Directive 8020 has several flash-forward moments that usually throw players right into the thick of a tense and dangerous situation. The first of these happens in Chapter 3 and involves Cernan having to sneak past an infected/duplicated Williams in order to power up the Control Room and escape. Cernan doesn’t want to end up like Carter and Simms, so he will need to be stealthy.
This is a difficult segment as you need to take things slow and avoid being insta-killed by Williams if he catches you. Of course, you can run away and take advantage of a vent to lose him, but it’s still better to stay hidden. This is a notoriously difficult and annoying segment of the game, so here’s how to power the control room in Directive 8020 and get past it.
Avoid Williams and make it to the power switch
When the segment starts, you’ll get a quick blink-and-you-miss-it glimpse of where you need to go. You can also use your path highlighting tool to see where it is at any time. Remember when you used this at the start of the game to find a panel that opened a door? Now its real value comes in.
However, this doesn’t show you the exact path to take, nor does it help you avoid a homicidal alien parasite that’s taken control of your boss. So ignore Williams’ taunts and wait for him to start patrolling the front of the room, near the door you need, and head to the back area.
You’ll see a window with an open shutter towards the back area, head to it and vault over. If Williams has spotted you, then hit the switch to close the shutter. This will slow him down, but not for long, so it’s best to do this without being seen.
Don’t forget, you can scan your surroundings at any time to check where Williams is. He’ll mostly stay in the first area, aimlessly walking around. So you’ll be safe when you’re past the window as long as you’re quiet and haven’t been seen.
Now head right and vault over the next window. You’ll see the panel you need to open the control room, activate it and prepare to make your escape.
Make it to the Control Room
You’ll be spotted by Williams after this, and he’ll come towards you. Turn around, and you’ll see the vent we mentioned earlier. Get over to it quickly and crouch to enter.
The good news is that Williams can’t follow you here, so when you arrive on the other side in the original room, check where he is and carefully sneak over to the Control Room.
In our playthrough, Williams was still fumbling around in the room with the control panel, so we had a straight shot to the door. But we’d advise you to take it slow and stay crouched so he doesn’t see you and come after you.
Once you’re through the door, you can breathe out and rest easy. This was a tense segment, and you’re through it. Remember, you can always adjust the difficulty to turn off the insta-kill mechanic if this segment proves tough.
While you’re here, check out our guide on all key codes in Directive 8020 to make your life a little easier.
