For those unaware, Alan Wake 2 is not just about the titular character returning from the Dark Place. There is a new character, Saga Anderson, who is an FBI Agent. The two characters play similarly as far as the shooting mechanics go, but there are subtle differences as well.
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One of those differences is how Saga and Alan upgrade their arsenal. For Saga, players can find lunchboxes around Bright Falls which contain Manuscript Fragments. These torn pages are how players can upgrade Saga’s four weapons in Alan Wake 2. Of the twelve possible upgrades, these are the ones players should unlock for Saga as soon as possible.
8 Fluid Motion
Sawed-off Shotgun: 16 Manuscript Fragments
Fluid Motion is an upgrade for the Sawed-off shotgun in Alan Wake 2 that will increase its loading speed. Both Saga and Alan will get shotguns in the game, a staple of the survival horror game genre. They both have limited ammo with two bullets apiece before they need to be reloaded. Shotguns typically have long animations in games and Alan Wake 2 is no different. It’s great Saga can get this upgrade because Alan doesn’t get any upgrades to speed up the reloading process for his Double-Barreled Shotgun.
7 Ready For More
Sawed-off Shotgun: 18 Manuscript Fragments
Ready For More is another Sawed-off Shotgun upgrade for Saga and this one has a defensive bonus. Players can heal Saga for a little bit of health depending on what type of enemy they are fighting. The harder the foe, the more health will be restored. It’s a lot like the Drain spell in Final Fantasy games which siphons HP from enemies to restore HP to the user. Even though healing items are plentiful in the game, a little extra via this upgrade won’t hurt either.
6 More Bullets
Pistol: 12 Manuscript Fragments
More Bullets is a rather descriptive title for this Pistol upgrade. It will increase the magazine size of Saga’s starting Pistol by 50%, which will change the clip size from twelve to eighteen. This is a significant upgrade because it is the only one of its kind in the game.
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It’s kind of strange given that ammo upgrades are standardized in horror games like this year’s remake of Resident Evil 4. While players may wish to have gotten an ammo increase for other weapons like the Sawed-off Shotgun, they should be happy that the Pistol gets this bonus at least.
5 Two Shots
Crossbow: 18 Manuscript Fragments
Two Shots technically is an ammo increase upgrade although it works differently than More Bullets. It will allow Saga to load two arrows into the Crossbow instead of one in Alan Wake 2. If players thought reloading the Sawed-off Shotgun was cumbersome, then they haven’t found the Crossbow yet. There are benefits to the Crossbow such as the plentiful ammo and the ability to retrieve some arrows, but the strength is weak. The reload time is a drag making the Two Shots upgrade the only reason the Crossbow is acceptable to use.
4 Way Home
Hunting Rifle: 18 Manuscript Fragments
It’s a bit trickier to kill enemies in Alan Wake 2 compared to other horror games. That’s because enemies are often shrouded in darkness that players must dispel with their flashlights. Players can technically kill an enemy with a darkness shield still around them but enemies will absorb a lot more rounds. The only exception to this is through this Hunting Rifle upgrade, Way Home. It will penetrate an enemy’s shroud of shadow and hit directly at the body thus making the Hunting Rifle one of the most powerful in the game.
3 Out Of Action
Sawed-off Shotgun: 14 Manuscript Fragments
Out of Action is another upgrade for the Sawed-off Shotgun that will give it a slight power boost. If players manage to stun enemies with a grenade, or their flashlight, then this upgrade will do extra damage to the target. The bonus damage will also work if players manage to knock their opponent down.
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This can easily be done with one blast from the Sawed-off Shotgun to knock the target down and then players can race over to finish them off with another shot. As the Sawed-off Shotgun has two bullets, this is as good a combo as any although it might get hectic the more enemies are around, but it’s a good strategy for a boss fight in Alan Wake 2.
2 Under Control
Pump-action Shotgun: 12 Manuscript Fragments
The Sawed-off Shotgun is not the only shotgun Saga will get in the game. In the sixth chapter, she will obtain the Pump-action Shotgun which is more powerful and it has more rounds as well. Under Control is an upgrade that will allow players to move around the environment faster while aiming the gun. Players move at a snail’s pace otherwise, but this upgrade will speed things up. The natural movement speed is nowhere near as slow as the original version of Resident Evil 4, to bring that game up again, because players couldn’t even move and shoot in it.
Move faster while aiming
1 Faster And Faster
Pump-action Shotgun: 20 Manuscript Fragments
Faster And Faster is another upgrade for the Pump-action Shotgun and it’s a type of upgrade offered for a few different guns in the game. It will allow players the ability to hold down the trigger button on the controller and Saga will start pumping round after round into her enemies. The action will speed up the more rounds blast out too. Sometimes victory can be obtained within a sliver of a second. The other half of that second is the player’s death. So, the faster players are, overall, the more successful they can be.
Alan Wake 2
- Platform(s)
- PC , PS5 , Xbox Series S , Xbox Series X
- Released
- October 27, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Remedy Entertainment