Alan Wake 2: How to find the Rental Cabins Cult Stash key

There are various Cult Stashes to be found in the world as you play as Saga Anderson in Alan Wake 2, and they are definitely worth finding and opening due to the useful supplies that they hold.

Cauldron Lake is the first main area that you will explore as Saga in Alan Wake 2, but if you return there later on, you can explore previously inaccessible areas. The most prominent of these areas are the rental cabins, which have been abandoned since the spooky goings-on began to take over the lake. 

There is a cult stash to be found in the rental cabin area, but you will need to find a specific key to open it. To find this key, you need to solve a puzzle by following clues, so we are going to be looking at how to follow the clues to find the key as well as what rewards you get from this particular cult stash.

Where is the Rental Cabins Cult Stash in Alan Wake 2?

To find this cult stash, you will need to return to Cauldron Lake once you have completed the section of the game that takes place in the Valhalla Nursing Home. This is because you need the boltcutters tool to get into the rental cabin area, and you will receive them at the Valhalla Nursing Home. 

Return to Cauldron Lake and head to the large rental cabin area, as seen on the map above. The area is on the right-hand side of the Cauldron Lake map, and it’s a pretty large space, so it’s hard to miss. 

You can get to the rental cabins through a hole in the fence in the Cauldron Lake parking lot. When you have gone through this hole, all you need to do is follow the path north and continue up a narrow path. You’ll soon come to a large gate locked with a padlock. To open it, approach the gate and interact with the lock. This will bring up Saga’s inventory. Scroll down to the boltcutters and click on them to select them. Saga will then cut the lock off of the gate, and you will be able to open it and go inside.

The cult stash is inside rental cabin number one, which is the cabin found furthest to the south in the area. When you go inside, you’ll find a break area where you can save your game and replenish some of your help, so it’s easy to remember which cabin it is.

Head inside the cabin and go through the closed door to the left. This will lead you into the bathroom, where you will find the cult stash. 

How to solve the puzzle and find the key to the Rental Cabins cult stash in Alan Wake 2

The picture on top of the cult stash is your clue to finding the key, though it can be a little hard to see the pictures up close. You can find a better version of the drawing as you start to follow the clues, but for the sake of being able to see what I’m talking about, I’ve included the clearer picture above so you don’t have to struggle to see the clues when you begin your search for the key.

Before you head into the first cabin to find the cult stash, you will notice some telltale signs of a kid’s play area in a grassy area outside the cabins. There is a swing set, but there are also some pieces of paper with rules for a game called “Beware the Wicked Witch.” There is also a rather unnerving note written by a child next to it, but we’re only looking at the game rules here to avoid the existential dread (for now at least).

Much like the game rules, the drawings of the note aren’t literal. Instead, they are part of the imaginative games that the children in the rental cabins would play. So when you look at the note, don’t consider it as entirely literal. Try to think of it from the perspective of a child playing this game, and you’ll have an easier time visualizing the path that you need to follow. I’m going to explain it for you anyway, though, but it’s always good to keep some of that childlike whimsy alive. Especially if you live in a place that is haunted by a body-snatching Dark Presence. 

Let’s go through the note drawing by drawing to decipher what each image means and how to follow the path to find the key. 

Following the path to the Rental Cabins Cult Stash Key in Alan Wake 2 

Imagine that your starting area is outside of cabin one, as soon as you have found the cult stash. From here, look to the swing set to the left. This is where we will begin our path toward the key.

The Tornado: Swing Set

The tornado refers to the swing set outside the cabin. It doesn’t exactly spin, but we are thinking like children here, remember? Suspend your disbelief for a little bit. From the swing set, look directly ahead, and you will find the next location in the path. 

The Castle: Cabin Three

The next picture in the drawing is a castle, which refers to cabin three. This cabin can be found directly ahead of you when traveling from the swing set. Go into the cabin and come out of the door on the other side. Turn to the left, and you’ll see the next area from the drawing. 

The Bridge: Fallen tree

The bridge in the diagram represents the fallen tree, which you will need to duck underneath to pass to the next area. When you have ducked under the tree, look to the left, and you will find another, clearer version of the drawing on a small table. This is useful to have to hand, so I recommend taking a look at it before you continue. 

The Cave: Cabin Two

Continue through the yard area behind the cabins until you reach an open door that enters cabin two from the back. This is the cave from the drawing, so go through the open door and come out the other side. 

The Tower: Gazebo

The next drawing is of a tower, and this is referring to the gazebo. The gazebo is pretty noticeable due to its size. It can be seen a little to the right when you exit cabin two, so you should be able to spot it pretty easily. 

Skeleton: Old Truck

The last clue is a drawing of animal bones, which refers to a broken-down old truck that can be found near a cluster of trees outside the rental cabins. You’ve almost found the key now, all that is left is one final clue. You don’t have to use your imagination for it, either, as the kids decided to spell this one out for us. 

The number two tree: Literally just the number two tree

There are three big trees in the area nearby to the rusted-out truck, all of which have different numbers on them. As per the drawing, you’re looking for the tree with the number two written on it. Shine your flashlight onto the trees, and you’ll be able to see the numbers in yellow fluorescent paint. Once you have found number two, approach it and walk behind it to collect your prize. 

The key to the cult stash is on the ground behind the tree with the number two painted on it, so simply pick it up and return to the cult stash to open it up and claim your rewards. 

Alternatively, if you aren’t in the mood for going on a quest and following clues to find the key, you can head over to the tree straight away and pick up the key immediately. I would say that you’re ruining the fun by doing so, but to be honest, I totally get it. We all have days when we would rather just get things done than prolong them, so do what you have to do. Check out the image above to see the exact location on the map where you can pick up the key.

What rewards do you get from the Rental Cabins Cult Stash in Alan Wake 2?

You are rewarded with a flashbang grenade, a rocket flare, and some ammo for your efforts in finding the key to this cult stash. Both flashbangs and rocket flares are extremely useful and powerful items to have in your inventory, as they emit a great deal of light that you will need to remove the shadow shields from the Taken as you fight them. Rocket flares can also kill enemies if you hit them in the right place. As for the ammo, it’s pretty basic but always a necessity, especially if you’re playing the game on a harder difficulty level as resources are much more scarce.

Thanks to the useful nature of all three of these items, I would recommend heading back to Cauldron Lake and unlocking this cult stash when you can. It’s kind of fun to follow the path as per the drawing, but if you would rather just get the key and be done with it, the game allows you to do that too. I have to agree with the note inside the cult stash, though. This one was definitely more fun than the math test cult stash puzzles.