Cult Stashes aren’t just a side objective for loot in Alan Wake 2—they actually can lead to some genuine insight and foreshadowing to the complex plot. Finding all of the Cult Stashes is well worth it, but knowing where to start can be tricky.
Because there are so many Cult Stashes, each one with a unique puzzle to solve, it’s much easier to break your Cult Stash hunt into sections categorized by area. Here is a list of all Cult Stash locations in Bright Falls, complete with a summary of how to solve each one and a link to a more in-depth guide.
All Alan Wake 2 Cult Stash locations in Bright Falls
Something I often find when dealing with collectibles that let you freely explore is knowing what you’re missing can be difficult. In this guide, I’m not just going to throw icons on a map, because that doesn’t tell you what you’re missing. You might know you have eight out of nine Cult Stashes, but do you really want to check all nine locations to figure out which one you’re missing?
Instead, I am going to assign numbers to each Cult Stash as displayed on the Case Board, and then indicate their locations with that same number. That way, you can check your board and use this guide as a map legend to see which ones you still need to find.
As is indicated in the photo, I am categorizing the nine Cult Stashes in Bright Falls as follows:
- One—Behind Sheriff’s Station Cult Stash
- Two—Bright Falls Pier Cult Stash
- Three—Abandoned Pickup Cult Stash
- Four—Ranger Station Cult Stash
- Five—Elderwood Palace Lodge Cult Stash
- Six—Southern Bright Falls Woods Cult Stash
- Seven—Sheriff’s Station Basement Cult Stash
- Eight—Forest Bunker Cult Stash
- Nine—Northern Bright Falls Woods Cult Stash
Keep in mind different Cult Stashes need different tools to reach them, such as the Screwdriver or the Boltcutters. This numbering system is not reflective of which order you will most likely find the Cult Stashes in, it is only based on the order the Case Board uses. Now, here are all nine numbers on the map of Bright Falls.
To use this guide in the most streamlined way, simply check your own Case Board, where any completed Stashes will have a photo, and any yet-to-be-solved will have a question mark. Regardless of whether or not they are completed, they will still be in the same order as mine are in the photo above. This way, you will know exactly which Cult Stashes you’re missing and where to go to find them.
In the next section, I will give a summary of solving each of the Nine Cult Stashes in Bright Falls, following the Case Board number system for easy categorization.
Alan Wake 2: How to solve every Cult Stash in Bright Falls
This section will only give a brief summary of finding and solving each Cult Stash in Bright Falls, but a link to a comprehensive guide will be included for each in case you need more help or are simply curious.
One—Behind Sheriff’s Station Cult Stash
First off, you should know that this Cult Stash requires the Boltcutters to reach, so you need to be a decent way into Saga’s chapters before you can reach it. Once you do, there’s a Work Log Riddle you need to solve to unlock the Cult Stash. The guide I linked above will walk you through every step, but to solve this Cult Stash, you must input:
- Two triangles side by side pointing up
- Two triangles next to one another pointing outward
- Two stacked triangles pointing up
These symbols in this order will unlock the Cult Stash behind the Sheriff’s Station.
Two—Bright Falls Pier Cult Stash
This Cult Stash also requires the Boltcutters to reach, as you need to get through a fence to access the pier it’s found on. There’s a whole process of checking different wooden posts in the water for numbers, but, to unlock this Cult Stash, you must input the code:
- 697
If you’re curious how we got that number, check out this guide for a full breakdown on solving this Cult Stash.
Three—Abandoned Pickup Cult Stash
This Cult Stash doesn’t need Boltcutters to get to, but it does need…Algebra. The clue on this puppy is just an Algebra problem, for which the solution is:
- 177
Here is a full guide on how to solve the math problem, written by yours truly, for all my fellow nerds reading this article.
Four—Ranger Station Cult Stash
This Stash doesn’t require any riddle-solving to get into; you just need to have a key. The key for this Cult Stash is found along the outside of the Ranger Station itself, on the northern exterior wall. This area is blocked off by flooding for most of Saga’s story—you need to have finished the Nursing Home business before you can reach it. Here is a full guide on locating and finding the Ranger Station Cult Stash.
Five—Elderwood Palace Lodge Cult Stash
This Cult Stash is one of the very simple “repeat this sequence” puzzles, and doesn’t have any tricks or anything. As such, we haven’t written a guide . To open this Cult Stash, interact with the padlock and copy the pattern of the light-up buttons.
Six—Southern Bright Falls Woods Cult Stash
Like many of the Cult Stashes in Bright Falls, you must have the Boltcutters before you can unlock this Stash. There is a sequence of arrows on trees that lead you to the correct triangle symbols to input to unlock this Cult Stash:
- Two side-by-side triangles pointing out
- Two side-by-side triangles pointing down
- Two stacked triangles forming an hourglass
For a full walkthrough of finding the arrows in the trees, check out this guide.
Seven—Sheriff’s Station Basement Cult Stash
This is one of the last Cult Stashes you are likely to encounter in Bright Falls, and you need the Boltcutters to reach it in the basement of the Sheriff’s Station. On the Stash is a weird riddle of sticks and a single number. You are supposed to count the number of line segments in each symbol, which gives you the answer:
- 146
We’re in the process of writing a full guide for this Cult Stash and will link it here as soon as it’s ready.
Eight—Forest Bunker Cult Stash
This Cult Stash can be found when you’ve just finished the Nursery Home segment and are making your way back to Bright Falls. Like some others, this one is just unlocked with a key located nearby. To find that key, shine your light at the Stash and you’ll see an arrow. Follow that arrow to the next, and so on until you find the key sitting on the ground nearby. Here is a comprehensive guide on solving this Cult Stash.
Nine—Northern Bright Falls Woods Cult Stash
Just like the one in front of Elderwood Palace Lodge, this Cult Stash in the northern portion of Bright Falls Woods is simply a pattern-following game, and as such no guide is needed on it. The padlock itself will light up a sequence of inputs, and you just need to copy that sequence to unlock this Cult Stash.
