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

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 places you in the role of a group of glamorous spellcasters, led by the audacious British Daredevil, on a journey to halt a worldwide curse that stops people from growing old. It fuses traditional RPG battles with real-time parries reminiscent of challenging titles, all presented with a idiosyncratic visual style.

It has emerged as the major titles of the season, having garnered a huge player base and earned the premier award praise. The experience can feel somewhat dense in the beginning, but once you lock in, you’ll find a deep and fascinating RPG that stands apart from other games. Here are are a collection of starting pointers for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Swap Characters Often

In Expedition 33, allies who participate in a encounter earn a sizable bonus to XP relative to those not fighting. Furthermore, the campaign will at times mandate you to include particular characters. The easiest approach to these mechanics is to switch members often and aim to keep all characters at a similar level.

The upside is that grinding is fairly fast. Fights grant a substantial amount of XP, sometimes sufficient for a level up after just several. You can respawn an zone's monsters by taking a break at an save point—these markers are located in each zone. If you need to accumulate XP fast, simply fight enemies near a flag, refresh, and do it again.

Swap Accessories Frequently

The game features a couple of key ways to grant constant buffs to your allies: Picto accessories and Lumina abilities.

• Pictos are items which provide numerical bonuses and include a unique passive skill. Each character can equip up to three Pictos. Once slotted, winning four battles with a Picto grants access to its associated Lumina.
• Luminas aren’t physical items but can be thought of as skill tree nodes. Each character has a pool of LP (which can be increased via level-ups). Every Lumina ability has a set cost. As long as a character has the required amount, you are not restricted can equip the same Lumina, allowing you to stack key bonuses across your entire team.

The optimal strategy is to make sure someone equips any new accessory and wins four battles to gain its Lumina. Doing this you’ll have it for when needed.

When you aren't have new Pictos to work on, simply equip the Pictos with the highest bonuses for your current build.

Parrying Isn't Your Only Option

Expedition 33’s defining element is its combination of turn-based combat with twitch-based defenses. However, the parry window is incredibly short on any mode. Rather than struggling endlessly trying to land parries, focus on dodging.

Although a perfect guard restores Action Points and inflicts a huge damage spike, not blocking yields no benefit. The good news is there are several accessories and abilities that restore Action Points on a well-timed evade. If you struggle with the timing, use those evasion-based options instead.

Breaking Enemies Is Your Greatest Advantage

The Break status effect is a game-changing condition that can secure victory. As you whittle down health, a yellow gauge increases under their life bar. Upon maxing out, you can stun the enemy, which lowers their defense by 20% and stuns them for an entire round. It is the most impactful condition in the game, but only specific skills can cause it.

Level Up Deliberately

You are able to re-spec attributes and skills using a rare item called a Recoat. Given its scarcity, it's smart to consider your path before committing your skill points. Try out a hero's kit and chart a progression route first.

Don't Forget to Rest At the Checkpoint Flag

Resting at an expedition flag refills the health of your whole team and replenishes your supply of potions, including HP restoratives and phoenix down equivalents. Remember to use each flag you see!

Expedition flags also function as the primary method to quick traversal in the game. The game lacks a mini-map, waypoint system, or quest indicators. Instead, each flag has a designation. At a flag, you can access a log of all discovered flags in that level under a navigation option. It's a simple but effective way to navigate the world.

Glowing Cages Are Consistently Rewarding

Glowing chests are effectively locked treasure chests that demand you to find and hit three concealed seals in the surrounding area to getting the loot. The contents is without fail valuable, often containing Recoats or unique gear. The three locks aren't in plain sight, but they are almost always within the same area. If you are missing a lock, try breaking objects or scanning the environment vertically.

Yes, Challenge the Merchant

Each shopkeeper has a secret, unique item that won't show up in their standard shop. To gain access to it, you must pick a champion and defeat the merchant in a one-on-one fight. This is invariably worth doing, as these items are truly unique. The first merchant you meet, for reference, sells a Picto that causes the damage-increasing condition, which boosts damage against the target by a significant margin.

Rely On the Auto-Save System

The game lacks {manual saving