A Gamer’s Guide to Control: The Enemy Within

In our gamers guide to Control: The Enemy Within, we’ll take you through this final sidequest of the game, providing you valuable hints and tips to help you beat this sidequest the quickest way possible. In this sidequest, you play as Jesse Faden, who is tasked with the assignment of destroying the Anchor. Truth be told, most players find this final sidequest to be the most difficult.

One of the main reasons for this involves obtaining certain Abilities earlier on in the game. If you didn’t get these abilities during gameplay, you’ll have a very difficult time beating this boss. However, here is the clincher: You are never really given any idea of which optional ability you’ll need in order to beat “The Enemy Within” quest. Therefore, we’ve outlined that all for you here.

The Optional Abilities

Once you complete the Control side mission, “A Matter of Time”, you’ll automatically qualify for the final sidequest: Control: The Enemy Within. Be forewarned, this mission might just tax your tenacity, as it can become monotonous and tedious to even the most seasoned gamers. But, that just might be what the game designers are looking to test you on. Before we continue, know that having the following optional Abilities will make this sidequest easier to complete:

  • Evade Ability
  • Shield Ability
  • Levitate Ability

The Levitate Ability and How to Get it

First, know that you’ll need to have the Levitate Ability for this quest. If you attempt to cross the gaps using dashing alone, you may be in for a reality check. Though there are some players that claim they’ve done it using dashes alone, they’ve stated they died shortly after.

Now that you know you’ll need the Levitate Ability to cross the gaps, it’s ‘time to go about locating it. When you think of levitation, you immediately think of the act of levitating, or rising up. However, in Control, it’s much more. Here, you’re able to not only rise and levitate, but you can also jump into the air with the purpose of crossing an obstacle, such as an abyss or attacking enemies from above. Known as one of the final abilities, you may be wondering where and how to obtain it. We’ll tell you that below.

First, know that you’ll need to be in the Containment Sector, the Panoptican to be specific. This occurs during the “My Brother’s Keeper” quest, Control’s 6th story mission quest. Once here, you’ll need to reach the Paranormal Prison on the fourth floor. Keep going until you get to the Twisted Passageway. There you’ll have access to the Levitate Ability.

You get it after Salvador has been beaten. Next, go to the back of the room, and connect with the TV or Object of Power That done, just finish the Astral Plane challenge and you’ve secured the Levitate Ability! Quite simple for an Ability with so much versatility. Continue to upgrade Levitate as you play, and you’ll make it more powerful.

Once you get your hands on the Levitate Ability, you’ll realize how useful this Ability is. It can also be used in conjunction with other abilities, such as Launch in order to make your attacks more powerful. For instance, using Levitate you’re able to rise above your enemies, then use Launch to strike them from above. Not to mention it makes moving around the gaming environments much easier. Finally, don’t forget that you gain Ability Points in the game whenever you locate a hidden location. However, when at the Oldest House, the only way to access them will be to use the Levitate Ability. These locations will hold valuable items, usually hidden near the ceiling.

What if You Didn’t Secure the Levitate Ability?

To be honest, the Levitate Ability is the only tried and true method used to evade enemies and levitate/launch clocks into the mouth of the Anchor. However, what if you neglected to get that ability early on in the game? Well, fortunately for you there are plenty of gamers who didn’t get the Levitate Ability, but found a way around it. One such gamer is Crazy Potato. When you watch his video you’ll see how he solved this problem by grabbing a couch from the lobby and levitating it to get where he needed to go. Another tip for those who are trying it without the Levitate Ability, is to remember that you can repeatedly die by falling off the edge of the platform. So, for your best interest, even though there are players who claim they didn’t use Levitate, it’s strongly advised that you do get this ability before you try the Control: Enemy Within mission.

The Shield Ability

The Shield Ability is a solid way to protect you from being struck during the mission and can be found in the “A Good Defense” sidequest. To get the Shield Ability, the first step is to enter the Central Maintenance area. Next, undertake the timed obstacle course in the Field Training Sector. Precision shooting and speed is required here, so don’t feel bad if you have to complete the training course several times before you beat it. If you feel the need to, know that using auto-aim is an option you have.

The Evade Ability

The Evade Ability is another optional Ability, so snap it up when you come across it. The Evade Ability will help you avoid any enemies you come across without risking loosing valuable health, which will definitely come in handy when confronting the Anchor. To unlock this Ability, you’ll first have to get to the Janitor’s Office in the Maintenance Sector. Next, head to the break room where you’ll begin the sidequest, “A Merry Chase”. Be prepared to fall through the floor, which will then places you into an Astral Plane. Once all is said and done, you’ll gain the Evade Ability.

What is “The Anchor”

The Anchor Altered Item – “The exact process of how an Altered Item is born eludes us. We find them in the aftermath of Altered World Events. They take the form of everyday objects – ever-present in our lives, constantly evoked in the thoughts of millions of people. Now infused with unpredictable energies, they’re altered. ” – Casper Darling, FBC Presentation 12 

An Altered Item, or AI is an object that has been granted special properties from paranatural energies. In other words, these items from our world have properties from another dimension. Some believe that these Altered Items are sentient, while others believe they simply react to the individual or environment. Each Altered Item is contained in the Panopticon. Containment is achieved via a ritual, specific to each individual Altered Item.

The Anchor – The Anchor is the Altered Item you’ll obtain once you beat the boss, and is located in the Oldest House. Also known as the Ocelot Anchor, the name “Ocelot” refers to a destroyed fishing vessel, “The White Ocelot” which used the anchor. The Federal Bureau of Control agents located an overgrown sphere or ball, which moved in conjunction with the anchor of the White Ocelot. It’s this overgrown ball that you’ll actually be battling in this sidequest. The Ocelot Anchor was then taken to the Panopticon and contained within Black Rock paneling.

How to Beat the Anchor

Anchor is a resilient and deceptively difficult boss to defeat. After all, one might think that a boss who only has one simple attack would be a cinch to beat. But such is not the case. Combat is rather simple: When the Anchor launches an attack against you, it will spin. You’ll need to avoid the clocks which spew out from its mouth, as well as a plethora of enemies. Here is the thing, the Anchor can only be harmed when its mouth is open.

To get the ball rolling, you’ll be given orders to visit the Safe Room at Sealed Threshold Hall. To get there, use fast travel, which takes you to the Sealed Threshold Entrance where you’ll begin. First off, know that this is going to be a tough boss fight. Take a look at the comments on Youtube or Reddit regarding this fight. A good number of comments express the frustration players have when fighting this Anchor. Knowing that, enter the mission with plenty of health, and if you do come across any enemies on your way to the Anchor boss, use the Evade Ability if possible. This prevents you from losing precious energy while retaining the health you’ll need for this fight.

Once the battle commences know that the only way to stop and defeat the Anchor, is to launch clocks into its gaping mouth. However, If you miss, the Anchor will spew a ton more clocks right smack at you, so your chances of rapidly losing health increase dramatically. This is where your Shield Ability comes in handy, as you can use it to protect yourself from the flying debris. Also, remember there is logic to the Anchor’s movement, so pay attention and act accordingly as this boss only coughs up clocks with every 90 degree turn.

The Anchor spins in an area surrounded by 4 platforms. You can only attack if you are on one of these platforms. As previously stated, you can only jump from platform to platform using your Levitate Ability. However, there’s much more to contend with other than the Anchor. Once you launch a few clocks into the mouth of the Anchor and it’s health bar hits around 50 percent or so, you’ll begin to notice other enemies emerging onto the platforms from the Anchor’s mouth. So be prepped to use your service weapon and blast some of them away. You’ll need to eliminate the enemies in order to clear the area before you launch a clock.

You can also use your service weapon to plug some holes in the Anchor when it’s not facing you. The damage from your gun won’t be the same as tossing clocks into its mouth, but it can help. Also, don’t forget to grab some health drops as you fight. They should be able to help keep your health up for the duration of the battle. Once you beat the boss, the anchor will drift onto the platform, where you contain it. The end. Congratulations on a battle well fought!

Tips and Tricks

Here are a few easy tips found by other gamers. Use these to help you increase your chances of beating the Anchor.

Counterclockwise Trick – Youtube content creator, RF handed us this timely tip when engaging with the Anchor. Knowing that the Anchor moves in a clockwise direction, he stated that he runs opposite the direction of the spinning Anchor. In other words, by moving in a counterclockwise direction, he’s able to get in more hits, evade more enemies, and retain his health.

It Doesn’t Have to Be the Large Red Clock – When searching how to beat this mission, you may come across other players who naturally assumed that the only object available to launch in to the Anchor’s mouth was the large red clock sitting on the platform. Don’t waste your time here. You can actually launch any of the clocks lying around into the mouth to damage the Anchor. However, for better results if you can grab the large clock with the dark red core, then please do so as it does the most damage.

To Increase Your Speed – As stated, if you want to grab the Shield Ability, you’ll have to complete the obstacle course in the sidequest, “A Good Defense”. If you find that you’re speed and precision is not up to par, there are a couple things you can do. The first is to practice the Evasion Ability, which is found in the “Merry Chase” sidequest. The second suggestion is one that works well for all video games, from Control to Call of Duty. This involves downloading the Aimlab speed and precision game from Steam. Here, you’ll be able to improve your speed, precision, and accuracy skillset, all skills necessary for the game Control.

Final Thoughts

There you have it, our comprehensive guide for Control: The Enemy Within sidequest. Known as one of the more difficult boss battles of the game, it becomes easier to beat once the player realizes they require a few optional abilities. Indeed, not having the Levitate Ability seems to be the biggest obstacle for these players. However, once you obtain the Levitate Ability, as well as Evade and Shield, you should have no problem. So, if you are new to the game, it’s in your best interest to be thorough, and collect as many Abilities as you can, and upgrade them as you play. We hope you found this guide useful in helping you overcome the mission!

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