Control - Ashtray Maze: How to navigate the Ashtray Maze and Hedron Chamber
It’s time to get surreal in the Ashtray Maze.
Polaris is the ninth mission in Control. It's time to investigate Dimensional Research and the Hedron Chamber that lies within. First, however, you need to navigate the Ashtray Maze.
Previously the maze was broken, but after tracking down Ahti in the Maintenance Sector, he lends you his cassette player. This will apparently help you traverse the maze and reach the labs on the other side.
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Reach Dimensional Research in Control
You start Polaris where Finnish Tango ended - in the Restricted Area of the Maintenance Sector. You'll be standing next to a Control Point.
Use it to upgrade your Abilities and your Weapon Form.
When you're ready, fast travel to the Ashtray Maze and head onto into the maze.
Navigate the Ashtray Maze to reach Dimensional Research in Control
Follow the path the Ashtray Maze takes you on and kill the Hiss forces you encounter.
There are a series of invisible checkpoints in the Ashtray Maze, so, if you die, the maze will send you back to the last checkpoint you visited.
You will eventually reach a part of the maze that will require you to use Levitate to reach the rising floor. When you get to the top, go through the open door.
This will take you into a very interesting room. Again use Levitate again to navigate this space and head through the open door when you see it in the floor.
Climb the large steps you find in there and, then at the top, use Levitate to make the floor rise beneath you. This will then open a new corridor for you to explore.
Down this corridor, you'll encounter some more Hiss, but the maze will raise a wall between you and them. Go through the gap in the left-hand side of the wall and take the Hiss out.
This will open an entrance to the next room, where you'll find some more Hiss to kill.
After you kill these Hiss, the wall will rise and bring you to more Hiss. Take out the Hiss Cluster first, before moving on to the Hiss Trooper and Hiss Snipers.
Continue down the corridor that has opened and a Hiss Warped will appear in front of you. The Ashtray Maze, however, has your back and puts up a wall between you and it.
The same will happen in the next room to your right, where the maze manages to block all but one Hiss enemy.
In the next room sections of the floor will rise up from you to Levitate over to. If you fall down in this section, you will reappear on one of the platforms without losing any health.
As you fly through this room a number of Hiss Charge will appear to attack you, along with one Hiss Elevated. Take them out to safely reach the other side.
Run through this last room and you'll find yourself at the Firebreak leading to Dimensional Research.
Head across the Firebreak and into Dimensional Research.
Collectables to be found:
- Case Files - Objects of Power - Ashtray and Cigarette
- (Receive upon exiting the Ashtray Maze.)
- Multimedia - Music - Old Gods of Asgard: Take Control
- (Receive upon exiting the Ashtray Maze.)
- Hotline - Trench - Slidescape-36
- (Receive upon exiting the Ashtray Maze.)
Search the area for the Slide Projector Object of Power in Control
Head on through the metal detectors into Dimensional Research and cleanse the Control Point at the end of the corridor.
Here is a chest hidden near the cage full of sand on your right. After opening it, head up the stairs.
You'll arrive in the room where the Bureau tested the Slide Projector. While it's not there, you can see an echo of its use.
Run towards this vision and it will fade away. You can, however, find a chest in the top left-hand corner of the room.
Now that you're at this end of the room, head to the right-hand side and use Levitate to reach the walkway above you.
Run to the end of this walkway and then use Levitate again to reach the walkway on the opposite side of the room.
Follow the sign into the Projector Room and press the red button to open the next door.
The Slide Projector is, of course, gone.
Time to journey further into Dimensional Research. Go into the next room and through the door you find in there.
Follow the sign for Hedron Resonance Lab by going up the stairs and through the door.
You'll find yourself in the Hedron Resonance Lab office and lab space.
Go up to the computer your prompted to use and solve the cube with a movable square puzzle. You had to solve a similar puzzle in Old Boy's Club and A Captive Mind.
On the computer screen, you'll find a post-it note with the puzzle solution on it. To solve this puzzle you have to move the square around until the two symbols match.
(Surely putting your password on the computer monitor isn't allowed in the Federal Bureau of Control - home of the supernatural.)
Collectables to be found:
- Correspondence - Non-Official - Janitor Complaint
- (Next to the metal detectors at the entrance to Dimensional Research.)
- Correspondence - Non-Official - Sand Memo
- (On a cabinet in Dimensional Research next to the chair in a cage.)
- Multimedia - Darling Presentations - Slidescape-36
- (Receive after entering the second part of the Projector Room.)
- Research & Records - Hedron Containment
- (On a desk in the first section of the Hedron Resonance Lab.)
- Research & Records - Research - Slide Projector Tests
- (On a desk at the back of the first section of the Hedron Resonance Lab.)
- Multimedia - Darling Presentations - Hedron
- (Receive after solving the puzzle in the Hedron Resonance Lab.)
- Multimedia - Darling Presentations - Final Message
- (Receive after solving the puzzle in the Hedron Resonance Lab.)
It’s time to journey into the mysterious Federal Bureau of Control. Our Control walkthrough can help you through the storyline missions, including Welcome to the Oldest House, Unknown Caller, Directorial Override, Old Boy’s Club, Threshold, My Brother's Keeper, The Face of the Enemy, Finnish Tango, Polaris and Take Control. You can also learn new supernatural powers by completing A Merry Chase, A Good Defence and A Captive Audience. We also have guides on upgrading the Service Weapon, your Abilities, how to use Weapon and Personal Mods, how to unlock every outfit and the solution to the Roulette Wheel puzzle.
Investigate the Hedron Chamber in Control
Your task now is to reach the Hedron Chamber.
Leave the lab by the way you came in, going down the stairs until you reach the elevator. Take this to the lower floor and now go through the open door in the Hedron Chamber.
Rip the locks off the door using Launch and enter the Hedron Chamber.