Elden Ring: How To Solve The Flightless Bird Painting Puzzle
The secret paintings scattered throughout "Elden Ring" are the source of some of the most obscure and difficult puzzles that the game has to offer. However, the premise behind them is relatively simple: Each painting shows a specific location from somewhere else in the Lands Between. The goal is not to visit the location within the painting, but rather to locate the spot where the image itself was painted. Doing so requires traveling all across the map trying to line up what your player can see with what is visible within the painting — which can become incredibly tedious after a while.
Discovering and inspecting these paintings will transfer a smaller version of that painting into your inventory, which you can refer to at any time to see if you're in the right spot. The Flightless Bird Painting is one such piece of art, which can be discovered within the Fortified Manor in Leyndell, Royal Capital. The painting is found in the same room where the Fortified Manor site of Grace is located, and players will have to inspect it there before officially beginning the puzzle.
Players will have to travel to the top of Altus Plateau to find the painter
After inspecting the painting, players will need to travel to the Windmill Heights' Site of Grace, which is located in the northern Altus Plateau at the very top of Dominula, Windmill Village. This grace only unlocks after you've defeated the Godskin Apostle boss, so if you haven't defeated him yet just start from the entrance to his boss arena. From there, you'll want to head south, following the eastern cliff face until you reach the very southeastern edge of the cliff. There, you will find the spirit of the painter sitting to the left of a worn-down old shack.
Interact with the painter to receive the "Fire's Deadly Sin" Incantation, which allows the user to set themselves (and the surrounding area) on fire. There are plenty of other paintings hidden throughout the world of "Elden Ring," and they all function in the same way – so be on the lookout for spectral painters the next time you're traveling across the Lands Between.