Saga’s upgrades are more rare and expensive than Alan’s inAlan Wake 2, but each one can dramatically improve your odds of survival in a given encounter. Since unlocking them requires finding lunch boxes hidden throughout Bright Falls and its environs, you’ll have to do a lot of searching if you want Saga to be fully loaded to face the Cult of the Tree.
Even if you track down every single lunch box, you’ll still have to choose between upgrades as you collect enough fragments to unlock them. We’ve ranked all the weapon upgrades to help you make smart choices.
Updated on June 20, 2025 by Matt Arnold:We’ve added Saga’s late-game weapons, the Hunting Rifle and the Pump-Action Shotgun, to this list. You can now plan out your entire run’s upgrades from start to finish!
15Pull The String
Hold and release the fire button to enhance Crossbow damage and range.
The Crossbow is themost powerful single-shot weapon in the game, the only armament capable of dropping a Taken with a single headshot. It requires steady aim, though, and isn’t ideal for close-quarters combat.
Pull The String lets you get more out of each individual bolt, at the cost of firing speed. However, if you’re in a position to get a good shot with the crossbow then youcan probably kill your target without the extra damage.
14Way Home
Allows the Hunting Rifle to ignore Darkness Shields
The Hunting Rifle is anoptional weaponthat you may find in the Wellness Center at the Nursing Home. It excels when you’reexploring the woods, as it lets you get the drop on Taken from long range before they notice you.
Way Home makes the Hunting Rifle a bit more deadly bypenetrating Darkness Shields.This can save you some flashlight batteries, but when you’re using this weapon you’re usually aiming for the head, whichisn’t typically protected anyway.
Way Home is most useful when you’reout of other types of ammoand need to take down a shielded enemy by any means necessary.
13Another Headshot
Allows the Pistol to stun enemies by landing two headshots in a row.
The Taken are supernaturally resilient;even a shot to the head won’t stop themunless they’re weakened first. Headshots are a staple of surviving horror games, and this power ensures that even if a double-tap doesn’t eliminate a threat, it canat least stun themand let you consolidate your position.
Another Headshot is useful when it works, but to really be worth the twelve fragments that it costs to unlock you’llneed to get two other abilities;namely Out Of Action and Again And Again. That’s a big investment and a lot of weapon switching when squeezing off a few more rounds might be just as effevctive.
12Out Of Action
Increases Shotgun damage against stunned, blinded, or prone enemies.
As you would expect, the Shotgun deals heavy damage at close range. With Out Of Action, you’re able to make it hit even harder bydisabling your target first.
A Shotgun blast at close range can often stun weaker enemies; you may also blind them with the flashlight or with Hand Flares. If an enemy charges you,dodging at the last possible secondwill make them fall over.
Like Pull The String, Out Of Action suffers from being overkill; if an enemy is suffering any of the debilitating conditions that would cause the ability to trigger, then there’s a good chance that you won’t need the help finishing them off.
11Again And Again
Allows auto-fire with the Pistol.
Like other survival horror games before it, Alan Wake 2makes every single round of ammunition precious. Not only does a missed shot waste a bullet, but it also gives the Taken a potential opportunity to rush you and deal damage.
If your aim isn’t particularly steady under pressure, unlockingAgain And Againcan help you by enabling a burst-fire mode with Saga’s service pistol. While you’ll have a better chance of stopping a charging enemy with automatic fire, the drawback is that you’llrun through your ammo much fasterin a game where having an empty clip is very, very dangerous.
Again And Again is best takenas part of a combo with other upgrades, like Another Headshot and Magnetic Pull.
10Faster And Faster
Allows auto-fire with the Pump-Action Shotgun
What could be better than unleashing a hail of bullets with the Pistol? Doing the same thing, but with a Shotgun, of course!
Elite enemies like the Mirror and Hammer Taken can handle a lot of damage, and you can’t afford to be close to them for very long. WithFaster And Faster, you can quickly unload six shells into them at close range before dodging their counterattack… assuming they’re still alive to make one, that is.
9Two Shots
Allows the Crossbow to hold two bolts at a time.
For all its power, the Crossbow has themost cumbersome reload in the game.Not only is it slow, but unlike firearms itrequires Saga to stand still.
By giving the Crossbow another shot before running empty, you’re able to reduce your need to leave yourself vulnerable while reloading. This is bestcombined with Magnetic Pullto give Saga a strong opening gambit against groups or tough enemies.
8Feedback Loop
Each consecutive hit with the Hunting Rifle increases fire rate.
If you hear a group of Taken nearby, it’s always a good idea to switch to the Hunting Rifle and try to take them down before they can close to melee range. WithFeedback Loop, you can drop several enemies without any real danger to Saga.
Combined with Kill Shot, Feedback Loop allows swift, consecutive headshots or Source Point strikes, saving both health and ammo.
7Under Control
Saga moves faster while aiming with the Pump Action Shotgun.
The Pump Action Shotgun, whichdoesn’t become available until Return 6, is easilySaga’s best weapon.It allows for power and maneuverability, and many fights take place in close enough quarters that itslimited range isn’t an issue.
Whether you’re positioning yourself to stop a pack of wolves or dodging projectiles while fighting a group of Taken, havingextra movement speedhelps you close the distance between you and your target and finish them before they can react.
6Fluid Motion
With only two shots available per reload, the Shotgun can be cumbersome despite its many advantages. Fluid Motion helps you get back into action faster byspeeding up the weapon’s reload.
The time you’ll save with Fluid Motion isespecially valuable when you’re fighting wolves, as it ensures that you can always top up between the animals' hit-and-run attacks. It can also be a lifesaver if you’reout of Pistol ammoand need to rely on the Shotgun to finish the fight.
