Control Resonant: Recursions and Iterations Main Quest Walkthrough

TL;DR:

• Recursions and Iterations is the 7th main mission in the Contain the Crisis questline.
• Requires completing Enemy of My Enemy first. You also need the Reach ability from Jesse Sightings: The Subway Fault partway through.
• Enter the Sinkhole via the laundromat in the Evacuation Zone and descend into the Underpass.
• Visit three Research Sites — each is a time-loop version of the same team.
• Restore power for Ayad by collecting three charges from active Power Cores and slotting them into the dead ones.
• Defend the Transmission Tower against Hiss waves, then cross the chasm by cable car.
• Follow the red relay beacons to Grist and place the final probe relay beside the glowing tree to complete the quest.
• Rewards: Living Shard, Grist’s Tracking Device, Prime Candidate Restraint Suit.

Recursions and Iterations is the longest main quest in Control Resonant’s mid-game. It sends Dylan Faden into the deepest part of the Underpass to find a missing FBC research team — and then things get strange. The team exists in three different timelines at once. Each encounter loops back on itself. And there is a point in the middle of this quest where you physically cannot progress without completing a different mission first. This guide covers every step, including the softblock fix, the power puzzle, and the final relay placement.

control resonant recursions and iterations quest

Recursions and Iterations Quest Overview

Main Story Chain: Contain the Crisis

Quest Number: 7th main mission

Starting Location: Downtown — Oldest House

Requirement: Complete Enemy of My Enemy. Midway through, you must also complete Jesse Sightings: The Subway Fault to unlock the Reach ability.

Rewards: 1x Living Shard, Grist’s Tracking Device, Prime Candidate Restraint Suit

Quest Description: After the disaster with the CFD, the Sinkhole has been Patterned even deeper. Now Pope needs Dylan’s help.

Before heading into the Underpass, make sure your build is ready. Our Control Resonant beginner tips cover the core mechanics, and our how to respec guide explains how to reallocate Talent Points if your current setup is struggling.

Recursions and Iterations Quest Objectives

1. Meet Pope in the Oldest House Lobby
2. Find the Team Below the Sinkhole
3. Locate the Research Team
4. Explore the Beacon Location
5. Keep Searching for the Team
6. Pick up the Device
7. Track the Time Fluctuations
8. Restore the Power
9. Return to Ayad
10. Locate Grist
11. Locate the Transmission Tower
12. Defend the Transmission Tower
13. Cross the Chasm
14. Follow the Relays to Grist
15. Place the Final Probe Relay

Step 1 — Meet Pope in the Oldest House Lobby

After completing Enemy of My Enemy, Dylan is back in his cell in the Oldest House. Follow the path back out to the lobby and speak with Emily Pope. She explains that Arish has stepped down, gives you a full briefing on the CFD disaster, and tells you a four-person research team has gone missing in the now-deeper Sinkhole.

Talking to Pope also triggers the side quest Into the Valley of Death — related to Langston’s research. That quest is not required for main story progression, so you can ignore it for now and come back later.

Step 2 — Find the Team Below the Sinkhole

Head to the Evacuation Zone in Central. You are re-entering the Sinkhole through the same laundromat path you used before. It is near Main Street — look for the door at the back of the laundromat building.

Do not rush through this section. There are two Power Upgrade crates here that many players miss:

• Power Upgrade 1: Inside the laundromat building before you go through the back door.
• Power Upgrade 2: Just after dropping down through the hole — to the left of the south door.

Grab both before continuing. Once inside the main building, drop down to the platform marked “PERSONNEL ACCESS,” follow the yellow tape and arrows on the ground, and keep descending through the hole in the lowest room. Follow the white lights on ropes to keep moving downward.

When you reach the Sinkhole area, activate the fast travel door here. Then go down through the new hole where the diving bell used to be. Keep following stairs down into the Underpass.

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

Step 3 — Locate the Research Team (Research Site 1)

Once you reach the open Underpass area, jump down to the red platform below and follow the path right — the white rope lights guide the route. Fight through any Hiss in the way.

On the left side of one of the lower rooms, you can drop down to find the regional shop and a Health Point crate. Worth grabbing before pushing ahead.

Climb the pillar following the white lights. Near the top, jump across to the Hiss-filled platform and clear them. After the enemies are down, jump upward to the ceiling, shift gravity, and drop through the hole into the patterned area below. Jump off to the top of the structure.

Keep following the light path south. At the south end of the platform, you can spot a red light in the distance — interact with the prompt to call it out and update your objective. Also activate The Spire fast travel door nearby. You will want this point for later.

Note: The Spire visible here leads to the optional Underpass Resonant boss. You do not need to fight it for this quest, but it is worth doing while you are in the area.

Step 4 — Explore the Beacon Location

Drop to the lower level of the camp platform and descend again using the rope-lit path. At the bottom, activate the Map Kit for the Underpass region on the left before turning right to follow the beacon.

Clear the enemies on the next platform, then go through the left path. On the other side, activate the Halfway Trail fast travel door — you will need it for the Maintenance Protocol side quest if you have not done it yet.

Continue past it and jump left to the platform with the yellow grapple light. This is where the quest can stop you cold. The grapple point requires the Reach ability — which you only get from completing Jesse Sightings: The Subway Fault.

If You Are Blocked at the Chasm — Complete The Subway Fault First

If you do not have the Reach ability yet, use the Halfway Trail fast travel door and go complete the Subway Fault mission. Our Subway Fault guide walks through the full process. Once the Fault is sealed, you get Reach automatically. Return here and the grapple point will work.

With Reach, grapple across and continue east along the red floor path. Fight the Hiss in the way. When you reach the beacon’s location, jump across to the walkway and inspect the bodies to report the anomaly to Zoe. This is Research Site 1 — the first time-loop snapshot of the team.

Step 5 — Keep Searching for the Team (Research Sites 2 and 3)

You now have a large search area. Before tracking the next objective, do two things:

• Go east to the Cable Car and inspect it. Remember this location — you will need it later.
• Climb the pillar just west of the cable car to activate the Research Stations fast travel door at the top.

Then head further west across the platforms until you find a group of researchers in a loop echo. Interact to trigger the anomaly report. Jump to the southwest tower and clear the Hiss. Follow the wall down to another walkway below.

This is Research Site 2. Approach the group of researchers here. When the others disappear, speak with Grist. She is the team lead. After she vanishes, pick up the device from the table she was standing next to.

Step 6 — Track the Time Fluctuations

With the device in hand, two time fluctuation markers appear on your map — both at research sites you have already visited. Go to each one.

• Fluctuation 1 (Site 2 area): Find an audio log on the ground at the marked location. Pick it up.
• Fluctuation 2 (Site 1 area): Speak with Ayad, the team’s engineer, who is present at a malfunctioning console in another loop echo of the first research camp.

After both fluctuations are tracked, two new objectives unlock simultaneously: Restore the Power and Track the Time Fluctuations (which continues alongside it).

Step 7 — How to Restore the Power in Recursions and Iterations

This is the objective that confuses the most players. Here is exactly how it works.

Ayad points you toward yellow tape on the ground. Follow the yellow wires and floor markings from his console. They lead to a small room with four Power Cores — one is already charged, three are dead. You need to bring charges from three other active Power Cores scattered around the area and slot them into the dead ones.

Power Core Charge Location 1 — The Moving Room

Climb to the top of the tower near Ayad and turn east. You will see a room on the wall that keeps shifting in and out of view — this is a time-loop displacement effect. Wait for it to materialize, jump to the wall, and shift gravity to enter it. Inside are charge cubes. Grab one charge and carry it back to the main battery room east of Ayad. Slot it into one of the dead cores.

Important: Do not try to cross while the building is phased out. Wait for it to solidify before jumping across from the upper ledge.

Power Core Charge Location 2 — The Right-Side Wall Room

Return near the moving room location. There is a second wall room slightly to the right of the first one. Grab the charge from inside and carry it back to the battery room. Slot it into the second dead core.

Power Core Charge Location 3 — East Platform

The final charge is off the east side of Ayad’s platform — in the direction he was facing when you spoke with him. Follow the yellow tape off the east edge to locate the third active Power Core. Grab the charge and bring it back to complete the fourth slot in the battery room.

When all four cores are powered, the cables connecting them light up yellow and the Restore the Power objective completes. Return to Ayad. He disappears — and you will find him dead beside a duplicate version of his own body. That is the intended result, not a bug.

For help with other power puzzles in Control Resonant, see our Central Checkpoint power puzzle guide and our how to restore power in the House in Distress.

Step 8 — Locate Grist

After returning to Ayad, your objective updates to locate a third version of the research camp. Head back to the southwest research site (Research Site 3) where you will encounter the team of three researchers again — in another loop snapshot. Interact with the anomaly prompt to trigger another update.

Then head southeast to a smaller search area. You will find Grist standing at the edge of a precipice, looking over it. Speak with her. She jumps into the chasm after the conversation — this is scripted.

One more anomaly then marks to the west. Climb up to the upper area of the tower there. You will find Grist’s body and a recording sitting beside it. Pick up the recording. This changes your objective to Locate the Transmission Tower.

Step 9 — Locate and Defend the Transmission Tower

Head southeast from where you found the recording. The Transmission Tower is a tall antenna structure — follow the quest marker to reach it.

Once you are there, a wave defense fight starts automatically. Hiss enemies keep spawning and attacking the tower. You must defeat every wave before the objective clears. Zoe will confirm when all data has uploaded to Pope’s team.

Combat tips for the tower defense:

• Use high ground — the tower’s upper platforms give you sightlines over the whole area.
• Prioritize the flying Hiss first. They can knock you off the platform.
• Save Service Weapon ammo for the heavier units and use Telekinesis throws on the smaller ones.
• Do not drop off the platform to chase stragglers — Hiss can be pulled to you with grab.

After the defense ends, a new time fluctuation appears. Follow it east back toward the Cable Car you inspected earlier. Grist’s loop echo is standing near it. Speak with her.

Step 10 — Cross the Chasm by Cable Car

With Grist’s version of events complete, interact with the lever on the Cable Car. Dylan rides it across the chasm to the other side.

Before following the path forward, grab the Power Upgrade crate on the left immediately after getting off the car. It is easy to miss if you walk past it.

Step 11 — Follow the Relays to Grist

On the other side of the chasm, follow the red relay beacon lights southeast. Jump down toward the Mold section and keep moving. A new anomaly icon appears on your map — head toward it.

In this new version of the research area, go into the northern room and interact with the intercom. Then continue following the red beacons southeast.

You will reach a large open room. This is the tricky section for navigation. Do not try to cross straight through. Instead:

• Go to the right side of the room first.
• Use Gravity Shift to follow the path along the walls — look for wall sections you can stick to.
• This routes you around the room and deposits you at the exit on the far side.

Push through to the final area. You will find Grist here — she dies again in another loop echo. This is scripted. Before you pick up the relay, look to your right for the Deepest Underpass fast travel door. Activate it. This is a critical fast travel point for later content, including the Maintenance Protocol side quest.

For what comes next in the Underpass region and in nearby side content, our Maintenance Protocol quest walkthrough starts from this exact fast travel door.

Step 12 — Place the Final Probe Relay

Pick up the probe relay from where Grist fell. Follow the path through the pipes heading deeper into the structure. The route is linear from here — just keep moving forward.

When you reach the chamber at the end, you will find a glowing sapling — a small tree growing underground beneath the Oldest House. Walk up to it and place the probe relay on the ground beside it. Activate it.

The Quest Completed screen appears. Recursions and Iterations is done.

Recursions and Iterations Rewards

• 1x Living Shard
• Grist’s Tracking Device
• Prime Candidate Restraint Suit — a new outfit, available immediately in your Wardrobe

What Comes Next After Recursions and Iterations

Completing this quest unlocks The House in Distress — the 8th main mission in the Contain the Crisis chain. That quest requires a second Jesse Fault to be cleared before it can progress. Our House in Distress power restore guide covers the Interactions Lab power puzzle and the Electrokinesis Test 82 in full.

If you have not done the Underpass side quests while passing through, this is a good time to wrap them up:

• Maintenance Protocol quest — all three bulb solutions
• The Subway Fault — how to reach and unlock Reach
• How to reach the Unknown Zone
• Urban Survival quest walkthrough
• Alan Wake Easter egg location

Common Mistakes and Tips

• Missing both Power Upgrade crates in the laundromat entry: One is before the back door, one is just after the hole drop. Both are easy to walk past if you are following the tape.
• Skipping fast travel door activations: The Sinkhole, Halfway Trail, Research Stations, and Deepest Underpass doors all appear during this quest. Activate every one you find. They matter for later side content.
• Trying to cross to the moving room while it is phased: Wait for it to solidify. The building disappears and reappears on a cycle. Jumping while it is gone means falling into the abyss.
• Dropping the charges in the wrong room: All three charges must go to the battery room east of Ayad with the four core slots — not back to the individual rooms you pulled them from. Follow the yellow cable lines each time.
• Getting lost in the large open room after the cable car: Go right first, use Gravity Shift to run along the walls, and the exit becomes reachable. Trying to cross straight through this room does not work.
• Forgetting the Deepest Underpass fast travel door: It is right next to where Grist falls at the end. Easy to miss in the moment. Activate it before picking up the relay.

Frequently Asked Questions

Control Resonant is available on the official Control website, PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Steam, and Epic Games Store.