The Backstage is the first story DLC for Little Nightmares 3, and while it is much shorter than the main game, it still hides plenty of secrets for completionists. If you are aiming for 100% completion, you will need to find all 10 Pictograms and unlock every DLC-related Trophy along the way.
Thankfully, nothing in The Backstage is permanently missable. Even if you overlook a collectible during your first run, you can return through Chapter Select after finishing the story. That said, collecting everything during a single playthrough makes the experience much smoother and saves you from replaying sections later.
This Little Nightmares 3 The Backstage DLC Guide walks through the DLC in story order, showing where every Pictogram is located and explaining how to unlock every Trophy. I’ve also included extra tips for some of the trickier achievements, especially Puppet Master and Shadow Puppets, which can easily cause problems if you don’t know what to expect.
Pictogram #1
Right at the beginning of the DLC, climb through the broken window in the door and enter the next room.
Before moving any further, use your flashlight ability to reveal a hidden image on the wall. This will be your first Pictogram and serves as a simple introduction to the collectible mechanic used throughout the chapter.
Since it appears almost immediately after the opening sequence, it is difficult to miss if you are exploring carefully.
Trophy: Clean Up Your Act
After progressing through the opening area and climbing the large staircase, you’ll find a hole in the wall leading into a shower room.
To unlock this Trophy, have one character stand directly beneath the showerhead. The second player then needs to pull the hanging shower cord, causing water to pour down onto their partner.
If you’re playing solo, the AI companion usually moves into position automatically. Once the water hits the other character, the Trophy unlocks instantly.
This is one of the easiest achievements in the DLC, but many players accidentally walk past the shower room without realizing there is an achievement attached to it.
Pictogram #2
Leave the shower room and continue along the wooden plank nearby.
Shortly afterward, you’ll spot a box sitting beside the path. Shine your flashlight on it to reveal another hidden image.
This second Pictogram is located directly along the main route, making it easy to grab before continuing.
Solving the Four-Lamp Puzzle
Soon after collecting the second Pictogram, you’ll reach a room containing four hanging lamps.
This puzzle can be confusing the first time you encounter it because nothing immediately explains the correct order. To open the hidden passage, interact with the lamps in the following sequence:
- Middle-left lamp
- Far-right lamp
- Middle-right lamp
- Far-left lamp
If performed correctly, a hidden section opens on the left side of the room.
Inside you’ll find a piece of cheese needed for progression.
Pictogram #3
Continue through the chapter until you arrive at a corridor with leaking water and a bucket sitting on the floor.
Look for a nearby doorway with small stones scattered in front of it. Enter this room and use your flashlight on the wall to reveal the third Pictogram.
Because the room is slightly off the main path, this collectible is one of the more commonly missed ones during a blind playthrough.
Pictogram #4
After navigating the electrified room and obtaining the key mounted on the wall, don’t immediately leave the area.
Instead, climb to the top of the nearby cabinet and shelves. Once you reach the highest point, shine your flashlight onto the wall to uncover the fourth Pictogram.
Many players grab the key and move straight to the next objective, so make sure you collect this one before leaving.
Entering the Puppet Realm
As the story continues, you’ll eventually witness a cutscene where the characters receive their light source hats.
This section introduces many of the DLC’s unique mechanics, including hidden doors, ghostly enemies, and the Puppeteer herself.
From here onward, you’ll begin encountering most of the DLC’s Trophy opportunities.
Pictogram #5
After solving the book puzzle and opening the way forward, you’ll eventually reach the cable car.
Before activating the lever and starting the ride, use your flashlight inside the cable car to reveal the fifth Pictogram.
It is very easy to overlook because most players are focused on progressing to the next area.
Pictogram #6
Immediately after exiting the cable car, move through the first room and continue into the next area.
On the left side you’ll find a small side room. Step inside and use your flashlight to reveal another hidden image.
This is Pictogram number six.
Pictogram #7
After your first encounter with the Puppeteer, continue until you reach the staircase leading upward.
Before climbing, check behind the stairs on the right-hand side. Shine your flashlight against the wall to reveal the seventh Pictogram.
The dark lighting in this section makes it surprisingly easy to miss.
Pictogram #8
Climb the staircase and continue through the hole in the wall at the top.
Once you enter the next room, stop before progressing further and use your flashlight on the wall to reveal Pictogram number eight.
At this point you should have collected eight out of ten collectibles.
Trophy: Puppet Master
This is easily the most challenging Trophy in The Backstage DLC.
To unlock it, you must survive every Puppeteer encounter throughout the chapter without dying a single time.
There is an important detail here that many players misunderstand. The Puppeteer can spot you. Being seen does not automatically fail the Trophy.
The actual requirement is that you cannot die.
If you make a mistake and realize the Puppeteer is about to catch you, quickly pause and reload the checkpoint before death occurs. Doing so allows you to preserve your run.
The Trophy itself won’t unlock until near the end of the DLC, but your progress begins from the very first stealth sequence involving the Puppeteer.
My recommendation is to play cautiously. Watch the Puppeteer’s movement patterns, stay crouched whenever possible, and never rush through an area simply because it seems safe.
Pictogram #9
Later in the story, you’ll reach an elevator section after watching the Puppeteer grab Alone.
Throw an object at the elevator button to change its direction and ride it upward.
Once at the top, enter the room on the left side and use your flashlight on the wall to reveal Pictogram number nine.
Since the room isn’t part of the main objective, many players accidentally skip it.
Trophy: Just the Ticket
Shortly after collecting Pictogram #9, continue moving left through the connected rooms.
You’ll eventually discover a ticket machine with a hanging lever.
Simply grab onto the lever and hold on for a few moments. The machine activates and the Trophy unlocks automatically.
There are no special requirements beyond interacting with the machine.
Trophy: Shadow Puppets
This is probably the trickiest achievement in the entire DLC if you’re playing solo.
After obtaining the Circular Key, you’ll be attacked by multiple Shadow Puppets.
The goal is to destroy five Shadow Puppets simultaneously.
The challenge comes from the AI companion. Whenever you use your flashlight, the AI often follows up immediately, killing enemies before you’ve grouped enough together.
The easiest strategy is to intentionally use your flashlight where it won’t hit any enemies. This causes your partner to activate their light and briefly stun nearby Shadow Puppets.
Then quickly run into the next area where additional Shadow Puppets spawn.
Gather all five enemies into a tight group and eliminate them together with a well-timed flashlight blast.
It may take a few attempts, but once all five are destroyed at the same time, the Trophy unlocks instantly.
Solving the Floor Plate Puzzle
Near the end of the DLC you’ll encounter a room containing a large floor puzzle.
The solution requires stepping on only four specific plates while avoiding all others.
The correct pattern is:
- Second plate in Column One
- Third plate in Column Two
- Second plate in Column Three
- Fourth plate in Column Four
Any incorrect plate triggers a failure, forcing you to restart the checkpoint.
Take your time and move carefully through this section.
Pictogram #10
The final collectible appears very close to the end of the DLC.
After exiting the elevator during the later Puppet Master sequence, look for a nearby box and use your flashlight on it.
This reveals the tenth and final Pictogram.
Collecting all ten automatically unlocks the collectible-related Trophy.
Trophy: Picture Perfect
This Trophy is awarded for revealing all 10 Pictograms throughout The Backstage.
If you’ve followed the guide and collected every hidden image listed above, the achievement should unlock immediately after obtaining Pictogram #10.
Trophy: Exit Stage Fright
The final Trophy is story-related and cannot be missed.
After escaping the Puppeteer, rescuing Low, and completing the final sequence involving the mirror, the DLC concludes with a cutscene.
Once the ending finishes, Exit Stage Fright unlocks automatically.
Full Trophy and Collectible Checklist
For 100% completion, make sure you have:
Pictograms
- Pictogram #1
- Pictogram #2
- Pictogram #3
- Pictogram #4
- Pictogram #5
- Pictogram #6
- Pictogram #7
- Pictogram #8
- Pictogram #9
- Pictogram #10
Trophies
- Clean Up Your Act
- Just the Ticket
- Shadow Puppets
- Puppet Master
- Picture Perfect
- Exit Stage Fright
The Backstage may only be a single chapter, but it packs a surprising amount of content into its short runtime. The new flashlight mechanics, Shadow Puppet encounters, and stealth sequences with the Puppeteer create a very different atmosphere compared to the main game.
Most collectibles are fairly straightforward once you know where to look, but achievements like Puppet Master and Shadow Puppets can be frustrating without a proper strategy. Fortunately, with careful exploration and a little patience during the stealth sections, earning 100% completion should only take around an hour or two.
Take your time, keep an eye on every wall for hidden Pictograms, and don’t panic when the Puppeteer appears. The Backstage is much easier to complete when you know exactly what’s waiting around the next corner.