In Saga Anderson’s Alan Wake 2 campaign, there are a great variety of weapon upgrades that can be purchased in what the game calls “The Mind Place”. Every weapon that can be purchased as Saga has 3 upgrades available for it that offer different bonuses. Those bonuses can range from additional damage to health recovery for every kill with a specific weapon.
To upgrade weapons, you’ll need to find manuscript fragments that are scattered around the game's different maps in Alex Casey lunch-boxes. Fragments are universal, meaning that unlike Alan Wake's Words of Power, they aren’t specific to weapons or upgrades. You’ll find manuscript fragments in every chapter, so with every new gun you get, there should be fragments to upgrade it in that same chapter.
Weapon upgrades are important because as the game progresses, you’ll face stronger enemies in every chapter. And facing stronger enemies is even more difficult when you don’t upgrade your weapons to maximize your potential for taking on The Darkness.
10. Again and Again (Pistol – Early Game)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7jvO2FZryg&t=64s
The Again and Again pistol upgrade lets you hold down the firing button to trigger auto-fire for Saga’s pistol. This upgrade works well when paired with the More Bullets pistol upgrade because using auto-fire chews through bullets quickly. The reason this upgrade is so low on the list is because of its tendency to use up a lot of ammo that you might not have the luxury of using freely.
- Again and Again is a good upgrade for dealing with stronger and bigger enemies that can take a lot of pistol damage.
- This upgrade works great as a last-ditch attempt against an overwhelming group of enemies. Sometimes you don’t have time to aim every shot, this way you can hold down the firing button and hope for the best.
- Because the pistol is the first gun you get in the game, you can get this upgrade and master it early on in your playthrough.
9. Two Shots (Crossbow - Mid Game)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7jvO2FZryg&t=275s
The two Shots upgrade raises the amount of bolts you can shoot from the crossbow before reloading. The base capacity for the crossbow is only one bolt, which really limits its power because of reload time after every shot. But after getting the Two Shots upgrade, the crossbow becomes a much stronger option to have in your inventory.
- Gets around the biggest limitation of the crossbow, which can sometimes feel tedious to use because of its long reload time.
- Both bolts that are shot from the crossbow can be recovered after an enemy is killed, which makes it a great option for when you’re low on ammo.
- Two Shot gives you a strong weapon to rely on in the first half of the game, before you have access to Saga’s hunting rifle.
8. Feedback Loop (Hunting Rifle -Mid-Game)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7jvO2FZryg&t=379s
Speaking of the hunting rifle, after you complete the nursing home chapter and are able to add it to your inventory, consider the Feedback Loop upgrade. The Feedback Loop upgrade increases the firing rate of the hunting rifle for each consecutive hit you land on an enemy. A lot like the crossbow, the powerful hunting rifle can be limited by its rate of fire, but this upgrade helps get around that limitation.
- Sometimes, rifle ammo can go unused because it feels so precious, but Feedback Loop encourages and rewards you for using your rifle by making it more effective with every hit.
- For tougher single bosses like Scratch or Cynthia, the increased fire rate helps to land shots in limited time windows.
- For sections of the game with multiple strong enemies like divers, it helps to have something stronger than the pistol that can also shoot faster than the crossbow.
7. Under Control (Pump-Action Shotgun - Late Game)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7jvO2FZryg&t=497s
The Under Control upgrade lets Saga move faster while aiming with the pump-action shotgun. If you like to move around while you shoot, Under Control is a better option than Stay on Course, which encourages you to stand still in battles. One important thing to keep in mind is that the pump-action shotgun only becomes available late in the game when there are a lot of multiple enemy encounters.
- Works really well in tight spaces where you have to move through enemies so you don’t get cornered.
- Walking and aiming without Under Control can be really slow and sluggish, so it’s nice to get a little boost when you’re moving away from enemies but also shooting at them.
- Against fast enemies like dashers, standing still can mean taking a lot of damage- so having Under Control in your arsenal can help to avoid damage while also dishing it out.
6. Stay on Course (Pump-Action Shotgun - Late Game)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7jvO2FZryg&t=497s
The Stay on Course upgrade gives the pump-action shotgun reduced recoil and spread when standing still. While the Under Control upgrade works best for players that like to move around and shoot, Stay on Course is great for players that prefer to stand still and wait for enemies to come to them. Because the pump-action is such a strong gun with a higher capacity than the sawed-off, it gains a lot with the Stay on Course upgrade.
- Perfect upgrade for players that prefer a take-a-stand approach to fights in Alan wake 2.
- With reduced spread on every shot, you’ll deal even more damage when landing a direct hit on an enemy.
- A great weapon to use against enemies that need to get close to do damage because you can time your shot to do an incredible amount of damage as they close in.
5. Kill Shot (Hunting Rifle - Mid Game)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7jvO2FZryg&t=379s
Kill Shot is for the rifle what Stay on Course is for the pump-action shotgun. Kill shot raises the damage and accuracy of the Hunting Rifle when standing still. The Hunting rifle, which naturally works best when shooting across long distances, is a weapon that lends itself to stationary shooting. With the Hunting Rifle already being a powerful weapon to begin with, the added accuracy and damage that come with this upgrade make it one of the best guns in Alan Wake 2.
- Pairing Kill Shot and Feedback Loop means getting bonuses to damage and firing rate, turning the Hunting Rifle into a great gun for boss battles.
- Kill Shot makes the hunting rifle so strong that you can leave your crossbow in a safe room shoebox, which will mean having more space in your inventory for other resources.
- More damage dealt with every bullet means having to use less bullets in every encounter. This will prove really important when you’re running low on supplies.
4. Fluid Motion (Sawed-off Shotgun - Early Game)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7jvO2FZryg&t=164s
Fluid motion increases the reload speed of the Sawed-off shotgun. Considering the gun only has a two shell capacity, you’ll need to reload often which leaves you open for attacks from taken.. Fluid motion helps to minimize the time that you spend vulnerable to those attacks.
- Heavier damage weapons tend to take longer to reload, but fluid motion gives you a high damage option that won’t force you to stand still for long periods of time.
- One of, if not the biggest drawback to the Sawed-off Shotgun is its 2 shell limit, but Fluid Motion helps counter that to make it a great option even in the late game.
- The Sawed-off Shotgun is a great close-quarter weapon, you can benefit from fluid motion by shooting and being able to load without having to move too far away from your enemies.
3. Way Home (Hunting Rifle - Mid Game)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7jvO2FZryg&t=379s
The Way Home upgrade gives Saga’s rifle the power to break through darkness shields. What this means is that the rifle can damage enemies without needing to use a flashlight charge on them. The way Home upgrade is the only upgrade of its kind in the game, making it extremely valuable to any playthrough.
Gives you an option to deal damage even when they are out of flashlight charges, which no other gun can do in the game.
Provides a last resort option when you don’t have a lot of time to point and shoot the flashlight without killing some taken first.
Is the only upgrade of its kind, and completes the trio of what is arguably the best set of upgrades for any gun in Alan Wake 2.
2. Ready for More (Sawed-Off Shotgun -Early Game)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7jvO2FZryg&t=164s
The Ready for More upgrade grants Saga some health recovery for every kill with the Sawed-off Shotgun. Ready for more rewards aggressive play styles making a great option for trigger-happy players. It provides a great option for healing early on in the game when your only weapons are the Pistol and the Sawed-off Shotgun.
- Early in the game, when players are still trying to gather resources, Ready for More is a great option for players trying to reserve health items.
- Because early on you’ll only have the Pistol and the Sawed-off Shotgun, the game gives you a lot of shotgun ammo, which means a lot of potential health recovery.
- A great tactic to use is to use the Pistol to weaken enemies before dealing a final blow with the Sawed-off shotgun. This means you’ll use fewer shotgun shells but gain the same health recovery.
1. More Bullets (Pistol -Early Game)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7jvO2FZryg&t=64s
The More Bullets upgrade increases saga’s pistol clip size from 12 rounds to 18. It’s highly recommended that this is the first upgrade you purchase in the game because the Pistol is the gun you’ll use the most in your playthrough. . It might not seem like a lot, but the additional 6 rounds makes a huge difference in encounters against big enemy groups.
- The Pistol is the weapon you’ll be using throughout the entire game. This means you’ll be using a lot of rounds and will need to be able to fire more rounds without needing to reload.
- Pistol ammo is the main type of ammo that you’ll be getting, making the pistol really important to upgrade so you can maximize its efficiency.
- The bigger clip also makes it possible to enjoy the Again and Again perk that was mentioned earlier in this list.
- Another big plus is more rounds in every clip means less rounds need to sit in your inventory, which frees up a lot of space.
