The Alan Wake 2 Nightingale boss fight is the first big challenge of the game, a possessed man empowered by the Dark Presence who attacks you in the rift between realities, ambushing you in the forest and generally being a perilous nuisance. It's a spike in difficulty in Alan Wake 2 that many might not be expecting, but don't worry - I've beaten the Nightingale fight and will take you through the different phases, as well as how to deal with the Dark Presence itself (here manifested as a swirling tornado vortex of doom).
Alan Wake 2 Nightingale boss fight guide and walkthrough
The Nightingale boss fight in Alan Wake 2 is split into several different phases:
- First encounter with Nightingale
- Escaping the Dark Presence / Tornado
- Nightingale's ambushes
With very little direction about how to actually go about this process, it's easy to get confused, especially with Nightingale having the endurance of a tank. In fact, the process is a fairly simple one - you just have to repeat it so many times that you might get the impression that you're doing something wrong, or get turned around by the layout of the woods. It's definitely worth having done the Alan Wake 2 shotgun padlock code before this so you're better armed for the fight, especially with Nightingale favouring getting in your face, but you can beat him without it.
Phase 1 - Nightingale attacks
When Nightingale first attacks you with a tree branch, you need to use concentrated blasts from your torch to burn away his shield. Not only will that leave Nightingale far more vulnerable to follow-up attacks, but it will also expose "Source Points", glowing red sections on his body that cause Nightingale to take massive damage when you shoot them, far more than headshots or any other sort of attack - though once those points are gone, you want to line up careful, deadly headshots where you can.
At the same time, you need to keep out of the way of Nightingale's massive attacks. You need to use the dodge button at the last moment, and control the direction of your dodge - to the side if it's an overhead swing, and leaping backwards if he's swinging horizontally. He doesn't have much in the way of ranged offense, but he's fast and his attacks do massive damage, so you need to prioritise defense over doing quick damage.
Once you do enough damage to him, Nightingale will teleport away and phase 2 will begin.
Phase 2 - Dark Presence/Tornado
Immediately after Nightingale disappears, a dark red vortex will appear, cutting off the way you entered the fight. Don't get anywhere near the tornado or you'll take continuous damage - instead, turn and look for another way out of the arena - gaps between rocks or small paths, any are as good as each other.
The paths here are pretty much randomised and interchangeable, with random containers of ammo and batteries you can grab along the way - and you should. Keep going forward, grabbing what you can, and using this chance to reload and heal if you need it. Following this path will eventually leave the Tornado behind you - but Nightingale will start coming back.
Phase 3 - Nightingale's ambushes
After getting lost in the woods, Nightingale will come back and start ambushing you, leaping out from bushes and cover without much warning. His darkness shield will come back, but not his Source Points, so you'll need to focus on getting more headshots. Otherwise it works like a slightly truncated version of the first phase, as none of Nightingale's attacks have changed.
Nightingale has to be beaten three times in this phase, each time vanishing and giving you a chance to scoop up more random resources while you explore the woods, before attacking again. The doom tornado won't come back, at least in my experience, so make sure you scrounge all the ammo and batteries you can get before moving on.
After beating Nightingale for the third time, he'll actually, properly, finally die - there's no material reward for Saga sadly, though there is story progression on the line - and an interesting cutscene to follow the encounter. And, with Nightingale being a returning character for the series, you might want to find out more about that and other Alan Wake 2 easter eggs.
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