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An interesting tidbit: The name “Obscur” in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hints at the complex nature of the in-game systems and systems.

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 merges traditional RPG combat with timed defensive moves inspired by challenging titles, all wrapped in a distinctive artistic lexicon.

It has proven to be the biggest releases of the year, having achieved massive sales and won the premier award accolades. The game can feel slightly intimidating at first, but when it clicks, you’ll find a deep and fascinating experience that stands apart from many others. Below are a collection of beginner's tips for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Swap Team Members Often

In Expedition 33, party members who are active during a encounter gain a hefty increase to experience versus those not fighting. Furthermore, the story will at times force you to use specific characters. The most straightforward solution to these challenges is to rotate your team and try to keep your roster at a roughly equal level.

The upside is that grinding is fairly fast. Fights provide a substantial amount of XP, frequently enough for a level up after just a few. You can reset an area's enemies by stopping at an expedition flag—these points are scattered throughout each level. If you need to power level, simply fight enemies near a flag, use the flag, and repeat.

Rotate Accessories Frequently

The game features two main ways to bestow constant buffs to your allies: Pictos and Lumina abilities.

• Pictos are items which grant stat boosts and come with a unique passive skill. Every party member can slot up to three Pictos. After being worn, finishing four battles with a Picto will unlock its corresponding Lumina.
• Luminas are not gear pieces but are similar to skill tree nodes. Every ally has a amount of Lumina Points (which grows via level-ups). Every Lumina ability has a set cost. Provided that a character has the required amount, you are not restricted can equip the identical ability, allowing you to layer powerful passives across your full roster.

The most efficient strategy is to ensure one of your characters equips every new Picto and wins the required fights to reveal its Lumina. That way the ability will be available for later builds.

When you aren't have new Pictos to level up, simply slot the Pictos with the most beneficial attributes for your needs.

Perfect Guards Are Not Your Sole Defense

Expedition 33’s defining element is its fusion of RPG systems with real-time parries. That said, the parry window is notoriously tight on every setting. In place of frustrating yourself trying to land parries, focus on evading.

Even though a successful parry restores Action Points and inflicts a huge damage spike, failing to parry leaves you vulnerable. Fortunately there are multiple Pictos and Luminas that restore Action Points on a successful dodge. If you can't get the block down, equip those roll-centric perks instead.

Breaking Enemies Is Your Greatest Advantage

Inflicting Break is a battle-altering mechanic that can secure victory. As you whittle down health, a gold meter charges below their health bar. When full, you can inflict break, which reduces their armor by a significant amount and stuns them for their next action. It is the top-tier debuff in the game, but only certain abilities can trigger it.

Level Up With a Plan

You can reset attributes and skills using a rare item called a Respec token. Given its scarcity, it's prudent to plan your build before spending your attribute points. Experiment with a party member's role and chart a skill tree path beforehand.

Don't Forget to Stop At the Expedition Flag

Stopping at an save point fully heals your whole team and restocks your supply of potions, including HP restoratives and Revive Tints. Remember to stop and heal up!

Checkpoints also act as the closest thing to fast travel in the game. You won't find a overworld map, waypoint system, or quest indicators. However, each flag has a identifier. When you interact with one, you can view a list of your progress in that level under a fast travel menu. It's a minimalist way to track your progress.

Glowing Cages Are Always Worth It

Paint Cages are basically sealed loot boxes that require you to locate and shoot three hidden locks in the immediate vicinity before opening them. The treasure inside is always worthwhile, including items like Recoats or powerful weapons. The three locks aren't always obvious, but they are typically located close by. If you are missing a lock, try exploring thoroughly or looking up.

Absolutely, Battle the Merchant

Every merchant carries a secret, unique item that doesn't appear in their standard shop. To gain access to it, you must choose one character and win a duel in a single combat. This is invariably rewarding, as these items are truly unique. The initial shopkeeper you meet, for example, sells a Picto that applies the Defenseless debuff, which increases damage dealt against the target by a quarter.

Trust In the Autosave

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