of Power #8

• Type: Gun
• Location: As you proceed further into Shrine Street Station, you’ll see a couple of abandoned trains that are right next to each other. Use the Angel Lamp while outside the train to make the light flicker, which then lets you tag this drawn scribble.

Word of Power #9

• Type: Action
• Location: Once you have the End of the Line scene, use the Murder Cult option to see an Echo that unlocks the Summoning Ritual theme. Choose the Summoning Ritual to shift reality, which reveals an exit along the right-hand side (facing the way you came). The next room has this Word of Power on the wall.

Word of Power #10

• Type: Fix
• Location: After getting Word of Power #9, go up the steps and you’ll end up near a Break Room/save point. The other door leads back to the previous area with the Collapsed Tunnel scene. However, before you proceed, check the wall behind the metal gate to see this glowing scribble.

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Words of Power #7, 8, and 9 in the Subway.

Initiation 5: Room 665 – Words of Power in the Back Alley/Rooftops

The next chapter where you’ll get to acquire more Words of Power in Alan Wake 2 is Initiation 5 – Room 665. While your goal is to enter the Oceanview Hotel, the only passage that’s available is through the alleys and rooftops to the west.

A map showing the Words of Power in the Alley/Rooftops.

Word of Power #1

• Type: Aid
• Location: Before heading to the alleyway and rooftop section, check the street to the left of Oceanview Hotel. You’ll see this drawn on the wall of a building.

Word of Power #2

• Type: Aid
• Location: As you’re exploring the southern portion of the rooftop area, you should see the glowing arrows that point to this glyph, which is painted on a metal board.

Word of Power #3

• Type: Lamp
• Location: This one is somewhat tricky. In the northern portion of the rooftop area, there’s a doorway with two triangles pointing down. Off to the side, you’ll see the glyph on a water tank. It’s possible to acquire this perk as you’re looking at the water tank from this spot. However, if you pass through the door and look at the water tank from below, the game might not register it.

Word of Power #4

• Type: Gun
• Location: After tagging the perk from the water tank, don’t go through the door in front of you. Instead, check the left-hand side and go down the metal walkway/stairs where you’ll hear Tim Breaker humming along. Take a look below the walkway for a crawlspace, which leads to this other glyph.

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Words of Power #1, 2, 3, and 4 in the Alley/Rooftops.

Initiation 5: Room 665 – Words of Power in Oceanview Hotel

There are a few Alan Wake 2 Words of Power in Oceanview Hotel. Be forewarned that the layout is somewhat confusing, since there are rooms that connect to other floors, and you have to switch scenes to progress further.

A map showing the Words of Power in Oceanview Hotel.

Word of Power #1

• Type: War
• Location: Acquire the key to Room 104, which has a save point and acts as a passage to Room 225. Head outside the hall and go to Room 224. You’ll notice the arrow pointing to a wooden board. Smash it with a melee attack and look at the bathroom wall to spot this glyph. It’s a bit hard to see due to the color, but it’s there.

Word of Power #2

• Type: Stuff
• Location: Eventually, you’ll arrive at the Oceanview Hotel Ballroom. Take a look above the bar counter to see this drawing. Bear in mind that Words of Stuff tend to be very rare due to the perks that you can unlock, one of which offers a means of upgrading your inventory.

Word of Power #3

• Type: War
• Location: This particular Word of Power can be seen when you look through the glass above the doors leading to the emergency exit on the second floor. As of the time of this writing, we can’t confirm if you’re able to get this a bit earlier in the hotel level. We only saw this after we had completed the main objective. By then, we had used the Devil and Climax scene options.

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Words of Power #1, 2, and 3 in Oceanview Hotel.

Initiation 8: Zane’s Film – Words of Power in the Poet’s Cinema

There are four more Words of Power glyphs in the Poet’s Cinema. We urge you to obtain these perks during this particular chapter.

A map showing the Words of Power in Poet’s Cinema.

Word of Power #1

• Type: Fix
• Location: Along the right-hand side of the lobby’s second floor once you enter the cinema.

Word of Power #2

• Type: Action
• Location: On the ground-floor level of the cinema, enter the bathroom at the left-hand side. There’s a storage room past the stalls, and you should see this on the ceiling.

Word of Power #3

• Type: Stuff
• Location: Once you exit the Theater Hall and receive the Out in the Night Scene, switch between themes to alter your surroundings. The police car should shine a light at a door, which you should be able to enter by swapping themes. Then, once you’re on the rooftop, go to the spotlights and turn around. You’ll see this scribbled on a wall at the lower right-hand side. This is one of the extremely rare Word of Stuff glyphs.

Word of Power #4

• Type: Lamp
• Location: From where you found the Word of Stuff glyph, go to the opposite side of the rooftop. You’ll hear Tim Breaker humming. Check the right-hand side for a crawlspace beneath the metal walkway, which should lead to his Breaker’s tiny room. Turn around and look at the water tank to see this drawing.

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Words of Power #1, 2, 3, and 4 in Poet’s Cinema.

A note on the point of no return

We don’t want to spoil all the major details, but we do need to mention the point of no return in Alan’s story arc. Read the spoiler section below at your own risk.

After completing Initiation 8- Zane’s Film, your next main objective is to return to Parliament Hotel. However, before you can do that, you’re told to place Alice’s Photos in a shoebox that’s in front of the statue in the main plaza. We suggest finding all of Alan’s collectibles before proceeding any further.

In our playthrough, we had already completed Saga’s individual arc beforehand. As such, placing Alice’s Photos in the shoebox automatically caused the game to switch to Saga’s perspective, implying that we’re supposed to progress past her own point of no return. Later, the game will shift back to Alan’s perspective, which means you’re well on your way to the campaign’s conclusion.

In any case, these are the Words of Power in Alan Wake 2. We’ll let you know if we find more, so stay tuned.

From Bright Falls to the Dark Place, danger lurks in every corner in Alan Wake 2. Don’t worry because we’ve got everything covered in our guides hub.