Alan Wake 2: How to Open the Streamside Stash

In Alan Wake 2, Cult Stashes range from barely locked to heavily secure, and their contents are better off in Saga’s hands than the cultists. Here’s how to open the Streamside Stash in Alan Wake 2.

Cultist Opsec: How to Open The Streamside Stash in Alan Wake 2

We’ll need to discuss some slight spoilers for the first couple of chapters of Alan Wake 2 before we can talk about the Streamside Stash.

Specifically, you won’t be able to get near it until you’ve cleared the game’s first big boss fight, at the end of Saga’s second chapter, The Heart. Nightingale’s (second) demise also lowers the local water level, for symbolism reasons, which lets you explore parts of the Cauldron Lake map that weren’t accessible before.

Before you head back to Saga’s car, you can explore Cauldron Lake to solve a couple of nursery rhymes, collect charms, and scoop up a bunch of new loot. This includes a couple of new Cult Stashes.

The Streamside Stash is named for its key, which might be the only case in the entirety of AW2 where you’re more likely to find the clue/key item for a Stash before you stumble across the Stash itself.

Where to Find the Streamside Stash Key

The key in question can be found in the campsite west of the Witch’s Hut, roughly around the center-west of the Cauldron Lake map. While you’ll likely end up in a couple of fights if you come here, you may also notice that several nearby rocks are labeled with reflective tape.

These arrows can guide you to the Streamside Stash Key, which is in plain sight on a boulder on the campsite’s west side.

I’ve found that AW2 is good at getting you to overthink a solution. What tripped me up is that there’s a part of the Cauldron Lake map that’s labeled “Streamside,” so you’d expect the Streamside Stash to be up there, by the Witchfinder Station.

It isn’t. Instead, the Streamside Stash is roughly to the north of where you found the Streamside Stash Key, next to the wrecked tent (marked above). It’s not easy to spot on a blind run.

If you miss the Streamside Stash and/or Key on your first trip to Cauldron Lake, go ahead and continue through the game. In the third chapter of Saga’s route, Local Girl, your investigation eventually leads you to a document that reveals all the Stashes throughout Bright Falls, Cauldron Lake, and Watery. That lets you freely backtrack, once you have both the screwdriver and bolt cutters, to clear out all the loot that’s left at the Lake.

Like most Stashes, the Streamside Stash contains an assortment of useful resources, like ammunition and batteries. Be sure to visit a Shoebox before you open it so you have the inventory space to take everything with you.

That’s how to open the Streamside Stash in Alan Wake 2. For more tips and tricks, check out our dedicated guide hub.

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