While zombies are the primary threat in the game, there are also some survivors who aren’t averse to causing mayhem right in the quarantine zone. One such act of defiance occurs in the “Ask Your Mom” mission. This optional mission tasks you with finding an artist who has covered the entire base in obscene poetry graffiti . In this guide, we’ll explain how to find all six graffiti pieces and the specifics of their appearance.
When the mission begins, the Major will explain that someone is graffitiing the walls with the same paint typically used to mark caches. Your first task is to find six fragments of a poem scattered throughout the base. Luckily, they’re fairly easy to spot: the light from a flashlight makes the paint glow, and the graffiti itself is clearly visible if you look closely.
There’s a catch, though: they must be found in a strictly defined order. The only clue is the paint-stained marks left by the culprit.
Poem/graffiti #1
The first graffiti fragment is located outside the container where you sleep and extract survivors at the end of Days 5, 10, 15, 21, and 26. After exiting your cargo container, look at the wall ahead, just to the right of the gate that leads into the main area. There, above the yellow barrels and crate, you’ll see the first graffiti fragment. Interact with it to advance and trigger the next fragment.
Poem/graffiti #2
From the spot where you found the first graffiti, exit through the gate on the left and head through the next one, into the garage, where the helipad and evacuation area are located. When you reach the man in the blue hazmat suit checking the shelves, turn left and look toward the portable toilet by the fence. Behind it, leaning against a large piece of plywood, the graffiti is on this piece.
Poem/graffiti #3
Now head through the passageway directly from the garage door to the lab. After passing through the metal gate, immediately turn right and approach a large metal ventilation unit under the outer wall of a tall building. Graffiti is located at its base. Remember, you don’t necessarily have to follow the paint marks left by the attacker—they often lead along a rather intricate and confusing route.
Poem/graffiti #4
Return to the place where you slept inside the shipping container. But this time, go to the rear outer wall of the shipping container. Right on the wall of the container, you’ll find another inscription.
Poem/graffiti #5
After completing the fourth graffiti, leave the rest area and head to the checkpoint where you check incoming survivors. Upon arrival, turn right—that’s where the infected you’re destined to eliminate are sent.
You’ll see a stack of multicolored shipping containers. Turn left and climb the steps to the guard tower facing the wall. The graffiti is on the outer wall of the tower’s upper section—the spot where a soldier usually patrols.
Poem/graffiti #6
The final fragment is located in the very center of the base—where the two main paths intersect, connecting the checkpoint, garage, laboratory, recreation area, and survivors’ quarters. The poem is depicted on the wall on the right, leading toward the laboratory. Right next to the “Laboratory” sign and the right arrow.
Where can I find a graffiti artist?
After you’ve found all the graffiti, you’ll be asked to speak to one of the survivors. In my case, it was Abe Crow, but it might be a different character for you—it all depends on who you let into the camp. After the conversation, you need to talk to the scientist in the garage—the same man in the blue hazmat suit who was stocking the shelves under the canopy in the center of the area.
He’ll tell you exactly what kind of paint was stolen and advise you to use a flashlight to identify the culprit. Return to the survivors’ block, turn on the flashlight, and shine it on each survivor in turn. If you see bright red paint on their torso and lower body, that means they’re the one who defaced the base.
During the conversation, he’ll confess and beg you to turn a blind eye to what happened in exchange for money. You’ll have a choice: accept the bribe or report it to the scientist. It’s logical to choose the latter, especially since you’ve been told repeatedly throughout the game that people wreaking havoc in the camp can cause a zombie outbreak, the death of survivors, and so on. At the same time, money is earned quite easily in the game, through survivor checks and other actions like assignments from the Major. But in reality, this man won’t do anything else, and if you cover for him, you’ll get the money. Perhaps the scientist will give you something else, like research points ( RP ).
Whichever option you choose, this completes the mission. You can return to the checkpoint to resume checking on the newly arrived survivors.