Alex Casey Lunchboxes are the collectible items for weapon upgrades in Alan Wake 2, and finding every Lunchbox in Cauldron Lake is the best way to get Saga Anderson‘s pistol and shotgun upgraded early on in the game. These kitschy boxes contain the Manuscript Page Fragments you need to spend in the Mind Place to make your arsenal pack a punch.
Thankfully, you can get a few lunchboxes right from the start of your Alan Wake 2 adventure. Remember, collecting all eight lunchboxes in Cauldron Lake means you’ll need to double back a few times as you unlock new areas and tools. The flooding recedes after specific story beats, and you won’t get the Bolt Cutters until Return 5: Old Gods, so plan your backtracking accordingly.
Alan Wake 2 Alex Casey Lunchboxes in Cauldron Lake
To find an Alex Casey Lunchbox, look for colorful, knitted dreamcatcher-like decorations hanging from trees or brightly painted rocks lining a path. The handmade markers get more frequent as you get closer to a lunchbox. Saga will also comment when she’s near one, saying something about “another kid’s lunchbox,” so pay attention.
Waterfall Vista (Mortar Falls)
- Manuscript Fragments: 2
You can find this one almost immediately during Return 1: Invitation. Right at the start, when you follow Alex Casey down to the crime scene, take a quick detour. After descending the Bony-Legged Path, veer right, and you’ll spot a hiking sign pointing toward Mortar Falls. That trail leads to a signboard overlooking the waterfall area. From the board, go left and check the ground near the fence and bushes to pick the first lunchbox.
Witch’s Hut Campsite
- Manuscript Fragments: 1
Once you reach the Witch’s Hut (a landmark on the west side of the map), cross the small wooden bridge leading further west. You’ll come across a campsite with a chair and some discarded items. Look into the foliage to the right just past the campsite to find the lunchbox among the greenery.
FBC Station
- Manuscript Fragments: 2
After you have investigated the crime scene and received the Shortcut Key from the deputy, move back up toward the parking lot. On this winding uphill climb, you’ll pass the FBC Monitoring Station on your left. Move past the station and circle to the back. There’s a ledge you can climb up behind the building, and that’s where you can find lunchbox.
Campground South of Crime Scene
- Manuscript Fragments: 3
Southwest of the murder site, there’s a small looping trail that dead ends at a small campsite with fallen tents. The lunchbox is found near the outer edge of the campsite behind the tents, close to where you’ll find a diary and a UFO book. Look around behind some bushes on the left of the camp.
Main Road Landslide
- Manuscript Fragments: 1
Finish the encounter at the General Store, then head north from the store toward the main road that’s blocked off as part of the road has been destroyed by a landslide marked with a red highlighted area on the map. Follow the asphalt as far north as it goes until you hit the debris and rocks blocking the way. The lunchbox sits on the ground near the southwest edge of the landslide.
Witchfinder’s Station
- Manuscript Fragments: 9
This one becomes accessible after you clear the Overlap encounter during Return 2: The Heart. Once the water level recedes, new areas will unlock on the Alan Wake 2 map. Head to the far northwest reach of Cauldron Lake to find the Witchfinder’s Station and look for a path leading east from the cabin. On your map, you’ll notice a small clearing slightly northeast of the station. Move through the woods in that direction, following the eggs on the ground, and you’ll find the lunchbox.
Streamside Waterfall
- Manuscript Fragments: 9
Once the water levels drop after the first Overlap, the northern part of the stream will become accessible. Follow the riverbed north from the Witch’s Hut, staying on the west bank. Follow it all the way to its base near a small waterfall and find the lunchbox near some rocks, just to the end where the waterfall begins.
Rental Cabins
- Manuscript Fragments: 9
This is the only lunchbox in Cauldron Lake that you can’t get early on. You’ll need the Bolt Cutters, which you won’t pick up until much later in the Old Gods chapter. Once you have the tools, go to the Rental Cabins and use the cutters to snip the lock on the gate. The cabin on the right (Cabin 2) has its front door locked, but you can access it through the back. Go into Cabin 3 (the one on the left), walk through to the back door, and cross over to the rear entrance of Cabin 2. Once you step inside, see the lunchbox on a shelf right by the door.
