Control Resonant: The Best Powers to Unlock First, and the Order to Fight Every Resonant

The best powers to unlock first in Control Resonant come down to two picks: Volatile Anomaly from the game’s first boss, The Artist, and Ignite from the third, The Deserter, which player guides have settled on as close to mandatory since the game’s September 25, 2026 launch. These are community-tested recommendations, not official balance notes from Remedy — here’s the full boss order and every ability choice along the way, current as of release.

Quick note before the breakdown: this covers which Resonant bosses grant which powers and the order to face them, not the story they’re tied to. If you’d rather go in blind on who or what each Resonant is, stop after the order list below. For context on how many players are working through the same choices, Remedy’s launch week was its best ever on Steam: nearly 300,000 copies sold and $12.7 million in Steam revenue in under a week after the September 25, 2026 release, per OtakuKart’s tracking of Steam sales data.

The Best Order to Fight the Resonants

The Artist: Barrage, Volatile Anomaly, or Shield

The Artist is the first boss and the first real choice in the game. Volatile Anomaly summons a throwable, detonating ally and is the strongest overall pick for the early game — its projectiles falter smaller enemies so you can execute them, which keeps you in the Dominance state that fuels both damage and survivability. Shield is the safer, more Power-efficient choice if you’d rather play defensively while you learn enemy patterns. Barrage is the one most guides steer players away from: it’s the easiest to use, but it does the least damage and builds the least Falter of the three.

The Dancer: Push or Ground Slam

Ground Slam is the recommended first-playthrough pick: an aerial strike that’s simple to land and strong against grouped enemies. Push, a telekinetic knockback pulse, is more situational — useful for crowd control and environmental kills, but it doesn’t carry a first run the way Ground Slam does.

The Deserter: Ignite or Inferno

Ignite is the closest thing to a mandatory pick in Control Resonant. It adds fire damage and Burn to your melee attacks, Barrage, Shield and Volatile Anomaly alike, and adds Falter to every hit it touches — which means it upgrades almost everything you’ve already chosen instead of sitting on its own. Inferno, a short-range wave of flame, is a fine panic button but doesn’t compound with the rest of your kit the same way.

The Collective: Spore Burst or Growth

Spore Burst is the stronger first-playthrough option, and it’s especially valuable if you’re tackling The Collective before fully exploring the Park’s Mold-heavy areas. Growth is more of a New Game+ pick once you already have Ignite and other core tools in place.

The Physicist: Spike or Astral Rebuke

Astral Rebuke is the recommended pick on a first run, giving you a reliable ranged counter-option against the game’s harder late encounters. Spike trades that flexibility for burst damage in a single direction, which plays better once you already know an encounter’s layout.

The Co-Director and the Sixth Ability Slot

The Co-Director doesn’t offer a choice — defeating it grants Command automatically. After the main story, a Resonant Token from the Pope’s Research mission unlocks a sixth ability slot, letting you add one more combat power from an earlier choice set without giving up your original pick. It’s the game’s way of letting you have Volatile Anomaly and Shield eventually, just not on your first pass through each boss.

Can You Respec Your Ability Choices?

Yes, but with a catch, according to a breakdown of the respec system. Combat ability choices can be reset at The Gap by interacting with the mural and spending a Reset Item, and a single Reset Item lets you reallocate every previous combat pick at once rather than one boss decision at a time. Reset Items are limited, so it’s worth planning your first few picks with this guide rather than relying on a respec to fix an early mistake. Traversal abilities — Double-Jump, Elevate, Rush, Shift and Reach — can’t be reset at all; you get all of them regardless of choice, just on a fixed unlock order tied to story progress.

Resonant launched September 25, 2026 to a Metascore of 83 across 75 critic reviews — GameSpot called its combat design "impeccable" in a 9/10 review. If you’re still deciding whether to pick it up, our launch review roundup rounds up what critics said, and our Altered State trailer breakdown covers what the marketing showed before release.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the best first power to unlock in Control Resonant?

Volatile Anomaly from The Artist, the game’s first boss. It falters enemies for easy executions and keeps you in the Dominance state that fuels both damage and survivability early on.

What order should I fight the Resonants in?

The Artist, then The Dancer, then The Deserter, then The Collective, then The Physicist, then the Co-Director. The Dancer and The Deserter can be swapped, but beat The Deserter before The Collective so Ignite’s fire damage is available for the Park’s Mold enemies.

Can I respec my ability choices in Control Resonant?

Yes. Returning to The Gap and using a Reset Item lets you reallocate every previous combat ability choice at once. Reset Items are limited, and traversal powers (Double-Jump, Elevate, Rush, Shift, Reach) can’t be reset at all.

Can I get more than one ability from the same boss?

Eventually. A Resonant Token from the post-game Pope’s Research mission unlocks a sixth ability slot, letting you add one additional combat power from an earlier choice without losing your original pick.