Control Resonant hides its achievements behind a mix of boss kills, zone completion, and thorough exploration. There are no missable trophies tied to dialogue choices, but the game does not tell you how many achievements exist or what triggers them. This guide covers every unlockable award and the exact actions required to earn them.
Every Trophy Category in Control Resonant
The achievement list falls into four groups: progression through the main Resonant bosses, full zone completion, combat mastery, and secret discoveries. You will need at least one full playthrough and careful attention to side content.
There are no missable trophies tied to dialogue choices, but the game does not tell you how many achievements exist or what triggers them.
Boss Progression Achievements
Eight Resonants must be defeated to advance the story. Each one unlocks a new combat ability and counts toward the “Resonant Hunter” trophy.
| Resonant Name | Zone | Ability Unlocked |
|---|---|---|
| The Artist | Prologue (tutorial) | None (story required) |
| The Deserter | Central | Inferno or Ignite |
| The Collective | Park | Growth or Spore Burst |
| The Dancer | West Incursion Zone | Push or Ground Slam |
| The Unwoven | Underpass | Spike or Astral ability |
| The Sculptor | Evacuation Zone | Shield or Volcanic Anomaly |
| The Chorus | Downtown | Barrage or Shield variant |
| The Conductor | Final zone | All previous options become available for respec |
Defeating the seventh Resonant triggers the final story sequence. After the credits, you return to Manhattan with all abilities unlocked. The final achievement for story completion pops when you enter the Oldest House after the last boss.
Zone Completion Trophies
Each of the seven zones has a hidden completion threshold. You must clear all world feats, activate the radar, find the vendor, and complete every side quest in that zone.
World feats include:
- Apex Hunts (kill a named enemy)
- Hiss Hives (destroy spawn points)
- Hold the Line (defend a location)
- Arcade machines (beat the high score)
The radar activation itself counts toward zone progress. Locate the central dish, then find three satellite receivers. The dishes on the radar always point toward the nearest unactivated receiver.
Zone leveling also contributes. Each zone can reach level 15. You earn one talent point per level. Leveling a zone to max is not required for the achievement, but you need to complete every world feat at least once.
Vendors appear as ice cream trucks. There is exactly one per zone. They sell living shards (4,000 souls each) and zone-specific materials like edible globs in the park or aberrant splinters in Downtown. A health upgrade crate sits next to every vendor truck.
Combat Mastery Trophies
Three achievements require specific combat actions rather than progress.
Perfect Dodge Master: Execute 30 perfect dodges in combat. A perfect dodge triggers slow-motion and a white flash. You do not need to land them consecutively. Use the strike primary form (fast attacks) against Hiss Elevated enemies, which have telegraphed ranged attacks, to farm these easily.
Dominance Streak: Kill 10 enemies while under the Dominance buff without letting the buff expire. Dominance activates when you execute a faulted enemy (yellow bar full). It lasts 8 seconds base (upgrade to 15 seconds via talents). Kill a grunt, then chain executions on other grunts to keep the timer refreshing. The West Incursion Zone early on contains clusters of low-health Hiss Guards that work well.
Heavy Hitter: Deal 10,000 damage with a single attack. This is easiest with the Crush (hammer) secondary form fully charged, combined with the ignite fire imbue and the Dominance damage buff (100% primary, 50% secondary). Find a Hiss Heavy in the Underpass zone, build around level 8, and land a fully charged Crush attack with fire active. Damage numbers above 8,000 appear regularly; 10,000 requires the Dominance multiplier.
Secret and Exploration Trophies
These are the easiest to miss.
Vending Machine Vandal: Destroy 10 hostile vending machines. They appear as normal vending machines with a faint red glow. Attack them and they spring to life, running away. Chase and defeat them. They drop source (around 1,000 each) and sometimes reset items. Locations include near the diner in Central, behind the laundromat in Downtown, and on a rooftop in the Evacuation Zone.
Artifact Collector: Craft and equip 10 different artifacts. Artifacts are passive bonuses unlocked by completing side quests and main missions. Craft them at the artifact formation station in the Gap (hold down on D-pad). You need quiet echoes (recycled from unwanted artifacts) or source to craft. Easily missable: the Coffee Cup artifact (healing outside combat) is unlocked early by finding the dog toy in Central and returning it to the rooftop dog.
Canine Companion: Complete the dog toy quest across all seven zones. A dog appears on a rooftop in Central, missing a toy. The toy is always within one building hop. Return it, and the dog moves to the next zone. After all seven, you receive a unique artifact – the Dragon Plush – which provides passive health regeneration outside combat.
Terminal Hacker: Answer all three questions at the FBC access terminal inside the Oldest House. The terminal asks yes/no/unsure questions. The answers do not matter; any response gives 200 source and upgrade materials.
Storefront Explorer: Enter all six hidden storefront basements. These are diners, laundromats, art galleries, and convenience stores with lights on inside. Each contains a puzzle (e.g., the diner requires activating appliances from smallest to largest). Solving each grants a health upgrade point.
Living Shard Efficiency
Living shards unlock new weapon forms and combo finishers. They cost 4,000 souls at vendors and drop from story missions. You need at least 12 living shards to unlock all primary, secondary, and combo finisher starting nodes. Each starting node gives +5 aberrant strength, which directly boosts your damage multiplier.
Before committing a living shard, use the exchange recents function in the Gap weapon upgrade menu. This refunds the shard for free if you stay inside the Gap. Test weapons in the practice arena before leaving.
Resonant Cycle Warning
Defeating a Resonant triggers a global cycle: all zones reset, enemies gain one level, new enemy types appear, and world feats respawn. If you kill too many Resonants too fast without farming, zones outlevel you. The skull icon on enemies means they are five or more levels above you – avoid those fights until you upgrade.
Plan to clear each zone’s world feats before killing the next Resonant. This maximizes zone XP and keeps your build power matching enemy levels.
The Coffee Cup Artifact and Healing Outside Combat
The Coffee Cup artifact grants passive healing when you are out of combat. You unlock it by finding the dog toy quest’s first stage in Central. This is one of the few artifacts that significantly reduces downtime between fights. Equip it on your loadout slot and switch it out mid-battle if you prefer damage artifacts. The Coffee Cup works even while standing still – after a few seconds, health begins regenerating.
FAQ
Q: Can I miss any achievements in Control Resonant?
A: No. All achievements are obtainable in one playthrough. You can return to zones after the final boss to complete leftover side content.
Q: Do I need to choose specific abilities to get certain trophies?
A: No, but the Hammer secondary form (Crush) and the Inferno ability make several secret areas easier to access. You can respec using reset items dropped by vending machines or bought from vendors for 1,500 souls.
Q: How many living shards do I need total?
A: You need 12 living shards to unlock the starting nodes for all primary, secondary, and combo finisher forms. Beyond that, living shards are used for higher-tier upgrades. You can buy them from each zone’s vendor.
Q: What is the fastest way to earn zone XP?
A: Complete all world feats in a zone before killing its Resonant boss. World feats give the most zone XP per activity. Arcade machines also grant a large one-time XP bonus for placing first.
Q: Is the assist mode considered cheating for achievements?
A: No. Assist mode toggles are available from the pause menu and do not disable achievements. You can adjust outgoing/incoming damage sliders freely.
Q: Where is the Ground Slam ability used outside combat?
A: Ground Slam opens horizontal metal doors on rooftops. These doors contain large resource crates with power upgrade points. If you chose Push over Ground Slam, use the Crush hammer to break the doors – it works the same way.
- Are there any missable achievements in Control Resonant?No. All achievements are obtainable in one playthrough. You can return to zones after the final boss to complete leftover side content.
- Do I need to choose specific abilities to get certain trophies?No, but the Hammer secondary form (Crush) and the Inferno ability make several secret areas easier to access. You can respec using reset items dropped by vending machines or bought from vendors for 1,500 souls.
- How many living shards do I need total?You need 12 living shards to unlock the starting nodes for all primary, secondary, and combo finisher forms. Beyond that, living shards are used for higher-tier upgrades and can be bought from each zone's vendor.
- What is the fastest way to earn zone XP?Complete all world feats in a zone before killing its Resonant boss. World feats give the most zone XP per activity, and arcade machines also grant a large one-time XP bonus for placing first.
- Is the assist mode considered cheating for achievements?No. Assist mode toggles are available from the pause menu and do not disable achievements. You can adjust outgoing/incoming damage sliders freely.
