Alan Wake 2: Words of Power upgrades to get first

In Alan Wake 2, words have the power to change reality. Collect the right words, and you can boost Alan’s stats.

The Words of Power are found when playing as Alan. Turn on your flashlight and look for yellow arrows on the wall or other surfaces. Follow the arrows and you’ll eventually find a swirl of words. Shine your flashlight at it, and you’ll acquire a new Word of Power. This guide will let you know which perks you should be aiming for first in Alan Wake 2.

Words of Fix

These words will help improve Alan’s health, making him able to take more damage when he’s attacked by the Taken. You have three perks to choose from, and it’s wise to start by upgrading the Wellness Retreat which will increase Alan’s maximum health. Afterwards, you can upgrade the other two perks:

• God Rays – Increases max amount of health restored in Safe Havens
• Wheels Within Wheels – Restores health when a new Word of Power is found

Words of Gun

As you might predict, these words will improve Alan’s gun skills. Start by upgrading the Sunny Skies perk. This increases the area of effect of Flare Gun projectiles, allowing you to kill out more Taken at once. The other two perks are:

• Personal Space – Increases knockback force of Alan’s shotgun
• Roulette – Increases the odds of not consuming ammo when firing Alan’s revolver

Words of War

Words of war will grant you perks during combat. Goes Around is the best first option, as restores some of your health every time you land a direct hit with a flare gun. The other perks are:

• Paint the Town – Increase double-barrel shotgun damage when hitting multiple enemies with one shot
• Full Stop – Increases damage dealt by the last bullet in your revolver

Words of Stuff

These are miscellaneous upgrades that don’t fit into any other categories. They’re all pretty good, but you should probably grab the Magic Pocket first, as it increases Alan’s inventory space. Grab these perks as well.

• Battery – Adds extra charge to Alan’s flashlight
• Tourist Map – Marks nearby points of interest and resources on Alan’s map.

Words of Aid

You’ll want to grab the ER perk first when it comes to Words of Aid. It increases the effectiveness of Trauma Pads. The other two perks are:

• Prescription – Increases effect duration of Painkillers
• Torchbearer – Increases Hand Flare’s area of effect and duration

Words of Action

Do you want to hit harder? Collect Words of Action. It’s Personal is the best perk to grab first, as it increases the damage you deal to enemies in close range. Afterward, grab the remaining perks:

• Never There – Make Alan harder for enemies to detect
• Turning Tables – Decrease damage dealt by Darkness Projectiles

Words of Lamp

Lastly, we have the Words of Lamp. These perks are all related to light. THe best one is Lucky Strike which gives you a chance to regain a Flashlight Charge when killing an enemy. The remaining two perks are:

• Main Attraction – Restores some health when you use Flashlight Boost on hostile Taken
• In the Headlights – Using Flashlight Boost has a chance to stun foes

Saga doesn’t have Words of Power, but there are charms you can use to give her perks. Manuscript fragments are also used to upgrade her weapons.