How to beat Cynthia in Alan Wake 2

Cynthia is one of the bosses that you will encounter in Alan Wake 2, who can be found when playing as Saga during her trip to the Valhalla Nursing Home. Beating her can be tricky.

As you search for the character Tor, it becomes clear that Cynthia—who has been taken over by the darkness—has been purposely leading him away from Saga so that he can be transformed into one of the Taken. It’s up to you to make your way through the nursing home and the wellness center, following Tor’s tracks so that you can save him from Cynthia’s clutches. 

The fight that you will engage in with Cynthia has two specific parts, the first being avoiding the water so she doesn’t sneak up on you, and the second being a more straightforward fight that involves dodging blasts of water and darkness projectiles. 

We are going to be walking you through this fight so that you know what you are going to be dealing with once you enter the Valhalla Nursing Home Overlap in Alan Wake 2 to help you prepare for the fight with Cynthia. 

Where is Cynthia in Alan Wake 2?

As you progress through the story as Saga, you will eventually come to the Valhalla Nursing Home to find Tor and Odin. After speaking with Rose, who apparently also works at the nursing home as well as the Oh Deer Diner, it becomes clear that Tor has been misled by Cynthia, and he is now in danger. 

Cynthia was a character from the first game who knew about the Dark Presence and always kept herself protected with a lantern, while also ensuring that the town was always well-lit. As it has been 13 years since the events of the first Alan Wake, Cynthia has grown older and has sadly started to forget important elements from her life. This includes her lantern. As you play as Saga, you will unravel the story, and it becomes evident that Cynthia went into the bathroom to take a bath and misplaced her lantern, leading to the Dark Presence finally taking her by drowning her in the tub. 

Because of how she was turned into one of the Taken by the Dark Presence, both the portal to the Overlap and the place where you will fight her are covered in water. When you have found all the necessary information, Saga will open the portal to the Overlap in the pond at the nursing home. Once you have entered the portal, you will need to make your way through some tunnels and solve some puzzles that involve turning the lights on and off. 

Eventually, you will come to the main area where the fight will take place. It’s pretty easy to tell when you have reached the right place, as the entire area is mostly flooded and there is a large console in the center of the room. To begin the fight, make your way to the console and press the red button. From this point on, the fight will technically begin, though you won’t be able to attack Cynthia yet. 

Turning on the generator in the fight with Cynthia in Alan Wake 2

Before you can get any hits on Cynthia, you will need to turn on the generator for power. In the flooded room, you will see that there are several platforms that Saga can climb on. Make sure that you keep them in sight, as you are definitely going to need them. 

Although you won’t be able to hit Cynthia, she will be gunning for you from under the water. If you stay in the water for more than a few seconds at a time, she will leap on you and attack you with a hugely powerful melee attack that can drain your health pretty quickly. As I said, you’ll definitely want to keep track of the platforms in this section of the fight, as they are the only place where Cynthia can’t get to you. 

As you move from platform to platform, you will need to make your way to the other side of the room, where you find a hole in the wall. When you have made it there, you’ll find a flooded corridor that goes left or right. There are a few different gaps in the wall that you can go into to find some extra supplies in boxes, but to find the generator you’ll need to go left. 

Keep making your way down the corridor by running from platform to platform. As long as you’re fast and climb up onto the platforms as quickly as you can, you should be able to avoid Cynthia’s attacks. You’ll know when she is about to attack you when you are in the water, as her creepy voice lines will get closer, louder, and more menacing just before she strikes. 

Continue going down the corridor, and eventually, you will find the generator in one of the gaps in the crumbled wall. Turn on the generator and then head back to the main area. There is a shortcut just opposite the generator, but be careful, as once you go through it, you will land directly in the water underneath. Be ready to run to the console in the middle of the room as soon as you drop down to avoid getting charged by Cynthia. 

How to beat Cynthia in Alan Wake 2

To initiate the next part of the fight, press the button in the console center in the middle of the room again once you have turned on the generator. The water in the main area will recede, and you will need to head down the stairs, which will now be visible without the water. When you get down the stairs, it will take a few moments, but Cynthia will emerge and the room will be flooded again. 

Cynthia will hit you with a water attack that sends a powerful wave toward you that can hurt you and knock you down. She will then follow that up with several darkness projectiles that can do a huge amount of damage. They can be destroyed by your torch or by flares, but they move very quickly and can easily sneak up on you and kill you almost instantly if you’re not incredibly fast about it. As she does this, she will be floating up in the air, and it can be tough to get a good shot on her as she floats towards you, so your goal at first is to knock her out of the air. 

Flares are your best friend here, and I say that as someone who was dumb and went into the fight without any. Shining your flashlight will momentarily stun Cynthia, but flares are much more effective in this situation. Stunning her is a must to ensure that she can’t throw out too many projectiles or water blasts. 

When you have done enough damage, Cynthia will fall into the water and run at you similarly to the other Taken in the game. Do as much damage as you can when she is on the ground and getting up close and personal with you. If you don’t do enough damage in time, she will fly back into the air again and start unleashing those waves and projectiles. 

The tactic that I found useful here was to use a propane tank and lob it at Cynthia, then try to shoot it as quickly as I could. The first time I did this, I managed to immediately knock Cynthia out of the air, though I died before I could kill her for good. 

The second time I tried this, I didn’t knock her down, but I did do enough damage so that I only had to get in a few more shots before she went to the ground. The propane tank does a massive blast of damage, so I’d definitely advise having a couple of them to hand and being ready to throw them her way once she emerges from the water. 

Once I got Cynthia on the ground, I switched from my Hunting Rifle to my Double-Barreled Shotgun to deal as much damage as possible in the shortest amount of time. She is very fast once she starts running at you and her attacks are strong, so don’t forget to dodge and weave as you shoot at her. With enough shots and dodging, you should be able to take her out before she gets back into the air. 

Final verdict on how to beat Cynthia in Alan Wake 2

As I said, flares are a great asset in this fight, so don’t be like me and not have any in your inventory at all when you go into it. It’s also handy to have some particularly powerful weapons—such as the Double-Barreled Shotgun and propane tanks—as the key to this fight is getting in as much damage as quickly as you can. 

Cynthia will get up and close to you when she falls to the ground, so a powerful weapon that does a lot of damage up close is also a must. Cynthia’s attacks are strong, so make sure that you have plenty of health items on hand before you go in. It can be hard to heal yourself during the fight, though, due to how quick Cynthia is. 

Be quick, time your shots to ensure that you get in the maximum damage possible, use your flashlight and your flares, and don’t forget to stock up on healing items, and you are sure to take Cynthia down in next to no time.