A Complete Guide to Every Fault in CONTROL Resonant and How to Locate Them

Background: The Five Faults and What They Change

Faults are the core movement system in CONTROL Resonant, and Dylan must find all five main Faults to advance the story. They are spread across Resonant’s altered Manhattan: the Downtown Fault in Downtown, the Incursion Fault in the West Incursion Zone, the Subway Fault in the Evacuation Zone, the Underpass Fault in the Underpass, and the Final Fault in the Unknown Zone.

Two of these five Faults are mandatory for the main story, while the other three are tied to optional exploration. Collecting the optional Faults early opens many different pathways, and it also makes the rest of the run easier because the city hides valuable resources, including upgrades to Health and Power. Visiting them early pays off.

The source guide is credited to Destructoid screenshots, and the original layout also references the Destructoid Checkpoint newsletter.

Stage 1: Downtown Fault and the Mandatory Oldest House Fault

The first Fault in the timeline is the Downtown Fault. It appears during the introduction, before players are allowed to roam Manhattan, so it does not require a separate route. It is automatic.

The second mandatory Fault is the Oldest House Fault. Dylan runs into it during a story mission. That leaves three explorable areas for traversal upgrades and secrets: the West Incursion Zone, the Evacuation Zone, and the Underpass.

In the source list, the Underpass Fault and the Final Fault are marked with an asterisk. That asterisk means they do not grant traversal abilities. The first three Faults are therefore the ones that matter most for building a strong route.

Stage 2: West Incursion Zone Fault and Shift

Location: Parking Garage in the West Incursion Zone
Ability: Shift, which lets Dylan walk on walls

The West Incursion Zone Fault is located in a parking garage to the north-ish of the map. It is the first practical traversal pickup in the timeline because Shift opens up wall-based movement that makes later routes far more flexible.

To reach it, use the generator in the House of Mirrors to power up the elevator in the patterned street to the west. That elevator takes Dylan to the top of the garage area.

Once inside the parking garage, grab the key from a guard inside a laundromat to the south. After getting the key, follow the cars and take the gravity-assisted path to the bottom. This unlocks Shift, one of the most important traversal abilities in the game. The sequence also includes another track in Zoe’s mixtape, which serves as a bonus treat.

Stage 3: Evacuation Zone Fault and Reach

Location: Subway station in the north of the Evacuation Zone
Ability: Reach, which pulls Dylan into pockets of gravity

The Evacuation Zone Fault is the second major traversal stop. It grants Reach, an ability that lets Dylan teleport toward the miniature black holes scattered around the map. Getting Reach early makes the journey a lot easier, especially because the Evacuation Zone must be visited near the beginning of the game anyway.

From the Main Street fast travel door, go through the construction site to the north. This leads to Railyard Street Station, where a vision of Jesse guides Dylan further ahead.

This is a long Fault, and the path is hypnotizing, though trains remain a serious danger. If the next step is unclear, heading down is often a good choice. Remember that Dylan can walk on the tracks.

Stage 4: Underpass Fault and the Story-Only Light Puzzle

Location: Orange pipe island in the Underpass
Ability: None

The Underpass Fault is not a simple location pickup. It is only accessible after completing the other explorable Faults because the route requires a combination of traversal abilities. In practice, this means Shift and Reach are needed to reach the orange pipe island efficiently.

From the research station, look for the lower path with floating platforms. Reach can carry Dylan most of the way there.

This Fault is exclusively for the story, but the dialogue between Dylan and Jesse is more than worth the trip. If you are struggling to guide the two lights to the right location, keep in mind that they are near the correct placement.

Stage 5: Final Fault in the Unknown Zone

The Final Fault is placed in the Unknown Zone. Like the Underpass Fault, it does not grant a traversal ability. It is one of the two asterisked entries in the five-Fault map.

Spoiler Warning: The Final Fault is tied to main story progression rather than optional traversal power. It appears after the Oldest House Fault in the story sequence, and it marks the shift from exploration-focused Fault hunting toward story completion. The Oldest House Fault itself is also a story mission Fault, not an optional upgrade pickup.

Current Stage: How to Read the Timeline Now

For a CONTROL Resonant run, the most useful timeline is:

1. Encounter the Downtown Fault during the introduction.
2. Meet the Oldest House Fault during the mandatory story mission.
3. Collect the West Incursion Zone Fault for Shift.
4. Collect the Evacuation Zone Fault for Reach.
5. Return to the Underpass Fault after the other abilities are available.
6. Treat the Final Fault in the Unknown Zone as a story milestone, not a traversal upgrade.

The numbers that matter are five Faults total, two mandatory Faults, three explorable areas, Shift and Reach as the two ability-giving optional pickups, and Health and Power upgrades waiting in the city’s secrets.