How A New Directive starts
The quest begins in the Unknown, not in Central. PowerPyx lists Sever the Hedron Links and Pope’s Research as requirements; Game Rant places the first radio call at Factory Island, west of the Patterned Evac Building, while you are placing probe relays.
- Call 1: “A strange caller has radioed me.” The quest is added to your journal.
- Call 2: go to the opposite island (Game Rant: Tower Island, west of the Patterned Field Office). The caller says he is at the Field Office in Central.
If the quest would not start or progress after an Altered Camera froze you, that was a bug fixed in update 1.4.0 — see the patch notes. Still stuck in the Unknown? How to get to and around the Unknown.
Who is Fred?
Fred is a figure in a blue hazmat jumpsuit holding coffee cups, hanging around the Field Office cafeteria. He talks in gibberish and calls Jesse “Roosa”. He also goes by Fra — the quest’s last objective names him Fra Mauro — and the guides treat Fred and Fra as the same character. Frederick Langston, voiced by returning actor Derek Hagen, is the one who can make sense of him.
Once decoded, his request to be “belly lead of the brightest table” means he wants to run the Bureau in Jesse’s absence. Rather than argue, Dylan and Langston give him what looks like the Director’s Office — inside a containment unit.
Walkthrough step by step
| # | Objective | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Locate the caller | Field Office, Central: enter the CAFETERIA building on the east side and talk to Fred |
| 2 | Question agents about Fred | Talk to Langston on the east side of the search area |
| 3 | Find out what Fra wants | Back to Fred: “You call Jesse ‘Roosa’”, then “You’re looking for Jesse?” |
| 4 | Tell Langston | Report back; Game Rant picks the option starting “The Oldest…” |
| 5 | Get a reference | Oldest House: fast travel to Central Executive, through the doors under the Thomas Street Exit sign, right into the Director’s Office; inspect the desk to sketch it |
| 6 | Furnish the Containment Unit | Container next to Langston’s office — see the layout below |
| 7 | Get Fra into the unit | Talk to Fra until “Is it a Portrait” appears and choose it |
| 8 | Get a canvas | Take one of the Jesse portraits in the main Field Office building |
| 9 | Paint Fra | Bring it to Fra in the cafeteria |
| 10 | Hang the portrait | Interact with the back wall of the container |
| 11 | Get Fra into the unit (again) | Talk to Fra, then to Langston |
| 12 | Praise Fred to Zoe | Watchtower in Central: tell Zoe how great Fra is, then use the radio to her left |
| 13 | Trap Fra Mauro | Back at the Field Office, press the panel beside the container door |
Step 12 is the odd one: Fra’s influence has spread through the Field Office, so Langston sends you to Zoe to sing Fra’s praises. Zoe sees through it and has you use her desk radio to lure him into the container (Game Rant).
Containment unit furniture layout
The furniture is piled outside the container. Arrange it to match the sketch of the Director’s Office:
| Item | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| 2 plastic lawn chairs | In front of the desk |
| Blue sofa chair | Behind the desk |
| Fan | On top of the desk |
| Lamp | On top of the desk |
| 2 traffic cones | At the back, behind the desk |
Layout from PowerPyx; Game Rant agrees on everything except that it does not say where the fan goes.
Reward and trophy
- Untapped Whetstone Artifact (PowerPyx). Craft it in the Gap. Gamer.org lists the Whetstone as +20% damage, −20% Falter — a damage pick for builds that do not rely on staggering. Compare it with the alternatives in best Artifacts.
- Panopticon Intern (Silver): A New Directive is one of the six Altered Item side stories it needs, with Freeze Frame — see camera locations — and four others.
A New Directive FAQ
Who is Fred in Control Resonant? Fred, who also calls himself Fra, is the mystery caller in the A New Directive side story: a figure in a blue hazmat jumpsuit holding coffee cups in the Field Office cafeteria in Central. He speaks in gibberish, Langston helps decode him, and it turns out he wants to become FBC Director while Jesse is gone.
How does A New Directive start? In the Unknown. After The Hedron Link opens the zone and you work through Pope’s Research, a radio call from a strange caller comes in on one of the islands; reach the opposite island for a second call that points you to the Field Office in Central. PowerPyx lists Sever the Hedron Links and Pope’s Research as requirements.
How do you furnish the containment unit in A New Directive? Copy the Director’s Office: two plastic lawn chairs in front of the desk, the blue sofa chair behind it, the fan and the lamp on top of the desk, and the two traffic cones at the back. The container is beside Langston’s office at the Field Office.
What is the reward for A New Directive? The Untapped Whetstone Artifact, which you craft in the Gap. Gamer.org lists the Whetstone as +20% damage at the cost of −20% Falter.
Does A New Directive count for a trophy? Yes. It is one of the six side stories required for the Silver Panopticon Intern trophy, alongside Panopticon Service Request, The Party Won’t Stop, The Complete Set, Into the Valley of Death and Freeze Frame.
Sources
- PowerPyx — Control Resonant A New Directive Walkthrough
- Game Rant — Control Resonant: A New Directive Quest Walkthrough (Fred location, containment unit)
- Gamer.org — Control Resonant: All Artifacts, Effects and Locations (Novelty Magnet)
- AllThings.How — Control Resonant: Every Voice Actor and the Character They Play
- MP1st — Control Resonant Version 1.4 (full patch notes, October 1, 2026)
Related guides
DiagramGuidesControl Resonant: How to Get to the Unknown (and Get Around It)Read guide 
DiagramGuidesControl Resonant Freeze Frame: All 14 Camera LocationsRead guide 
DiagramGuidesControl Resonant Maintenance Protocol Walkthrough: Every Bulb FixedRead guide 
DiagramGuidesControl Resonant Voice Cast and CharactersRead guide