🔗 Share this article

A fun fact: The “Obscur” in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hints at the somewhat obscure nature of the game's menus and mechanics.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 casts you as a team of social media mages, led by the daring British Daredevil, on a journey to combat a global affliction that halts the natural aging process. It merges strategic role-playing battles with real-time parries drawn from action RPGs, all presented with a unique visual style.

It has proven to be the major releases of the period, having garnered a huge player base and won the premier award recognition. The adventure can feel slightly intimidating in the beginning, but once you lock in, you’ll discover a deep and engrossing role-playing game that stands apart from contemporary titles. Here are are 10 essential starting pointers for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Rotate Team Members Regularly

In Expedition 33, allies who take part in a encounter receive a sizable bonus to Experience Points compared to those not fighting. Furthermore, the story will sometimes force you to include particular characters. The easiest method to these mechanics is to switch members often and strive to keep your roster at a comparable strength.

The positive aspect is that leveling up is fairly fast. Encounters grant a sizable amount of XP, frequently enough for a character progression after just two or three. You can refresh an zone's monsters by taking a break at an save point—these markers are placed across each area. If you need to gain levels quickly, simply engage in combat near a flag, use the flag, and repeat.

Swap Accessories Frequently

The game features two main ways to grant passive perks to your allies: Picto accessories and Lumina abilities.

• Pictos function as gear that provide stat boosts and come with a constant effect. A character can wear up to three Pictos. When equipped, finishing four battles with a Picto will unlock its corresponding Lumina.
• Luminas are not gear pieces but can be thought of as skill tree nodes. Every ally has a number of Lumina Points (which you can raise via items). Every Lumina ability has a required LP amount. If a character has the required amount, multiple characters can benefit from the same skill, allowing you to layer useful effects across your whole party.

The smartest approach is to always a party member has equipped every new Picto and completes four battles to unlock its Lumina. This ensures you’ll have it for when needed.

Should you not have new Pictos to level up, simply slot the Pictos with the best stats for your playstyle.

Perfect Guards Are Not Your Only Option

Expedition 33’s key feature is its fusion of strategic battles with real-time parries. But, the opportunity to deflect is extremely brief on all difficulty levels. Rather than breaking controllers trying to master the timing, concentrate on rolling.

Although a well-timed block grants one AP and inflicts a huge damage spike, not blocking leaves you vulnerable. The good news is there are several Pictos and Luminas that grant AP on a successful dodge. If you struggle with the timing, use those roll-centric options instead.

Break Is Your Key Tactic

Break is a decisive mechanic that can swing a fight. As you damage an enemy, a special bar charges under their life bar. Once charged, you can stun the enemy, which lowers their damage resistance by a fifth and stuns them for one full turn. It is the single most powerful condition in the game, but only certain skills can trigger it.

Level Up Intentionally

You can reset your build using a limited consumable called a Respec token. Since they are uncommon, it's wise to think ahead before using your skill points. Try out a party member's role and chart a progression route in advance.

Don't Forget to Rest At the Expedition Flag

Resting at an expedition flag completely restores your whole team and refreshes every healing items, including healing potions and Revive Tints. Develop the routine to stop and heal up!

These flags also function as the closest thing to quick traversal in the game. You won't find a overworld map, compass, or objective markers. Instead, each flag has a designation. By resting, you can view a list of every flag you've found in that zone under a teleport list. It's a minimalist way to track your progress.

Paint Cages Are Consistently Worth It

Glowing chests are basically sealed loot boxes that require you to locate and shoot three scattered mechanisms in the nearby environment prior to getting the loot. The reward is without fail high-tier, including items like Recoats or powerful weapons. The three locks aren't always obvious, but they are typically within the same area. If you can't find one, try breaking objects or scanning the environment vertically.

Yes, Fight the Vendor

Each shopkeeper stocks a hidden special good that doesn't appear in their regular wares. To get them to sell it, you must pick a champion and defeat the merchant in a one-on-one fight. This is invariably worth doing, as these pieces of gear are exceptionally powerful. The initial shopkeeper you meet, for reference, sells a Picto that applies the vulnerability status, which increases damage dealt against the target by a quarter.

Have Faith in the Auto-Save System

There is no {manual saving