The Aberrant is Dylan Faden's shapeshifting weapon in CONTROL Resonant. It has four confirmed forms: hammer (heavy single-target), blades (fast combo), scythe (wide AoE), and fists (close-range brawler). The core ability toolkit is Reach, Shift, and Gravitational Anomalies. Progression happens in the Gap, where Talents and Artifacts layer onto a chosen form to build distinct archetypes.
What the Aberrant Is
The Aberrant is the signature weapon of CONTROL Resonant, inherited by Dylan Faden. It replaces the 2019 CONTROL's Service Weapon-and-ability loadout and is the centrepiece of the new combat system. Unlike a fixed gun with alternate firing modes, the Aberrant is a shapeshifting weapon: it adapts between named forms mid-combat, each form changing range, swing arc, and damage profile. The four forms listed below are the confirmed launch roster; pre-launch coverage also references additional unrevealed forms that the launch build will fill in.
Confirmed Aberrant Forms
| Form | Combat Role | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Hammer | Heavy single-target melee | Staggering elite Hiss and breaking Mold walls |
| Blades | Fast dual-wield combo | Mob clear and short-range DPS windows |
| Scythe | Wide-arc area-of-effect | Grouping clusters of Hiss in warped Manhattan zones |
| Fists | Close-range brawler | Hyper-aggressive stagger chains when parry is mastered |
Reach, Shift, and Gravitational Anomalies
The Aberrant's combat toolkit is built around three named abilities, all confirmed by Remedy and the launch coverage: Reach lets Dylan extend a hit beyond his current position to pull, push, or strike distant targets; Shift moves Dylan or the Aberrant through space, used for closing distance and for repositioning out of telegraphed AoE; Gravitational Anomalies manipulate physics around the Aberrant's swing, lifting, slamming, or compressing objects and enemies. Each form draws on these abilities differently — Hammer amplifies Reach into a pull-pounce, Blades weave Shift into dash-cancel combos, Scythe uses Gravitational Anomalies to gather groups, and Fists leans on Shift frames to stay glued to a single target.
The Gap as Progression Space
The Gap is the in-fiction and mechanical progression space where Dylan levels up the Aberrant and his personal toolkit. Inside the Gap, Talents are the passive and active nodes that define a build archetype (for example, a hammer-centric Reach-heavy stagger build vs. a scythe + Gravitational Anomalies crowd-control build). Artifacts are equippable modifiers that layer on top of Talents and the chosen form, shaping secondary effects like cooldown reduction, status application, or survivability. The combination of form choice + Talent path + Artifact loadout is what defines a CONTROL Resonant build, and the Gap is where those choices are made and refined across the campaign.
Build Archetypes at a Glance
Hammer + Reach
Heavy stagger and single-target deletion, built around Reach pulls and slow Gravitational Anomaly slams.
Best for: Elite Hiss encounters and boss windows
Blades + Shift
Fast combo DPS with dash-cancel windows, leaning on Shift for repositioning and Reach as a finisher.
Best for: Mob clear with quick disengage
Scythe + Gravitational Anomalies
AoE crowd control using Gravitational lifts and Reach pulls to group enemies into scythe arcs.
Best for: Wide warped Manhattan engagements
Fists + Shift
Close-range brawler with Shift-frame cancels; high risk, high uptime on a single target.
Best for: Players who master parry and stagger chaining
FAQ
What is the Aberrant?
The Aberrant is the signature weapon of CONTROL Resonant, a shapeshifting weapon inherited by Dylan Faden. It has four confirmed forms (hammer, blades, scythe, fists) and is the centrepiece of the new combat system; see the Aberrant & Abilities page for the Reach / Shift / Gravitational Anomalies toolkit and the Gap progression loop.
How many Aberrant forms are in CONTROL Resonant?
Four forms are confirmed pre-launch: hammer, blades, scythe, and fists. Coverage also references additional unrevealed forms that the launch build will introduce; this page will list every form once the game is playable.
What are Reach, Shift, and Gravitational Anomalies?
Reach extends the Aberrant's reach to pull, push, or strike distant targets. Shift moves Dylan or the Aberrant through space to close distance or reposition. Gravitational Anomalies manipulate physics around the swing to lift, slam, or compress enemies and objects.
What is the Gap in CONTROL Resonant?
The Gap is the in-fiction and mechanical progression space where Dylan levels up the Aberrant and his personal toolkit. Inside the Gap, Talents define a build archetype and Artifacts layer modifiers on top of the chosen form.
How do Talents and Artifacts work in CONTROL Resonant?
Talents are passive and active nodes chosen in the Gap that define a build archetype (for example, hammer-centric Reach stagger or scythe + Gravitational Anomalies crowd control). Artifacts are equippable modifiers that layer secondary effects like cooldown reduction, status application, or survivability on top of Talents and the chosen Aberrant form.