Alan Wake

Getting this achievement will require two playthroughs, because Nightmare difficulty is only unlocked if you've already beaten the game once on another difficulty. In Nightmare, enemies deal more damage, take longer to "de-dark", and take more hits to kill. Ammo will also be slightly more scarce. Everything else is exactly the same.

Some tips
--Don't be afraid to run. This conserves ammo and can actually be easier than fighting. If you stay and fight every single enemy you see, you'll find yourself running out of ammo very quickly.
--Use the "tap flashlight" trick. When you tap the left trigger to boost your flashlight (as opposed to holding it down), the enemy recoils and slows down significantly at minimum expense to your batteries. Generally, try to pick one enemy that you focus your flashlight on, then use the tap trick on anyone else who is rushing you to keep them at bay while you take out the primary target.
--Dodge, dodge, dodge! Dodging in this game is rather easy and infinitely useful. Just hit LB and run in any direction away from the attack. You'll get a nice cinematic, take no damage, and feel like a badass.
--Collect all of the supply crates. Even if you already have this achievement, the added ammo from supply crates is extremely helpful on Nightmare.
--Take advantage of how the Taken spawn. Some areas spawn infinite Taken as long as you are there, but they only re-spawn if you kill everyone. A good strategy in the longer stretches is to take out all but one of a group of Taken, and then let him follow you until the next checkpoint (use the "tap flashlight" trick to keep him at a distance). It's very easy to keep one Taken at bay, and you won't spawn any others until the checkpoint.
--Don't be too stingy with your ammo. While you should carefully manage your ammo, it's not as scarce as you might think. If you run away from 1/3 of all enemy encounters, you'll still finish chapters with a surplus of ammo. Feel free to use flashbangs, flares, and hunting rifles in any situation with multiple enemies. Overly hoarding ammo can hurt you just as much as not having it at all.

Nightmare mode is unlocked after one playthrough on either Normal or Hard difficulty. I reccomend doing Normal difficulty first, as when you come to do your Nightmare playthrough you will get a good solid 90G for completing it (40G for a Hard playthrough and 50G for a Nightmare difficulty playthrough).

Once you have completed the game on either Normal or Hard difficulty you shall have a good where-abouts of where to go, and where some items are. This is great for Nightmare difficulty as you wont be running blind. The game generally isn't very difficult in Nightmare, you just have to be one step ahead of the Taken. First of all, the shots it takes to kill a Taken in Normal mode is doubled when it comes to Nightmare and the same rule applies to the darkness protecting them. It takes roughly twice as long to de-darken the Taken as it does in Normal difficulty, keep this in mind at all times when it comes to facing the Taken.

During this playthrough you are going to want to conserve as much ammo as you can, and keep your power weapons (Flares, Flare Guns, Flashbangs) until they are desperately needed, dont go around firing Flare Guns as light hearted as in Normal difficulty, in this playthrough they are a God-send. Also, dont be afraid to run! Sometimes it is better to run than to fight, as you might not come out of the fight. A great tactic to use is to shine your torch or drop a flare (this will stun the Taken and stop them for a few seconds) and then sprint, then turn around and do the same thing. This will stop the Taken from getting close enough to you to deliver a fatal blow, if they do get close, dont forget to dodge!. Keep using this tactic until you reach a light and you're in a safe zone.

Another thing you should be wary of is Sprint, it is much more valuable than it is in Normal difficulty. A well timed sprint may get you out of the toughest times where you would normally die.

Also, one of the most useful things i've found in Alan Wake is the dodge, This manoeveur is a life saver, dont be afraid to use it!. I used it countless times in the game and its one of the greatest things you can use in Nightmare mode. When you're about to get attacked, tap LB and run in any direction away from the attack, you will get a nice cinematic and not a scratch!.

A thing that may give you slight difficulty in Nightmare mode is when you come across a generator, and you have to engage in the little mini-game to get the generator working in order to get a light. A problem people have is they get attacked whilst they are trying to rev the generator, a good tip to combat this is drop a flare right by the generator, then engage in the mini-game. This will keep the Taken at bay just long enough for you to get the machine going. The generator will only take 4 revs to get it going.

So, there are a few tips to help you along your way. I hope my mini Guide helps and good luck!

Any questions feel free to leave a comment.

To complete this game on Nightmare is not too much of a challenge, once you've worked out a few things.

As you'll have already done one run through, you'll know how the game works and hopefully done all but the Nightmare Scripts in the collectables.

The most important thing to learn how to do is the Dodge (Tap LB and move) this will get you out of most situations.

Where possible, just run for the lights (Checkpoints). Once you've got it you can scout the area without too much difficulty. I used the lights to kill off any taken by tempting them into the light.

For flying objects, just put something between the object and you, like a post or box and then they hardly ever hit you, giving you time to let your torch recharge.

Flares are really useful and I collected all Ammo Crates and any other Ammo/Supplies I could find, even on Nightmare. Dropping a flare can sometimes get you to a Safe Haven without using any Ammo.

Talking of Ammo ... the most important thing I found is this .. At the start of each Episode you start off with Nothing, so use it all up at the end of each Chapter.

Here is an excellent link that tells you about all the collectables.
http://www.xbox360achievements.org/forum/showthread.php?t=23... this was written by Tyger7.

I didn't find any problem area's, even the ones mentioned above were not too bad. Enjoy

I've just recently speed ran the campaign on Nightmare and finished it within 3 - 4 hours with these techniques.

Taken do take the same amount of damage with the weapons on nightmare as they do on hard. The only difference on playing nightmare is (less health in certain situations, and the flashlight isn't as effective) sometimes it will take two or three times as longer to un-stun them before you can attack them with ammo.

Some main things you'll want to pay attention too

- Don't be a hero! (if you're planning on taking them head on) you're basically asking for someone to put you on your deathbed. Enemies on nightmare are difficult (even in small numbers) if you're about to get swarmed follow some techniques below.

- FLARES ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND! (Always memorize where chests are.) Chests about 99% of the time have flares or flare guns inside of them.


Flare tips

Flare gun - when ever you're being pursued by multiple taken, try getting them all near each other and try to take them down with a flare (this will usually instantly kill them)

Flares - flares are great for running away or trying to turn on check points. If you see a check point generator try putting a flare down when taken are trying to attack you.

Checkpoints! - If you run into a checkpoint taken will disappear, even if you know that the checkpoint isn't around for another minute or two keep running (even if you don't have any flares) just dodge and then flash your light to stun them for a few seconds and then keep on runnin'!


Collectibles, **I HIGHLY SUGGEST** GETTING USE TO THE NIGHTMARE DIFFICULTY BEFORE LOOKING FOR MANUSCRIPTS!