Ten Beginner's Tips to Learn Prior to Starting Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

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

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has you leading a group of magical influencers, spearheaded by the audacious British Daredevil, on a mission to halt a universal phenomenon that stops people from growing old. It blends traditional RPG battles with real-time parries drawn from Soulslike games, all wrapped in a unique aesthetic language.

It has proven to be the major releases of the season, having achieved massive sales and earned Game of the Year accolades. The game can feel a bit off-putting initially, but when it clicks, you’ll find a rich and engrossing experience that is quite unique from other games. Below are a collection of beginner's tips for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Change Characters Often

In Expedition 33, characters who are active during a battle receive a hefty increase to experience relative to those not fighting. Additionally, the story will periodically require you to use specific characters. The simplest approach to these mechanics is to rotate your team and aim to keep your roster at a similar strength.

The good news is that grinding is fairly fast. Encounters provide a sizable amount of XP, sometimes enough for a character progression after just two or three. You can refresh an area's enemies by stopping at an checkpoint banner—these flags are placed throughout each area. If you need to power level, simply battle monsters near a flag, rest, and do it again.

Rotate Gear Often

The game features two primary ways to provide constant buffs to your party members: Picto gems and Lumina abilities.

• Pictos are accessories that grant attribute increases and come with a constant effect. Each character can equip three different Pictos. When equipped, winning four battles with a Picto will unlock its associated Lumina.
• Luminas aren’t physical items but essentially act as equippable passives. Each character has a number of skill points (which can be increased via level-ups). A Lumina has a required LP amount. Provided that a character has enough points, there is no limit can benefit from the same skill, allowing you to combine useful effects across your full roster.

The optimal tactic is to ensure someone is wearing each fresh Picto you find and completes four encounters to gain its Lumina. This ensures you gain access for future use.

Should you not have new Pictos to work on, simply slot the Pictos with the most beneficial attributes for your playstyle.

Blocking Is Not Your Single Choice

Expedition 33’s signature mechanic is its fusion of strategic battles with twitch-based defenses. But, the opportunity to deflect is incredibly short on all difficulty levels. Rather than struggling endlessly trying to master the timing, prioritize rolling.

Although a perfect guard grants a resource and deals massive extra damage, missing the timing gives you nothing. Fortunately there are a number of accessories and abilities that provide resources on a successful dodge. If you can't get the block down, equip those evasion-based perks instead.

Break Is Your Greatest Advantage

Break is a game-changing condition that can secure victory. As you attack a foe, a special bar charges under their life bar. Once charged, you can apply the Break status, which lowers their damage resistance by a significant amount and prevents them from acting for an entire round. It is the most impactful debuff in the game, but only specific abilities can apply it.

Level Up Intentionally

You have the option to reallocate your build using a rare item called a Recoat item. Because it's rare, it's smart to plan your build before spending your stat investments. Get a feel for a character's playstyle and plan a skill tree path beforehand.

Make Sure to Rest At the Checkpoint Flag

Stopping at an expedition flag refills the health of your all characters and refreshes your supply of healing items, including Chroma Elixirs and revival items. Make it a habit to stop and heal up!

These flags also serve as the only means to quick traversal in the game. There is no mini-map, GPS, or quest indicators. However, each flag has a designation. By resting, you can access a log of all discovered flags in that area under a teleport list. It's a minimalist way to track your progress.

Paint Cages Are Consistently Worth the Effort

Paint Cages are effectively puzzle caches that demand you to locate and shoot three concealed seals in the immediate vicinity before claiming the prize. The contents is without fail valuable, including items like Recoats or strong equipment. The three locks aren't always obvious, but they are typically located close by. If you are stuck, try exploring thoroughly or scanning the environment vertically.

Go Ahead and, Battle the Shopkeeper

Each shopkeeper carries a one-of-a-kind piece of gear that doesn't appear in their normal inventory. To unlock it, you must choose one character and beat them in combat in a solo battle. This proves to be a worthwhile endeavor, as these items are truly unique. The first merchant you meet, for reference, sells a special accessory that applies the damage-increasing condition, which amplifies attacks against the target by a significant margin.

Rely On the Autosave

There is no {manual saving