Those glowy orbs you’ve been seeing on walls and ceilings across Manhattan aren’t just decoration. They’re spatial anomalies that let you zip through the city instantly — but only after you unlock the Reach ability. This guide covers exactly where to find it, how to use it, and a few tricks most players miss.
What the Reach Ability Does
Reach lets Dylan Faden grapple to translucent orb-shaped distortions scattered throughout the world. It’s a traversal tool that cuts travel time drastically — instead of climbing a building floor by floor, you can launch directly to a rooftop in one press. It also works mid-air, letting you chain grapples to cover enormous gaps.
If you hold the left stick while pressing L3, you'll perform a dodge roll instead.
The ability is not available at the start. You must complete a specific side quest called “Subway Vault” in the Evacuation Zone.
How to Unlock Reach
Head to the Evacuation Zone, located east of Central. Your objective is the Railyard Street station, marked on the map as a small building icon near the zone’s northern edge. Enter through the front and fight your way through the interior. Expect level 4 enemies — the Hiss Guards and Shielded Hiss in this area are a noticeable step up from the starting zones, so make sure you’ve cleared some world feats in Central first.
Once you exit the rear of the building, you’ll see the giant holographic image of Jesse Faden on a far wall. This signals the dimensional fault entrance. Drop into the hole in the parking garage, survive the fall, and complete the short platforming sequence inside. The final room rewards you with the Reach traversal ability.
How to Use Reach
After unlocking, look for the glowing orbs — they appear as faint, spherical distortions with a pulsing light. To grapple, simply press the left analog stick (L3 on PlayStation, left thumbstick on Xbox or PC controller) while aiming at one. You’ll be pulled directly to it.
Key details:
- Distance matters. You must be within range. If you can’t reach an orb, try jumping or dashing closer first.
- Mid-air activation works. You can double-jump, then press L3 mid-float to grapple to a distant orb. This extends your reach significantly.
- Chaining. Grapple to one orb, then immediately look for another and press L3 again. You can cover multiple city blocks without touching the ground.
Practical Tips for Combat and Exploration
Combat use. In a fight, grapples aren’t just for retreat. You can zip behind an enemy to trigger backstab bonuses. The skilled backstab talent in the talent tree increases melee damage by 50% when attacking from behind. Use Reach to reposition mid-combo — dodge, grapple to an orb above an enemy, then drop a charged hammer strike for heavy falter damage.
Exploration shortcuts. After unlocking Reach, revisit the West Incursion Zone. In the parking garage where you first found the gravity shift ability, there are orbs near the top that let you skip the entire climb. This saves about three minutes each time you need to return.
Hidden chests. Many rooftops in Central and the Evacuation Zone become accessible only with Reach. One notable spot: the tall building southeast of the Oldest House. Grapple to the orb on its side, then chain to the one on the roof — you’ll find a large resource crate containing Aberrant Fragments and a power upgrade point.
One Nuance Most Players Miss
While you can change your loadout mid-combat via the pause menu, the Reach ability is always active once unlocked — you don’t need to equip it. However, you cannot grapple if you are currently in an attack animation or taking damage. Wait for a short break in enemy fire before using it to escape a bad position. Also note: if you hold the left stick while pressing L3, you’ll perform a dodge roll instead. Make sure you release any directional input before pressing the grapple button to avoid rolling off a ledge.
- What does the Reach ability do in Control Resonant?It allows Dylan Faden to grapple to translucent orb-shaped distortions, enabling fast traversal and mid-air chaining.
- How do you unlock the Reach ability?Complete the 'Subway Vault' side quest in the Evacuation Zone, located east of Central.
- How do you use the Reach ability?Press the left analog stick (L3) while aiming at a glowing orb to grapple.
- Can you use Reach in combat?Yes, you can zip behind enemies for backstab bonuses and reposition mid-combo.
