Recursions and Iterations Walkthrough

Recursions and Iterations is the first Main Story mission of Control Resonant in the Protect the Dimension chapter. Previously, Dylan helped stop the destruction caused by the CFD in Enemy of My Enemy. But the disaster created another problem. The Sinkhole has deepened, and Pope needs Dylan's help to figure it out. This walkthrough for Recursions and Iterations includes instructions on how to Tap to Reveal.

Meet Pope in the Oldest House Lobby

You'll find Pope waiting for you in the Oldest House near the mission boards. Speak with her to begin.

Pope, now the acting director of the FBC, informs Dylan that Arish stepped down following the CFD incident, leaving her fully in charge while Jesse is away. You get two options for a reply. Feel free to pick either one, as they won't change how the mission progresses.

After the mistake with the CFD, priorities shifted for the FBC. The agency now views the Patterning to be more dangerous than the Hiss, and is moving to focus on the more challenging threat. She tells Dylan that the CFD caused the Sinkhole in the Evacuation Zone to deepen, and she sent a team of four researchers down there to investigate.

Naturally, things with the researchers didn't go to plan. With this revelation, you're given two options as a reply:

• Why underground?
• Do they need help?

You can pick either option. It's clear they need help, but the bigger question is why the Patterning is burrowing into the earth. Pope believes, based on recent information, that the Patterning is attempting to access an underground entrance to the Oldest House. And that can't be good. All they know is that it doesn't make sense.

Pope reports that the research team's messages have been "incoherent." She asks Dylan to go down there, help the team, lead by Agent Schultz and supported by Dr. Grist, and secure their data.

She ends the conversation by telling you that the team accessed the Sinkhole via the laundromat you used to leave it back in Into the Sinkhole. Head that way when you're ready to start.

Find the Team Below the Sinkhole

Your first task after getting let off your leash is to head to the Evacuation Zone and locate the aforementioned laundromat entrance.

Open your map and look for the quest marker in the Evacuation Zone, indicating the laundromat. It's close to the Fast Travel Door, which you can use to get there quickly. To do so, access a door and pick the Main Street Fast Travel Door in the Evacuation Zone.

After reaching the Evacuation Zone, head into Main Street and look for the laundromat. The door has two large white lights shining down onto the street, making it tough to miss.

Walk in to find that the laundromat has been completely converted into an FBC security checkpoint, complete with a metal detector and guards. One of the guards has some friendly words for Dylan, indicating that maybe the discourse around the troubled parautilitarian is beginning to change.

Enter the next room to discover an Orientation Point and a man trying to enjoy his pizza. Wait, what pizza restaurants are open right now? That's not important... maybe. Continue through the door and follow the stairs down.

Progress until you reach the Patterned rooms from before. The FBC has labeled and marked the place, making it a bit easier to navigate. To continue, look down into the chasm for a ledge with a light and a sign on the floor for PERSONNEL ACCESS. Descend to that ledge.

After getting there, follow the yellow line on the floor, guiding you along the path the FBC took — up a ledge and through walls.

Continue until you reach the next open area with Patterned rooms. Across the way and up, you should see a room with a flickering light.

The light leads you to a Side Mission, which isn't required for Recursions and Iterations. To continue the objective, look down to spot a large hole in the floor. Drop to it using the rooms and lifts to slow your descent.

Head through the hole and stop when you enter a room with an Orientation Point. Drop into the hole in the corner of the room to continue.

Progress until you finally reach the previously known bottom of the Sinkhole where you installed the Probe Relays and fought the Hiss Ruiner.

Keep descending to the bottom, where you discover another hole going even deeper, with stairs leading down.

Before going further, look to the west for a Fast Travel Door. You should activate it to unlock the Sinkhole Fast Travel Door.

Descend the stairs when you're ready, and be sure to pass by the Orientation Point to save your progress.

The stairs lead you to another hole. Drop into it to find yourself in a strange, brick-lined room with metal doors on one side. Head through the doors when you're ready — it doesn't matter which one, as they both lead to the same place.

Continue following the stairs until you reach a long, darkened staircase. Zoe reaches out when you arrive, announcing that you've made it to the "Sinkhole's new basement expansion." The FBC named the new area the Underpass.

Locate the Research Team

Go down the stairs and enter a long hallway.

Continue moving past the Orientation Point until you enter the Underpass, a massive, sprawling set of islands made of stone. This is going to be a doozy.

To find the missing research team, the quickest way is to follow their climbing ropes, which are lit by green lights. The Underpass is large and covered in Gravity Anomaly surfaces, making it easy to get turned around. Following the ropes makes things a bit less confusing.

The first set of climbing ropes can be found leading from the walkway heading down the wall near the entrance to the Zone. These, however, seem to only exist to show you that they headed down after arriving. Following the line means jumping from the end of the walkway onto the ground below.

Peer over the edge of the walkway's end to spot a large square area with what looks like red carpet. Jump off the ledge and float down to it.

The island looks like it was ripped from an office building, maybe the Oldest House, as it's lined with desks and typewriters. An Orientation Point saves your progress. Look over the southwestern edge to spot another climbing rope. Again, look for the green lights! Report the ropes and Zoe will reveal that one of the team members, Schultz, is a spelunker. So, you have him to thank.

Drop to the platforms below and head to the ledge close to the climbing ropes.

Leap over and Double-Jump to the ledge above the climbing lights.

Follow the lights as they circle counter-clockwise around the large pillar in the middle until they stop at a ledge and continue down a carpeted wall to your left. This is a Gravity Anomaly surface: approach it and use Shift to latch onto it.

Continue following the climbing ropes until you end at the ledge. Here, the Gravity Anomaly ends. Leap from the ledge toward the platform to the east and you'll automatically as you go across.

Ascend while following the climbing ropes until you discover another Orientation Point.

The climbing ropes lead you to a chasm with floating, Patterned trash acting as platforms. Leap onto the first, but be quick! It'll soon disappear and reappear further beyond.

Travel over these platforms to reach the carpeted room beyond.

You should find a small group of Hiss here, keeping you from going further. Destroy the Heavies and clear the Arena Encounter to continue.

Hiss Heavy Type: Hiss Freighter

You'll likely get introduced to the Hiss Freighter here. These Heavy enemies are built like the Hiss Collider, but are covered in armor. Dodge their deadly projectile attack and use Blunt weapons to remove the armor, then take it down.

With the Arena Encounter done, you can now keep following the ropes. The climbing ropes lead into a hole in the island. If the hole is above you, double-jump to get close to the carpeted roof and press the associated button or key to use Shift and attach yourself to the surface.

Jump into the hole, and you'll land on a floating trash platform.

Stay on the platform! After it disappears, you'll fall and become rearranged. Dylan will then plop onto the top of the island. Gracefully.

When you're ready to continue, leap over to the next island, where you should see an Orientation Point, equipment, and tents.

Here, you can report to Zoe at the Research Team Staging Area. Dylan believes the team went in deeper, and Zoe asks him to continue the search.

From this point, you can head out and continue the mission or explore the Staging Area for items.

How to Unlock the Underpass Map

Before continuing, it'll be wise to find the Underpass Map Kit and unlock the map of the Zone. This place is confusing enough even with the map! The Map Kit is on an island southeast of the Staging Area.

To begin the trip, stand in the center of the Staging Area and look under the carpeted ledge between the blue canopies to the south to spot a climbing rope, going down.

Approach the wall with the climbing rope and use Shift to attach to wall, turning it into your floor. Follow the climbing ropes. Continue until you reach a wall of stained cement. Use Shift again to attach yourself to it.

To the left is an Orientation Point, which you should activate before continuing.

When that's done, head southeast and stop at the corner past the climbing rope. Look south for a set of three floating Patterned platforms. The island they lead to contains the Map Kit.

Be careful when progressing over these platforms: the first one disappears after a moment, going to a different island, but the second one disappears and reappears further ahead.

Climb onto the second platform, then the third, and finally, turn left and use the remaining platform to reach Map Kit island.

Leap across the gap to the island. You'll have to kill off the Hiss invaders before doing anything else.

But that's easier said than done; the Hiss are supported by a Hiss Ruiner. Use the blocks to avoid its sweeping laser beams and take it out the same way as before: wait for it to become exhausted and attack its exposed weak point on its back.

When that's done, it's time to look for the three Sensors. The first is on a small island to the north.

You can find the second on a small island to the southeast. Be careful! It's protected by more Hiss enemies.

Resource Crate Location

This Resource Crate can be found in a room next to the southeastern map Sensor. Break through the barricade on the door of an office room with the Aberrant to find the crate inside.

Finally, the third Sensor is on a small island just south of the Mapping Pylon. You'll have to climb your way up to it.

Activate the Mapping Pylon once all three Sensors are online to unlock the Underpass Map.

Return to the previous island, the one with the Orientation Point, when you're done.

Your next stop is the island to the southwest of the Staging Area.

To reach it, go back to the floating platforms you used to get to the Mapping Kit. From the ledge next to them, you can spot a climbing rope on a small island to the south. That's where you want to go next.

Jump to the second floating platform and wait for it to start loading the next one. Leap from the platform before it vanishes and land on the one it created.

Next, jump from the platform to the island. You should see the climbing ropes more clearly, along with a new Orientation Point.

Clamber into the square opening in the wall and stop at the far edge, where another Patterned platform awaits.

Jump onto the platform, pause for a moment while it starts to vanish, and then jump to the next one it creates. Leap from the second platform to the island.

You're immediately dragged into another Arena Encounter. Clear out all the Heavies before continuing.

When you're done, pass through the square-shaped hole in the wall to the west and turn left at the end.

Follow the stairs and activate the Orientation Point. Near the point is another Fast Travel Door.

Fast Travel Door Location

You can unlock the Halfway Trail Fast Travel Door by exploring the center island in the Underpass.

Progress until Zoe reaches out over the radio, asking Dylan to repeat what he just said. You can reply by telling her you didn't say anything at all. She claims Dylan just mentioned something about a "transmission tower." Strange.

Follow the path until you pass through another square-shaped hole in the wall.