The Alan Wake crossover event in Phasmophobia doesn't just ask you to hunt ghosts. It hands you a riddle, scatters animal dolls across haunted maps, and expects you to figure out where each one belongs. The first Doll Puzzle is the gate that locks you out of the event's best rewards, including Saga Anderson's Outfit Cosmetics, so getting it right matters. Here's exactly what to do.
What is the first Doll Puzzle solution?
The answer is straightforward once you decode the riddle: place the moose Doll on the tree drawing and the deer Doll on the house drawing. The puzzle board sits in the lobby area near Alan Wake's desk, and the two drawings mark specific spots on it.
The riddle on the paper reads:
He shot the moose in the woods but he did not shoot the deer he took the deer to his house and then he made her his wife We laughed, but he set us straight "The deer is dear to me, in more ways than one but a moose steak is never a mistake."
Strip away the poetry and two facts remain: the moose belongs in the woods (represented by the tree drawing) and the deer belongs in the house (represented by the house drawing). Everything else in the riddle is flavor text.
The first puzzle riddle
Where to find the moose and deer Dolls
Both Dolls for the first puzzle are on the same map: Elderwood Palace Lodge, also called Bleasdale Farmhouse.
The moose and deer Dolls look similar at a glance. The key difference is the antlers: the moose has wide, bulbous antlers while the deer has sharp, pointed ones. Picking up the wrong one and hauling it across the map is a frustrating mistake that's easy to avoid if you check before grabbing.
Moose Doll attic location
How to find the moose Doll
Head to Elderwood Palace Lodge and make your way up to the attic. The moose Doll sits on a wooden table flanked by two candelabras, with one of them knocked over. It's hard to miss once you're in the attic.
How to find the deer Doll
Still on Elderwood Palace Lodge, go to the second floor and take the first door on your right. That leads to the main bedroom. The walk-in closet attached to that bedroom holds the deer Doll.
How do you place the Dolls correctly?
With both Dolls in hand, return to the puzzle area in the lobby.
- Pick up the moose Doll and find the tree drawing, located near the bottom left corner of the puzzle area. Place the moose on it. When placed correctly, the Doll clicks into place and stands upright.
- Pick up the deer Doll and find the house drawing, located near the upper right corner of the puzzle area, next to the sun. Place the deer there the same way.
Once both Dolls are correctly placed, the puzzle resolves automatically. The drawings and the paper change as the second puzzle unlocks, confirming you did it right.
If a Doll doesn't click into place, you may have the wrong Doll on the wrong drawing. Double-check the antler shapes before placing.
What do you get for completing the first Doll Puzzle?
There's no direct reward for finishing the first puzzle alone. Completing it simply unlocks the second Doll Puzzle. You need to clear all three Doll Puzzles in sequence to earn Saga Anderson's Outfit Cosmetics, one of the most sought-after rewards in the entire Alan Wake event.
Think of the first puzzle as the key that opens the door to the rest of the chain. Skip it and the other two stay locked.
The Doll Puzzles unlock in order. You cannot access the second or third puzzle without completing the one before it.
The first Doll Puzzle is the simplest of the three, but getting tripped up by the riddle or grabbing the wrong Doll is common. Now that you know exactly where to go and what to place where, you can knock it out in a single run and move straight on to the challenges that actually test you. Browse the full Phasmophobia guide collection for more event tips, ghost identification help, and map-specific strategies.