There are a plethora of items to discover and utilize inAlan Wake 2. Some items take up more inventory space than others and most only stack a few times, so in order to survive, you’ll need to organize your inventory space accordingly.

You will have to plan what items you need quick access to and what items you may keep on the back burner. You can manage your inventory space with shoe boxes, satchels, and words of power, which can all be found throughout the world of Alan Wake 2. Some of these items are found early on in the game and some are found much later as you progress throughout the story.

Saga Anderson looking at a shoebox inside a break room.

Shoeboxes

Shoe boxes are found in break rooms, which are scattered all around the world and can be used tosave your gameand hide from Taken. Both Saga Anderson and Alan Wake can access shoeboxes to store items they don’t currently need.You’ll be able to access your stored items from any break room with a shoebox inside.

When you offload all your gear into your shoebox before scrounging through containers, the game will give you much more loot to compensate for an “empty inventory”.

The last cult stash opened revealing an assortment of survival items including the Watery Lighthouse key.

Saga Anderson Inventory Upgrades

There are four satchels that can be found when you play as Saga Anderson that will increase your inventory space.

Satchel #1

The first satchel is found early on in the game inReturn 2: The Heart.While on a mission tofind Agent Nightingaleand his missing heart in Cauldron Lake, you’llenter theCauldron Lake General Storewhere you’ll get quite the jump scare.

After that, enter the newly formed hole in the wall to find Nightingale’s heart and, more importantly, the first satchel.The satchel is located in the right-hand corner of the room on top of a filling cabinet, below thefirst weapon upgrade in the game.

The Word of Stuff upgrade displayed in Alan Wake’s writers room with three upgrade options available.

Satchel #2

The second satchel can be found at theend of Return 2after you defeat Agent Nightingale in the first overlap event.You’ll appear on a coastline where the flooding from earlier has resided, allowing you to explore areas previously inaccessible.

Follow the coastline path east towards the previously flooded area.Before you get there, you’ll see a cult symbol that will lead you to a hidden cult stash in an area of felled trees.To unlock the stash, repeat the pattern in sequence that appears on the padlock.

Satchel #3

The third satchel is found later in the game inReturn 5: Old Gods.To locate this satchel you will need to first locate the bolt cutters in the overlap event at theValhalla Nursing Home. Once you find those, defeat Cynthia, and save Tor, simply scurry through Bunker Woods back to Brightfalls.Go down Harbor St. and located on the water is an old building called Fresh Seafood Fish & Shrimp.

Use the bolt cutters to get through the gate, you’ll find a cult stash in the first shack on the right. The cult stash puzzle involves rising sea levels. You’ll need to find three numbers located on three old wooden pillars in the water around the building.

These numbers will be positioned at various heights on the pillars which indicate the order they must be put into the cult stash, with the highest position being the first number inputted. If you’d like to find these numbers yourself, then don’t read the next sentence.The code for the cult stash is 6-9-7.

Satchel #4

The final satchel may have been missed by a lot of players due to an early bug in the game that stopped it from appearing.The last satchel is found in the Watery Lighthouse, which has remained locked for the majority of the game.

You’ll find the lighthouse key in the last cult stash you open, so you’ll need to find all 22 cult stashes in the game. The last cult stash can be found at the end ofReturn 6: Scratch. Once you have the key, you’ll spot the satchel on your right as you walk into the lighthouse.

Alan Wake Inventory Upgrades

When you play as Alan Wake, you’ll need to find Words of Powerto upgrade your inventory. Words of Power appear as bright glyphs in a circular shape. They can be collected when you shine your flashlight on them.

There are 27 Words of Power and each one allows you to choose various perks that pertain to the type of Word of Power you found.Words of Stuff allows you to upgrade your inventory by five slots, reveal all nearby resources, or add a charge to Alan’s flashlight.However, they are one of the rarest, found in only two locations.

Word Of Stuff #1

Found duringInitiation 5: Room 665.Enter the ballroom in the Oceanview Hotel and go behind the bar. Look up and you’ll see a Word of Power. This can be used to increase Alan’s inventory space by five slots or reveal all nearby resources.

Word Of Stuff #2

If you didn’t upgrade Alan’s inventory the first time around, this is your chance to do it now.Found duringInitiation 8: Zane’s Film,on the rooftop of Poet’s Cinema. Near the spotlights, there is yellow graffiti on the wall. Look straight at it, then turn left and look at the wall where the roof slants downward.You’ll find the Word of Power in the bottom corner of the wall.