Alan Wake 2 Best Difficulty Settings [All Compared]

Discover which difficulty setting is suited for your playstyle in Alan Wake 2.

When diving into a survival-horror game, it is important to consider what kind of challenges you’re ready to face. Choosing the Alan Wake 2 best difficulty settings depends on your experience with survival games and how much desperation you’re willing to overcome.

Update: A new Nightmare Difficulty mode and New Game+ feature were added to Alan Wake 2 in the new The Final Draft update.

Key Takeaways
  • There are 3 different difficulty settings in Alan Wake 2.
  • Choosing the best difficulty setting will allow you to have optimal resources against your enemies and keep you on the edge of desperation.
  • The disadvantage of choosing the wrong difficulty settings is that you’ll face an overlay challenging environment ruining the game’s experience for you. 

Here is an overview of the best difficulty setting for Alan Wake 2…

Sr. No.SettingDescription
1NormalA good balance between challenging combat but enough resources to survive
2HardExtremely challenging and best suited for experienced survival-game players or those who've completed the game on Normal
3StoryAlmost no challenge in combat and for those that just want to enjoy the narrative and solve mysteries

1. Normal

alan wake 2 best difficulty settings
Alan Wake 2 at Normal Mode Gameplay [image by us]
By far, the best difficulty setting for almost every player who tries Alan Wake 2 is the Normal setting. It is a nice balance between being able to enjoy the story while also having a fair challenge against all of the enemies.

  • Resources aren’t as abundant but aren’t so scarce that you’ll be spending several portions with absolutely no ammo.
  • You will definitely end up in situations where you’re running around with no means of offense, but eventually, you’ll be able to restock yourself.
  • The boss fights on normal are quite fun as you will have to think through each stage and devise a proper strategy for defeating each enemy.
  • Additionally, exploring the world while playing the Normal difficulty feels rewarding as each upgrade you get truly gives a sense of progression.
  • With every upgrade, you’ll be able to overcome each challenge with more ease.
  • By the end of the game, you’ll definitely feel like you’ve come far from where you started.

If you are playing a Survival Game for the first time or just want a relatively smoother experience without something that makes you want to break your controller or yawn, then Normal is a great difficulty option for you. 

2. Hard

best difficulty settings in alan wake 2
Surviving on low resources on Alan Wake 2 Hard Difficulty Setting [screenshot by eXputer]
The next setting, which is enjoyable for many players, especially the veteran survival game players, is hard. In this mode, battles will test your skills.

  • If you don’t use resource management, you won’t last.
  • It’s a good idea first to try the Story or Normal modes to understand the game better.
  • In Hard mode, your weapons won’t be as powerful, and enemies will hit harder.
  • Unlike in Story mode, items will be rare, so use them wisely.
  • Using special weapons and understanding enemy weak points will be crucial.
  • Using Saga’s Charms and Alan’s special words can help you survive battles, so pick them up when you can.
  • Exploring the world for more upgrades will become a must, as you’ll find it extremely hard to survive without it.

Even if you’ve played similar games or other games by Remedy, Hard mode is a challenge. It’s easier if you know the game mechanics, but if you still want to try without experience, be ready for a tough time.

3. Story

story
Abundant Resources on Story mode in [captured by us]
The Story mode in Alan Wake 2 lets you focus on the game’s story without hard battles. Fights in this mode are easy, so you can spend more time exploring and understanding the story.

  • Your weapons in Story mode are powerful, and your enemies are weaker.
  • This means fights are less stressful, letting you enjoy other parts of the game more.
  • Shooting an enemy in its weak spot just once can usually end most fights.
  • There are also special upgrades for Alan and Saga, like Words of Power and Charms, which make the game even easier.
  • You won’t run out of items in Story mode, so no need to save too much.
  • If you’re new to Alan Wake or similar games, Story mode is great. You won’t face hard challenges often.
  • Even if you’ve played other Remedy games, you might like this mode if you just want to enjoy the story without tough fights.
  • Choose Story mode for a relaxed game where you can enjoy the story without hard challenges.

My Experience 

In my Alan Wake 2 playthrough, I played at the Normal difficulty setting, and even that gave me enough of a challenge.

Certain boss fights required multiple runs, while even certain regular areas made me think carefully about my resources. Of course, not everything was difficult; certain encounters were fairly straightforward, and near the end of Alan Wake 2, I did get the hang of it. If you’re just starting out, I would definitely recommend trying Normal mode before considering Hard. 

With that, you know all about the Alan Wake 2 best difficulty settings. There are three different choices available for you, and depending on your playstyle and preference, all three of them do a great job at catering to the different types of players. 

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Atik Younas is a Junior Guides Writer on eXputer with decent experience writing about games. He’s an avid 3D designer and a coding wizard who gets fascinated by the technical aspects of the latest games. He’s got a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and loves enjoying well-written stories and combat mechanics in games. Atik has been playing games for more than 10+ years now. Most notably he has spent 1,000+ hours on GTA V Online and Minecraft! Feel free to get in touch with Atik on his gaming profile at Xbox and PSN. Experience: 2+ Years || Education: Bachelor's in Computer Science || Written 200+ Guides || Mainly Covers Game Strategy Guides on eXputer

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