How to Beat Cynthia Weaver in Alan Wake 2

The woman known as the Lady of the Lamp in 2010 is back, but this time she’s much less helpful. Here’s everything you need to know about how to beat Cynthia Weaver in Alan Wake 2.

Where to Find Cynthia Weaver in Alan Wake 2

In “Return 5: Old Gods,” protagonist Saga learns that while Cynthia Weaver spent most of her life pushing back The Dark Presence that consumed her beloved Thomas Zane, old age was not kind. As the mistakes mounted and her attention to detail began to slip, the powers of darkness came knocking, possessing her in a bid to kill Tor Anderson. After Cynthia drags the rocker through an Overlap, Saga is tasked with pursuing them with the goal of rescuing the curmudgeonly musician. Of course, that’s much easier said than done.

Related: Do You Need to Play Alan Wake 1 & Control Before Alan Wake 2?

Once you’re inside the Overlap itself, which can be activated by tracking down and playing a particular record in the Valhalla Nursing Home, you needn’t worry about Cynthia. She’ll only become a problem towards the end when Saga enters into a massive pump room with a central console. Tor will start shambling towards you before The Dark Place shifts and submerges him underwater. Your job is to drop the water levels and defeat Cynthia, who is swimming around and waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

How to Beat Phase 1 of Cynthia Weaver in Alan Wake 2

The first thing to worry about is restoring power to the pumping facility because Alan Wake 2 LOVES turning off the power at the most inopportune moments. To do that, Saga will need to get her feet wet. Leave the central chamber and wade into the water, turning right as you do so.

If you spend too long in the deep, the water around you will begin to ripple and shimmer, indicating that something (or someone) is swimming towards you. If you get caught, enjoy burning a bunch of medical supplies to heal up. While it’s eerie, Cynthia’s not too difficult to avoid. Saga can stay in the water longer than you expect but to prevent drowning, you’ll want to run towards and clamber up the little islands of debris dotted around the place. Some will require you to mantle them while others have a small slope for easy accessibility.

Keep moving right until you come across a rusted fence. When you’re there, turn left and you’ll see an opening in the wall. Climb through it and you’ll be in an antechamber surrounding the pump room. The same rules apply here: Keep dipping in and out of the water while running to the left. Eventually, on the right side of the curved corridor, you’ll find a generator. Turn that bad boy on before climbing back into the pump room and running for the central console. Flip the switch and the water will disappear, leaving Cynthia exposed.

Related: How to Close Cases in Saga’s Mind Place in Alan Wake 2

Just as a side note, you’ll be able to hear Tor exclaiming that doesn’t have a great deal of time left and that this is the end for him. Chalk it up to an old man exaggerating, I took quite a while when I first tried this and he didn’t die no matter how long I spent scrounging for resources.

How to Beat Phase 2

Now that the water level’s dropped, Cynthia has nowhere to hide. Leave the central console and loop around to the right to find a rusted staircase leading down one level. Jog on down and get your trigger finger nice and itchy.

Run around this chamber for a moment, opening any containers you find to stock up on meds and ammo until Cynthia eventually decides that she’s finished giving you the slip. The environment will change once again, switching to a flooded room with metal panels leaning against pipes everywhere. Cynthia will appear, floating around like a woman possessed. Literally.

Because you fiddled with the lights, she’s lost her darkness shield so you can just unload. If you managed to unlock the rifle in the Valhalla Nursing Home, I STRONGLY recommend using it here. It does a massive amount of damage if you hit her in the head and given how much she likes to move around the room, it eliminates any range restrictions. If you can get close enough, the sawed-off shotgun is also effective. Use your pistol only when you need to and avoid the crossbow, it’s just too slow for this encounter.

Related: How to Close Cases in Saga’s Mind Place in Alan Wake 2

Cynthia has two main attacks: A close-range explosion and a long-range projectile. Both are fairly self-explanatory. If you stand too close to her, she’ll curl up into a ball and explode in a flash of darkness, sending Saga sprawling. Stand too far away, she’ll hurl balls of dark energy that have a slight homing effect to them.

My advice, since you hopefully have the rifle equipped, is to play the long game. There’s enough cover in this room that it’s easy to duck in and out of the propped-up metal grates and take potshots at Cynthia while avoiding her blasts.

After you’ve done enough damage to her, she’ll drop to the ground and gain a shield of darkness. You know what to do now. Burn it off and avoid her when she charges erratically in your direction. She’ll take several swipes at you in a room so knock her off balance with the sawed-off or duck out the way. A few well-placed headshots will send her flying, killing her in the process. It’s kinda tragic, honestly.

With Cynthia dead, you’re free to rescue Tor and escape the Overlap into reality. Time to learn more about The Clicker.

And that’s how you beat Cynthia Weaver in Alan Wake 2.

If you’re looking for more, check out whether you should play as Saga or Alan in Alan Wake 2.