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A fun fact: The title term “Obscur” in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 alludes to 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 magical influencers, led by the audacious British Daredevil, on a mission to halt a worldwide curse that prevents aging. It blends turn-based RPG combat with action-game reflexes drawn from Soulslike games, all wrapped in a unique artistic lexicon.

It has become one of the biggest titles of the season, having achieved massive sales and won the premier award recognition. The experience can feel a bit off-putting in the beginning, but once you lock in, you’ll find a rich and captivating experience that differentiates itself from other games. Listed here are 10 essential early-game strategies for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Swap Party Members Frequently

In Expedition 33, party members who participate in a fight gain a hefty increase to Experience Points relative to those in reserve. Furthermore, the campaign will at times mandate you to use specific characters. The easiest solution to these mechanics is to rotate your team and aim to keep your roster at a similar level.

The good news is that leveling up is not too tedious. Encounters provide a generous amount of XP, often sufficient for a character progression after just several. You can refresh an local foes by stopping at an checkpoint banner—these flags are located across each zone. If you need to accumulate XP fast, simply fight enemies near a flag, use the flag, and repeat.

Swap Gear Regularly

You have a couple of key ways to grant bonus effects to your characters: Pictos and Lumina skills.

• Pictos function as gear that give numerical bonuses and also feature a unique passive skill. A character can equip a maximum of three Pictos. Once slotted, finishing four encounters with a Picto unlocks its linked Lumina.
• Luminas are not gear pieces but can be thought of as unlocked abilities. A party member has a amount of skill points (which you can raise via consumables). Each Lumina has a required LP amount. Provided that a character has the required amount, there is no limit can equip the identical ability, allowing you to layer useful effects across your entire team.

The optimal approach is to always one of your characters equips every new Picto and wins the required fights to gain its Lumina. That way you’ll have it for later builds.

Should you not have fresh gear to unlock, simply use the Pictos with the highest bonuses for your needs.

Blocking Is Not Your Single Choice

Expedition 33’s signature mechanic is its combination of RPG systems with twitch-based defenses. But, the parry window is notoriously tight on every setting. Rather than struggling endlessly trying to land parries, prioritize rolling.

While a successful parry restores a resource and inflicts massive extra damage, failing to parry leaves you vulnerable. Fortunately there are several accessories and abilities that grant AP on a perfect roll. If you find parrying difficult, equip those dodge-focused perks instead.

Breaking Enemies Is Your Greatest Advantage

Break is a game-changing condition that can turn the tide. As you whittle down health, a gold meter increases beneath their HP bar. When full, you can stun the enemy, which slashes their armor by a significant amount and prevents them from acting for one full turn. It is the top-tier status effect in the game, but only particular abilities can apply it.

Level Up With a Plan

You have the option to reallocate stat points and abilities using a limited consumable called a Recoat item. Because it's rare, it's prudent to think ahead instead of committing your skill points. Experiment with a character's playstyle and plan a build strategy in advance.

Always Stop At the Checkpoint Flag

Resting at an expedition flag refills the health of your entire party and replenishes your supply of consumables, including HP restoratives and phoenix down equivalents. Remember to rest at every flag!

Checkpoints also serve as the primary method to navigation in the game. You won't find a traditional map, compass, or objective markers. However, each flag has a designation. When you interact with one, you can see a menu of every flag you've found in that zone under a fast travel menu. It's a simple but effective way to navigate the world.

Glowing Cages Are Consistently Worth It

Glowing chests are basically sealed loot boxes that need you to locate and shoot three hidden locks in the immediate vicinity prior to opening them. The treasure inside is consistently high-tier, including items like respec items or powerful weapons. The associated mechanisms aren't in plain sight, but they are typically located close by. If you can't find one, try exploring thoroughly or checking elevated spots.

Go Ahead and, Challenge the Shopkeeper

All vendors has a secret, unique item that doesn't appear in their regular wares. To get them to sell it, you must select a party member and defeat the merchant in a solo battle. This proves to be worth doing, as these rewards are exceptionally powerful. The earliest vendor you meet, for example, sells a special accessory that applies the damage-increasing condition, which boosts damage against the target by 25%.

Trust In the Auto-Save System

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