Control AWE missions guide: Time for an investigation, Director

Control AWE, the Alan Wake crossover expansion, is available now and Stevivor’s here to help you complete its various missions.

Slight to heavy spoilers will be present below, so be warned! We also got the game with scant hours before its release, so this is definitely a work in progress. Hang in there with us!

Before you start | Main missions | Side missions | Easter eggs

Before we get going, here’s a map of the entire Investigations Sector region, if that helps.

Moreover, there’s a new ability and weapon type found in AWE; you’ll grab Multi-Launch through the Abilities menu and the Surge weapon in the Astral Constructs menu. Both are useful for new Achievements and Trophies!

Control AWE main missions

A Dark Place

A Dark Place is where the expansion begins. This mission can be found in Central Executive and truly starts by taking the nearby elevator. This will take you into the new Invesigation Sector, of which lies the Bright Falls AWE. You’ll soon run into Hartman, and the video below provides some help in dealing with him.

The Third Thing

The Third Thing will take you further into the Bureau’s Investigation Sector, where Jesse will need to track down Hartman across two additional AWEs — the Fra Mauro AWE and Eagle Limited AWE sites. Jesse can complete whichever of the two she chooses first, though each has its own side mission (see Gerbil Took the Top Head and Dead in its Tracks).

While each mission is relatively straightforward, they both present a challenge in actually defeating Hartman in both locations. Hartman will be shrouded in light, requiring Jesse to flee to the nearest light source (like Alan and lightposts in Alan Wake to survive). While standing in the light, you’ll need to look for a power core to start up a nearby additional light source, then essentially rinse and repeat.

In one particularly tricky sequence, you’ll need to liberate four power cores from towers the Hiss are blocking. Here, stand in the light of the control room wherever possible and try to eliminate Hiss Clusters with your Service Weapon. This is a tricky situation because Hartman sometimes comes out of nowhere to wreck you.

It’s Happening Again

First off, points if you got the Twin Peaks reference with It’s Happening Again, the last main mission. Here, Jesse travels to the Bright Falls AWE for a final confrontation with Hartman. The initial phase of the fight is the same as the last, requiring Jesse to power up parts of the AWE so it’s bathed in light.

Next, you’ll actually have to take it to Hartman over two main damage dealing phases. For this part, we stood in the centre of the AWE keeping a lone pillar in the centre between us. When Hartman isn’t launching projectiles at him, deal damage; when he does, put that pillar between you. Also be aware that Hartman has the ability to teleport, so keep some energy in reserve to evade if he pops up beside you.

Hartman will also knock the power cores out from their spots, so be prepared to zip on over and reinsert them when needed. You’ll have to stick to the light as best you can so you’ve got energy to do so.

Control AWE side missions

Another Fine Mess: Burn the Dark

Ahti’s back! Rather, missions from the Bureau’s janitor are — he’s still on vacation himself. The first of three side missions requires you to burn Darkness away in three locations: Eagle Limited AWE, Utility Corridor and Service Ducts.

Another Fine Mess: Clear the Mold

Another of Ahti’s side missions will task you to eliminate mold-producing spores in three locations: Loading Bay Vents, A/C Systems and Abandoned Offices.

Another Fine Miss: Nourish the Plants

Finally, Ahti’s last side mission will have you track down plants in order to bathe them in (totally non-UV, but whatever) light. The plants are in three main locations: AWE Loading Bay, Operations Corridor and Abandoned Offices.

SHÜM

SHÜM is not only a side mission but a means to replay past hits from within Control. Found inside a break room in [location], SHÜM (the arcade machine on the left) will let you play two new challenge modes, while SHÜM 2 will let you relive past battles including Former, The Anchor, esseJ and the Ashtray Maze.

The two new SHÜM modes are as follows, with our tips and tricks detailed alongside explanations:

• Crowd Control: This is a waved-based event which will likely take you 15-20 minutes to complete… or likely longer, as we kept getting near the end only to be sidelined by an enemy that spawned behind us and that went unnoticed until it was too late. Perhaps this is a good time to take advantage of Control‘s free August update and new options that provide invulnerability, eh?
• Deadline: A timed event where you have a limited amount of time to kill waves of baddies. Honestly, this one sucks because some bad guys get stuck/hide in stairwells and the like, so you could basically fail while frantically running around the stage trying to find the lone baddie of the wave. Do not recomment.

Completing either mode opens up a more challenging version of it. Finishing any mode will also grant you the Workplace Recreation Achievement or Trophy.

Return to Sender

You’ll get this side mission in the Shifted Offices after picking up a chain letter near a tube mailbox.

From there, you’ll be tasked to find a copy machine on the ground floor of the Operations Centre. With three copies of the chain letter made, you’ll need to mail them using the tube systems found in three locations: Observation Deck, Abandoned Offices and Utility Corridor. A video shows you all three locations below.

Gerbil Took the Top Head

This opens up after completing the Hartman battle in the Fra Mauro AWE. Find the entity in the containment cell and bring it various objects from inside Mobile Bases to get the next step of the quest.

That will lead you to the Sector Head Office (pun likely intended), where you’ll find a spaceman’s helmet in an upper office. Return the helmet to the entity and you’ll complete the mission. A video details it below.

Dead in its Tracks

This is in the Eagle Limited AWE site after dealing with Hartman. Interact with the train carriage to head inside it and solve the puzzle, which requires engaging with the following objects in the following order:

• Suitcase
• Conductor’s hat
• Violin
• Food
• Hammer
• Gears/rubbish

Voila! A video details it below.

Control AWE Easter eggs

The Vending Machine altered item

You’ll come across documents detailing a Vending Machine altered item, and we ran into it in the Abandoned Offices. Putting it out of its misery offered up a lot of drops from its electronic corpse.

It’s unclear if the machine is a random spawn or not, so take out any vending machine you see and be ready to chase it if its sentient.

Update: The game’s Trophy list confirms there are more, so get smashing!

Radios

Luke and I came across two different radios, and each just seems to be an homage to past Control events. One, found near the Operations Corridor, plays the same music from Foundation‘s Jesse Faden Starring in Swift Platform, while another found near the Shifted Passage plays the same music heard during the Ashtray Maze.

Update: The room with the Radio in the Shifted Passage area now has a door leading to a new area; Luke’s investigating.

Update 2: It does this! The clock code is 1-7-7-1-6-4-9-7 when you’re there.

<SPOILERS/ SECRET AWE PUZZLE/REDACTED> from controlgame

An Alan Wake can pyramid

We’re hoping this is just a single nod and not a series of collectibles to find, but an Alan Wake can pyramid — a confirmed collecible in 2010’s classic — can be spotted in the upper observation area of the Bright Falls AWE.

You can’t shoot the pyramid, but you certainly can wreck it with Jesse’s powers.

The pyramid is also beside a bulletin board detailing Bright Falls, WA locations alongside a representation of the town itself.

Have you spotted anything we’ve missed? Sound off in the comments below!

Control is currently available on Windows PC via Epic Games Store and Steam alongside, Xbox One and PS4. A next-gen upgrade is available through Control Ultimate Edition in September.