Mulligan And Thornton Boss Fight Guide In Alan Wake 2

Full Guide Intro

Mulligan and Thornton are the major boss encounter at the end of Return 3: Local Girl in Alan Wake 2. The fight takes place inside the Overlap after chasing the cult members deep into the forest near Watery.

This battle is much more chaotic than the earlier Nightingale fight because you are constantly managing:

• sniper pressure
• close-range attacks
• darkness enemies
• environmental objectives
• limited resources

The key to winning is understanding that the dark orbs are the real objective during the first half of the fight.

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Prepare Before Entering The Fight

Before entering the arena, make sure Saga is fully stocked.

You should strongly consider bringing:

• the Crossbow
• Sawed-Off Shotgun
• Service Pistol
• healing items
• flashlight batteries

The Crossbow is especially useful because it conserves ammo while dealing strong stagger damage from a distance.

Quick slot your healing items and weapons before the fight starts. Swapping quickly becomes extremely important once both bosses start attacking simultaneously.

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How The Fight Works

The battle has three major phases.

Phase 1 – Thornton

Thornton begins on the cliffs above the arena using a sniper rifle.

At the same time, dark orbs scattered around the area continuously empower the bosses and spawn enemies.

Your main goal is NOT killing Thornton yet.

Instead:

• destroy the dark orbs
• survive his sniper shots
• stay mobile around the arena

You can identify Thornton’s attacks by listening for the sound of him chambering a round before firing.

He usually fires two shots before briefly pausing to reload.

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Destroying The Dark Orbs

Use your flashlight boost on every dark orb you find.

The first orb hangs directly above the central well, but additional ones are hidden around the arena near trees, rocks, and elevated areas.

There are six total dark orbs that must be destroyed before the bosses become vulnerable.

This is the true objective of the early fight phases.

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Phase 2 – Mulligan Joins The Fight

After destroying several orbs, Mulligan climbs out of the central well wielding a shotgun.

Unlike Thornton:

• Mulligan pressures aggressively
• attacks at close range
• can grab Saga
• uses melee swings
• fires devastating shotgun blasts

This dramatically increases the chaos because Thornton continues sniping from above while Mulligan chases you through the arena.

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Best Survival Strategy

Keep Moving Constantly

Never stand still too long.

Use the looping arena layout to circle around rocks, trees, and structures while searching for remaining dark orbs.

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Dodge Thornton’s Rifle Shots

Listen carefully for Thornton chambering his rifle.

A good rhythm is:

• dodge after the chamber sound
• reposition slightly
• dodge again for the second shot

Once you learn the timing, his attacks become much easier to avoid.

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Stagger Mulligan

The Shotgun is excellent for briefly staggering Mulligan.

One or two close-range blasts can interrupt his pursuit long enough to create breathing room and destroy more dark orbs.

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Final Phase – Killing Mulligan And Thornton

Once all six dark orbs are destroyed, the bosses lose their protection and become fully vulnerable.

Both enemies emerge from the central well together for the final phase.

At this point:

• focus on eliminating Thornton first
• avoid getting cornered by Mulligan
• conserve enough ammo for both kills

Thornton is usually the bigger threat because his sniper fire constantly interrupts movement and healing opportunities.

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Best Kill Order

Kill Thornton First

Use:

• Crossbow
• headshots
• precise pistol shots

Thornton likes to reposition onto ledges and higher ground, but the red flare near him helps track his location.

Removing him first makes the remainder of the fight dramatically easier.

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Finish Mulligan

Once Thornton is gone, Mulligan becomes much easier to manage.

Keep your distance and avoid getting greedy with close-range attacks. His shotgun can still deal massive damage even late in the fight.

Use the arena space to slowly chip him down safely.

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Arena Resources

Supply boxes and pickups are scattered around the arena.

Use movement windows to grab:

• ammunition
• batteries
• healing supplies

The fight gives you enough resources to survive if you continue moving and looting during downtime.