How to Beat the Nightingale Boss in Alan Wake 2

Alan Wake 2 doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to its first boss fight. The first Taken Agents that Saga and Casey encounter is a monstrous foe, so here’s how to beat the Nightingale boss in Alan Wake 2.

How to Prepare for the Nightingale Fight in Alan Wake 2

Alan Wake 2 steadily builds up to the fight between Sagan and Nightingale in its first few hours as the FBI Agents investigate his body and then pursue his reanimated corpse back into the Cauldron Lake forest. Jumping through a series of hoops that involve following Nightingale’s footprints, collecting his literal preserved heart and sacrificing it a mythological witch, Saga will be allowed to enter the Overlap which serves as a point of connection between reality and The Dark Place.

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Enter through the tree known as The Witch’s Ladle, and you’ll be enveloped in an environment that looks familiar but also feels… off. Trudge through the mud and you’ll come across the telltale “supply dump” that’s indicative of a boss fight. Eventually, you’ll come to a small cave, which if you’re brave enough to walk through, will introduce you to Nightingale, who’s BEGGING for a fight. He seems imposing, but he’s not that bad.

Firstly, before we even initiate the fight. You’ll want to add your pistol and sawed-off shotgun to the quick-select slots, since it’s highly likely that you’ll be swapping between them often. If you haven’t found the shotgun yet… Maybe reconsider this fight and back track a bit. You can do it with a pistol but the sawed-off makes the Nightingale fight much easier. Make sure you also add some painkillers and trauma kits to your quick-select menu in the event that things go bad. Finally, check that your weapons are fully loaded and then you’re ready to start.

How to Beat Nightingale in Alan Wake 2

As you exit the cave, Nightingale will appear on the edge of the thicket, ripping out a small tree trunk which will serve as his weapon for the fight. As soon as he has the stump, he’ll dash towards you. Like any other Taken in Alan Wake 2, your first priority is burning the darkness off. Use the Flashlight and enhance the beam to remove his protective layer.

Once it’s dropped, you’ll notice the massive red light in his chest, know as a Source Point. In typical video game fashion, that’s what you want to hit. Bursting it will deal a major amount of damage to Nightingale and cause him to stumble which is idea for a follow-up shot. Just be prepared for a slight jump scare when it explodes. If the red light isn’t present (because you blew it up) aim for the head. Standard practice, even against the minions of The Dark Presence.

While Nightingale’s movements are generally quite slow, he’s twitch enough that landing a decent shot on the Source Point can be tricky. This is why I recommend hunting down the shotgun before this fight. The spread isn’t gigantic, but it’s significantly more effective than your peashooter.

Related: Can You Escape the Killers in Alan Wake 2’s Prologue, Answered

If Nightingale gets to close to Saga, he’ll wind up for a hit. Dodging backwards tends to do the trick but be prepared for a combo. He doesn’t do them often by my experience, but he can string together a couple of hits that can be brutal. His other common attack will see him lunge at Saga with his off hand, picking her up by the throat.

I found the hit detection on this to be a bit wonky, because I was CONVINCED I dodged it on several occasions. Might also just be the shifting trees and branches messing with perspectives. In any case, if he lands grab, mash the action button to shine your flashlight in Nightingale’s face, forcing him to drop you. He’ll be stunned for a split second so fire off a shot or two if you’re bold enough.

Do enough damage and Nightingale will begin the second part of this fight. He’ll disappear, reforming as a swirling mass of darkness accentuated by a red glow that comes hurtling towards Saga. You can’t fight this so turn around and loo for a forest path; there should be one to the right of the cave from which you entered. Run, don’t walk, down this route and eventually the Dark Tornado (or whatever) gives up.

As you continue on the path, you’ll come across a few ice boxes and supply chests that contain ammo and meds, just in case you’re running low. Keep walking forward and Nightingale will routinely attack you from the shadows, striking out with his stump or going for the grab. Given the density of the environment, it can be difficult to figure out where he’ll appear but you’ll be able to hear him before he attacks so make sure those headphones are strapped on nice and tight! The first time he launches a surprise attack, you’ll need to burn the darkness off him again but after that, you’re fine to blast away. Hit him enough times and he’ll vanish, leaving behind a jump-scare to throw you off.

Always remember that if you need to switch to your pistol for whatever reason, hit him in the head. Two headshots, one after the other, will stagger him and buy you a lot of time to reload, heal or just run away. Do enough damage to him and Nightingale will eventually drop the guerilla tactics and come at you head on, smashing his broken tree trunk into the ground to knock Saga to her knees. It’s a quick recovery, so no big deal.

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The final stage of this fight will be a repeat of the first the only difference being that Nightingale is much more aggressive. Do you best to continually stagger him with headshots or Source Point shots, if it reforms. You can dodge his attacks but the claustrophobic nature of the thicket makes it difficult for you to keep tabs on him if you have to turn your back.

Pump enough lead into him and Nightingale will eventually go down. He’ll drop his stump and the ragdoll will take him, indicating that you’ve managed to slay Alan Wake 2‘s first boss fight. Depending on your difficulty, this fight is more a test of endurance and resource management than anything else. It can be grueling but the game hands out enough supplies that it shouldn’t ever feel like you’re holding on by the seat of your pants. Don’t rush, hit the crits and Nightingale will drop sooner than you expect.

And that’s how to beat the Nightingale boss in Alan Wake 2. If you’re looking for more on the game, check out our guide to getting the sawed-off shotgun.