If you’re interested in solving the Painting Workshop mystery in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, you’ll need to locate all three different Painting Workshop entrances and help the Faceless Boy restore color to the enemy trapped in the heart of the workshop. Finding all three locations requires progressing to Act 3 of Clair Obscur and unlocking Esquie’s ability to fly. You can interact with the Faceless Boy in each of these areas to acquire a quest item that ultimately restores life to the main boss in the Painting Workshop.
There are many mysteries and secrets in Clair Obscur, and the Faceless Boy is one essential and integral puzzle piece in terms of Verso’s backstory. While you’ll run into the Faceless Boy in various areas across the Continent, you’ll actually get the choice to help him when you enter the Painting Workshop. When you enter each of the three Painting Workshop areas, you’ll have to parkour your way across some oversized canvas frames until you eventually find the Faceless Boy in each area.
All Painting Workshop Locations In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
There Are Three Different Painting Workshops Around The Continent
While you can access the first Painting Workshop in Act 2 after unlocking Esquie’s ability to swim, you won’t be able to get into all three locations until after you’ve entered Act 3 and unlocked Esquie’s ability to fly. The first location is found northeast of Stone Wave Cliffs, and even though the area might say «Danger!» when you approach the portal, there’s no actual risk of entering, as you won’t face any enemies. Find the Faceless Boy on a canvas and answer «We Will» when asked if you’ll help him to get the Light of the Beast quest item.
You can fall off the edge of the frames while parkouring down in each location, but you’ll simply spawn back at the entrance.
The second Painting Workshop location is northwest of the Forgotten Battlefield, and you’ll need access to Esquie’s flying ability for this one. Similar to the above, you’ll have to parkour your way across some canvas frames in the black-and-white area to find the Faceless Boy, and answering «We Will» again will cause him to hand over the Colour of the Beast quest item.
The final Painting Workshop location is found on a floating island east of Sirene and will also require Esquie’s flying ability. Once again, you’ll need to parkour across the frames and find the Faceless Boy, answer «We Will» when he asks for help, and retrieve the final quest item, the Shape of the Beast.
How To Solve The Painting Workshop Mystery In Clair Obscur
Place All Beast Items On The Statue To Face The Lampmaster
Once you’ve collected all three of the beast items (i.e., the Light of the Beast, Shape of the Beast, and Colour of the Beast), you can place each one on the statue at the center of the Painting Workshop. This can be done as you clear each area or all at once after you’ve cleared the final Painting Workshop. The workshops can be completed in any order, and once each quest item is placed, you will be able to face the boss that was locked behind a barrier.
The Lampmaster has a mini-game «Simon Says» type of move that requires you to memorize the order in which it lights its lamps, and shooting them in the same order will prevent its AoE attack.
This is a hardcore version of the Lampmaster enemy and a relatively tough fight, though its move set should be familiar by the time you finally restore the beast’s form. There are quite a few different strategies for taking the Lampmaster down, but having a well-rounded party build always helps. Ultimately, defeating the Lampmaster «solves» the Painting Workshop mystery, unlocking the «Noir et Blanc» trophy/achievement. You will also be rewarded with the
At Death’s Door and
Energising Attack I , as well as some Chroma Catalyst and Recoat upgrade materials.
Why You Should Help The Faceless Boy In The Painting Workshop
You'll Miss Out On Some Great Loot By Skipping The Painting Workshop Quest
Overall, there are no consequences for skipping the Painting Workshop mystery and refusing to help the Faceless Boy. If you tell him you won’t help him, you can always return at a later time and be given the same prompt again. Even so, there’s no point in refusing to help him because he simply hands over the necessary quest items. The Lampmaster fight is still optional even after you collect all the quest items and remove the barrier, so you can return at any time to defeat it and unlock the trophy.
I recommend completing the Painting Workshop Mystery, even if you wait until the late game after you’ve leveled up considerably. The rewards for doing so are worth it, as both the Energising Attack I Pictos and At Death’s Door are extremely useful as passive Luminas. The At Death’s Door Pictos in particular can be used to great effect on Verso and Maelle with certain skills such as
Last Chance that reduce health for the benefit of other buffs.
There are also some interesting lore and narrative details that are uncovered while you complete this quest and speak with the Faceless Boy in each Painting Workshop entrance. The Faceless Boy is an integral piece of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and if you want to understand more about Verso and the Faceless Boy’s connection, the Painting Workshop Mystery involves interesting, albeit vague, details.
