TL;DR – Key Takeaways:
- Unsupervised Science is a side quest in Control Resonant that asks you to shut down six secret Testing Facilities hidden underground across Manhattan.
- Each facility entrance is underground — the map marker shows street level, so always look for a nearby hidden entrance to descend.
- There are two puzzle types: the Soda Dispenser object puzzle (Downtown, Evacuation Zone, West Incursion Zone) and the Power Core balancing puzzle (Central, The Park, Unknown).
- The Evacuation Zone facility drops the Testing Facility Coordinates file, which pins all remaining labs on your map.
- Completing all six experiments opens the Threshold inside the Unknown facility, leading to the quest’s final reward: Dr. Grant’s Final Report, the Untapped Scrunchie Artifact Recipe, and the Threshold Researcher trophy/achievement.
Unsupervised Science is one of the most rewarding side quests in Control Resonant. It takes you beneath the streets of Manhattan to shut down six secret FBC Testing Facilities still running experiments long after evacuation. The tricky part? Every facility is underground, but the map markers sit at street level. You will arrive at the marker and see nothing but an ordinary sidewalk or construction site. The real entrance is always nearby — you just need to look around and find it.
This guide covers every facility location, both puzzle types with step-by-step solutions, all rewards, and what to do once you enter the Threshold at the end.
How to Start Unsupervised Science in Control Resonant
The quest becomes available naturally as you explore Manhattan. Head to the construction site east of the vendor in eastern Central, follow the tunnel into the Testing Facility, and listen to the audio recording inside the control room. This triggers the objective: Shut Down the Experiments. From there, you have five more facilities to find and clear.
Do not worry about finding them all at once. The Testing Facility Coordinates document — found inside the Evacuation Zone facility — marks every remaining location on your map. Clear Downtown or Central first, then hit Evacuation Zone to unlock the rest.
The Two Puzzle Types in Every Control Resonant Testing Facility
Every Testing Facility runs one of two puzzles. Learning how each works makes the whole quest much faster since each type repeats across three different labs.
Soda Dispenser Object Puzzle
The terminal in these rooms has a note: every item in the facility must end up as a Soda Dispenser. Objects in the room change form when you carry them across the yellow lines. The whiteboard near the terminal shows the full transformation sequence — for example: Printer → Sink → Grill → Soda Dispenser.
Here is the fastest way to do it:
- Pick up an object and walk it through a yellow line to change its form.
- Instead of cycling through every step in order, carry the object across a line, then immediately jump to the opposite side. This can land you on a different form out of sequence, often hitting Soda Dispenser much faster.
- Once an object becomes a Soda Dispenser, place it inside one of the yellow-box zones. You do not need to carry it back across any lines — just drop it in the nearest marked area.
- Repeat until all required objects are in Soda Dispenser form to trigger the shutdown.
Power Core Balancing Puzzle
You have 60 seconds from when you pull the lever to keep every Power Core balanced. Some cores begin charged, others are dead. Watch the red indicators on the inactive cores — once one starts blinking, it needs power now.
Here is how to handle it:
- Before pulling the lever, position yourself so you can see all the cores at once.
- When a dead core flashes red, grab the charge from a live core and transfer it to the flashing one immediately.
- Pair the cores: in a four-core room, pair the two on the left and the two on the right, then keep rotating the charge between each pair.
- The Unknown facility has five cores — keep moving and do not let any one core stay dead for too long.
- Hold the balance for the full 60 seconds and the gate will open automatically.
All Six Testing Facility Locations in Control Resonant
Here is a quick overview of every facility, its location, the puzzle type inside, and what you earn for completing it.
- Downtown – Testing Facility Reade, east side of the zone | Soda Dispenser | Power Upgrade, A Note From Dr. Milbeck’s Cardiologist
- Central – Construction site east of the Patterned Factory | Power Core | Power Upgrade, Notes From Dr. Puchalski
- Evacuation Zone – Next to the Survivalist’s Bunker fast travel | Soda Dispenser | Power Upgrade, Testing Facility Coordinates
- West Incursion Zone – South of the House of Mirrors, second lane from the bottom | Soda Dispenser | Power Upgrade, Notes From Dr. Janson
- The Park – Northeast of the zone, via one of two sewer entrances | Power Core | Emergency Hood, Notes From Dr. Roth
- Unknown – West-central of the fast travel point | Power Core (five cores) | Firebreaker Goggles, Notes From Dr. Grant
Control Resonant Testing Facility Walkthrough – All Six Locations
Downtown – Testing Facility Reade (Soda Dispenser)
Go to the Testing Facility Reade building on the east side of Downtown. It is a mid-construction building, and the moment you step inside, a group of Hiss enemies will spawn. Clear them out first, then look for the underground entrance leading to the lab below. Once inside, run the Soda Dispenser puzzle — cycle each object through the yellow lines and place them in the marked boxes as Soda Dispensers to start the shutdown sequence.
Reward: Power Upgrade, A Note From Dr. Milbeck’s Cardiologist
If you are struggling with early-game combat here, check out our Control Resonant beginner tips for some useful pointers.
Central – Testing Facility Puchalski (Power Core)
Head to the construction site east of the Patterned Factory. This is the same general area where you fight The Deserter boss, so you may already know this corner of the map. Find the underground entrance at the site and head down. Inside, you will find four Power Cores — two of them start charged. Pull the lever and keep an eye on the dead cores for red flashing lights, then transfer charge between them for the full 60 seconds to open the gate.
Reward: Power Upgrade, Notes From Dr. Puchalski
Evacuation Zone – Testing Facility Pearl (Soda Dispenser)
The entrance to this facility is right next to the Survivalist’s Bunker fast travel point in the southern area of the Evacuation Zone. The puzzle inside is the same Soda Dispenser challenge from Downtown. Use the yellow-line trick to get objects into Soda Dispenser form fast, then drop them in the marked boxes.
This is a high-priority lab to do early because completing it gives you the Testing Facility Coordinates document, which marks all remaining facilities on your map.
Reward: Power Upgrade, Testing Facility Coordinates
West Incursion Zone – Testing Facility Janson (Soda Dispenser)
Travel to the second lane up from the bottom of the map, south of the House of Mirrors. Find the underground entrance in this area and head inside. You will see the familiar Soda Dispenser setup — convert all required objects and shut the lab down. By this point the method should be second nature.
Reward: Power Upgrade, Notes From Dr. Janson
The Park – Testing Facility Vesey (Power Core)
This facility is in the northeastern section of The Park, accessed through one of two sewer entrances in that area. If you have already picked up the New Growth quest from the story, this lab may appear on your route naturally. Inside is the same Power Core puzzle as Central — balance the load across four cores for 60 seconds and press the shutdown button.
Completing this one earns you the Emergency Hood accessory, which is a solid cosmetic pickup on top of the lore file.
Reward: Emergency Hood, Notes From Dr. Roth
Unknown – Testing Facility Dutch (Power Core)
The hardest facility in the quest. It is located west-central of the fast travel point in the Unknown region. If you have not been to this part of the map yet, check out our guide on how to reach the Unknown Zone to get there.
Inside, you face five Power Cores instead of four. The core mechanic is the same — watch for red flashes and transfer charge to keep everything balanced — but with five cores active at once, you need to keep moving and stay ahead of the flickers. Once the 60-second timer ends and the gate opens, grab the Firebreaker Goggles accessory and the Notes From Dr. Grant.
Reward: Firebreaker Goggles, Notes From Dr. Grant
This facility also unlocks the Threshold in the room beyond once all six experiments are shut down.
How to Complete the Threshold in Control Resonant
After shutting down all six facilities, a Threshold gateway opens inside the Unknown lab — right beside the room where you picked up the Firebreaker Goggles. Enter it and follow the corridor forward. You will see floor labels pointing to different paths: Janson to the left and Puchalski ahead. Here is how to navigate it:
- Take the right path and interact with the board at the end.
- Take the left-hand route and retrieve the electric charge from the Power Core inside.
- Follow the path ahead to its fork and take the left branch, placing the charge into the dead Power Core there.
- Grab the crafting materials in the room, return to the fork, and go straight.
- Interact with the corpse at the end of the corridor to finish the quest.
Finishing the Threshold earns you Dr. Grant’s Final Report, the Untapped Scrunchie Artifact Recipe, and the Threshold Researcher trophy or achievement — confirming Unsupervised Science is completely wrapped up.
Unsupervised Science Rewards – Full List
Here is everything you earn across the entire quest:
- Six Power Upgrades (one per facility, including The Park and Unknown which give gear instead — check the table above)
- Emergency Hood – The Park facility
- Firebreaker Goggles – Unknown facility
- Dr. Grant’s Final Report – Threshold completion
- Untapped Scrunchie Artifact Recipe – Threshold completion
- Threshold Researcher achievement/trophy
The Power Upgrades alone make it worth clearing at least the first few facilities early in your playthrough. The gear rewards from The Park and Unknown are a good bonus on top.
More Control Resonant Guides
If you are working through the rest of Control Resonant’s content alongside this quest, here are some useful guides to keep handy:
- All Bosses and Where to Find Them
- All Secret Hideout Locations
- All Power Upgrade Chest Locations
- Recursions and Iterations Walkthrough
- How to Reach the Unknown Resonant
- How to Respec in Control Resonant
- Control Resonant Review
Control Resonant is available on PC via Steam and PlayStation.
