Throughout Alan Wake 2, you will discover and have available to them a variety of different charms. These charms modify many of the game’s systems in specific ways, creating the opportunity for less conventional play styles or an aid in making up for whatever weaknesses you might identify in your playstyle as you explore the world of Bright Falls.
These effects can range from influencing the amount of health you can have, to changing the amount of damage they are capable of dealing when undetected. In these ways, charms are an indispensable tool.
In this list, each charm that can be discovered in the game will be ranked from most to least useful. As always, however, certain charms will be more useful to different types of players.
1 Logan’s Charm
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Location: |
Acquired at the beginning of the game |
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Effect: |
Increased health |
The effect of Logan’s Charm is uncomplicated, and as such is possibly the most widely applicable of all the choices of charms in the game. Equipping Logan’s Charm will, to put it simply, increase your health.
More health means a better chance at survival, and more of a safety net if (or rather when) you find yourself in a sticky situation. It’s not too flashy, it’s not too complex, but it does the job and helps across the board. What more could you ask for than that?
2 Lantern Charm
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Location: |
Between Bunker Woods and the Wellness Center |
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Effect: |
Additional flashlight charge |
As with the original game, the flashlight in Alan Wake 2 is an integral tool and one of the main ways you will find yourself interacting with the game world, whether it be exploration or combat. This is because the flashlight is a weapon as much as it is a tool, and can be used to dispatch all manner of enemies with the light it provides.
As such, the aptly named Lantern charm increases the maximum charges accessible by the flashlight, making it a useful and potentially indispensable choice.
3 Valhalla Nursing Home Charm
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Location: |
Beach north of the Ranger Station |
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Effect: |
Increase the effect of painkillers and trauma pads |
When injured in Alan Wake 2, you will have several options at your disposal for tools to rely on in getting back on your feet and back in the fight. Using various items such as painkillers and trauma pads, you can manually restore any health damage that was taken in the heat of the moment.
Thus, the Valhalla Nursing Home charm makes these items even more useful by increasing the amount of lost health these two items restore. Take inventory, heal up, and live to fight another day.
4 Deer Charm
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Location: |
Near the Radio Tower at the deer cascass |
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Effect: |
Increased stagger resistance |
In combat, you can often be staggered or otherwise interrupted by the onslaught of enemies and their attacks. In situations like this, the Deer charm will be particularly of use. The Deer charm, as you might’ve already guessed, increases your resistance towards being staggered by enemies, making them more resilient in the face of attacks.
If you find yourself becoming overwhelmed easily during combat, considering equipping this charm. This, in conjunction with other charms such as Logan’s charm, will go a long way in alleviating combat woes.
5 Lighthouse Charm
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Location: |
On the beach north of the Lighthouse |
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Effect: |
Increases the health restored at safe havens |
While exploring the world of Alan Wake 2, you will occasionally stumble upon locations that are designated as safe havens. These locations are an opportunity to take stock, rest a moment, heal if necessary and generally recover before moving forward.
If equipped, the Lighthouse charm will make these already invaluable areas more helpful by increasing the amount of health you will be able to recover in them. Those who do not find this to be an issue may be better served by skipping this charm in favor of another.
6 Coffee World Token Charm
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Location: |
The fish cleaning station near the wharf |
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Effect: |
Increases the quality and quantity of resources |
In a game like Alan Wake, inventory is everything. The core tenant of the genre of survival horror is one of careful management, planning and execution. The right tool is everything.
The Coffee World Token charm can help to make this cycle easier by generally increasing the amount of resources found, as well as their overall quality. If you are the type of player for whom resource management is a frequent source of stress, consider equipping this charm and reap the rewards.
7 Deerfest Charm
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Location: |
At the trailer park |
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Effect: |
Increases the amount of time it takes before the Darkness Shield begins to regenerate |
Along the way in Alan Wake 2, you will invariably find enemies who are protected by what is called a Darkness Shield. This shield necessitates the use of light, primarily via the flashlight, to weaken the shield before any other damage can be dealt.
What the Deerfest charm does is increase the amount of time before the Darkness Shield begins to regenerate, thus providing you with more valuable time in which you will have the opportunity to put the enemy down for good.
8 Hammer Charm
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Location: |
A picnic table at Cauldron Lake |
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Effect: |
Increased chance to stagger enemies |
Throughout combat situations in Alan Wake 2, specific actions and tactics will offer a chance to temporarily stagger an oncoming enemy. With the use of the Hammer charm, this staggering effect will become more frequent.
Simply put, your attacks will have a higher chance of staggering enemies. This can be useful to give yourself more breathing room, time to reposition or reload, or a chance to escape. If you prefer to tackle your problems head on, this may be a charm worth considering.
9 Kalevala Knight’s Charm
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Location: |
At the birdhouse in Streamside |
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Effect: |
More powerful hand flares |
One item you will frequently come across in Alan Wake 2 is the humble hand flare. Not only is this item a staple of any player’s arsenal, but the Kalevala Knight’s charm will make using it even more useful.
The hand flares function in a way that’s similar to a grenade: when used, the flare will create an area of effect of light that will deter and damage enemies. What the Kalevala Knight’s charm does is increase the duration of the flare, as well as increasing the size of the AoE.
10 Anchor Charm
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Location: |
At the boatyard |
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Effect: |
Focusing the flashlight beam has a chance to stagger enemies |
Similar to the Hammer charm, the Anchor charm offers a slightly more situational, or perhaps one might call it ‘tactical’ effect. When focusing on enemies with the flashlight beam (or boosting), there is a chance that this action will temporarily stun the enemy.
This is a common tactic in the game, but one that requires time to individually focus on one specific enemy for the possibility of a stun at the possible expense of other threats that may be lurking. This may suit some playstyles.
11 Mr. Drippy Charm
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Location: |
At Latte Lagoon in Coffee World |
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Effect: |
Increases damage when health is low |
The Mr. Drippy charm offers a more situational effect, but one that you may still find useful nonetheless. When equipped, the Mr. Drippy charm will increase the amount of damage you can dole out when they are low on health.
As it requires you to already be low on health to use, this charm is more of a safety net and less of a specific-use tool that may enhance other play styles. Nevertheless, some players may find this invaluable, and it still has a useful role to play.
12 Coffee Mug Charm
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Location: |
Can be found in multiple locations |
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Effect: |
Survival a fatal blow, but breaks upon use |
What the humble Coffee Mug charm represents is a simple hope: the chance at one more try. When equipped, any attack that would ordinarily be fatal instead bypasses you, saving you from defeat. On the other hand, upon that vital recovery, the charm will permanently shatter.
What you’re left with is a choice; a risk versus a reward. This makes the Coffee Mug charm an even more extreme version, in a sense, of the Mr. Drippy charm. Is that worth it? Only you can decide.
13 FBC Charm
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Location: |
Inside the Ranger Cabin |
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Effect: |
Increases damage prior to being discovered |
The FBC charm is the ideal choice for sneak attacks, and as such will only provide a use in those specific situations when you already have the upper hand. Once combat starts, the charm will have no effect.
What it will do, however, is increase the amount of damage you can dish out on enemies before they are detected. This makes ambush tactics an even more effective choice, but only to a point. Often times, though, a little foresight can make all the difference in the world.
14 Mayor Setter Charm
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Location: |
Obtained by petting Mayor Setter |
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Effect: |
Reveals the location of all collectibles |
With a considerable portion of the game completed, you may find yourself in possession of the Mayor Setter charm. While this charm offers no real tangible gameplay benefit, it does help those in search of treasure.
With the Mayor Setter charm equipped, the locations of all collectibles will be revealed to you on the map. Equipping this charm will be a great convenience to those in search of these collectibles, but for those without an interest in them or the inclination to have their locations spoiled, it holds little value.