Key Takeaways
- Sever the Hedron Links is the 10th main mission in the Contain the Crisis questline, unlocking immediately after The Hedron Link.
- You must complete the Pope’s Research side quest first — it activates the Gravity Wells needed to travel between The Unknown’s floating islands and reach both link locations.
- There are two Hedron Links to destroy, each guarded by a boss: Hedron Factor (near the Patterned Evac Building) and Hedron Proxy (near the Patterned Field Office).
- Both links can be tackled in either order once Pope’s Research is done and the Gravity Wells are live.
- Hedron enemies resist Raw damage — use fire, Mold, or Hedron-type abilities in every fight here.
- Reward: 1 x Living Shard + Stop It at the Source trophy/achievement (bronze).
Sever the Hedron Links picks up right where The Hedron Link left off. Two more Hedron Links have slammed into the Patterned city floating above the Oldest House, and both need to go before Dylan can push on to the Hedron itself. The mission is straightforward in concept but easy to get stuck on if you try to reach the links before Pope’s Research is done. This guide walks you through every step — getting into The Unknown, setting up the Gravity Wells, finding both link locations, and beating each boss.
Requirements Before You Start
- Complete The Hedron Link — this quest follows directly from it.
- Shift ability — earned from the Incursion Fault. You need it to navigate The Unknown’s rotated surfaces.
- Reach ability — earned from the Subway Fault. Required for traversal across the larger gaps in The Unknown.
If you are missing either traversal ability, get those first. For help, see the Incursion Fault walkthrough and the Subway Fault walkthrough.
Step 1 – Return to The Unknown via the Oldest House
The quest begins at the Oldest House in Downtown. Head inside and go to the elevator on the floor above Pope — select Roof Access to be taken up to the rooftop and into The Unknown zone.
Before stepping off the edge, activate the Oldest House Rooftop fast travel door on your left. It only takes a second and will save you a lot of time if you need to return to this entry point later.
Step 2 – Complete Pope’s Research (Required)
Once you drop into The Unknown, the game is clear about what to do next: Progress Pope’s Research Side Mission. This is not optional. Both Hedron Link locations are on isolated floating islands that are only reachable via Gravity Wells — and those Gravity Wells only activate once you plant all eight sets of probe relays during Pope’s Research.
In short: the two Hedron Links are inaccessible until Pope’s Research is finished. Do it first.
For full step-by-step instructions on all 8 balloon locations and how every relay placement works, see the Pope’s Research walkthrough. Once all 24 relays are planted and you have investigated Point 0, the Gravity Wells across every island go live and the two link locations become reachable on your map.
Tip: While doing Pope’s Research, unlock the zone map by activating the central antenna tower and its three sensor dishes. With the map revealed, the two Hedron Link markers are visible and easy to navigate to.
Step 3 – Sever the Link Near the Patterned Evac Building (Hedron Factor)
How to Reach It
With the Gravity Wells active, head to the south island of The Unknown. Use the floating platforms that branch off toward the island holding the Hedron Link. Jump across them and interact with the glowing Hedron Link mechanism — this pulls Dylan into the boss arena.
Hedron Factor Boss Fight
The health bar reads HEDRON FACTOR. This boss does not fight you directly — instead it controls the fight by sending enemies at you in waves.
- Phase structure: The boss spawns one heavy enemy at a time. Defeat it to chip away at the Hedron Factor’s health bar. When the bar hits a blue threshold marker, the pattern changes.
- Between heavy waves: The boss drops mines on the ground while sending in a wave of smaller, weaker Hedron enemies. Stay mobile to avoid the mines and clear the lighter enemies quickly.
- Repeat: Once the smaller wave is cleared, the heavy enemies return. Keep repeating — focus heavies, dodge mines during the light phases — until the health bar is empty.
Key tip: Hedron enemies are resistant to Raw damage (Dylan’s basic Strike). Use fire abilities, Mold damage, or Hedron-type abilities for everything here. If you have Ignite or Inferno from the Deserter fight, those work well. See the Deserter boss guide if you still need those abilities.
Defeating the Hedron Factor severs the first link. A collectible document — the Hedron Sequence – Apex — is also available in this area, so grab it before you leave.
Step 4 – Sever the Link Near the Patterned Field Office (Hedron Proxy)
How to Reach It
Head to Tower Island in the north-east of The Unknown. From there, look for the platforms that lead toward the island containing the second Hedron Link near the Patterned Field Office. If you unlocked the Tower Island fast travel door during Pope’s Research, you can use it to jump straight to this side of the map.
Follow the route past the Patterned Field Office, crossing the floating platforms. Interact with the Hedron Link mechanism when you reach it to drop into the second boss arena.
Important: The Patterned Field Office area is also where The Unknown Resonant quest eventually leads. If your quest log shows The Unknown Resonant as active rather than Sever the Hedron Links, you are on the Co-Director route — a different objective in the same zone. Stay on your current tracked quest and follow its marker to avoid confusion. For the Co-Director fight, see the Co-Director boss guide.
Hedron Proxy Boss Fight
The health bar reads HEDRON PROXY. This boss is built from a mass of the same heavy brick-type Hedron enemies you have been fighting throughout this mission — think of the main body as a launcher that throws them at you.
- Main threat: The Proxy sends heavy brick enemies out from its central body. These are your primary targets — focus them down as they approach.
- Late phase: As the remaining heavy count drops, the boss begins spawning groups of smaller Hedron enemies on the ground alongside them. Keep an eye out for these — they will flank you if ignored while you track the heavies.
- Arena awareness: Keep moving. The combination of heavies, lighter adds, and the main body all demanding attention at once makes standing still a fast way to die.
The same damage-type rule applies here: avoid Raw damage, use fire, Mold, or Hedron abilities. Execute the final heavy enemies once the Proxy’s health is low enough to trigger the kill prompt.
Defeating the Hedron Proxy destroys the second link. A cutscene plays showing the Hedron losing its grip on the Patterned city above the Oldest House.
Sever the Hedron Links – Rewards
- 1 x Living Shard (crafting material)
- Stop It at the Source trophy/achievement (bronze)
With both links severed, the Contain the Crisis questline advances and the path to the Hedron itself opens up. The next main mission continues the push toward the final confrontation.
Does the Order of the Two Links Matter?
No. Once Pope’s Research is complete and the Gravity Wells are active, you can tackle the Hedron Factor (Evac Building) and Hedron Proxy (Field Office) in either order. Both count toward the same objective and neither blocks the other. Most players find the Evac Building side slightly easier to reach first since it sits on the south island closest to the first Gravity Well chain from the rooftop entry point.
Tips for Sever the Hedron Links
- Do Pope’s Research before anything else. Trying to reach the link locations without active Gravity Wells is a dead end. There is no shortcut — the wells are the only way across the void between islands.
- Unlock the fast travel doors in The Unknown. There are several on different islands. Activating them during Pope’s Research saves significant time when moving between the two link locations.
- Never use basic Strike on Hedron enemies. Raw damage barely dents them. Fire and Mold elemental damage, or abilities tagged as Hedron-type, cut through them much faster.
- Execute heavy enemies. Health items are locked out in boss arenas, so executing downed enemies mid-fight is the only way to restore health. Prioritise heavies for executes since they give back the most.
- Bank your upgrades before the fight. Every major boss kill in Control Resonant triggers a Resonant Cycle — previously cleared enemies come back stronger. Spend any unspent Talent Points and Power Upgrade Points before entering either arena.
More Control Resonant Walkthroughs
- Pope’s Research Walkthrough – All 8 Balloon Locations
- How to Reach the Unknown Zone
- How to Reach the Unknown Resonant
- The Co-Director Boss Guide
- The Hedron Boss Guide
- Recursions and Iterations Walkthrough
- Crossing the Threshold Walkthrough
- Carbon Copy Complete Questline Walkthrough
- All Bosses and Where to Find Them
- Beginner Tips
