Alan Wake 2: How to solve the Gentle Beast Nursery Rhyme in Watery

Alan Wake 2 has enough confounding riddles that “easy” becomes a very relative term. The Gentle Beast Nursery Rhyme is one of the more simple riddles in Alan Wake 2, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Not by a long shot.

Even the “easiest” puzzles in this game are pretty tricky by modern-day game standards—but that’s just one of the many things we love about it. Read on to learn where you can find the Gentle Beast Nursery Rhyme and how you can solve it to reap the rewards it offers.

Where is the Gentle Beast Nursery Rhyme in Alan Wake 2?

The Gentle Beast Nursery Rhyme is located in the woods of Watery, and it’s somewhat removed from the beaten path. Unlike some parts of Watery, this Rhyme can be reached and solved even before the flooding level goes down later in the Watery chapters.

If you recall, there is an alternate path to Coffee World that Ilmo tells Saga to take when the main road is still blocked off. This path is narrow and straight for a good while, and then it opens up into a larger area straight north of Downtown Watery. As soon as you get to the portion of this path that opens up, taking a right will lead you to the Gentle Beast Nursery Rhyme.

After taking the first possible right, the path opens up in a section of woods that is shaped like a teardrop on the map. The Gentle Beast Nursery Rhyme can be found in the southeast part of this small, teardrop-shaped chunk of forest.

What dolls are needed to solve the Gentle Beast Nursery Rhyme?

I mentioned before that this is one of the more straightforward Nursery Rhymes in Alan Wake 2. I say this because only one Doll is needed for this Rhyme, and it’s found on location—which isn’t always the case.

Once you’ve found the Gentle Beast Nursery Rhyme drawn onto the side of a rock face in the woods above Watery, turning to the right will reveal some tables, a radio, and other doodads. On the ground next to this little outpost are some wooden planks—The Moose Doll is sitting right on top of these wooden planks.

• The Moose Doll is the only doll you need to complete this Nursery Rhyme

Grab the Moose Doll, and you’re ready to rumble. No field trips required (looking right at you, Bunker Woods Camp Site Nursery Rhyme).

How to solve the Gentle Beast Nursery Rhyme

Now that you’ve got your shiny new Moose Doll, you’re ready to complete the Rhyme. Looking at the page in the center of the Rhyme will reveal the riddle:

The Gentle Beast with a  beatiful crown Runs through the woods  with a worried frown From the Hunter he flees between the mighty trees To make it out alive.

Here’s an interesting fun fact about Nursery Rhymes in Alan Wake 2. 99 percent of the time, the random capitalized nouns in Nursery Rhymes are clues for what dolls are needed to complete the riddle. In this Rhyme, the word “Hunter” is also capitalized, but only “Gentle Beast” is a clue to solving the riddle. Personally, I’m convinced there was originally a Hunter Doll that was also needed to complete this Rhyme, but it didn’t make it to the final version of the game for whatever reason. But never mind that.

• To solve this Nursery Rhyme, place the Moose Doll on the chalk drawing of a tree

Once you do so, you’ll get that signature inky glitch effect that tells you the riddle has been solved. Don’t forget to pick the Moose Doll back up before heading off to collect your Charm reward.

Follow the path back the way you came to find the Charm

Right next to the Nursery Rhyme, there is a little ledge that tempts you to jump off of it. Doing so places you back towards the beginning of the Watery shortcut path, and puts you super far away from the Charm because you can’t climb back up once you drop down. Do not jump off this ledge.

Instead, follow the tear-drop-shaped path back up the way you came to get here. Almost immediately, you will see a massive wooden statue of a moose wearing a flannel. When I say giant, I’m talking twice the size of Saga. You really just cannot miss it.

At the base of this weirdly creepy moose statue, you will find a Coffee Mug Charm.

Gentle Beast Nursery Rhyme reward

For completing this rather straightforward Nursery Rhyme, you will receive a Coffee Mug Charm. This might sound familiar, and that’s because it is. Unlike all other Charms which are one-of-a-kind items, there are several Coffee Mug Charms in Alan Wake 2.

This Charm is a single-use item—when equipped, it will save you from death one time, but it will shatter in the process. Single-use items can always be somewhat anxiety-inducing because it always feels like you need to be saving them for some ominous future fight that will be impossible without them. Do yourself a favor, and decide now that you’re going to use your Coffee Mug Charms for Overlap bosses. You won’t regret it.