Alan Wake 2: Best Words of Power upgrades

Alan’s words hold a lot of meaning in the Dark Place in Alan Wake 2’s story. But what are the best Words of Power upgrades to use?

Whether you are trying to take a chance on your final revolver bullet or trying to go completely undetected to the Taken as you creep around as Alan, these are all the best Words of Power upgrades in Alan Wake 2.

Top Words of Power upgrades in Alan Wake 2

The Words of Power are buffs exclusive to Alan’s playthrough in Alan Wake 2. Throughout his tale, you will stumble across spirals of words that offer power to Alan’s weapons, flashlight, and general survivability. You can either stand on top of the spiral (if it’s on the floor) or ADS with your weapon until the screen glitches to capture the spiral’s words. You will then get a prompt telling you that you have new Words of Power to equip.

Head into Alan’s Mind Palace to use one of the Words of Power. Look over at the desk with the typewriter and select ‘Words of Power.’ You will see all acquired and unequipped Words of Power upgrades here. Any unused Words of Power will be highlighted on the corresponding envelope in a yellow-greenish tint.

There are 27 Words of Power and they can only be acquired in Alan’s Initiation chapters. Keep in mind anything you upgrade cannot be undone, so be sure when you use one of the acquired Words of Power it is one you will actually find useful.

Words of Fix: Wellness Retreat

The first Words of Power we recommend that you upgrade to its full potential is the Wellness Retreat in the Words of Fix section. This is an obvious pick for the increase in Alan’s health. It can be quite different to get around enemies in Alan Wake 2 where you are usually forced to face enemies with your limited resources.

For this reason, it is best to upgrade your health as much as possible.

We recommend the Wellness Retreat as your primary upgrade to focus your attention on as soon as possible. Having a higher health pool will naturally increase your chances of survival and give you a second chance to find that Break Room for health replenishment and as a save point. While you will likely require more aid items to heal your larger health pool, you will find yourself surviving for long out in the Dark Place.

Words of Gun: Roulette

The next Words of Action to get is the Roulette upgrade in Words of Gun. This ability offers a chance for Alan to retain a bullet after firing. It is an incredibly useful tool that preserves ammo and should be prioritized due to the long-term commitment you have with the revolver. While you should switch to the double-barreled shotgun when you get the chance, the revolver has multiple upgrades to not only increase its power but to conserve your resources.

Words of War: Full Stop and Paint the Town

There are a lot of options when looking at the Words of War. Each upgrade is incredibly useful in building Alan’s power against the Dark Place. But in the case of picking the best, we highly recommend Full Stop for the early portion of the game and Paint the Town for bosses and the late game in Alan Wake 2.

Full Stop gives a damage boost to the final bullet of the revolver, which is incredibly helpful when fighting off multiple enemies at once in Alan Wake 2 combat. When you are using this upgrade, however, be sure to use the final bullet of the enemy you have shot at the most. The final bullet almost always kills the Taken.

Next, Paint the Town is great for claustrophobic areas where multiple enemies spawn. Combine Flashlight Boosts with this upgrade to get in a ton of damage with a single shotgun bullet.

Words of Stuff: Tourist Map and Magic Pocket

Unlike other Words of Power, there are very limited Words of Stuff to find in Alan’s playthrough. In the case where you only find one, we recommend the Tourist Map upgrade. This will highlight any missed POIs (points of interest) on Alan’s map which is helpful for those wanting to 100 percent complete the game.

Outside of this, the Magic Pocket is useful to those who are great at managing their resources. If you play your cards right, you can find a ton of health supplies, batteries, and ammunition. This upgrade extends your inventory.

These Words of Power can be perfectly combined with one another.

Words of Aid: ER

Our pick for Words of Aid is the ER upgrade. This increases your Trauma Pad effect, allowing you to regain more health within a single use. If you increase your maximum health, the ER pack is a vital upgrade to get next. This way you will not be spending too much aid items to replenish health as it can keep up with the larger health pool you obtained with the Wellness Retreat Words of Power upgrade.

This will also conserve your supplies for longer. You can use Painkillers throughout sections where you explore and save your Trauma Pads for boss fights and tougher sections where health is a top priority.

Words of Action: It’s Personal and Never There

In most instances, it can be really difficult to get past enemies, especially when there are multiple compacted in a small room or corridor. I often found myself getting pinned by the Taken because I was trying to run past them instead of fighting. The Never There upgrade is perfect for those who want to use stealth to converse ammo and flashlight batteries.

Most Taken need their Source Points revealed by the Flashlight Boost which uses a ton of battery charge. You should play Alan Wake similarly to Resident Evil; put ammo and health first by rationing it out sensibly and using it mainly on bosses. Use stealth where appropriate with the Never There upgrade.

It’s Personal in the Words of Action category is perfect for those who increased their shotgun and revolver damage with Full Stop and Paint the Town.

Words of Lamp: Main Attraction and Lucky Strike

Our final Words of Power upgrades we chose are the Words of Lamp: Main Attraction and Lucky Strike.

Main Attraction restores health every time the Flashlight Boost is in use. As the flashlight is a key weapon against the Taken to reveal their Source Points (weak areas), having it constantly replenishing health is a bonus to an already helpful item in Alan Wake 2.

Finally, Lucky Strike gives a chance for Alan to gain another Flashlight Charge. This will be incredibly useful in boss fights and on harder difficulties where relying on the flashlight may not be possible due to the high quantity of batteries you’ll need to keep the flashlight running. This gives you a much-needed chance to stay in the fight and reveal those weak spots to hit back at.