Soon after arriving in Bright Falls, Saga and Casey visit the scene of a grisly killing. It’s that crime that brought the FBI to town in the first place, kickstarting the action in Alan Wake 2. Unraveling the truth behind the crime is just one thing you’ll be busy with in Remedy Entertainment’s new game, however. The developer has an eye for puzzles, and one of the most common types is stashes. These locked cases contain a variety of valuable collectibles that make surviving much easier. You’ll find your first near the crime scene, and we’ll help you understand how to get this stash open in Alan Wake 2.
Finding the Crime Scene Stash in Alan Wake 2
A short distance from the crime scene, you’ll find a small clearing. The stash is located beside the picnic bench opposite the house. Unfortunately, it’s sealed with a combination lock marked with mysterious symbols. The good news is there’s a helpful hint in the form of a note stuck to the top. Its instructions are a bit confusing, but with some puzzling, you can figure out their hidden meaning. The note lists three steps to follow:
- Wash hands
- Take chicken out of Fridge
- Take a nap
To get started with your first puzzle in Alan Wake 2, make your way through the open door and into the house opposite the crime scene stash. This brilliant survival horror game is going to get rough, so you’ll want all the help you can get.
Sink Symbol
The house is in disarray, and inside, you’ll find strange symbols scrawled on the walls and furniture. If you’re paying attention, you may notice that these symbols match the ones on the stash lock. Unfortunately, there are more symbols in the house than there are available positions on the lock, which means you’ll need to figure out which ones are important. “Wash hands” is your first clue. The symbol above the sink is the first piece of the code.
Fridge Symbol
Your second clue is “take chicken out of Fridge.” You’ll find the second clue painted in red on the side of the refrigerator. You only need one more to solve the first crime scene stash in Alan Wake 2. Ignore the other symbols painted on the walls and make your way to the bedroom at the back of the house. If you plan on screenshotting these symbols for later, you may need to tweak your graphics settings to get the proper brightness.
Bed Symbol
The final clue is “take a nap,” and you’ll find the last symbol painted above the bed. Now that you have all three symbols, you can head back outside to the stash. Casey is still waiting for you to wrap things up at the crime scene, and you don’t want to keep him waiting, after all.
Enter the Code
Enter the three symbols on the coded padlock to open the stash. Once you’ve done so, the padlock will open, and the contents of the stash are yours. It contains a healing item and pistol ammunition, resources that can get pretty scarce by the end of the game. With the stash open and its loot in hand, you’re ready to finish up at the crime scene and see what else Alan Wake 2 has in store.
To put things briefly, the correct combination to open the Crime Scene Stash in Alan Wake 2 is:
- Sink
- Fridge
- Bed
Note that you must enter the symbols in the order of the hints that led to their discovery.
Alan Wake 2 is available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X?S.
