🔗 Share this article

A curious piece of trivia: The name “Obscur” in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 references the complex nature of the game's menus and gameplay loops.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 places you in the role of a band of magical influencers, spearheaded by the bold British Daredevil, on a mission to reverse a universal phenomenon that stops people from growing old. It fuses turn-based RPG battles with action-game reflexes reminiscent of action RPGs, all wrapped in a idiosyncratic visual style.

It has become one of the major titles of the period, having achieved massive sales and won top honors accolades. The experience can feel a bit off-putting at first, but after you grasp its systems, you’ll discover a rich and captivating experience that differentiates itself from many others. Here are are a collection of beginner's tips for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Change Team Members Often

In Expedition 33, characters who participate in a encounter receive a hefty increase to Experience Points relative to those on the bench. What's more, the campaign will sometimes require you to include particular characters. The simplest solution to both issues is to change your lineup frequently and try to keep everyone at a comparable strength.

The good news is that grinding is not too tedious. Encounters grant a substantial amount of XP, frequently sufficient for a stat increase after just a few. You can reset an local foes by stopping at an expedition flag—these flags are scattered throughout each zone. If you need to gain levels quickly, simply engage in combat near a flag, rest, and repeat.

Change Gear Often

You have two primary ways to grant passive perks to your characters: Picto accessories and Lumina skills.

• Pictos are accessories that give numerical bonuses and also feature a unique passive skill. Each character can wear a maximum of three Pictos. When equipped, finishing four fights with a Picto grants access to its corresponding Lumina.
• Luminas are not gear pieces but essentially act as equippable passives. Every ally has a amount of skill points (which you can raise via level-ups). A Lumina has a specific point cost. If a character has the required amount, there is no limit can benefit from the same skill, allowing you to combine key bonuses across your whole party.

The smartest tactic is to always someone is wearing each fresh Picto you find and completes the required fights to unlock its Lumina. Doing this the ability will be available for later builds.

When you aren't have new Pictos to unlock, simply equip the Pictos with the best stats for your current build.

Perfect Guards Are Not Your Only Option

Expedition 33’s defining element is its combination of RPG systems with action-oriented blocks. That said, the timing for a perfect block is extremely brief on every setting. In place of breaking controllers trying to master the timing, prioritize evading.

While a perfect guard refunds a resource and causes massive extra damage, missing the timing yields no benefit. Luckily there are a number of Pictos and Luminas that grant AP on a successful dodge. If you can't get the block down, equip those roll-centric abilities instead.

The Break Status Is Your Secret Weapon

Inflicting Break is a battle-altering mechanic that can secure victory. As you damage an enemy, a special bar fills up under their life bar. Once charged, you can inflict break, which reduces their armor by a significant amount and skips their turn for one full turn. It is the most impactful status effect in the game, but only certain skills can cause it.

Build Characters Deliberately

You have the option to reallocate your build using a scarce resource called a Recoat. Because it's rare, it's smart to consider your path instead of committing your stat investments. Try out a character's playstyle and plan a build strategy beforehand.

Don't Forget to Use the Save Flag

Stopping at an checkpoint completely restores your whole team and restocks every healing items, including HP restoratives and Revive Tints. Develop the routine to use each flag you see!

Expedition flags also act as the closest thing to fast travel in the game. The game lacks a mini-map, GPS, or objective markers. However, each flag has a name and number. At a flag, you can see a menu of every flag you've found in that area under a navigation option. It's a simple but effective way to track your progress.

Locked Chests Are Invariably Worth It

These special containers are basically sealed loot boxes that demand you to find and hit three concealed seals in the immediate vicinity before opening them. The treasure inside is consistently valuable, often containing Recoats or powerful weapons. The associated mechanisms aren't always obvious, but they are usually within the same area. If you can't find one, try breaking objects or checking elevated spots.

Yes, Challenge the Shopkeeper

Every merchant stocks a hidden special good that doesn't appear in their normal inventory. To unlock it, you must choose one character and beat them in combat in a single combat. This is always a worthwhile endeavor, as these pieces of gear are truly unique. The initial shopkeeper you meet, for instance, offers a Picto that applies the Defenseless debuff, which boosts damage against the foe by 25%.

Have Faith in the Auto-Save System

There is no {manual saving