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A fun fact: The “Obscur” in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hints at the complex nature of the in-game systems and mechanics.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has you leading a band of magical influencers, fronted by the bold British Daredevil, on a journey to combat a worldwide curse that halts the natural aging process. It merges traditional RPG encounters with timed defensive moves drawn from challenging titles, all presented with a idiosyncratic artistic lexicon.

It has proven to be the most successful titles of the period, having achieved massive sales and won Game of the Year recognition. The experience can feel a bit off-putting in the beginning, but when it clicks, you’ll uncover a layered and fascinating experience that differentiates itself from contemporary titles. Listed here are a collection of beginner's tips for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Rotate Characters Frequently

In Expedition 33, characters who take part in a battle gain a hefty increase to experience versus those in reserve. Furthermore, the campaign will periodically require you to include particular characters. The simplest method to both issues is to switch members often and try to keep all characters at a similar power level.

The upside is that farming experience is fairly fast. Fights award a generous amount of XP, often enough for a level up after just two or three. You can respawn an local foes by resting at an save point—these flags are located in each area. If you need to power level, simply battle monsters near a flag, use the flag, and repeat.

Rotate Accessories Regularly

There are a couple of key ways to bestow passive perks to your allies: Pictos and Luminas.

• Pictos are accessories that grant numerical bonuses and come with a constant effect. A character can wear a maximum of three Pictos. After being worn, winning four encounters with a Picto grants access to its corresponding Lumina.
• Luminas aren’t physical items but are similar to skill tree nodes. A party member has a amount of skill points (which can be increased via level-ups). A Lumina has a required LP amount. As long as a character has enough points, multiple characters can benefit from the same Lumina, allowing you to stack key bonuses across your whole party.

The optimal approach is to always one of your characters is wearing any new accessory and completes four battles to unlock its Lumina. Doing this you’ll have it for later builds.

Should you not have fresh gear to work on, simply use the Pictos with the best stats for your needs.

Perfect Guards Are Not Your Single Choice

Expedition 33’s defining element is its marriage of turn-based combat with action-oriented blocks. That said, the opportunity to deflect is notoriously tight on every setting. Rather than breaking controllers trying to master the timing, focus on evading.

Although a successful parry restores one AP and inflicts a huge damage spike, missing the timing gives you nothing. The good news is there are multiple accessories and abilities that provide resources on a successful dodge. If you struggle with the timing, equip those evasion-based perks instead.

Break Is Your Secret Weapon

Inflicting Break is a game-changing condition that can swing a fight. As you whittle down health, a gold meter fills up below their health bar. When full, you can apply the Break status, which lowers their defense by a fifth and skips their turn for one full turn. It is the top-tier debuff in the game, but only particular abilities can cause it.

Level Up With a Plan

You are able to re-spec your build using a limited consumable called a Recoat item. Since they are uncommon, it's prudent to consider your path before committing your skill points. Try out a character's playstyle and plan a build strategy beforehand.

Make Sure to Stop At the Checkpoint Flag

Resting at an save point completely restores your entire party and replenishes every healing items, including HP restoratives and revival items. Make it a habit to stop and heal up!

Expedition flags also act as the closest thing to quick traversal in the game. The game lacks a traditional map, waypoint system, or floating icons. But, each flag has a identifier. At a flag, you can view a list of your progress in that area under a fast travel menu. It's a basic yet helpful way to navigate the world.

Paint Cages Are Always Worth It

These special containers are basically sealed loot boxes that demand you to find and hit three scattered mechanisms in the immediate vicinity to opening them. The treasure inside is without fail worthwhile, often containing Recoats or powerful weapons. The associated mechanisms aren't in plain sight, but they are almost always within the same area. If you are stuck, try breaking objects or scanning the environment vertically.

Yes, Fight the Vendor

Every merchant has a hidden special good that isn't listed in their normal inventory. To gain access to it, you must pick a champion and win a duel in a single combat. This proves to be worth doing, as these rewards are exceptionally powerful. The earliest vendor you meet, for example, offers a Picto that inflicts the Defenseless debuff, which increases damage dealt against the affected enemy by a quarter.

Rely On the Autosave

The game lacks {manual saving