Navigating through the shifting architecture of the Oldest House in Remedy Entertainment's action-adventure title requires versatile tools for both combat and traversal. While Jesse Faden gains access to several supernatural telekinetic powers early on, levitation completely transforms how players interact with the environment. Understanding exactly when and how to unlock Levitate allows players to plan their progression effectively without missing crucial secrets along the way.
Unlocking Levitate in the Main Story
The Levitate ability is gated behind natural main story progression, meaning players cannot obtain it early through optional exploration. Jesse unlocks this power during Mission Six, titled My Brother's Keeper. The narrative leads players deep into the Containment Sector to reach the fourth floor of the Panopticon facility.
Upon reaching this location, players must battle toward the Benicoff TV Object of Power and defeat the boss named Salvador. Cleansing the altered item grants Jesse the ability to hover mid-air freely. This event serves as a pivotal narrative turning point that elevates both movement mechanics and encounter dynamics.
Combat Benefits and Tactical Mastery
In battle, taking to the air grants Jesse a substantial vertical advantage over grounded Hiss enemies. Floating above cover makes it significantly easier to hurl objects with Launch or fire weapon forms at exposed targets. Combining air movement with dashes also helps dodge high-damage incoming attacks from aggressive foes.
As players earn ability points from missions, they can further enhance levitation duration through the skill tree. Investing points into dependent skills like Ground Slam creates devastating offensive openers when descending into groups. This synergy transforms a simple traversal tool into a core component of Jesse's combat arsenal.
Backtracking and Unlocking Metroidvania Content
Obtaining Levitate fundamentally alters exploration by enabling access to previously unreachable high ledges and hidden chambers across all sectors. The Oldest House utilizes Metroidvania-style level design that encourages returning to earlier areas with new abilities. Many secret areas containing mod upgrades, crafting materials, and audio logs remain strictly out of reach until Jesse learns to fly.
Players who prefer completing every side quest may want to focus on the main narrative until Mission Six is finished. Once Levitate is acquired, doubling back through the Executive, Maintenance, and Research sectors becomes vastly more efficient. Having vertical mobility makes navigating complex multi-level rooms far smoother while hunting down 100% completion secrets.
