Control Resonant: How to Restore Power in The House in Distress Quest

TL;DR:

• The House in Distress is the 8th main mission in the Contain the Crisis questline.
• You must complete Jesse Sightings: The Underpass Fault before the quest will progress.
• After that, restore power in the Interactions Lab by transferring a Power Core charge to the inactive core.
• Solve three Power Core patterns inside the locked test room (Electrokinesis Test 82).
• Bring two charges back downstairs to fully restore power to the wing.
• Head through the High Risk Chamber and Director Training, then enter Main Test Chamber V-E2 to interact with the TV and complete the Ritual.

The House in Distress is one of those quests that looks simple at first but hits a wall fast. The Fault is not where it should be, the power is out, and you get locked inside a test room with a nine-core puzzle. This guide covers every step — including the part most players miss.

The House in Distress Quest Overview

Control Resonant How to Restore Power in The House in Distress Quest

This is the 8th main mission in the Contain the Crisis storyline. It starts after you finish Recursions and Iterations. Dylan has a vision of a Dimensional Fault inside the Oldest House and asks Zoe to meet him there. The goal: find the Fault, complete a Ritual, and track down Jesse.

Rewards: 1x Living Shard, Sibling Reunion trophy/achievement

Before anything else, make sure you have already checked out our Control Resonant beginner tips — they save a lot of backtracking on quests like this one.

Step 1 — Complete The Underpass Fault First

This is the part most players miss. When you reach Main Observation inside the Oldest House, the Fault simply will not be there. Dylan will say it is the right place, but nothing happens.

Open your Quest Log and you will see the objective is locked. The block reads: The Underpass Fault must be completed first.

Head to The Spire in the Underpass via fast travel. From there:

• Jump and glide across the floating concrete blocks toward the island of rusted orange pipes.
• Activate the Fault fast travel door on the concrete structure as you cross — saves you redoing the jump later.
• Climb along the orange pipes and drop into the flooded cave below.
• Follow the green water channels toward Jesse’s voice.
• Leap to the golden-leaf altar hanging in the cavern. Interact with it to enter the Fault.

Inside the Fault you will work through memory projections — no combat here. Follow the golden trail between monoliths, guide the two child silhouettes across raised platforms, and interact with the shadow figures at the family home ruin. After the twins come together, Jesse appears. Select Help Jesse Complete the Ritual, then follow the ascending golden bridge into the white portal.

Completing The Underpass Fault rewards you with +1 Living Shard and a Talent Point. Bank the skill point before heading back.

For more on reaching hidden zones in the game, see our guide on how to reach the Unknown Zone in Control Resonant.

Step 2 — Return to the Oldest House

Once the Underpass Fault seals, Zoe will contact you over the radio. Fast travel back to Oldest House: Central Executive. The area is now filled with red Hiss resonance. Your objective updates to Reach the Oldest House Fault.

Take the elevator down to Executive Research again. Go past the Clearance Level 18 door and look through the glass at Main Observation. The bodies are suspended in the test chamber but the door to Main Test Chamber V-E2 is completely dead — the whole wing is on emergency power only.

Zoe cannot override it. She redirects you downstairs through the Classrooms and into the Interactions Lab.

If you need help with keycard access in different parts of the game, our Clearance Level 6 keycard guide and SR keycard clearance level guide are worth bookmarking.

Step 3 — How to Restore Power in The House in Distress

This is the main objective most players search for. Here is exactly how it works:

Transfer the Power Core Charge

When you reach the Interactions Lab area, you will see Power Cores. One is active. One is inactive and dead.

• Go to the east side of the room and grab the charge from the functioning active Power Core.
• Carry that electrical charge to the inactive core on the south side of the room.
• Slot it in. This restores power to that section and opens the gate to the test room.

You can also find a red power core in the storage room upstairs — grab it and carry it down to the dead core receptacle outside the Electrokinesis Test Chamber to unlock the door. Both methods restore partial power and open the way forward.

Enter the Test Room — You Will Get Locked In

Once you step inside the padded yellow test room and strike any of the Power Cores, the doors seal behind you. This is not a glitch. It is the intended start of Electrokinesis Test 82.

The automated voice confirms the test cycle has started. You now need to solve three Power Core patterns to get out.

Step 4 — Electrokinesis Test 82: All Three Power Core Puzzle Solutions

The wall has nine Power Cores arranged in a 3×3 grid. The monitors around the room show the pattern you need to recreate. There are three tests in a row. Solve them in order.

Think of the grid like this:

• Top row: left, middle, right
• Middle row: left, center, right
• Bottom row: left, middle, right

Power Core Puzzle Pattern 1 — Inverted Triangle

Activate: Top left, Top right, Bottom middle

This forms an inverted triangle shape. The screens will change once you get it right.

Power Core Puzzle Pattern 2 — Four Corners

Activate: Top left, Top right, Bottom left, Bottom right

This is a simple square — one core in each of the four corners.

Power Core Puzzle Pattern 3 — Plus Sign / Cross

Activate: Top middle, Middle left, Center, Middle right, Bottom middle

This forms a cross or plus sign through the center of the grid.

Once all three patterns are done correctly, the intercom will say “Test number 82: Success!” The exit doors unlock straight away.

Tips for the puzzle room:

• Strike a wall core to change its electrical state — the charge shifts between the core and Dylan’s weapon.
• Hit the lower wall mounts first — they extend into platforms you can jump between to reach the top corners.
• If you make a mistake, use the red floor console to reset and cycle to the correct pattern diagram on the monitors. Do not try to force the next pattern on top of a wrong one.
• The monitors above the active cores show a split 3×3 grid — dots or lines mark which nodes need to be active.

If you need help with other puzzles in the game, check out our guides on the Central Checkpoint power puzzle and the Konstig painting puzzle solution.

Step 5 — Fully Restore Power and Leave the Test Wing

After solving all three patterns, the test room doors open. Before you go, check the adjacent storage room for a Power Upgrade crate — do not miss it.

Now, take two charges from the test room and carry them back downstairs to the Power Cores in the breaker room where Zoe is standing. Activating them there fully restores power to the wing. This also unlocks the “Perfect” Dr. Darling film and plays a message on the nearby screen.

With power restored, the doors to the next section open up.

For more on power upgrades and chest locations throughout the game, see our all Power Upgrade chest locations guide.

Step 6 — Head Through High Risk Chamber and Director Training

With power back on, head to the High Risk Chamber door on the west side of the room. Watch the “Perfect” tape as you move through. Then crawl into the ventilation duct marked High Risk Chamber.

The duct drops you into the P6 Mobile Containment Device room — Dylan’s old cell. Zoe and Dylan have a conversation here about how young he was when the FBC took him in. Let it play out, then move on.

Push through Director Training. Hiss enemies will attack as the security system misfires. Clear all of them before you can move forward. After the fight, check the side office in this area — there is a Talent Point waiting there, so do not skip it.

Once the room is clear, go through the door to the north to reach the Main Test Chamber V-E2.

For more on respeccing your Talent Points after fights like this, our how to respec guide has you covered.

Step 7 — Enter the Fault and Complete the Ritual

Enter Main Test Chamber V-E2 and interact with the TV in the room. The Board will flash a warning — “Stop / Cease / Turn Back” — but the Fault pulls you in anyway. The objective updates to Complete the Ritual.

Inside the Fault, you are navigating an inverted version of the Oldest House. The platforming here is the main challenge — there are no major enemies to fight but plenty of fall risks.

• Jump from floating corridors to doorframes.
• Cross classrooms rotated at ninety degrees.
• Hop across red-carpet sections suspended in the void.
• Glide between frost-covered monoliths.
• Ascend toward the glowing celestial ring, then dash along the long red-carpet span into the rift.
• Watch out — some surfaces will break when you approach them, revealing different paths.

When you reach Jesse at the top of the bridge, interact with her to complete the mission.

If the platforming is giving you trouble, check out the Assist Mode settings guide — options like immortality are available to make tough sections more manageable.

How to Confirm The House in Distress is Complete

Three things confirm the quest is done:

• The Sibling Reunion trophy/achievement pops — this is tied to completing all Fault Rituals, not just this one, so if it does not appear, check your Quest Log for any open Jesse Faults.
• A cutscene with Zoe plays inside the glass cell as the Oldest House evacuation is ordered.
• The HUD shows Quest Completed for Notes: Jesse Sightings with another Living Shard reward.

After the quest ends, Zoe pushes to leave Manhattan but Dylan refuses — setting up the next chapter of the story.

Other Quests and Guides Near This Point in the Game

If you are around this stage of Control Resonant, these guides will help with nearby content:

• Crossing the Threshold walkthrough
• The Subway Fault — how to reach the ability
• Urban Survival quest walkthrough
• Panopticon Service Request quest
• How to open Metal Roof Hatch doors

Frequently Asked Questions

You can get Control Resonant on the official Control website, PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Steam, and Epic Games Store.