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An interesting tidbit: The name “Obscur” in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hints at the initially cryptic nature of the game's menus and systems.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 places you in the role of a group of glamorous spellcasters, led by the daring British Daredevil, on a mission to halt a universal phenomenon that halts the natural aging process. It merges strategic role-playing battles with action-game reflexes drawn from action RPGs, all wrapped in a idiosyncratic visual style.

It has emerged as the most successful releases of the year, having sold millions and earned the premier award accolades. The adventure can feel somewhat dense at first, but after you grasp its systems, you’ll uncover a deep and fascinating experience that differentiates itself from many others. Here are are a collection of early-game strategies for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Rotate Team Members Frequently

In Expedition 33, allies who take part in a encounter receive a significant 50% bonus to Experience Points versus those in reserve. Additionally, the campaign will periodically mandate you to include particular characters. The simplest method to these challenges is to rotate your team and try to keep everyone at a similar strength.

The good news is that grinding is relatively quick. Battles award a generous amount of XP, often sufficient for a character progression after just two or three. You can respawn an zone's monsters by resting at an expedition flag—these points are scattered throughout each zone. If you need to gain levels quickly, simply battle monsters near a flag, rest, and repeat.

Rotate Accessories Regularly

There are two main ways to grant bonus effects to your characters: Picto accessories and Luminas.

• Pictos are items which grant attribute increases and come with a special ability. Each character can equip a maximum of three Pictos. Once slotted, completing four battles with a Picto unlocks its corresponding Lumina.
• Luminas aren’t physical items but are similar to equippable passives. A party member has a amount of Lumina Points (which can be increased via items). A Lumina has a required LP amount. As long as a character has sufficient LP, there is no limit can equip the identical ability, allowing you to stack powerful passives across your whole party.

The most efficient tactic is to always one of your characters is wearing each fresh Picto you find and wins the required fights to unlock its Lumina. This ensures you’ll have it for future use.

When you aren't have fresh gear to work on, simply equip the Pictos with the best stats for your playstyle.

Perfect Guards Are Not Your Sole Defense

Expedition 33’s key feature is its combination of RPG systems with action-oriented blocks. But, the parry window is incredibly short on any mode. Instead of frustrating yourself trying to land parries, focus on dodging.

Although a well-timed block restores one AP and deals massive extra damage, failing to parry leaves you vulnerable. The good news is there are a number of gear and skills that grant AP on a perfect roll. If you find parrying difficult, equip those evasion-based abilities instead.

Break Is Your Greatest Advantage

Inflicting Break is a decisive state that can turn the tide. As you attack a foe, a gold meter increases below their health bar. Upon maxing out, you can inflict break, which lowers their damage resistance by 20% and stuns them for one full turn. It is the most impactful debuff in the game, but only certain abilities can apply it.

Build Characters With a Plan

You are able to re-spec attributes and skills using a limited consumable called a Recoat. Because it's rare, it's prudent to plan your build prior to using your stat investments. Experiment with a hero's kit and map out a progression route in advance.

Make Sure to Rest At the Checkpoint Flag

Stopping at an checkpoint fully heals your all characters and refreshes every healing items, including HP restoratives and phoenix down equivalents. Remember to use each flag you see!

Checkpoints also act as the only means to quick traversal in the game. There is no traditional map, GPS, or quest indicators. Instead, each flag has a name and number. At a flag, you can view a list of all discovered flags in that zone under a navigation option. It's a minimalist way to track your progress.

Locked Chests Are Always Worth the Effort

Glowing chests are essentially sealed loot boxes that need you to find and hit three concealed seals in the nearby environment prior to opening them. The treasure inside is without fail worthwhile, such as respec items or unique gear. The required seals aren't in plain sight, but they are typically within the same area. If you are missing a lock, try exploring thoroughly or checking elevated spots.

Yes, Challenge the Shopkeeper

Each shopkeeper has a secret, unique item that won't show up in their normal inventory. To unlock it, you must choose one character and win a duel in a solo battle. This is always a worthwhile endeavor, as these pieces of gear are exceptionally powerful. The earliest vendor you meet, for reference, provides a Picto that causes the Defenseless debuff, which boosts damage against the affected enemy by a quarter.

Have Faith in the Auto-Save System

There is no {manual saving