Unsupervised Science sends Dylan across Manhattan to shut down six FBC testing facilities buried under the streets. The catch is that the map markers point at the surface, so every entrance sits underground and has to be found by hand near the marker. Each facility runs one of two puzzles, and clearing all six opens a final area called the Threshold, where the quest ends.
Quick answer: Shut down all six testing facilities — three use the Soda Dispenser puzzle, three use the Power Core puzzle — then complete the Threshold inside the Unknown facility to finish the quest.
How to start Unsupervised Science
Start the quest at a Testing Facility, where FBC researcher Dr. Roland Milbeck’s corpse lies. Use the tape player on the desk to hear Dr. Grant’s Voicemail, an urgent message for Milbeck. The recording adds the “Unsupervised Science” side story to your Quest Log and sets “Shut Down the Experiments” as its objective.
The quest note explains that FBC researchers left dangerous experiments running in labs around the city during the Oldest House lockdown, and each one needs to be shut down.
All six testing facility locations
One facility holds the Testing Facility Coordinates file, which pins the rest of the labs on your map. Even after that, the markers land on empty streets, construction sites, or open ground. Look for a nearby sewer pipe, drainage pit, or under-construction building to drop into the actual lab.
| Zone | Surface landmark | Puzzle | Main reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown | Testing Facility Reade building, east side | Soda Dispenser | Power Upgrade |
| Central | Construction site east of the Patterned Factory | Power Core | Power Upgrade |
| Evacuation Zone | Beside the Survivalist’s Bunker fast travel point | Soda Dispenser | Power Upgrade |
| West Incursion Zone | South of the House of Mirrors | Soda Dispenser | Power Upgrade |
| The Park | Northeast section, via two sewer entrances | Power Core | Emergency Hood |
| Unknown | Middle-west of the fast travel point | Power Core | Firebreaker Goggles |
The Evacuation Zone facility rewards the Testing Facility Coordinates file, so clearing that one early adds the other labs to your map and saves searching.
Soda Dispenser puzzle: Downtown, Evacuation Zone, West Incursion Zone
The terminal note names Soda Dispenser as the starting state. Transform the room’s objects into Soda Dispensers, then put them in the box or on the marked yellow squares to shut down the facility.
Crossing a yellow boundary alters an object’s state. Move each object across the lines until it turns into a Soda Dispenser, then put it in the required spot. If you lose track of its form, check the whiteboard beside the terminal for the complete transformation sequence.
You can speed this up by carrying an object across one line and then jumping to the other side to control the order of the changes, rather than following it through every boundary. Downtown drops the Power Upgrade plus A Note From Dr. Milbeck’s Cardiologist, West Incursion Zone gives a Power Upgrade and Notes From Dr. Janson, and Evacuation Zone hands over a Power Upgrade with the Testing Facility Coordinates.
Power Core puzzle: Central, The Park, Unknown
The other three facilities replace object swapping with a timed power-balancing task. When you start the shutdown, a 60-second timer begins and power demand fluctuates across the cores. You have to keep the system balanced until the timer runs out.
Keep an eye on the red lights on inactive cores. If one flashes, take the charge from a powered core and place it in the core requesting power. The required arrangement shifts, so follow the warning lights rather than sticking with one setup. Once every pylon or socket is green and the timer runs out, the shutdown finishes and the door opens.
Central facility (four cores)
The Central lab sits at a construction site east of the Patterned Factory, near where you fight the Deserter Resonant. Drop into the pipe tunnel and reach the testing room. There are four Power Cores, two of them charged at the start.
Balance the four cores for the full 60 seconds. Once the timer ends, the gate opens to a Power Upgrade and Notes From Dr. Puchalski.
The Park facility (four cores)
The Park lab sits in the zone’s northeast, with two sewer entrances providing access. The New Growth side quest also leads you there. As in Central, balance the cores between the raised and ground platforms for 60 seconds, then press the button to complete the puzzle. You receive the Emergency Hood accessory and Notes From Dr. Roth.
Unknown facility (five cores)
The final facility sits in the Unknown region, west of center relative to the fast travel point. This one scales the puzzle up to five Power Cores spread over upper and lower levels, but the rule is unchanged: move charge to whichever core is flashing until everything reads green. Completing it grants the Firebreaker Goggles accessory and Notes From Dr. Grant, and it opens the route into the Threshold.
Threshold route to finish the quest
With all six facilities down, the Threshold opens inside the Unknown facility, right next to the room where you grabbed the Firebreaker Goggles. Inside you reach a floor marked with scientist names, and two obvious paths are traps.
Going left (Janson) turns Dylan into a chair, and going straight (Puchalski) turns him into a telephone booth. Neither is the correct route.
Rewards and how to confirm completion
After all six shutdowns, the quest updates to “Go into the Threshold,” which is your sign every facility is cleared. Interacting with the corpse at the end of the Threshold plays Dr. Grant’s Final Report and closes the quest for good.
- Dr. Grant’s Final Report — File
- Untapped Scrunchie — Artifact Recipe
- Threshold Researcher — Achievement/Trophy
Along the way the six facilities also hand out several Power Upgrades, the Emergency Hood and Firebreaker Goggles accessories, and the research notes from each scientist tied to the experiments, making the full run worth more than just the final trophy.
