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

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has you leading a band of magical influencers, led by the bold British Daredevil, on a quest to combat a global affliction that halts the natural aging process. It fuses strategic role-playing encounters with action-game reflexes inspired by challenging titles, all wrapped in a idiosyncratic artistic lexicon.

It has proven to be the biggest titles of the season, having sold millions and won top honors recognition. The adventure can feel somewhat dense at first, but once you lock in, you’ll uncover a deep and captivating experience that is quite unique from many others. Below are ten crucial beginner's tips for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Swap Team Members Regularly

In Expedition 33, characters who take part in a encounter gain a hefty increase to Experience Points relative to those on the bench. What's more, the story will sometimes mandate you to include particular characters. The easiest approach to both issues is to change your lineup frequently and try to keep everyone at a roughly equal level.

The upside is that leveling up is not too tedious. Encounters provide a generous amount of XP, sometimes enough for a level up after just several. You can refresh an local foes by taking a break at an checkpoint banner—these markers are located in each level. If you need to power level, simply battle monsters near a flag, refresh, and repeat.

Rotate Items Regularly

You have a couple of key ways to grant bonus effects to your allies: Picto accessories and Lumina abilities.

• Pictos are accessories that grant numerical bonuses and come with a unique passive skill. Every party member can wear three different Pictos. When equipped, completing four fights with a Picto will unlock its associated Lumina.
• Luminas function differently but essentially act as equippable passives. A party member has a pool of skill points (which grows via level-ups). A Lumina has a specific point cost. As long as a character has sufficient LP, multiple characters can equip the identical ability, allowing you to stack key bonuses across your full roster.

The smartest strategy is to ensure a party member is wearing each fresh Picto you find and completes four battles to reveal its Lumina. This ensures the ability will be available for when needed.

If you don't have fresh gear to unlock, simply equip the Pictos with the best stats for your playstyle.

Blocking Is Not Your Sole Defense

Expedition 33’s defining element is its fusion of strategic battles with twitch-based defenses. But, the timing for a perfect block is incredibly short on all difficulty levels. In place of breaking controllers trying to master the timing, prioritize rolling.

While a perfect guard refunds Action Points and deals significant bonus damage, failing to parry leaves you vulnerable. Luckily there are multiple accessories and abilities that grant AP on a well-timed evade. If you find parrying difficult, equip those roll-centric abilities instead.

Break Is Your Greatest Advantage

The Break status effect is a game-changing mechanic that can secure victory. As you whittle down health, a gold meter charges under their HP bar. Upon maxing out, you can stun the enemy, which slashes their defense by 20% and prevents them from acting for an entire round. It is the single most powerful status effect in the game, but only certain attacks can apply it.

Level Up With a Plan

You are able to re-spec your build using a rare item called a Recoat. Given its scarcity, it's wise to consider your path before spending your stat investments. Try out a hero's kit and map out a build strategy first.

Make Sure to Use the Checkpoint Flag

Stopping at an expedition flag completely restores your entire party and restocks all of your consumables, including HP restoratives and phoenix down equivalents. Develop the routine to stop and heal up!

Checkpoints also serve as the only means to quick traversal in the game. You won't find a overworld map, waypoint system, or objective markers. Instead, each flag has a designation. By resting, you can access a log of every flag you've found in that zone under a navigation option. It's a minimalist way to navigate the world.

Glowing Cages Are Invariably Worth the Effort

Glowing chests are basically sealed loot boxes that demand you to discover and activate three scattered mechanisms in the immediate vicinity to opening them. The treasure inside is consistently high-tier, including items like rare resources or powerful weapons. The associated mechanisms aren't in plain sight, but they are almost always near the cage. If you are missing a lock, try smashing crates or looking up.

Yes, Challenge the Merchant

Every merchant has a secret, unique item that won't show up in their standard shop. To get them to sell it, you must choose one character and beat them in combat in a single combat. This is invariably rewarding, as these pieces of gear are exceptionally powerful. The initial shopkeeper you meet, for instance, provides a special accessory that applies the Defenseless debuff, which increases damage dealt against the foe by 25%.

Trust In the Auto-Save System

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