FAQ

Where is The Deserter? Inside the Patterned Factory, an area of the Central zone — The Deserter is Central's Resonant. GamesRadar covered the access route into the Patterned Factory.

How do you beat The Deserter? Be patient around the fire. Its main attack spews lava for heavy damage — don't trade into it. Wait until the fire attack finishes, then counterattack in the recovery window. Lava can cover up to half the arena, so keep moving.

What are the rewards? Its unique ability, a trophy, and story progress — the Enemy of My Enemy mission requires both the Central and West Incursion Zone Resonants dead before it opens.

Who is The Deserter in CONTROL Resonant?

The Deserter is the Central Zone's Resonant, fought inside the Patterned Factory (an area launch coverage treated to dedicated access guides). You can identify it from previews: IGN's final preview described a giant magma Central Resonant that demands constant movement — that is the Deserter. It sits fourth in the zone-order flow: players plausibly fight the Artist in the prologue and the Dancer in the West Incursion Zone around it, because the story wants both Central's and West Incursion's Resonants dead before Enemy of My Enemy opens.

The fight: fire, then windows

  • The lava spew is the fight. Its main attack spews lava at you for heavy damage — the tip is blunt: don't attack until it finishes releasing fire.
  • The arena shrinks while it burns. Lava covers up to half the arena in the preview build, so treat the floor as temporary and reposition toward clean ground.
  • Punish the recovery, not the eruption. Wait out the fire, then unload in the window after it.
  • Bring anti-armor tools. It is a big armored body: the Crush hammer (Blunt, armor-breaking) and the execution-Dominance loop from the combat guide do the heavy lifting, and Retribution stacks Falter toward faster executions.

Where the kill fits

Every Resonant kill pays three ways — its ability, its trophy, and zone progression. The Deserter specifically gates Enemy of My Enemy (it needs Central's and the West Incursion Zone's Resonants both down). On the trophy side, it is another stop on the Platinum road, and the Patterned Factory detour slots naturally into the walkthrough.