Murder at Cauldron Lake is the first Main Case of Alan Wake 2, viewable on the Case Board in Saga Anderson's Mind Place. It is the one of the first Cases available to Saga and covers the events of Return 1: Invitation and Return 2: The Heart.
In the format below, text in italics is tooltip text that only appears when a relevant clue is hovered over on the case board. Numbers and letters have been assigned unofficially to represent the clue branches on the in-game Case Board.
Cases tab description[]
- Case in progress:
- Another body has been found in the woods near Bright Falls. Is there a connection to the killings we're here to investigate?
- Case Closed:
- I killed Nightingale. I had to. He was a monster. The flooding around Cauldron Lake receded afterward. Nothing about this makes rational sense. We found Alan Wake, a writer missing for 13 years, at the shore of the lake. Hopefully he can shed some light on this...
CAULDRON LAKE MURDER SCENE[]
| Image | Description | How To Obtain |
|---|---|---|
| CAULDRON LAKE MURDER SCENE Another body has been found in the woods near Bright Falls. Perfect timing. Need to see if this is linked to the killings we're here to investigate. |
Added at case start |
Another body turns up just as we arrive in town. Coincidence? 
- ― Saga Anderson, case start (MP_RE01_DEDUCTION_MURDER_PHOTO_SAGA_24075)
1: CONSISTENT WITH PREV. MURDERS?[]
Completion text: Murder matches prev. cases, but interrupted. May find some new leads this time.
| Image | Description and Tooltip | How To Obtain |
|---|---|---|
| Major chest trauma This is consistent with previous killings. |
Analyze crime scene during Return 1 | |
| Heart found near victim's body Heart was removed, but then left on the table near the body. Was this murder interrupted...? |
Analyze crime scene during Return 1 | |
| Cargo straps used to restrain victim Bruising indicates victim was alive when restrained. Matches other cases. |
Analyze crime scene during Return 1 |
Heart removed from chest, strapped by the wrists. Definitely matches the previous murders. But this time the heart and the straps were left behind. More clues to work with. This makes four murders that we know about. - ― Saga Anderson, section completion (MP_RE01_DEDUCTION_MURDER_SAGA_7072)
1a: THE VICTIM?[]
Completion text: Victim ID'd - Robert Nightingale. Former FBI agent. Mental state questionable at time of disappearance.
| Image | Clue Description, Tooltip, Audio | How To Obtain |
|---|---|---|
| Thornton: Victim is Robert Nightingale. Last seen in Bright Falls 13 years ago. No one's heard from this guy in 13 years. Why surface now? Where's he been? Thornton: "I sure do! His name is Nightingale. He was FBI, came to town about 13 years ago. I haven’t heard a word about him since. Well, until now." |
Talk to Thornton at the crime scene during Return 1 | |
| Casey: Nightingale went off the deep end. FBI fired him. I trust Casey's read on people. Sounds like our victim wasn't mentally stable. Alex Casey: "Didn’t recognize him in his current state, but yeah I ran into him a few times at Quantico. Never worked any cases together. After his partner got killed in the field, he went off the deep end. Got the boot pretty quick after that." |
Talk to Casey at the crime scene during Return 1 |
- Robert Nightingale. Ex-FBI, came to Bright Falls 13 years ago.
- ― Saga Anderson, section completion (MP_RE01_DEDUCTIONS_VICTIM_SAGA_7073)
1b: THE KILLER(S)?[]
Completion text: Multiple assailants present. Messy scene. Crime of passion? Premeditated?
| Image | Description and Tooltip | How To Obtain |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy blood splatter on table They really made a mess, here. Caught up in the act, or just sloppy work? |
Analyze crime scene during Return 1 | |
| Multiple sets of footprints Lots of activity here. It's unlikely our killer was working alone. |
Analyze crime scene during Return 1 |
- Boot prints indicating multiple killers. Quite the party.
- ― Saga Anderson, section completion (MP_RE01_DEDUCTIONS_KILLER_SAGA_7076)
1b-1: PREMEDITATED OR SPONTANEOUS?[]
Completion text: Killer(s) waited for victim. Brought equipment. Murder was premeditated. But what was Nightingale doing out here?
| Image | Description and Tooltip | How To Obtain |
|---|---|---|
| Tripod found near body Looks new. Brought by the killers. Why? To mount a camera? Weird snuff film...? |
Analyze crime scene during Return 1 | |
| Cooler and beer bottles left nearby Staking out this spot. Having a cold one while they waited for our victim? |
Analyze crime scene during Return 1 |
- They planned for the murder to happen here, passing the time, with equipment ready. They were waiting for him. But why Nightingale? He’s been missing for 13 years. Why here? Why now?
- ― Saga Anderson, section completion (MP_RE01_DEDUCTION_HERE_SAGA_7071)
1b-2: VICTIM CAME FROM...?[]
Completion text: Too many unknowns. Doesn't make sense. Asking wrong questions?
| Image | Clue Description, Tooltip, Audio | How To Obtain |
|---|---|---|
| Nightingale came from Cauldron Lake. I can feel that Nightingale came from the lake. But why now, after 13 years? Where's he been? Nightingale: "Up from the lake that’s not a lake. It’s dark. He was there too. You are not allowed in the lake until he says otherwise." |
Profile Nightingale on topic "Missing Person" during Return 1 | |
| Trail has gone cold A dead end. Literally. |
Analyze Witch's Ladle during Return 1 | |
| Footprints emerging from under the rock What? He walked through a boulder? Doesn't make sense. |
Analyze Witch's Ladle during Return 1 |
- I think he came from the lake, but his tracks make no sense.
- ― Saga Anderson, section completion (MP_RE01_DEDUCTION_VICTIM_COME_FROM_SAGA_7075)
1b-3: ANYTHING ELSE HERE?[]
Completion text: Learned all I can here. Need to get body back to town for examination.
| Image | Description and Tooltip | How To Obtain |
|---|---|---|
| Nightingale has something hidden inside of him. There's more going on here than I'm seeing. I need to examine this body properly back in town. Nightingale: "I carry his words close to my chest now. Inside. The awful truth. You must dig it out." |
Profile Nightingale on topic "The Page" during Return 1 | |
| Reading the words, these words, felt like a message Someone playing a game with them. So the killer is watching us? Game on. |
Pick up the Manuscript The Message |
- Found all I can here. Time to properly examine the body, see what I can find inside.
- ― Saga Anderson, section completion (MP_RE01_DEDUCTION_ANYTHING_ELSE_SAGA_18565)
EXAMINATION OF R. NIGHTINGALE[]
| Image | Description | How To Obtain |
|---|---|---|
| EXAMINATION OF R. NIGHTINGALE Body has been prepped, ready for examination. Hope it can provide some actual answers. |
Reach the morgue in Return 1 |
- Time to see what Nightingale’s body can tell us.
- ― Saga Anderson, section start (MP_RE01_DEDUCTION_EXAMINATION_PHOTO_SAGA_24076)
1: ANYTHING TO LEARN FROM THE BODY?[]
- There's definitely something in his chest. Did the killers leave it there?
- ― Saga Anderson, section completion (MP_RE01_DEDUCTIONS_ANYTHING_TO_LEARN_SAGA_18566)
1a: RITUAL WRITING?[]
| Image | Clue Description and Tooltip | How To Obtain |
|---|---|---|
| Smudged text under victim's skin Is this some kind of tattoo? It's too smudged to read... |
Examine Nightingale's corpse in the morgue during Return 1 | |
| Illegible words on heart Did the killers write this on the heart? How? I can't make out what it says. |
Examine Nightingale's corpse in the morgue during Return 1 |
- Text is smudged, looks inverted. Heart can’t have been marked before removal.
- ― Saga Anderson, section completion (MP_RE01_DEDUCTIONS_RITUAL_SAGA_7077)
1b: CAUSE OF DEATH?[]
| Image | Clue Description and Tooltip | How To Obtain |
|---|---|---|
| Chest ripped open -something visible inside As I suspected, it looks like something was put in there. |
Examine Nightingale's corpse in the morgue during Return 1 | |
| Bruises, defensive wounds on victim Looks like Nightingale put up a fight before they restrained him. |
Examine Nightingale's corpse in the morgue during Return 1 | |
| Bloating of joints indicates long-term water exposure Victim was alive when strapped down. Timeline is inconsistent with bloating. |
Examine Nightingale's corpse in the morgue during Return 1 |
- Chest wound is cause of death. But the corpse is bloated, water-logged. Doesn’t add up.
- ― Saga Anderson, section completion (MP_RE01_DEDUCTIONS_DEATH_SAGA_7074)
NIGHTINGALE ATTACKED US[]
| Image | Description | How To Obtain |
|---|---|---|
| NIGHTINGALE ATTACKED US Nightingale attacked us. A CORPSE attacked us. I used his sensitivity to light to fight him off, but he got away. I need to hunt him down and figure out what the fuck is going on here. |
Start Return 2 |
- A dead man turned into a monster. Light as a way to fight him. Pages predicting the future. There’s no rational explanation. This is the case we must solve.
- ― Saga Anderson, section start (MP_RE01_DEDUCTION_BACK_LIFE_SAGA_7078)
1: WHERE DID NIGHTINGALE GO?[]
Completion text: Nightingale is inside an "Overlap." Witch's Ladle tree is doorway?? "Ritual" required??
| Image | Clue Description, Tooltip, Audio | How To Obtain |
|---|---|---|
| Saga was back at Cauldron Lake. He was there too A Taken. A creature of darkness. According to the page, it sounds like Nightingale went back to Cauldron Lake. And he's a "Taken"...? |
Pick up Manuscript page Saga Pursues Nightingale | |
| Saga had to pursue Nightingale. Into the Overlap. Finding a way in would be difficult. The "Overlap?" What? These pages aren't making sense. |
Pick up Manuscript page Saga Pursues Nightingale | |
| Nightingale: Nightingale went through the tree into some other place. "The tree" could mean Witch's Ladle, but what's it a threshold to? The Overlap? Nightingale: "The tree was a threshold. This place and the Dark Place. You’re in over your head. Next stop, Caldera Street Station." |
Profile Nightingale on topic "The Overlap" | |
| Footprints leading into the forest These footprints weren't here before. Nightingale came this way. I'm on the right trail. |
Examine the footprints near the general store | |
| Nightingale's trail led to another page The page was covered in a substance that my flashlight burned away. It mentions a "Witch's Hut." |
Pick up Manuscript page Saga Finds A Safe Haven |
- Is Witch’s Ladle the doorway into the Overlap? If so, that’s where I’ll find Nightingale.
- ― Saga Anderson, section completion (MP_RE02_DEDUCTION_WHERE_SAGA_7174)
2: WITCH'S HUT?[]
Completion text: Bright light provides protection. Keep an eye out for more places like this.
| Image | Clue Description and Tooltip | How To Obtain |
|---|---|---|
| The fuse was in place. She had found it among the junk in the forest. I think the page is trying to tell me where to find the fuse. It must be somewhere near the Witch's Hut. |
Pick up Manuscript page Saga Finds A Safe Haven | |
| a bright light nothing could hurt her here. There were objects that stood out to Saga. As if the light had manifested them. Is this implying light can affect reality? Nightingale WAS chased off by my flashlight... |
Pick up Manuscript page Saga Finds A Safe Haven |
- Light is the key. To stay safe, but for something more to be revealed as well.
- ― Saga Anderson, section completion (MP_RE02_DEDUCTION_THE_HUT_SAGA_13991)
CAULDRON LAKE WITCH'S HUT[]
| Image | Description | How To Obtain |
|---|---|---|
| CAULDRON LAKE WITCH'S HUT I found a page talking about a ritual at the Witch's Ladle. Is this how Nightingale got past the rock? Is that the entrance to the Overlap? |
Pick up Manuscript page Saga Opens The Cauldron Lake Overlap |
- The page from the Witch’s Hut seems to be describing some kind of ritual.
- ― Saga Anderson, section start (MP_RE02_DEDUCTION_WITCH_HUT_PHOTO_SAGA_24077)
1: WHAT IS THE RITUAL?[]
Completion text: Ritual: Give witch heart. Recite words. Witch = Witch's Ladle sign? Where is heart? Words illegible...?
| Image | Clue Description, Tooltip, Audio | How To Obtain |
|---|---|---|
| She squinted to read the smudged line on the heart. The second part recited from memory "I brought you the heart, witch. Show me the terror." Looks like those words tattooed on the heart are a part of the ritual. |
Pick up Manuscript page Saga Opens The Cauldron Lake Overlap | |
| Witch's Ladle. Towering over Saga. Watching her and the witch. Nightingale's heart. A cold dead lump in her hand. Nightingale's heart disappeared from the morgue when he did. How am I going to find it? And who is this "witch"? |
Pick up Manuscript page Saga Opens The Cauldron Lake Overlap |
- To get into the Overlap, I need to find Nightingale’s heart, read the line imprinted on it plus the line on the page to the Witch’s Ladle sign, then push the heart through the hole in the sign.
- ― Saga Anderson, section completion (MP_RE02_DEDUCTION_RITUAL_SAGA_7175)
1a: WORDS ON THE HEART?[]
Completion text: The words: "The wave crashed on the far side of the mirror. I brought you the heart, witch. Show me the terror."
| Image | Clue Description and Tooltip | How To Obtain |
|---|---|---|
| Words on the heart are legible now How is this possible? Did the page do this...? |
Examine the heart in the Cauldron Lake General Store |
- Sounds literary, but what does it mean?
- ― Saga Anderson, section completion (MP_RE02_DEDUCTION_HEART_WORDS_SAGA_18567)
1b: WHERE IS THE HEART?[]
- Nightingale’s heart disappeared from the morgue. Where is it now?
- ― Saga Anderson, section start (MM_RE02_020_SAGA_7262)
Completion text: Heart was in a fridge at the abandoned general store. Who put it there...?
| Image | Clue Description, Tooltip, Audio | How To Obtain |
|---|---|---|
| The heart is somewhere in the general store. I think I walked by an abandoned general store near the murder site. Nightingale: "Meanwhile, they played cards in the general store. The witch had stolen his heart. Get out of my house!" |
Profile Nightingale on topic "The Heart! Where is it?" | |
| Heart was left in a refrigerator How did this get here from the morgue...? Did Nightingale hide it here? |
Pick up Nightingale's heart in the Cauldron Lake General Store |
- Found the heart in the fridge, just like the page said I would.
- ― Saga Anderson, section completion (MP_RE02_DEDUCTION_WHERE_HEART_SAGA_18569)
CASE: CLOSED[]
| Image | Description | How To Obtain |
|---|---|---|
| CASE: CLOSED I killed Nightingale. I had to. He was a monster. The flooding around Cauldron Lake receded afterward. Nothing about this makes rational sense. We found Alan Wake, a writer missing for 13 years, at the shore of the lake. Hopefully he can shed some light on this... |
Defeat Nightingale |
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- Nightingale goes missing for 13 years, shows up murdered- and then turns into a monster. After I stop Nightingale, a writer who’s also been missing for 13 years turns up. What’s the connection? What kind of case is this?
- ― Saga Anderson, section completion (MP_RE02_DEDUCTION_MC01_CASE_CLOSED_SAGA_18570)