There are terrifying monsters hiding in the peripheries of Control. The Oldest House, the massive spooky structure where the game takes place, is replete with entities from alternate dimensions. Encountering these giant, nightmarish monsters is rare and can happen suddenly — and it’s always amazing. Like so much else, they’re also completely optional.
You won’t want to miss these things. They’re unlike anything else in the game. It’s a shock when you suddenly encounter a monster from behind space and time in a game where — normally — you’re fighting possessed security guards. There’s more than one of these giant monsters too, and you can only find them in the special quests described below.
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All Optional Boss Monsters | Quest Locations Guide
Optional Bosses are special, missable battles against titanic creatures with huge health bars. These things are completely outside normal Hiss enemy encounters, and stumbling into them is a truly special surprise.
Below, I’ll list all the optional boss monsters you can encounter in the game we’ve found so far — how to find them, and how to fight them.
Former
- Quest: Fridge Duty
To encounter Former, you need to reach the Panopticon in the Containment Sector. Reach Level 4 and talk to the agent in the cell near the Control Point.
After dismantling the TV Set in the Panopticon, you can return and help the FBC agent staring at the refrigerator. Follow the quest steps, and eventually you’ll be able to enter the cell — make sure you continue to look at the fridge. Looking away will damage and kill you quickly.
Touching the fridge sends Jesse to the Astral Plane, where Former will appear. Former is a nightmarish monster that spawns gigantic arms once you do enough damage. Aim for the eye — the Pierce variant works well here.
Former launches balls of energy and attacks with its arms. The arm attacks smash the floor, creating holes that you can fall through. The energy balls will also destroy the arena or smash chunks of cover.
You can Launch the energy orbs back at Former to deal damage, or you can shoot the energy orbs out of the sky. The Grip or Spin are good for shooting the orbs down. The trickiest part is just keeping yourself from falling down any holes. Make sure you look where you’re running and dodge often. Gliding with Levitate will also keep you from dropping into any holes you might miss.
NOTE: You’ll encounter a second form of ‘Former’ in the quest ‘Langston’s Runaways’ — when you interact with the Flamingo, you’ll enter a challenging second battle.
The Anchor
- Quest: The Enemy Within
To encounter The Anchor, you need to reach the Logistics room in the Containment Sector. Go to the West Wing where you’ll find a wounded FBC Ranger. Talk to him to begin the quest to a Strange Threshold. Complete his mission — it’s required to start ‘The Enemy Within‘.
After completing the quest and rescuing Wells, you’ll unlock the quest ‘The Enemy Within‘. Return to the Safe Room in the Sealed Threshold Hall, in the Containment Sector. Travel there, you’ll need the Levitate Ability to cross the chasm.
Across, you’ll meet the Anchor boss. This massive creature is only vulnerable when it’s about to attack — that’s when the core is exposed. It moves in a clockwise direction — so hover to the platforms in anticipation of its attack. After taking some damage, it will begin to spawn floating HISS Altered. Make sure to take care of them first!
The large glowing clocks are seemingly the best weapons to throw at the exposed core. It moves predictably, always clockwise, so move to the next platform before it opens up and have an attack prepared. Launch an object into the fissure or use a charged Pierce shot.
esseJ
- Quest: Self-Reflection
This quest is only available once you get the Level 6 Keycard. Return to the Ritual Division and enter the Synchronicity Lab. Below, you’ll find the door to Mirror Testing. Unlock the path to the Mirror Altered Item by raising / lowering the window shields in this order.
- Right Side: (1) Lowered (2) Raised (3) Raised
- Left Side: (1) Raised (2) Lowered (3) Lowered
Enter the Mirror Dimension, and you’ll eventually encounter esseJ, an evil doppelganger of Jesse. This opponent has all the Powers that Jesse has — she can launch rockets, throw debris with Launch, shield herself, levitate, and blast you with a machine pistol.
The best way to fight her is to do it with utmost cautious. Hide in the upper level and stay on the side of the arena where you can hide behind pillars. If she tries to invade your cover, retreat to the opposite side. Enemies will spawn in periodically, which you can kill to collect healing.
There’s no easy trick here. Just play it safe, try not to take damage, bring up your shield often, and dodge away from attacks. I recommend using direct-damage weapons like Pierce and Grip. Pierce is especially effective with the right upgrades.
Mold-1
- Quest: Old Growth
The final optional boss, Mold-1, is located deep under the Central Research area of the Research Sector. Drop down to the bottom level, and enter the mold area — down a narrow hallway, you’ll find a deep hole in the corner. Float down once you unlock Levitate, and you’ll begin the ‘Old Growth’ quest, which will unlock Mold Immunity and allow you to reach the Mold-1 boss chamber.
Mold-1 is a massive plant-like monster with three tentacles — the center tentacle, and two spike-like tentacles. The arena has platforms you can use for cover, and deadly spores in the center.
First priority should be the two flanking vines. Their weakpoint is behind their heads, so you’ll need to dodge when they attempt to strike you, then shoot / Launch at their weak spots. They don’t take much damage if you hit their weak spots, so kill them early in the fight.
Getting rid of the two vines makes the rest of the fight much easier. The center tentacle will spew a swarm of tracking dart. They’re slow moving, so sprinting or evade can escape them. You can also levitate and flank — they’re so slow, simply levitating away can dodge them.
Keep shooting the central vine, dodging when it lunges forward, and be prepared for a deadly second form. Once it takes enough damage, the deadly spores will spread and cover the entire arena. You’ll need to levitate and jump onto the raised platforms to survive.
If you’re prepared, this boss can be defeated, but I recommend waiting until after you’ve finished the main story. It’s very tough.
