Alan Wake 2: How to Get the Bolt Cutters

Whether you’re walking through Bright Falls, Watery, or any of the other areas in Remedy’s survival-horror sequel, you’ll run into several locked doors and gates that require a special tool to get through. Here’s how to get the bolt cutters in Alan Wake 2. 

Where to Find the Bolt Cutters Location in Alan Wake 2

You can find the bolt cutters during Saga’s Return Chapter 5: Old Gods. In this section, you’ll learn more about Saga’s family, her Mind Place, and how the Dark Presence works. The bolt cutters are locked away in the Overlap portion of this chapter, so you’ll have to do the following first:

• Go to the Valhalla Nursing Home.
• Complete the “Find Tor” questline.
• Retrieve the record required for the Valhalla Nursing Home Overlap Ritual.
• Use the record to complete the ritual.
• Enter the Overlap through the pond.

Like previous Overlap sequences, you’ll be stuck in a flooded area where repeating pathways trap you in a loop. Continue following and breaking the loop, and Saga will eventually hear Cynthia in the distance.

Where to Find the Key for the Locked Metal Cabinet

As we discovered during Alan’s chapter at the Talk Show Studio, you can play with light to manipulate the environment. So, walk up to the room’s light switch and follow these steps:

• Flip the power switch to turn on the light. The room you’re in will change.
• Turn around and go through the new doorway to your right.

In the new room, you’ll find a second light switch and a locked door that requires bolt cutters to get through.

• Walk straight ahead to the back wall and flip the second power switch.
• The room layout is altered, adding cabinets and desks.
• From the switch, head to your right, and you’ll see a desk next to a set of filing cabinets.
• Open the left drawer of the desk. Grab the keys inside.

Now it’s time to return to the bolt cutters’ room by following those steps in reverse:

• Head back to the second power switch and turn off the light.
• The room will revert back to its original state.
• Go back through the doorway to the first power switch and turn off the light there, too.

Now, you should be back at your starting point next to the metal locker. Open it with the key and add the bolt cutters to your inventory. You’ll also receive the trophy/achievement: Cut Short. 

I cheered when I finally found these because it meant I could go back and open all those mysterious, locked places in previous areas. I was particularly excited to head back to Cauldron Lake to explore the rental cabins, as well as downtown Bright Falls, to unlock the gates I saw at the beginning of my playthrough.

That covers how to get the bolt cutters in Alan Wake 2. Depending on how often you switch realities between Alan and Saga’s stories, you might get this tool later than I did. Since the game lets you hop back and forth freely, I decided to power through Saga’s story for a bit before returning to the Dark Place. For more tips and tricks, peruse our dedicated AW2 guides hub.