Alan Wake 2: How to switch between Saga and Alan's stories? Alan Wake 2 guide, walkthrough

When playing Alan Wake 2, you may want to switch to another character and play as Alan or continue playing as Saga. In our guide, we explain how the story-switching mechanic works and how to interact with the caretaker's bucket.

Last update: 27 October 2023

While playing Alan Wake 2, you can use the Switching Between Stories mechanic to focus on the chapters of Saga Anderson or the titular writer. This guide page explains how to change the current playable character and where to find the Janitor's buckets.

• How to unlock the character switch option?
• How to use the Janitor's bucket?

How to unlock the character switch option?

There are two playable characters in Alan Wake 2 - the titular Alan and Saga Anderson. For at least the first few hours, free switching between characters will be blocked. You need to:

1. Complete 2 parts of Saga story - Return. You will visit Cauldron Lake and Bright Falls.
2. After the game switches you to Alan's story - Initiation, you must complete its 2 parts. You will visit, among other things, a Talk Show Studio and the subway tunnels in a dark version of New York.

Then, you will return to playing as Saga in Bright Falls again. From this point on switching between stories will become available.

How to use the Janitor's bucket?

1. Switching between playable characters takes place in Break Rooms.
2. It can't be any room where you save the game. You can do that only in those rooms in which a puddle and the Janitor's Bucket appears (example in the picture). You can find an example of such a place for Saga in the Elderwood Palace Lodge in Bright Falls.

1. Stand next to the puddle to make the Switch Reality appear. The current chapter related to the second character will be loaded.
2. From now on, you can change heroes as you wish and, for example, focus on completing most of Alan's story, continue Saga's story, or return to looking for collectibles from a specific location. At certain points in the plot, the game may block this option and force you to pass a specific part of the main storyline.