How to Solve the Comms Array Puzzle

This page will guide you through solving Dead Space's Comms Array Puzzle. The puzzle appears in Chapter 8, with Isaac needing to fix the Comms Array so that he can get in contact with the USM Valor.

Fixing the array is essential to completing the mission and establishing communication with the Valor, although considering the puzzle entirely takes place in Zero-G, it can be tricky to complete. If you want to see a video walkthrough of the puzzle, check out the clip above.

After beginning Chapter 8 and heading to the Bridge to activate the SOS beacon you attached to the meteor in Chapter 7, Isaac will arrive in a large chamber known as the Comms Array. Here, he'll have to restore power to enable the array and activate the beacon.

To switch the array back on, we'll need to connect the power generator, which is found beneath the big screen on the wall reading Communications Control, to the Central Node, which is located on the ceiling. To do this, we'll need to move a current through the cables leading from the generator. If the cables are blue, that means a current is running through them. If they're red, that means there is no current running through them.

To move the current, we'll need to remove the broken nodes in the circuit using Kinesis (as shown above) and replace them with live nodes. You can tell if a node is broken as it'll glow red and display a power symbol, meanwhile live nodes will glow blue. When picking up a live node you want to add to the circuit, use Kinesis on it and move it towards an empty node slot. It'll automatically slot in. Each live node will move the direction of the current, so while replacing them, we'll need to consider which path the current is taking and whether the new route leads to the Central Node on the ceiling. To see which direction the node will move the current in, check the top of the node.

While facing the generator beneath the Communications Control screen, look at the wire coming out of the right-hand side of the generator. This is the cable we'll want to follow to reach the Central Node. I've highlighted it in the image above.

From here, you'll want to insert the five nodes shown in the image above into each broken node slot the current runs into. This will allow the current to travel west, then north, then west, then north, then east before moving north one last time and reaching the Central Node.

For an indicator of what this will look like, this is the same path as shown on the Communications Control screen. Once everything's connected, the lights will switch on to indicate that power has returned, at which point you can leave the chamber to continue the story.