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

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has you leading a band of glamorous spellcasters, spearheaded by the audacious British Daredevil, on a journey to halt a global affliction that stops people from growing old. It fuses strategic role-playing encounters with real-time parries drawn from Soulslike games, all wrapped in a distinctive visual style.

It has proven to be the most successful titles of the season, having garnered a huge player base and won Game of the Year accolades. The experience can feel a bit off-putting in the beginning, but after you grasp its systems, you’ll discover a rich and engrossing RPG that is quite unique from contemporary titles. Here are are a collection of beginner's tips for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Rotate Team Members Regularly

In Expedition 33, allies who take part in a fight gain a significant 50% bonus to experience compared to those not fighting. Additionally, the campaign will at times mandate you to field certain characters. The most straightforward approach to these challenges is to change your lineup frequently and strive to keep everyone at a comparable power level.

The upside is that grinding is relatively quick. Battles award a sizable amount of XP, frequently enough for a level up after just a few. You can refresh an zone's monsters by resting at an save point—these points are located in each zone. If you need to accumulate XP fast, simply engage in combat near a flag, use the flag, and continue the cycle.

Change Items Regularly

The game features two main ways to grant passive perks to your characters: Picto gems and Lumina skills.

• Pictos are items which give numerical bonuses and include a special ability. Each character can equip up to three Pictos. When equipped, finishing four battles with a Picto unlocks its associated Lumina.
• Luminas aren’t physical items but are similar to skill tree nodes. Each character has a amount of skill points (which grows via items). Every Lumina ability has a set cost. As long as a character has the required amount, multiple characters can equip the identical ability, allowing you to stack key bonuses across your whole party.

The smartest tactic is to always one of your characters has equipped every new Picto and completes the required fights to gain its Lumina. Doing this you’ll have it for when needed.

Should you not have unleveled accessories to work on, simply equip the Pictos with the highest bonuses for your playstyle.

Blocking Is Not Your Single Choice

Expedition 33’s defining element is its marriage of RPG systems with real-time parries. But, the timing for a perfect block is extremely brief on all difficulty levels. Rather than frustrating yourself trying to hit perfect blocks, focus on evading.

Although a successful parry restores Action Points and deals a huge damage spike, failing to parry gives you nothing. Luckily there are a number of Pictos and Luminas that provide resources on a successful dodge. If you struggle with the timing, equip those dodge-focused perks instead.

Breaking Enemies Is Your Key Tactic

Break is a decisive state that can turn the tide. As you damage an enemy, a special bar charges beneath their HP bar. Upon maxing out, you can stun the enemy, which reduces their armor by a fifth and skips their turn for an entire round. It is the most impactful debuff in the game, but only certain skills can trigger it.

Allocate Points With a Plan

You are able to re-spec stat points and abilities using a rare item called a Recoat. Because it's rare, it's wise to think ahead instead of spending your stat investments. Try out a character's playstyle and plan a progression route first.

Always Stop At the Expedition Flag

Stopping at an checkpoint fully heals your all characters and refreshes all of your healing items, including healing potions and phoenix down equivalents. Develop the routine to use each flag you see!

These flags also serve as the only means to fast travel in the game. There is no traditional map, GPS, or objective markers. But, each flag has a designation. When you interact with one, you can see a menu of every flag you've found in that area under a teleport list. It's a simple but effective way to track your progress.

Glowing Cages Are Invariably Worth the Effort

These special containers are effectively locked treasure chests that need you to discover and activate three hidden locks in the surrounding area prior to getting the loot. The contents is without fail valuable, including items like Recoats or strong equipment. The required seals aren't always obvious, but they are almost always within the same area. If you are stuck, try exploring thoroughly or checking elevated spots.

Yes, Battle the Vendor

Each shopkeeper has a one-of-a-kind piece of gear that doesn't appear in their normal inventory. To unlock it, you must pick a champion and beat them in combat in a one-on-one fight. This proves to be worth doing, as these rewards are truly unique. The first merchant you meet, for instance, provides a special accessory that inflicts the Defenseless debuff, which boosts damage against the foe by 25%.

Have Faith in the Auto-Save System

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