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Control - How to solve the Utility Corridor Power Core puzzle explained

Taking your first steps in the Eagle Limited AWE area.

Once you reach the Active Investigations office in the Investigations Sector during the Control AWE DLC, you'll learn that you need to find the escaped monster Hartman has become.

To do this, you need to travel through the Eagle Limited AWE and Fra Mauro AWE areas.

Your first steps in the Eagle Limited AWE area will see you travelling through turntables and eventually having to solve the Utility Corridor Power Core puzzle.

For more information on Control, including the AWE DLC, visit our Control walkthrough and don't forget to ensure you know how to download and start the DLC first.

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Cover image for YouTube videoControl Ultimate Edition: PS5 vs Xbox Series X/S - 60FPS and Ray Tracing Modes Tested
Control Ultimate Edition: PS5 vs Xbox Series X/S - 60FPS and Ray Tracing Modes Tested

Find Hartman in the Eagle Limited AWE area in Control explained

To enter the Eagle Limited AWE area in the Control AWE DLC you need to go through the double doors to your left in the upper floor of the Active Investigations office and then take the elevator to the next floor.

Next, you'll want to claim the Control Point and press the button to open the large door.

You'll find yourself in the first turntable of the Eagle Limited AWE area, which contains a number of Hiss you need to defeat first.

Once they're defeated, you need to head through the open doors to the left and then down the staircase you find beyond the doorway. These stairs will bring you to a corridor, which ends with a locked door.

To open this door, you first need to clamber over the boxes to your right, destroy the box blocking the doorway you find and pick up the lamp using launch, which sits in the small room beyond.

You can find the lamp on the right-hand side of the room.

Cross to the opposite side of the corridor and use the lamp to destroy the darkness blocking your way to the Power Core.

Next, you need to use launch to carry the Power Core to the socket next to the door and then use the button to open the door. You should then claim the next Control Point and, before you move onto the next room, make sure you summon a Deployed Ranger by using the console to your left.

Place the Power Core on the socket.

You'll need this ranger as, the moment you walk through the door, you'll find yourself fighting a range of Hiss enemies. Since this fight takes part in the second turntable room of the Eagle Limited AWE area, use the space to your advantage by using the objects for cover and levitating between the different floors.

Remember to summon a Ranger.

Once the Hiss have been defeated, climb to the very top of the turntable by using levitate. Here you'll see a window which you can easily break by using a combination of evade and levitate or launching an object throw and then flying through the gap.

Before moving forward, make sure you pick up one of the nearby lamps, so that you can easily navigate the Utility Corridor. Otherwise, you may find yourself stumbling around in the dark.

At the end of the Utility Corridor, you can then use the same lamp to destroy the darkness clumps clogging the mechanics of the elevator, which, when freed, will allow you to drop down the elevator shaft.

Now all you need to do is head down the short corridor, moving the boxes out of your way however you see fit, to reach the room containing the Utility Corridor Power Core puzzle.

Collectables to be found:

  • Correspondence - Dead Letters - Brain Missing
    • (In the office of the second turntable room - if you're having trouble picking it up, try standing on the table.)
  • Research & Records - Research - Night Springs Screenplay Pg. 2
    • (On the floor in the mould filled A/C Systems room.)
The locations of the collectables - Brain Missing and Night Springs Screenplay Pg. 2.

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.


How to solve the Utility Corridor Power Core puzzle in Control

At the end of the Utility Corridor in the Control AWE DLC, you'll find yourself in the room containing the Power Core puzzle, which you need to solve if you wish to delve deeper into the Eagle Limited AWE area.

You need to unlock the door on the walkway.

To solve this puzzle you need to place the Power Cores on specific sockets, which are connected, via coloured cables, to one of five doors. There are a total of eight power generators in the room, with four having two sockets, and each socket is assigned one coloured cable.

If you're having trouble figuring out which cable leads to which socket, it's a good idea to use levitate to get a better view of the room or you can just follow the instructions below.

To make solving this puzzle easier, we'll describe the layout of the room from as if you're standing in the doorway used to originally enter this room. This means that, if you're ever stuck, you can stand in this position to orientate yourself.

Opening the locked door leading to the Eagle Limited AWE is easy, because you don't need to retrieve any additional Power Cores. It's worth, however, taking the time to solve the whole puzzle for the chance of earning some rare materials and mods.

First, we'll cover how to unlock the main door out of the Utility Corridor.

This door is connected to two generator via yellow cables and you'll need to place the Power Cores on the following sockets:

  • On the right-hand side of the generator directly to the right of the locked door on the room's upper level
  • On the right-hands side of the generator directly to the left of the locked door on the room's upper level
The location of the sockets for the yellow cables.

Now we'll go over how to access the two chests - the first step being retrieving the other Power Cores.

The first Power Core is located in the bottom right-hand corner of the room and its door is connected to two sockets using red cables.

These sockets are located:

  • On the right-hand side of the generator directly to the right of the main doorway
  • On the right-hand side of the generator directly to the left of the locked door on the room's upper level
The location of the sockets for the orange cables.

The second Power Core is locked behind the door in the top left-hand corner of the room and is connected to three sockets by orange cables.

The three sockets you need are located:

  • On the left-hand side of the generator in the bottom-right hand corner of the room
  • On the left-hand side of the generator directly to the right of the locked door on the room's upper level
  • On the left-hand side of the generator directly to the left of the locked door on the room's upper level
The location of the sockets for the red cables.

This door requires all four Power Cores to be placed on the sockets that are connected to blue cables.

The location of these sockets are:

  • Both of the sockets on the far left-hand side of the room
  • On the left-hand side of the generator directly to the right of the entranceway
  • On the right-hand side of the generator directly to the left of the entranceway
The location of the sockets for the blue cables.

Once you've opened the chest, place two of the Power Cores back onto the sockets connected to the yellow cables to continue your path through the Investigations Sector.

You'll have to follow several corridors, entering the Service Vents as you go, and, after defeating a couple of Hiss Charged, reach the Eagle Limited AWE area.

Collectable to be found:

  • Multimedia - FBC Recordings - FBC Reminder: Law of Three
    • (On the floor behind the main unlocked door containing the Utility Corridor Power Core puzzle.)
The location of the collectable - FBC Reminder: Law of Three.

The next part of The Third Thing will see how moving a train forward in the Eagle Limited AWE area. If, however, you're currently in the Fra Mauro AWE area, you'll have to deal with a different challenge.