Launch verified Updated Oct 1, 2026
If a mission will not start or a zone looks blocked, you are usually missing a traversal ability, a required Resonant, or a side quest gate — not a soft lock. This page is the progression order for CONTROL Resonant after the prologue.
Quick path (do this first)
- Finish Orientation — Double Jump, Elevate, Rush; beat The Artist; pick Barrage (recommended) — or Volatile Anomaly / Shield.
- Welcome to Manhattan → Level 1 Keycard, then Evacuation Procedures → Level 2 Keycard.
- Arish’s Briefing opens Power Lines and Into the Sinkhole (either order).
- West Incursion Zone: clear The Incursion Fault (Parking Garage) for Shift, then beat The Dancer.
- Central: beat The Deserter at the Patterned Factory.
- Evacuation Zone: clear The Subway Fault (Railyard Street Station) for Reach.
- Start Enemy of My Enemy, then push into the Underpass via Recursions and Iterations.
Traversal ability unlock order
| Ability | What it does | Where you get it |
|---|---|---|
| Double Jump | Mid-air second jump | Orientation (first TV ritual) |
| Elevate | Hold jump to float / stretch a jump | Orientation |
| Rush | Sprint across long gaps and streets | Orientation |
| Shift | Swap gravity — walk warped walls / sideways streets | Incursion Fault → Parking Garage, West Incursion Zone |
| Reach | Grapple to Reach Points | Subway Fault → Railyard Street Station, Evacuation Zone |
The Underpass Fault gives no new traversal power — you need Reach to finish it, and the story cannot clear The House in Distress until you do.
Four story gates
- Enemy of My Enemy — needs Power Lines, Into the Sinkhole, The Dancer, and The Deserter.
- Recursions and Iterations — stalls without Reach (grab Subway Fault first).
- The House in Distress — needs the Underpass Fault completed (Reach required).
- Sever the Hedron Links — needs progress in side quest Pope’s Research to travel The Unknown.
Combat Ability picks by Resonant
- The Artist (Downtown, required) — Barrage (recommended) / Volatile Anomaly / Shield
- The Dancer (West Incursion Theater, required before Enemy of My Enemy) — Ground Slam (recommended) or Push — Push or Ground Slam
- The Deserter (Patterned Factory, required) — Ignite (recommended) or Inferno — Ignite or Inferno
- The Collective (The Park, optional) — Spore Burst / Growth
- The Physicist (The Spire, Underpass) — Spike / Astral Rebuke
- The Co-Director (Field Office, The Unknown) — Command (no alternate)
Default first-play path: Barrage → Ground Slam → Ignite — see best builds.
After each Resonant past the Artist you get a Reset Item — swap an earlier pick at the Mural in The Gap. Day-one hotfix also made respec cheaper.
Stuck? Check this
- Cannot reach the Dancer → missing Shift (Incursion Fault first).
- Enemy of My Enemy will not start → missing a Resonant or Power Lines / Sinkhole.
- Stuck mid Recursions and Iterations → finish Subway Fault for Reach.
- Bosses feel spongy → apply latest patch / hotfix; use Assist Mode if needed.
Optional early
The Park and The Collective are never required for the main story. Bring Shift, clear them when you want Spore Burst or Growth.
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