- The Birdwatcher’s Paradise is a Dylan’s Sketchbook puzzle in Downtown, counting toward the Work-Life Balance trophy.
- It sits on a wooden rooftop terrace in the Gravity Town area of Downtown — northwest corner of the zone.
- You need the Reach ability to get onto the rooftop — unlocked from The Subway Fault in the Evacuation Zone.
- The puzzle requires placing three swan/bird statues and three potted plants back on their correct spots on the deck.
- Use your mini-map radar — all six missing pieces appear as jigsaw-shaped puzzle icons once the activity is active.
- Swans go on the pebble/dirt markers near the table; plants go on the white rock markers around the deck.
- Once everything is placed, press R3 to Draw and unlock the Rooftop Oasis Sketchbook entry in Archives.
What Is the Birdwatcher’s Paradise Puzzle?
The Birdwatcher’s Paradise is one of 11 Dylan’s Sketchbook puzzles in Control Resonant. Like the others, it involves finding a staged scene that has been scattered apart — in this case, a small rooftop garden someone set up as a quiet bird-watching spot. Decorative items have been knocked off the deck and left on the surrounding rooftops. Your job is to gather them all and put them back.
It is labelled Rooftop Oasis in Archives and appears as entry number 2 in Dylan’s Sketchbook. Completing all 11 Sketchbook scenes earns the Work-Life Balance Silver trophy on PlayStation (40 Gamerscore on Xbox). This is one of the easier scenes in terms of how close the pieces are, but the rooftop can be tricky to reach without knowing where to go.
Requirements — Do You Need Any Ability First?
Yes. You need the Reach ability to access the rooftop where this puzzle is located. Reach is a grapple that pulls Dylan toward designated Reach Points, letting him close large vertical gaps that are otherwise impossible to cross.
Reach is unlocked by completing The Subway Fault at Railyard Street Station in the Evacuation Zone. You will unlock it naturally during the main story — it is part of the Jesse Sightings: The Subway Fault quest. If the rooftop terrace looks unreachable, that is why — come back after getting Reach.
Some sources note you can also use Shift and a well-timed double jump to reach the rooftop in certain spots, but Reach makes the climb much more reliable and is the intended route. If you have neither yet, the Shift ability from The Incursion Fault (West Incursion Zone) plus Elevate may get you partway up using the collapsing platforms in the area.
Where to Find the Birdwatcher’s Paradise Rooftop in Downtown
Head to the northwest corner of Downtown, the area marked with the Gravity Town fast travel door. The rooftop you need is on the building just east of the West Supply Route Station, near the area where the map reads Dense Patterning.
From the street, look for the Reach Points on the building side and use them to pull yourself up to the rooftop level. Once on top, move to the wooden patio deck area — you will see a green table, terrace seating, and several empty display spots around the deck. A question mark appears on your mini-map as you get close.
Walk up to the bench or the deck area and interact with it. The prompt reads Birdwatcher’s paradise. Dylan comments that he wants to make the spot look the part, which confirms the puzzle is active. All six missing pieces now appear as jigsaw-shaped puzzle icons on your mini-map radar — use them to track each one down.
All Six Piece Locations and Where They Go
The pieces are spread across the nearby rooftop sections — all within jump range of the main deck. Nothing requires going far from the terrace. Here is each one and its correct placement:
Swan / Bird Statues (3 total)
The three swan statues are white figurines. They belong on the pebble or dirt-covered markers near the green table at the center of the deck — the spots without stones underneath.
- Swan 1: On a higher rooftop section nearby, above the main deck. Climb across the rooftop or use Reach to get up to the air conditioning units and ledges above. It will be sitting on an upper roof surface.
- Swan 2: On an adjacent rooftop ledge — look for a ledge to the side of the main terrace. Jump across and pick it up, then carry it back to the deck.
- Swan 3: Also on the upper rooftop sections near the AC units. Follow the mini-map icon and collect it from wherever it has rolled or been left.
Place each swan on one of the three pebble/dirt spots near the table. These are the markers without raised white stones.
Potted Plants (3 total)
The three potted plants go on the white rock markers around the outer parts of the deck — the spots furthest from the table.
- Plant 1: Near the rooftop vents on the main building roof, close to the terrace. Look for a pot sitting beside ventilation units with an interaction prompt.
- Plant 2: On an adjacent rooftop — cross to the neighboring building by jumping from the main deck level and pick up the plant there. Carry it back and set it on a white rock marker.
- Plant 3: Down a lower roof level near red flare lights or down a side staircase into the alley area below. This one requires dropping down a level from the main deck, picking up the pot, then jumping or Elevating back up to place it.
Once a plant is in your hands, jump carefully back to the deck — plants can be dropped if you get hit or land badly. The placement spots on the deck are clearly marked and the interaction snaps into place when you are standing close enough.
Placement Guide — Which Goes Where
The cleanest way to remember the placement rule:
- Swan statues → spots closest to the green table, on the pebble/dirt ground markers.
- Potted plants → spots furthest from the table, on the white raised rock markers around the outer deck.
If you place something on the wrong spot, simply pick it up again and move it. There is no penalty for experimenting.
How to Draw the Scene and Complete the Puzzle
Once all three swans are on their pebble markers and all three plants are on their white rock markers, Dylan says the scene is ready. Step back toward the center of the deck where you can see the full arrangement, then press R3 (PlayStation) / right stick click (Xbox) / Alt (PC) to Draw.
The Rooftop Oasis drawing is added to Archives → Dylan’s Sketchbook. This counts as one of the 11 scenes required for the Work-Life Balance trophy.
What Does the Birdwatcher’s Paradise Puzzle Unlock?
Completing this puzzle unlocks:
- The Rooftop Oasis entry in Dylan’s Sketchbook (Archives)
- Progress toward the Work-Life Balance trophy (requires all 11 Sketchbook scenes)
There is no Artifact, Source reward, or combat unlock tied specifically to this puzzle — it is purely a collectible activity. The payoff is the trophy and the lore entry in Dylan’s sketchbook.
Nearby Content to Do While You Are Here
The Gravity Town rooftops in Downtown are worth doing a sweep through while you are up there. A few other collectibles and World Feats are in this part of the zone, and the rooftop access from Reach opens up sections of Downtown you may have skipped earlier.
If you are working through all the Sketchbook scenes for Work-Life Balance, the One Man Band puzzle in Central is the next one worth tracking down — our One Man Band Puzzle Solution guide walks through that one in full.
For the Central zone’s main story content including the Patterned Factory and the Deserter boss, see our Central Resonant Walkthrough. And for a full list of all Artifact locations and collectible types across the game, check our Control Resonant All Artifacts Guide.
Control Resonant is available on PlayStation Store, Steam, Xbox, and Epic Games Store.
