Alan Wake 2uses a separate upgrade system for its two protagonists. Alan’s Words of Power give you a bit more flexibility in developing his build, but you’re limited by which specific Words you find while exploring the Dark Place.

Each type of Word offers multiple options, and most of Alan’s skills can be upgraded one or more times once they’re taken. With so many choices, it can be hard to pick the best option for surviving Initiation. We’ve listed our selections for the best overall Words of Power to help you fight back against the Darkness.

Alan exiting his car to enter the overlap leading to Deerfest striking the same pose with gun and flashlight as the cover art for the first game.

Updated on July 06, 2025, by Dennis Moiseyev:Alan Wake 2 introduces perhaps one of the most unique upgrade systems ever in a survival horror game that also ties into each character’s story.

For our titular protagonist, his upgrades are done through what is called ‘Words of Power,’ which appear on note cards inside a desk drawer of his Writer’s Room. These provide Alan with immense benefits that can mean the difference between winning and losing to the Darkness, so here are a couple more you should know about!

Alan Wake using a flare in the derailed subway tunnel area.

16Battery

Words Of Stuff

Just like in the original Alan Wake game,flashlight batteries are critical for combat. You have to continue replacing batteries once your flashlight charge drains, based on how many slots in your meter you have available. The Battery upgrade from Words of Stuff will immediately grant you an additional Charge slot for your flashlight, so you can prolong each battery’s usage.

This one is an absolute must when you come across your first Words of Stuff. Remember that batteries, like ammo,won’t be something that the game just gives out(depending on your difficulty), so you need to make every flashlight charge count. You never know when there will be a Darkness Node puzzle or a horde of enemies awaiting you.

A closeup of Alan in his standard outfit in Alan Wake 2.

15Torchbearer

Words Of Aid

In addition to your flashlight,flares are another excellent weaponfor fighting against the Darkness. If you get grabbed by a Taken enemy, you may jab them with a Hand Flare to take them out that way, or you can use flares to have them do the work of your flashlight andget rid of enemies' Darkness shields, especially effective when you toss one at a large group.

Torchbearer seems like a sound Word of Aid upgrade to have. Each tier makes the Hand Flare last longer by a few seconds and increases its reach so that more Taken can get affected by it in a single use. The name ‘Torchbearer’ also alludes to the Champions of Light who were protecting Bright Falls from the Dark Presencebefore the Cult of the Tree.

Alan Wake 2 - Alan revealing a Taken from a Shadow by using his flashlight during combat.

14God Rays

Words Of Fix

Health is very important in any survival horror game, butAlan Wake 2 is an intense experience combat-wise, given the extra steps you have to take with your flashlight against enemies and projectiles,and how healing works. To heal yourself during a fight, you’ll need to equip the health item instead of your weapon and hold down the button to regain some health, which is dangerous.

If you’re down to your final bit of health mid-encounter, you have to do what you have to do, but a better suggestion would berunning to a Safe Havenand letting the rays of light heal you up, which is where the God Rays upgrade comes in. With this, Alan will automatically regenerate a good amount of health when escaping to the nearest light source, be it a Break Room or streetlight.

Alan Wake 2 - Alan standing in the middle of a street in the Dark Place, with the Oceanview Hotel in sight.

13Main Attraction

Words Of Lamp

If you find yourself low on healing items and are nowhere near a light source to utilize your God Rays upgrade, Main Attraction from Words of Lamp is another fantastic alternative for Alan to regenerate some of his health. This Word of Power ability essentially allows Alan’s health to recharge as his flashlight loses its charge when using Boost to destroy Darkness shields on Shadows.

It’s pretty neat, considering thatfighting enemies will now also reward you with some healing, starting with 50 health in the first tier of Main Attraction. The other Words of Lamp upgrade, Lucky Strike, goes hand-in-hand with Main Attraction, and there’s more info on that one further down the list.

Alan in red lighting in the studio putting his arms in front of his face in fright of the Dark Presence.

12Turning Tables

Words Of Action

You’ll find some annoying enemies in Alan Wake 2, but one of the worst things isconstantly getting struck by Darkness Projectiles, which slows you down and is devastating to Alan’s health. Whether you’re in the streets, subway tunnels, or the close-quarters environments of the Oceanview Hotel or Poet’s Cinema, taking damage from those projectiles is never a fun experience.

Luckily, you can turn the tables on the Dark Place with the Turning Tables option from the Words of Action upgrades. There are three tiers to this one, and it will significantlydecreasethe amount of health that gets depleted whenever you fail to avoid these projectiles,starting with 25 percent.

Alan picking up the flare gun next to the typewriter on the desk during the musical sequence.

11It’s Personal

Combat in Alan Wake 2 gets very up close and personal, which is why it’s essential that you get this Word of Action upgrade. It’s Personal increases the amount of damage you can do when Taken enemies get very close to Alan, which happens in almost every location in the Dark Place, so it will come in handy often.

It’s Personal starts withten percent more damage done to enemiesin close proximity (and then up to 20 percent when fully upgraded). This will give you the upper hand in combat and alsohave you consume less ammowhen enemies can go down quicker.

Alan Wake 2 image showing Alan finding the Revolver on the ground in the alley.

10Sunny Skies

Words Of Gun

Alan will often find himself beset by multiple enemies at once, making the Flare Gun acritical part of his arsenal.Its projectile explodes on contact and cankill most Shadows caught in the blast.

Increasing the area affected by the explosionmakes it less likely that any enemies will survive the attack.The last thing you need is for the smoke to clear only for you to see a flying blade or a charging Taken bearing down on you!

the map of the Subway Tunnels in Alan Wake 2, centered on the Break Room near the Derailed Train.

9Roulette

The Revolver upgrade from the Words of Gun doesn’t always work, but it can be very useful over the long term if taken early.The chance of saving a bullet is small -only five percent per level- but when you consider just how many shots you’ll be firing in the course of the game, it adds up!

With Roulette fully upgraded, you can expect to averageslightly less than one extra bullet per reload.

Alan aiming his revolver and flashlight at a horde of Taken as the police car is lit up with its siren.

8Tourist Map

Scrounging for limited supplies is a staple of survival horror. If you’re low on ammo or healing items, you certainlydon’t want to miss an opportunity to top up!Tourist Map helps to ensure that nothing escapes your notice.

The Dark Place is a bit of a maze, so it’s safe to assume you’ll bechecking your map often.Even if you don’t lay eyes on a box of supplies, Tourist Map will mark them if you just walk by. Having an extra heal or reload in your pocket is never a bad thing!

7Lucky Strike

The flashlight is absolutely essential, as it can penetrate Darkness Barriers,remove enemy shields, and even destroy weak Shadows altogether. Being out of batteries isn’t quite as bad as being out of ammo, but it’s close.

Lucky Strike helps keep your flashlight fully charged byoccasionally recovering your battery meterafter killing an enemy. You’lloften use more battery than you intend tosince your aim needs to be perfect to expose an enemy in one Boost, so this really helps keep you fully prepared for each encounter.