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An interesting tidbit: The title term “Obscur” in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 alludes to the complex nature of the game's menus and gameplay loops.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has you leading a group of glamorous spellcasters, fronted by the daring British Daredevil, on a quest to reverse a worldwide curse that halts the natural aging process. It fuses traditional RPG battles with real-time parries inspired by challenging titles, all cloaked in a distinctive artistic lexicon.

It has emerged as the biggest games of the year, having garnered a huge player base and won the premier award praise. The experience can feel slightly intimidating in the beginning, but once you lock in, you’ll find a deep and fascinating role-playing game that is quite unique from other games. Here are are a collection of starting pointers for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Change Party Members Often

In Expedition 33, characters who are active during a fight gain a sizable bonus to Experience Points compared to those not fighting. What's more, the narrative will sometimes mandate you to field certain characters. The most straightforward method to both issues is to switch members often and try to keep all characters at a roughly equal power level.

The positive aspect is that farming experience is not too tedious. Encounters award a generous amount of XP, often sufficient for a level up after just two or three. You can reset an zone's monsters by taking a break at an save point—these points are scattered in each level. If you need to power level, simply fight enemies near a flag, use the flag, and do it again.

Swap Gear Regularly

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

• Pictos are accessories that provide numerical bonuses and include a unique passive skill. A character can wear three different Pictos. When equipped, finishing four battles with a Picto will unlock its linked Lumina.
• Luminas aren’t physical items but are similar to equippable passives. A party member has a amount of Lumina Points (which grows via items). Each Lumina has a specific point cost. Provided that a character has sufficient LP, you are not restricted can benefit from the same Lumina, allowing you to layer powerful passives across your entire team.

The most efficient strategy is to always someone has equipped any new accessory and completes four encounters to unlock its Lumina. This ensures you gain access for later builds.

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

Parrying Isn't Your Single Choice

Expedition 33’s signature mechanic is its fusion of RPG systems with twitch-based defenses. That said, the timing for a perfect block is incredibly short on all difficulty levels. Instead of breaking controllers trying to land parries, concentrate on rolling.

While a successful parry restores one AP and inflicts significant bonus damage, missing the timing yields no benefit. The good news is there are several Pictos and Luminas that restore Action Points on a well-timed evade. If you find parrying difficult, focus on those dodge-focused perks instead.

The Break Status Is Your Key Tactic

Inflicting Break is a battle-altering mechanic that can swing a fight. As you attack a foe, a special bar charges under their health bar. Once charged, you can inflict break, which reduces their damage resistance by a significant amount and skips their turn for one full turn. It is the most impactful status effect in the game, but only specific skills can trigger it.

Level Up Deliberately

You have the option to reallocate attributes and skills using a limited consumable called a Respec token. Given its scarcity, it's prudent to think ahead instead of using your stat investments. Try out a hero's kit and plan a skill tree path beforehand.

Don't Forget to Rest At the Expedition Flag

Resting at an checkpoint refills the health of your all characters and refreshes your supply of healing items, including healing potions and Revive Tints. Remember to rest at every flag!

Checkpoints also serve as the only means to quick traversal in the game. You won't find a traditional map, compass, or floating icons. But, each flag has a identifier. By resting, you can see a menu of all discovered flags in that level under a teleport list. It's a basic yet helpful way to track your progress.

Glowing Cages Are Invariably Worth the Effort

Paint Cages are basically locked treasure chests that require you to locate and shoot three hidden locks in the nearby environment prior to opening them. The treasure inside is consistently valuable, such as Recoats or powerful weapons. The three locks aren't always obvious, but they are typically near the cage. If you are missing a lock, try exploring thoroughly or checking elevated spots.

Go Ahead and, Challenge the Shopkeeper

Each shopkeeper has a one-of-a-kind piece of gear that won't show up in their normal inventory. To get them to sell it, you must pick a champion and beat them in combat in a one-on-one fight. This is always worth doing, as these rewards are game-changing. The initial shopkeeper you meet, for example, offers a Picto that causes the Defenseless debuff, which amplifies attacks against the affected enemy by a significant margin.

Trust In the Automatic Saving

The game lacks {manual saving