Deep into the story, you will find yourself as Alan stumbling around the backlot of the Poet’s Cinema. For some, this is where progress may grind to a halt. If you’re stuck in the ‘Out in the Night’ Plot Board section of Alan Wake 2, here’s what to do.
Alan Wake 2 introduces the Plot Board mechanic early on in the game. It’s Alan’s best weapon against the Dark Presence, allowing him to rewrite a scene and further progress the story. In the chapter, Initiation 8: Zane’s Film, Alan finds himself at the Poet’s Cinema where he must make his way through a theater and end up on its rooftop. But before he can get there, you must first figure out the Out in the Night Plot Board section, which has left some Alan Wake 2 players a tad stuck.
How to stop being stuck in the Out in the Night section
You eventually will find your way to the backlot of the cinema, where you can save in the ‘Prop Storage’ Safe Room. You have several options to pick in the Plot Board: Clip of the Lost Film, The Cult of the Word, and New York’s Finest. If you choose Cult of the Word, Alan gets a startling hint that he should make it to the roof. It becomes your goal, but how do you get there from here?
Go back to the Plot Board and change the scene to New York’s Finest. A police car will appear in the backlot, along with an optional Echo. Use the Angel Lamp to pull the light from the car.
Standing near the car, look back in the direction of the safe room. A new barrier with the word ‘LOST’ has appeared. Go around the barrier and turn left. Walk until you get to the wall with the ‘FIND ALICE’ graffiti.
Turn back toward the police car and angle Alan until you see the icon to use the Angel Lamp again.
Return the light to the car and turn around. You’re locked inside that small area, but a door leading to a stairwell has opened. Walk up the stairs and then climb the ladder to the right of the stairwell exit to reach the roof.
Out in the Night bug
There is a known bug in the Out in the Night section that’s leaving players truly stuck, preventing them from making any progress in Alan Wake 2. Sadly, as great as I think this game is, it’s admittedly a tad buggy. If you’re experiencing any progression-halting bugs in this section, you may not be able to do anything until a patch comes out. Here are a couple of steps to consider:
- Quit the game and reload the save
- Load an earlier save or checkpoint
- Reinstall the game
If those options don’t work, then you won’t have much choice beyond waiting for Remedy Entertainment to release a patch.
If you’re running around the Poet’s Cinema, be sure to keep our Words of Power guide open while hunting down those hard-to-find Words.
