The taxi cab honking in Control Resonant isn’t background noise. It’s the start of one of the game’s most cryptic side quests. Most players miss it entirely because the game never flags it on your map. You have to hear the horn, find the cab, and then figure out what to do next. Here’s exactly how to locate the taxi driver, complete every step, and claim the reward.
Where the Quest Begins
The quest triggers when you enter any zone after beating the prologue. Listen for a repeated taxi horn sound that seems out of place. The first encounter usually happens in Central, near the intersection by the basketball court. The taxi will be parked with its engine running and horn honking periodically. Approach it and interact.
The taxi cab honking in Control Resonant isn’t background noise.
The driver, a nervous NPC, will speak to you briefly. He explains that his taxi is stuck inside a “pattern loop” – the city’s paranormal distortion is repeating the same streets over and over. He asks you to “find the patterns that don’t belong” in each zone.
Concrete example: in Downtown, the first pattern is a set of three identical fire hydrants in a row. They’re normal hydrants, but all three have the same faded green paint while every other hydrant nearby is red. Destroying all three in sequence clears that zone’s pattern.
The Pattern-Spotting Challenges
There are six zones where the taxi appears, each with a unique pattern to identify and break. You must complete them in any order, but you cannot skip any. The taxi will reappear in the next zone after you finish the previous one.
Central: The Broken Streetlights
Look for a street with three lamp posts that are lit during the day. They’re the only ones illuminated. Shooting or smashing each one in order (left to right) breaks the pattern. The tax driver will congratulate you and give you a Living Shard as an immediate reward.
Downtown: The Identical Hydrants
Three hydrants as described above. Destroy them with any weapon – the Crush hammer works fastest. After the third, the area shimmers and the pattern dissolves.
West Incursion Zone: The Red Boxes
Near the parking garage, you’ll find a wall with three flashing red boxes (the same ones you smash for loot elsewhere). They are spaced far apart. Smash them in the sequence shown on a nearby note (the note is taped inside the taxi). The note reads: “front, back, middle.” So hit the box closest to the street first, then the one behind the dumpster, then the one in the middle of the wall.
Evacuation Zone: The Vending Machines
A set of four vending machines in a row – three normal, one that sparks. The sparking machine is the pattern anchor. Attack it until it explodes (you’ll need several hits). It drops a Reset Item.
Park Zone: The Graffiti Symbols
Look for three graffiti images of the same handprint on walls near the vendor truck. They are partially hidden behind overgrowth. Interact with each in the order they appear left to right. A sound cue confirms success.
Underpass Zone: The Hanging Signs
Four hanging street signs in a tunnel. One sign points the wrong direction. Jump up and melee it to knock it down. The correct one is the sign labeled “Uptown” that actually points downtown.
After clearing all six zones, return to the taxi driver. He’ll be in Central again, near the oldest house entrance. He thanks you and hands over the Shattered Mirror artifact – a passive item that gives you a second chance on death (it prevents one lethal hit per encounter, then needs a recharge).
Tips to Avoid Getting Stuck
- Use your map. The taxi appears near areas you’ve already explored. If you don’t hear the horn, check the zone’s fast travel doors – the taxi is often just around the corner.
- Don’t attack the taxi. It’s not a hostile NPC; hitting it will make it disappear and you’ll have to reload the zone to get it back.
- Do the quest early. The artifact reward is invaluable for later bosses, especially the Deserter and Collective fights.
- Patterns reset if you leave the zone. If you destroy only one hydrant then fast travel away, the hydrants reappear. Finish all steps in one session per zone.
The taxi driver quest is the kind of hidden gem that makes Control Resonant feel alive. It’s easy to miss, but now you know exactly what to listen for.
- Where does the Taxi Driver quest begin in Control Resonant?The quest triggers after beating the prologue, typically in Central near the basketball court intersection.
- How many zones are there to complete in the taxi quest?There are six zones, each with a unique pattern to identify and break.
- What is the reward for completing the quest?The reward is the Shattered Mirror artifact, which gives a second chance on death by preventing one lethal hit per encounter.
