How to Defeat Nightingale in Alan Wake 2

Returning to Bright Falls 13 years after the events of the original, players will be tasked with investigating a spate of brutal murders. After a brief introduction, you’ll come up against an eerie foe. So, for those wondering how to defeat Nightingale in Alan Wake 2, here’s what you’ll need to do.

How to Kill Nightingale in Alan Wake 2

In total, you’ll encounter Nightingale twice during the game, and each confrontation shakes out a little differently.

First Encounter

When the first Nightingale combat encounter begins, head into the pool of light in front of you. Standing in the light heals you up until around the 20% mark and it also has the added benefit of camouflaging you from the former FBI agent. In other words, when you’re in the light, he won’t be able to see you. However, as soon as you step outside of the light, you’ll be vulnerable.

Do note that even if Nightingale is far away from you, if he sees you outside of the light, he can suddenly materialize right next to you and kill you in one hit.

Once you’ve healed, wait until Nightingale has walked past you and you’ll hear Saga Anderson say: “Gotta move, now.” This is your cue to go grab your pistol from the hallway.

Don’t take the door on the left, as it’s a dead end. Instead, make sure to take the door on your right. Proceed down the corridor and the pistol is on the floor in front of you. Press the X button on PS5 or the A button on Xbox to pick up the gun. It’s pretty dark in the corridor, so if you need to switch on your flashlight, press the Circle/B button.

As Nightingale approaches you, defeat him by using the L2 and R2 buttons to aim and shoot. After around five or six rounds, the eerie monster will be defeated — well for now, anyway — marking the end of the first chapter of the game.

Second Encounter

Once you enter the Overlap, you’ll soon come up against a second boss encounter with Nightingale. This fight is less scripted and more focused on taking him down using a combination of the dodge button, your torch, and your guns. Here are a few tips to help you overcome this monster:

• Focus your torch light on Nightingale to burn away his Darkness Shield and expose the red weak point on his body (referred to in-game as a Source Point).
• Aiming and shooting at the red weak point will deal additional damage so make sure to exploit this. Remember to use both your shotgun and your pistol.
• Nightingale can teleport forward quickly, and spawn right next to you, so be ready to dodge with L1.
• If he grabs you, press X/ A repeatedly to shine the torch in his face and make him drop you.
• As he attacks with his oversized branch, press L1 to dodge out of the way. He’ll telegraph his swing, so when he lifts it up, get ready to dodge.
• Also, when you’ve been knocked to the floor, remember to press L1 to dodge his follow-up attack.
• Soon into the fight, Nightingale will transform into a big red typhoon, and you’ll have to start running away from it. However, be careful as the fight is not yet properly over. Instead, Nightingale will pop out of the bushes and attack you when you least expect it. Use your torch and weaponry to keep him at bay.
• Next, on your way through the woods, you’ll pass by several red boxes with pistol bullets and a battery pack hanging on trees or hidden in the foliage on the ground. There’s also one red box nestled between rocks with more pistol bullets and a battery pack as well. Make sure to grab them as you’re going to need them!
• When you’re injured remember to heal yourself with Trauma Pads to keep your health topped up.
• Focusing your torch’s beam often stops Nightingale in his tracks and is a great way to buy yourself some time and get a few more shots in.

Once you’ve unloaded around 25 or so pistol bullets and four or five shotgun shells into him, you’ll prevail in this battle. Just be patient, time your dodges well, aim for his red weak spots, keep using your torch to burn away his darkness shield, and you’ll soon put this monster six feet under. Good luck!

And with that, it’s a wrap for our guide on how to defeat Nightingale in Alan Wake 2. For more, feel free to explore our related coverage below. And as always, for more tips, tricks, and news, you’re in safe hands at Twinfinite.