Alan Wake 2 boss guide: How to defeat Nightingale?

Alan Wake 2, not unlike Remedy Entertainment's previous titles, is packed with really intense and challenging boss fights. While the best ones appear fairly late in the game's story, a handful of them are encountered in the early game stages. One such boss is Nightingale.

Despite this particular fight not being quite as challenging as the ones toward the end game, it can still be quite a stressful battle, especially if you're not familiar with the game's combat and stealth mechanics.

What's more, Nightingale is the first major boss of the game that will teach you the importance of dodging.

Here's a comprehensive guide on how to easily defeat Nightingale in Alan Wake 2.

Note: This article contains story spoilers for Alan Wake 2.

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How to beat Nightingale Boss in Alan Wake 2

As you explore Bright Falls and the neighboring Forest area as Saga, you eventually come across the corpse of a fellow police officer, none other than Nightingale.

After looking for clues that might eventually lead to the deduction of the reason behind Nightingale's murder, Saga and her partner, Alex Casey, find themselves entangled with even more questions.

To further examine Nightingale's lifeless corpse, Saga asks the local police force to take the body of the deceased police officer to their testing lab in Bright Falls.

Following the arrival at Bright Falls, Saga and Casey find a small piece of paper embedded inside the chest cavity of Nightingale's corpse.

Extracting the paper results in Nightingale's corpse rising from the dead and attacking all the police officers present in the room, including both Saga and her partner Alex.

This initiates the first encounter with the boss, where you have to use stealth to outrun Nightingale and shoot away with your handgun.

In Alan Wake 2, stealth works a tad differently. Rather than hiding in the dark, you're meant to hide in the light, making it difficult for enemies inflicted with the Dark Presence to locate you.

Once you overcome the first encounter with Nightingale, you will eventually have to make your way back to the Forest, where you will once again face off against Nightingale.

Here are a few tips that should help you easily overcome Nightingale the second time you face him in Alan Wake 2:

• Nightingale, much like normal Dark Presence mobs, is quite fast. Despite his appearance, the boss can quickly close distances between it and Saga, which can easily overwhelm you if you're not careful.
• Fortunately, you can efficiently stagger the boss with a well-placed headshot.
• If you're careful with your aim, you can defeat the boss in three headshots. Otherwise, you will need at least 8 bullets to down it.
• Make sure to have plenty of batteries in stock since you will have to dissipate darkness off of Nightingale at least twice during the fight.

This boss fight against Nightingale in Remedy's latest survival-horror game is all about timing your attacks and keeping your distance from the boss.

You can also dodge Nightingale's attacks by pressing "L1" or "LB," which causes Saga to duck and reposition in order to avoid damage.