Alan Wake 2 Cult Stash locations and how to solve them

Alan Wake 2 cult stashes - Saga is looking at a plastic crate on the beach
(Image credit: Remedy)

If you're looking for Cult Stashes in Alan Wake 2, you've come to the right place. These containers are filled with ammo, health items, and batteries, so it's worth your time working out how to get into them so you can stockpile as many items as you can. 

Most of these containers are secured with a combination padlock and you'll need to figure out the correct numbers by the clue left on the note on the lid. Once you work it out and get inside to the goodies, you'll usually get a sinister-sounding note too, just in case you were starting to relax. Still, if you're curious and want to know where to find a Cult Stash, as well as how to solve them, here are the ones I've found so far.

Alan Wake 2 Cult Stash locations 

The puzzle on each stash is different, so while one may have you running around looking at painted rocks, another may have you working out maths problems. If your brain is already melted from the jump scares, the solutions are listed below too.

Cauldron Lake Cult Stash locations

(Image credit: Remedy)
  1. On the beach after first arriving there during the story. Interact with the lock and the correct keys will light up on the keypad in order. Copy the sequence to access the stash.
  2. Near the picnic table when you head west from the Witch's Hut, which isn't accessible until you're able to explore the previously flooded area. This one has a photo of a light bulb on the lid. Use your torch to see yellow arrows painted onto nearby trees. Follow the arrows to find the Streamside stash key.
  3. Close to the river next to the Private Cabin. The note says "Rock, rock, tree". Use your torch to see three sums nearby. The first is on the rock next to you, another on the tree to your left, and the last is on a rock on the opposite side of the river (you'll need to go to the other side to find it). The answer is 658.
  4. Right next to the murder site, just to the south. The combination on this padlock has symbols instead of numbers. Head into the trailer home behind the stash. Look for the symbol above the sink in the bathroom, then the one on the side of the fridge freezer, then lastly, the symbol in the bedroom.

Watery Cult Stash locations

(Image credit: Remedy)
  1. At the end of a thin path at the northeast of the Watery map. This one is another that lights up the keypad in a certain order. Repeat the sequence to open the lock.
  2. Outside the Watery Hunting shack in the northeast section of the map. The note mentions a crossbow and nearby there are numbers with crossbow bolts stuck in them: the number with one bolt is the first number, two bolts the second, then three the third to give you the combination of 527. You're rewarded with a crossbow.
  3. Next to the Ferris Wheel in Coffee World. You need to look at the numbers of the "cups" with stripes, and then use them in ascending order for the code. The numbers you need are 147.
  4. Near the Huotari Well, also at Coffee World in Watery. There's a picture of a grinning face and a note on the top which reads "What hides behind the smile". Look for the grinning cup statue nearby and you'll find the key on the ground behind it.
  5. This stash is found near the Watery Lighthouse. This padlock has symbols rather than numbers. Use your flashlight around the immediate area to reveal Roman numerals telling you which order to use the symbols to get the lock open.
  6. Find this one close to Saga's trailer once you've cleared the overlap in the area to make the flooding recede. You'll need to find a missing key: look for the telegraph pole to the right of the stash. You can use the wooden ramp leaning on the blue bin to reach the key.

Bright Falls Cult Stash locations

(Image credit: Remedy)
  1. At the end of the path that leads directly west of the save room, to the left of Bunker Woods. This stash is behind a large rock. Watch the keypad light up and copy the correct sequence to open it.
  2. This stash is to the south of the save room, in the back of a truck. You'll need to dust off your math skills for this one. Melt your brain trying to figure out the puzzle or I can tell you the answer. The solution is 177.
Sarah James
Senior Guides Writer

Sarah started as a freelance writer in 2018, writing for PCGamesN, TechRadar, GamingBible, Red Bull Gaming and more. In 2021, she was offered a full-time position on the PC Gamer team where she takes every possible opportunity to talk about World of Warcraft and Elden Ring. When not writing guides, most of her spare time is spent in Azeroth—though she's quite partial to JRPGs too. One of her fondest hopes is to one day play through the ending of Final Fantasy X without breaking down into a sobbing heap. She probably has more wolves in Valheim than you.

Read more
black ops 6 safe codes
All Black Ops 6 safe code locations and solutions in the campaign
KCD 2 treasure map - Henry reading a map in front of a ruin
All treasure map locations in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Avowed treasure maps - A scenic third-person shot of a character with a shield on his back looking out across a desert landscape.
All treasure map locations and rewards in Avowed
Avowed Captain Henqua's Spoils treasure map location - A shot of a large archway constructed over a river during nighttime.
Captain Henqua’s Spoils treasure map solution in Avowed
Avowed Practical Pockets treasure map location - A scenic shot of the Ranger Headquarters tower in Emerald Stair at night.
Practical Pockets treasure map solution in Avowed
Stalker 2 unique weapons - Shotgun
All Stalker 2 unique weapons and where to find each
Latest in Survival & Crafting
Man facing camera
The Day Before studio reportedly sues Russian website for calling infamous disaster-game a 'scam'
Sunset in the desert in Hello Sunshine
Hello Sunshine is a desert survival sandbox where you live in the literal shadow of the colossus
Performers acting as zombies are seen on a train coach during the "Train to Apocalypse" event as part of the Pandora Box Artmire Festival 2024 held to attract commuters to ride the city's rapid transit system LRT (light rapid transit), in Jakarta on July 11, 2024. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO / AFP) (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP via Getty Images)
Venerable browser-based MMO Urban Dead is closing this week after a 20-year run, not with a bang but with a whimper
Wearing a hazmat suit, a Rust player proudly holds up a freshly cooked pie, foregrounded by a table covered with pies and a large pumpkin on the left.
Rust's crafting update gives the survival sim real-time food cooking and pies to rival Monster Hunter, but the tastiest treat is the ability to make and throw 'bee grenades'
A pig, a cow, and two birds dance
Minecraft Live returns in March with everyone's favorite kind of content: 'exclusive movie content'
An explosion in a desert environment
Survival sandbox Core Keeper gets explosive next week with a whole new skill tree devoted to bombs and grenades
Latest in Features
Geralt, two swords on his back, in the wilderness
2011 was an amazing comeback year for PC gaming
Alligator skull with glowing eyes on human body and cords coming out sitting at piano with "The Norwood Etudes" ready to play
My new most anticipated RPG let me be a kleptomaniac gourmand set loose in a noir city on a quest to make 'the perfect sandwich'
Monster Hunter Wilds' stockpile master studying a manifest
Monster Hunter Wilds' new gyro controls are a fantastic option for disabled and able-bodied players alike
Manhunt 2
I played the notoriously ratings-board-ravaged Manhunt 2 and was quite glad for the censorship actually
A busy marketplace in The Bazaar.
The Bazaar could be the future of autobattlers, if it stops strangling itself to death with its own microtransactions
Marvel Rivals characters - Hulk with his hands out as if he's grabbing the camera.
Marvel Rivals' growing roster of heroes scares me, but the game's director seems sure that all is under control: 'Everything is progressing smoothly'