How to Beat The Collective in Control Resonant

The Collective requires a bit more legwork than earlier bosses such as The Dancer, as you’ll need to complete a short Mold hunt before you can confront it.

The fight itself is relatively straightforward with the right setup. Destroy the giant Mold tentacles, then attack the exposed white weak points on The Collective. Fire abilities are particularly effective against Mold enemies, while Cleansing Rush can help you manage the Infected status during the fight.

How To Reach The Collective

You need to reach The Park and start The Park Resonant quest. You eventually find the first piece of unusual/“Delicious Mold” near the sealed Mold Gate in the central pit. Eating it starts the Mold sequence. The final gate that activates the boss is at the bottom of the hole from where you ate the first mold sample.

All Mold Locations in The Park

The remaining three Mold samples are located around The Park:

• Pizzeria
• Minimart
• Gym

So it’s four Mold samples in total, including the first one you eat to start the quest. Use your map to locate each area.

You will find enemies around the areas, especially the mold sample in the Gym area. You may also need to clear enemies before you can access certain parts of the area. For example, you might need to wipe out the enemies waiting for you in the parking garage that is an access point to another part of the map. The rest should be relatively clear and straightforward.

Once you’ve eaten all four Mold samples, return to the central Mold Gate. It will now open, giving you access to the route leading to The Collective.

Know The Enemy

Here’s a list of enemies that you’ll face during the boss fight.

Large Tentacle Mold – Part of The Collective, these giant tentacles sprout from the arena and fire barrages of projectiles that build your Infected status. They can also slam the ground when you’re within melee range. Destroying them contributes to damaging The Collective.

Mold Grunt – A typical Mold enemy that spits infectious projectiles and uses melee attacks when you’re within range.

Mold Tank – An armoured Mold enemy that spits large amounts of infectious goo and deals heavy physical damage.

At this point in the game, most of these enemies should be known to you as you will regularly face them in this part of the map.

Note: The enemy names below are descriptive names used in this guide.

Best Approach to Beating The Collective

Mold enemies are vulnerable to fire, making Ignite or Inferno particularly useful for this fight.

• Ignite – Imbues your melee attacks, Barrage, Shield and Volatile Anomaly with fire, applying Burn.
• Inferno – Unleashes waves of fire directly at enemies.

Depending on your playstyle, either ability works well, as long you have one equipped during the boss fight. We would recommend Inferno for a more powerful attack that can disrupt enemies mid attack.

Consider unlocking Cleansing Rush in your Talent tree before the fight. It allows Rush to clear status ailments twice as fast, making it particularly useful against the Infected buildup caused by Mold enemies. A useful skill to have equipped since you will be dealing with mold enemies.

Fighting The Collective

The fight is pretty straightforward. Destroy the active tentacles first. Once they’re down, return to The Collective and attack the exposed white Mold bulbs on its body.

The Collective releases a noxious gas after you destroy a weak point, signalling the beginning of another wave. Deal with the newly spawned enemies and tentacles before attacking The Collective again. Aim for the tentacles and repeat.

There’s a total of 4 bulbs that you need to take out before The Collective dies. The Collective also takes damage everytime you kill the mold tentacle. The tentacles will sprout on the floor and the ceiling of the arena, so use your Reach skill to close the gap and kill them promptly.

Combat & Survival Tips Against The Collective

If you’re infected, use Dash and Rush to clear your status.

Use Inferno to deal massive damage to the tentacles. Remember to fill up your Power meter by attacking the enemies so that you can continuously use your skills.

There will be a lot of projectiles fired at you, so try using the tentacles’ bodies as cover. This won’t protect you from splash damage, however, and you should still watch out for their powerful slam attacks.

If your health gets dangerously low, focus on the smaller Mold enemies and collect their Health Elements before returning to the tentacles.

Choose a Spore-Based Skill

Once defeating The Collective, you’ll have two new skills to choose from:

Spore Burst: Fires a rapid stream of Mold projectiles at a targeted enemy, building up the Infected status.

Growth: Summons a Mold ally that automatically fires at nearby enemies and builds up Infected, leaving Dylan free to focus on movement and melee attacks.

Choose whichever best suits your playstyle. You can change your selection later in The Gap using the Mural.

Continuing through Control Resonant? You can also check out our guide to beating the Hiss Ruiner, including the enemies to prioritise and the best opportunities to attack the boss.

More Control Resonant Boss Guides

• How to Beat The Artist in Control Resonant Read the guide
• How to Beat The Dancer in Control Resonant: Boss Guide Read the guide
• Beating the Hiss Ruiner in Control Resonant Read the guide