How to beat the Alan Wake final boss fight and defeat the Tornado

Alan Wake tornado final boss fight
(Image credit: Remedy Entertainment)

The Alan Wake final boss fight is as confusing as it is challenging, as you find yourself battling against a massive tornado entity within the Dark Place. Upon first encountering this twisting foe, there's no obvious weak point to aim for or obvious strategy for dealing with it, so it's understandable that you'd be looking for an explanation of what to do next. Fortunately, when you know how to approach this face off it's actually not too difficult to clear, so here's the best strategy to follow and a clear plan for beating the Tornado final boss fight in Alan Wake, so you can earn the Tornado Wrangler Achievement or Trophy.

How to beat the final Alan Wake Tornado boss fight

Alan Wake tornado final boss fight

(Image credit: Remedy Entertainment)

To beat the Alan Wake final boss fight, players will be dependent on their flare gun, which is the only weapon they have powerful enough to do damage to the Dark Presence directly. However, you need to fire it from a close range, otherwise it won’t have an effect. The tornado itself is trying to force you back, using detritus and objects swept up as a makeshift barrier. As a result, you need to do the following:

  • Walk towards the Tornado hanging over Diver’s Isle
  • The bridge will be blocked by possessed objects. Use your flashlight to destroy them.
  • Keep moving towards the Tornado. Pick up the flare gun ammo in the crate (there’s an unlimited amount).
  • Jump over the gap in the bridge. Time it carefully, objects will sometimes swirl through this bit to try and knock you into the void.
  • At this point you should be able to see the heart of the Tornado, surrounded by a shell of moving objects.
  • Get as close to the edge as you can, and start using the Flare Gun to destroy the objects protecting it. You need to be close, or this won’t work!
  • Swarms of birds will attack you at times, but the game usually highlights them. They shouldn’t do too much damage, but they might knock you off the bridge into the void if you’re not careful. It’s safer to destroy them.
  • Once the shell is destroyed, keep firing flares into the heart of the Tornado. It’ll be clear if it’s being damaged, with huge bursts of light and audio cues. Three to five shots should destroy it.

It’s a surprisingly easy boss, especially considering some of what Alan’s gone up against so far, but serves as a fitting enough climax to the story and has a sense of spectacle to it. Beat it and you’ll get the final cutscene of the game, as well as the “Tornado Wrangler” Achievement or Trophy.

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Joel Franey
Guides Writer

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and raconteur with a Masters from Sussex University, none of which has actually equipped him for anything in real life. As a result he chooses to spend most of his time playing video games, reading old books and ingesting chemically-risky levels of caffeine. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at USgamer, Gfinity, Eurogamer and more besides.

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