October 7, 2025: We updated this guide as Alan Wake 2 is included in the PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for October 2025.
Using the Alan Wake 2 lighthouse key is the only way to access the large cache of supplies stored within the Watery lighthouse, but the only way to get it is to find all of the cult stashes. That in itself will take a lot of effort, given there are more than 20 of them spread cross the three playable regions of Saga's story, and often you'll need to backtrack to them in order to get them open.
However, it's absolutely worth putting that work in so you can get inside the lighthouse, as the supplies found within are really useful for getting through the ending sequences of Alan Wake 2. Just make sure you visit before the Alan Wake 2 Come Up With A New Plan objective, or you'll pass the point of no return. To find out more, here's how to get the lighthouse key in Alan Wake 2.
Alan Wake 2 lighthouse key location
The lighthouse key is a guaranteed item in the final Alan Wake 2 stash you open. There are 22 in total, so whichever one ends up being the 22nd stash you open will contain the lighthouse key, regardless of where it is. If you've been opening them along the way of Saga's journey, it's likely that this will be the stash in the evidence room of the Sheriff's Station in Bright Falls. Obviously, it could be in a different stash you missed if you're mopping up loose ends in Saga's story before carrying on with the Come Up With A New Plan objective.
Once you've looted the lighthouse key, drive over to Watery, run west through the town, and head up the south cliff path to reach the lighthouse. Here you can use the key on the door and loot what's inside. I found two manuscript pages, a flashbang, a flare, two propane tanks, rifle ammo, shotgun ammo, and a trauma pad. There's also a blueprint for a machine probably designed by Ilmo Koskela called the Shadow Monster Light Ray 3000, which looks like it uses the lighthouse's beam to destroy the shadows from the Dark Place.
Unfortunately, not only does this machine not function nor do the blueprints serve any other purpose, but you also can't go up the lighthouse as the doorway has been filled with blocks. It just serves as effectively a bonus cult stash for you to loot that contains many more items than usual. Don't forget about the Alan Wake 2 nursery rhyme nearby too.
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