As you explore the town of Bright Falls as Saga in Alan Wake 2, you will find several nursery rhyme collectibles scattered around, mostly in the Bunker Woods area. However, there is one nursery rhyme to be found in the boatyard area, which is closer to the town center.
The boatyard nursery rhyme can only be accessed once you have progressed in the game to the point where you unlock the bolt cutters. It is also a nursery rhyme that will require you to engage in a gunfight once you have solved it so that you can collect your reward, so you will need to make sure that you are prepared for a fight.
With this in mind, we are going to be looking at how to solve the boatyard nursery rhyme in Alan Wake 2 as well as where to find it and what reward you are given for completing it.
Where is the Boatyard Nursery Rhyme in Alan Wake 2?
If the name wasn’t a dead giveaway, this nursery rhyme can be found in the boatyard area right next to the Bright Falls town center. There are two ways that you can enter the boatyard: through the main gate or via Bunker Woods.
You receive the bolt cutters during Saga’s visit to the Valhalla Nursing Home. When you leave the nursing home, you can cut open the padlock on the back gate and start exploring Bunker Woods. If you continue on the path towards Bright Falls, you can enter the boatyard from the other side via the woods. There isn’t a gate when you go this way, but it will require some exploration of Bunker Woods.
The other way that you can get to the boatyard is through the main gate, which you can get to when you are in the Bright Falls town center. The gate to the boatyard is close to the Elderwod Palace Lodge, as you can see on the map above. You’ll need Saga’s bolt cutters to cut open the padlock and open the gate though, so you will need to have completed the Valhalla Nursing Home section.
Personally, I would go through the back gate of the nursing home and into the boatyard via the woods rather than through the Bright Falls main gate. There are a lot of items that you can find when exploring Bunker Woods after you leave the nursing home, so you might as well go that way and find some extra collectibles while you are on the way to the nursery rhyme.
When you enter the boatyard, the nursery rhyme can be found on the wooden dock. If you are coming in from the woods, the dock is on the far side of the boatyard. If you go through the main gate, the dock is on the left as you walk into the area.
What is the Boatyard nursery rhyme in Alan Wake 2?
As is usually the case with the nursery rhyme collectibles in this game, the rhyme tells another creepy story. This one revolves around little monsters and reads as follows:
“Five little Monsters out on the sea
Compelling to see who the winner will be
They rocked their boats to find out who floats
Until one little monster did fall
Mama called out to the Sea and cried
And the Sea she replied:
“On the bottom they will rot if they will not stop rocking their boats.”
It would seem that the sea has had quite enough of the little monsters misbehaving on their boat in this nursery rhyme, and I can respect that. Children and little monsters alike can be the absolute worst.
What dolls do you need to solve the Boatyard nursery rhyme in Alan Wake 2?
You will need two dolls to complete this nursery rhyme: the Monster doll and the Mother doll. These can be found in the Watery area, which appears earlier in the game. You can return to Watery, but if you collect the dolls when you are there, you can avoid having to backtrack in order to solve the nursery rhyme. With this in mind, let’s take a look at where you need to go to find these dolls.
The Monster Doll
The Monster doll is up to the north in Watery, in the ranger cabin. There is a nursery rhyme in the Watery ranger cabin that requires the Monster doll to solve it, so if you already completed that rhyme whilst in Watery, then you should have the doll in your inventory (as long as you remember to collect it after solving it).
The Mother Doll
The Mother doll can only be collected once the floodwaters have receded in Watery, which will happen when you have progressed in the story. This happens before the trip to the Valhalla Nursing Home, so you will have done this if you have reached the nursing home anyway. Both the Mother doll and the Child doll can be found on a bench near the wharf in the Watery Lighthouse trailer park. The bench is on the far side of the trailer park.
How to solve the Boatyard nursery rhyme in Alan Wake 2
To solve this nursery rhyme, you will need to place the Mother doll on the chalk drawing of the waves to symbolize the mother character in the rhyme calling out to the sea. The Monster doll needs to be placed on the boat to represent the little monsters who are out at sea.
You might think that the Child doll needs to be used here, seeing as the little monsters seem to be a representation of children if the mother character is anything to go by. However, you will only need the two dolls to complete the puzzle.
Where is the reward for completing the Boatyard nursery rhyme in Alan Wake 2?
Once you have put the dolls in the right place, the environment will change and there will now be a trail of darkness leading off of the dock. Follow it, and it will take you further into the boatyard.
At this point, you will need to prepare yourself for a fight. Remember the five little monsters from the nursery rhyme? Well, they’re not so little anymore, and they are now out for your blood.
You will have to face down five Taken, so make sure that you are fully stocked up on ammo and health items. They aren’t too tough to take on individually, but if they start to crowd you in a group, it can be hard to get away. The dodge button is your best friend in this fight, as each of the Taken will be hitting you with everything that they have got, and it can be hard to get in a shot at times. If you aren’t sure you can make your shot count before another one of Taken attacks you, don’t take the risk. Just keep dodging until you get a better opening.
When you have beaten all five of the little monsters, keep following the shadow trail. It will lead you to an abandoned boat, and the Charm reward will be in an orange box next to it.
What is the reward for completing the Boatyard nursery rhyme in Alan Wake 2?
For completing the boatyard nursery rhyme, you will receive the Anchor Charm for Saga’s bracelet. This charm gives you the chance to stun your enemies when you use your flashlight boost on them.
You will find yourself boosting your flashlight onto enemies frequently in the game, as you need to do so to remove the darkness from them and make them vulnerable to your gunfire. Having a chance to stun your enemies as you boost your flashlight can be incredibly helpful during combat, so make sure to equip the Charm if this sounds like it would be a handy tool for you as you play.
This can be particularly useful when paired with the Lantern Charm, which increases the charge that you get on Saga’s flashlight. Put them together to make your flashlight all the more powerful.
Final thoughts on the Boatyard nursery rhyme in Alan Wake 2
Whilst this nursery rhyme isn’t too difficult to figure out, you will need to take part in a particularly hard fight in order to claim your reward. The fight is tough because the enemies have strength in numbers, so be prepared before you solve the nursery rhyme so that the Taken don’t catch you off guard.
The Anchor Charm is a useful Charm to equip to Saga’s bracelet as well, thanks to it adding the ability to potentially stun enemies with your flashlight boost. The flashlight is a tool that you are going to be using often as you play through Alan Wake 2, so any upgrades that you can get for it are always welcome.
So long as you are ready to go into a gunfight when you have completed the boatyard nursery rhyme, and you make use of your dodge ability, you should be able to kill the Taken in the area and collect the Anchor Charm without too much difficulty. The Anchor Charm is definitely worth the extra effort, so I would suggest that you solve this nursery rhyme as soon as you can to make your fights with the Taken easier.
