So you're near Cauldron Lake, and you've stumbled upon a combination lock with the strange clue "Rock, rock, tree. Are you bright enough?". I spend an embarrassingly long time finding all the clues and solving this, so you don't have to. We explain how to solve these kinds of puzzles in Alan Wake 2 below, and once you know that for yourself you can save a lot of time later in your playthrough.
Alan Wake 2 is probably the kind of game that you should play by focusing on the main objectives and following the story. But I am a loot goblin and will happily spend hours searching every square inch of the map instead of making actual progress. I can therefore share the solution to the Rock Rock Tree puzzle with you, and save you a lot of time. Enjoy!
How To Solve The Rock Rock Tree Puzzle & Get The Padlock Code
If you want to complete this puzzle the "legit" way and find the clues for yourself to get the Rock Rock Tree padlock open, follow these steps:
- First go to the cultist's stash near the Witchfinder's Station, pictured here.
Alan Wake 2: Rock Rock Tree Puzzle Location | © Epic Games - Approach the box and you will notice it has been secured with a combination lock. Interact with the stash and you will discover a clue that leads you to discovering the correct combination to open the padlock. It reads "Rock, rock, tree. Are you bright enough?"
Alan Wake 2: Are you brigth enough? | © Epic Games - The "are you bright enough" line isn't just there to annoy you, it's part of the clue. To solve this puzzle, we need to shine our flashlight onto one tree and two rocks that are nearby. The numbers we need for the padlock are written on the tree and rocks in a kind of paint that will only be visible in direct light.
- The first "rock" we need is located behind the stash. Shine the light onto this rock, and you will see "3+3" written in yellow. This gives us our first number: 6.
Alan Wake 2: Rock Rock Tree First Number. | © Epic Games - The first "rock" we need is located behind the stash. Shine the light onto this rock, and you will see "3+3" written in yellow. This gives us our first number: 6.
- The second number can also be found on a rock, hence "Rock, rock, tree". The second rock is further away than the first however, you need to turn in the opposite direction away from the stash, and go down to the flooded lower level. You will find the second bit of yellow writing, which spells out "7-2" to give us 5, on the rock pictured here.
Alan Wake 2: Rock Rock Tree Second Number. | © Epic Games - Now we just need the third and final number to open the Rock Rock Tree lock and steal some cultist supplies. This third number can be found by shining your flashlight on the tree immediately to the left of the stash box. Shine your light on the tree and you will see more yellow writing. This time you will see "6+2", which gives us the final number: 8.
Alan Wake 2: Rock Rock Tree Third Number. | © Epic Games
Now return to the padlock, enter the combination 6-5-8, and voilà!
If you prefer to watch your guides, here you go: