How to complete the ritual in Alan Wake 2 and reach the murder site

Alan Wake 2 ritual subway — (Image credit: Remedy)

Completing the Alan Wake 2 ritual in the subway to reach the murder site is a pretty involved process that requires you to edit scenes to change the Dark Place. Specifically, you're looking to clear the collapsed tunnel after reaching the End of the Line scene to reach the murder site, but it's pretty confusing at points. I managed to complete the ritual only after quite a bit of stumbling around in Alan Wake 2, getting mauled by angry silhouettes, and I wasn't the only one on the team who had that trouble. Regardless, this guide should help you find your way through the subway and use Alan's Plot Board to complete the ritual in Alan Wake 2, reaching the murder site behind the collapsed tunnel.

How to complete the Alan Wake 2 ritual in the subway

Alan Wake 2 subway collapsed tunnel — (Image credit: Remedy)

To complete the ritual in Alan Wake 2 and clear the collapsed tunnel in the subway is a multi-step process, but it's really only when you reach the End of the Line that it becomes unintuitive about what to do next.

Here's how to complete the ritual in Alan Wake 2:

At the End of the Line, use the Murder Cult inspiration on the Plot Board to edit the scene. It should turn the area red with a wall of pages at the back.
Take a step back and look above the wall of pages to see an Echo, and position yourself with it directly ahead to hear Alex Casey speak.
This Echo will give you a new inspiration for the Plot Board - the Summoning Ritual.

Alan Wake 2 subway ritual — (Image credit: Remedy)

Change the End of the Line to Summoning Ritual, then turn back and cross over the track, wading through the water, to find the shortcut back to the Collapsed Tunnel marked on the map where you were earlier (the route is displayed above)
At the Collapsed Tunnel, go into the Writer's Room and Plot Board to change it with the Summoning Ritual.
This will cause you to get chased by the Dark Presence. Flee back through the open train carriage the way you came and through the door at the end to lose it.
Head back to the Collapsed Tunnel - now no longer collapsed. Pass through the open passageway to reach the murder site.

Once you're there, you'll get the next major plot beat and direction about where to go, indicating that it's time to leave the subway behind, but that doesn't mean that you have to - there's still the chance to explore, to find Alan Wake 2 Words of Power and resources while you're here.

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Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.