Find The Central Resonant at the factory
The Deserter is the boss name; The Central Resonant is the quest name. Find Patterned Factory in northern Central, northwest of the Field Office. Inspect the Patterned Pipes on the building’s south wall to add the quest if it is not tracked.
This encounter is required for Enemy of My Enemy alongside the West Incursion Zone Resonant. It is separate from Power Lines and its Factory Station calibration.
Choose one entrance; you do not need to unlock both:
- Roof: climb the platforms on the east side, reach the roof and break the boarded doorway with a heavy attack.
- Powered door: take a charge from the electrified cubes outside to the conductor on the factory’s right side.
Clear the Hiss inside and use the cargo lift to reach the lower pipe rooms. Look for growths on the cooling pipework instead of forcing your way through the fire-blocked furnace passage.
Main-chamber pipe growth · 1:37 ▶
Clear three pipe growths before the arena
Follow the scorch marks and hot pipework away from the blocked passage. All three growths are below the factory floor, after the lift descent. Break each glowing growth and return to the main chamber to reach the other branch.
| Growth | Find it |
|---|---|
| 1 — main chamber | On the vertical pipework near the bottom of the long stairs. |
| 2 — side branch | Look up at the pipe in the red-lit side room. |
| 3 — other branch | Follow the other tunnel to the growth near the round archway. |
After the last one breaks, look for Go Deeper Into the Furnace Room. Return to the cleared passage and descend to the boss. If fire still blocks the corridor, revisit both branches before looking for a switch.
Three before; four during: the three pipe growths open the approach. Four separate healing sacs appear inside the boss arena later. Clearing the pipes does not remove those combat targets.
Avoid lava and punish recovery
Spend available upgrades before entering if ordinary factory enemies are overwhelming you. Bring a weapon you can use in short bursts and a ranged Combat Ability you already own. Ignite and Inferno are this boss’s rewards, so they cannot be first-attempt preparation requirements.
| Attack | Safer response |
|---|---|
| Tracking lava stream | Rush sideways around the arena until it stops. Check the burning trail before closing in. |
| The boss rears up and falls forward | Leave the landing line, then attack while it is down. Strike the purple weak point if it opens. |
| Hot pipes align in front | Move to a flank as they glow. Leave before committing to another full combo. |
| Fireball volley or glowing floor | Watch the landing zones and keep moving. Take a brief opening, then jump or Rush off the heated panel. |
Once the stream ends, move in from a clear side or behind for a short attack sequence. Leave when the next tell begins. A nearly filled Falter meter is not a reason to remain on burning ground.
Destroy all four healing sacs
Later in the fight, four purple/magma sacs appear around the arena with fire trails. They restore the boss’s health while they remain. Switch targets instead of spending all your Power against that healing.
- Find the nearest sac with a safe approach.
- Break it, then move around the boss’s current lava or projectile attack.
- Repeat until all four are destroyed.
- Return to the boss, reduce the remaining health and use the displayed finisher.
You do not have to complete the circuit in one uninterrupted run. If a fire trail cuts across the next target, move to a clear angle. If the boss keeps recovering, look for a surviving sac before continuing to attack its body.
Ignite or Inferno, and completion
Use the finisher, then complete the ability selection and tutorial. Choose Ignite to add fire to melee attacks, or Inferno for a separate fire attack. Match your preference to how often you stay in melee range rather than assuming either is always best.
Rewards include Untapped Lighter, one Reset Item and 3,000 Source, alongside the fire-ability choice. Confirm The Central Resonant completion and the Thermal Termination trophy/achievement. The menu asks for one immediate choice; revisit it later at the Mural in The Gap.
Version note: official hotfix 1.3.3 reduces The Deserter’s base health and required Falter level. Earlier recordings may show a longer fight. Those notes do not publish exact reduction figures.
Watch the walkthrough
Select a time to play it here.
Watch on YouTube ↗Sources & image credits
Walkthrough sources, patch notes & image credits
- 100% Guides — Factory approach, pipe growths, fight and completion; selected 1080p frames.
- Jason’s Video Games Source — Attack and weak-point cross-check.
- PowerPyx — Central quest start, roof entrance and rewards.
- Method — Powered entrance and four healing sacs.
- GameTruth — Routing and pipe-versus-arena distinction.
- Control Resonant Game — Pipe landmarks and boss weak-point cross-check.
- Remedy hotfix 1.3.3 — Boss health and Falter balance changes.
Checked October 7, 2026. The exact gameplay build is not identified. Frames retain creator marks. Ability damage numbers are omitted because they scale with your build.