How to open locked Emergency Boxes in Alan Wake 2

Early in Alan Wake 2, you come across Emergency Boxes with have locks on them. The Emergency lock boxes require a certain tool to unlock so you can get the goodies inside. Here’s how to do it.

How to unlock Emergency Boxes in Alan Wake 2

Emergency Boxes are the red boxes on the side of trees, often found in wooded areas in Alan Wake 2. You start finding these boxes early in the game when exploring Cauldron Lake, but they require a Screwdriver to open. You don’t unlock the Screwdriver until later in the game, however.

You get the Screwdriver during one of Saga’s main missions in Coffee World, a few chapters into the game. Once you have it, you can use Saga’s car to travel back to Cauldron Lake, or anywhere else you found a locked Emergency Box, to open the box and get the goodies inside.

How to open an Emergency Box with the Screwdriver in Alan Wake 2

Once you have the Screwdriver, you can open Emergency Boxes by interacting with the lock and then selecting the Screwdriver from the menu that pops up. A brief cutscene will follow showing Saga cracking open the lock with the tool and it’ll be open.

Emergency Boxes tend to have ammo, batteries, and other useful items inside, so they’re definitely worth opening when you can. I highly recommend hoovering up all the Emergency Box contents you can, particularly as you get towards the end game, as resources become more and more scarce as you go.