Alan Wake 2's third chapter starring Saga will close with a chase into the Overlap after the Clicker, pursuing cult members Mulligan and Thornton. After proceeding into the Overlap and completing the loop, players will ascend the hill again to face off against the two Taken townsfolk in the finale of Return: Chapter 3.
Alan Wake 2: Tips on How to Beat Nightingale
Take down the first boss in Remedy Entertainment's Alan Wake 2, FBI Agent Robert Nightingale.
Preparing for the Mulligan and Thornton Fight
Taking out Mulligan and Thornton in Alan Wake 2 will require players to use a variety of weapons and tools in rapid succession, as enemies will spawn at varying distances from the player and have firearms capable of hitting Saga and dropping her health rapidly. At the same time, players will need to navigate the fight arena in search of orbs that need to be destroyed using the flashlight charge attack.
Players should have the crossbow before this point, and it is highly recommended to rely on the crossbow as much as possible while navigating Waterly and the Coffee World amusement park and save shotgun shells and pistol ammo for the fight against Mulligan and Thornton. Be sure to upgrade and quick slot weapons and healing items to quickly alternate between long-range and close-range damage or quickly restore health if shot - Thornton's rifle and Mulligan's shotgun are both incredibly powerful. They can kill Saga in only a few shots.
When players first climb into the arena, they will hear Mulligan and Thornton talking before they climb up out of the well - take note of the red flare as it will trace the location of the cultists to help indicate to players where shots are coming from and whether cultists are in the arena with them or on the ledges above. Players will see the cultists emerge from the ladder in the well, and the fights will begin.
Tips for Beating Mulligan and Thornton
Once the fight begins, several orbs will spawn around the arena. Start by destroying the first orb hanging directly above the well with the charged flashlight attack. One of the cultists will emerge directly in front of players; typically, Thornton will emerge first and take shelter in the trees on the ledges above the arena. If Mulligan appears first, players should take a few moments to drop him - it won't take more than a crossbow headshot and a few shotgun blasts. Once he goes down, Thornton will spawn in and take to the trees.
Alan Wake 2
- Released
- October 27, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Remedy Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Epic Games
- Franchise
- Alan Wake
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
With Thornton firing from the trees, players will want to turn their attention to finding the remaining five dark orbs in the arena and destroying them with the flashlight, as Mulligan and Thornton will keep respawning while the orbs remain. While players are running around the area, Thornton is much easier to deal with compared to Mulligan, who will also integrate grabs, throws, and melee attacks into his attack pattern in addition to close-range shotgun shots. Saga can easily dodge Thornton's rifle shots by timing dodge presses with the sound of his rifle chambering a round - Thornton will typically proceed to shoot twice after loading the weapon before taking a short pause. Dodge a half-second after the round chambers, take a step, then dodge again.
If players can get the timing on this pattern down, they can easily navigate the arena and destroy all the orbs. If players do take a shot or two, quickly swap to a healing item and use the break to restore the lost health.
Once all the orbs are destroyed, the real Mulligan and Thornton will emerge from the well and attack Saga simultaneously. Use the shotgun to quickly drop Mulligan - one crossbow bolt and four shotgun shots in the upper body and face should take him down on Normal difficulty.
Once Thornton is the only threat remaining, use the red flare to track his position to the proper ledge and the dodge pattern from the first part of the fight to line up headshots with the crossbow. Two shots will take Thornton down - the fight will end, the next cutscene will play, and chapter 3 will be complete.
Alan Wake 2 is available now on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.