10 Newcomer Pointers to Learn Before Diving Into Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

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

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has you leading a team of glamorous spellcasters, led by the daring British Daredevil, on a quest to halt a worldwide curse that halts the natural aging process. It fuses strategic role-playing combat with real-time parries reminiscent of action RPGs, all wrapped in a idiosyncratic artistic lexicon.

It has emerged as the major releases of the season, having sold millions and secured top honors praise. The game can feel somewhat dense initially, but after you grasp its systems, you’ll discover a rich and captivating experience that is quite unique from other games. Here are are 10 essential early-game strategies for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Change Team Members Frequently

In Expedition 33, party members who are active during a encounter receive a sizable bonus to Experience Points versus those on the bench. Furthermore, the story will periodically force you to use specific characters. The simplest method to these mechanics is to rotate your team and aim to keep everyone at a roughly equal strength.

The good news is that grinding is relatively quick. Fights grant a sizable amount of XP, frequently sufficient for a character progression after just a few. You can respawn an area's enemies by resting at an save point—these points are located throughout each area. If you need to accumulate XP fast, simply fight enemies near a flag, rest, and continue the cycle.

Change Gear Regularly

The game features two main ways to grant passive perks to your allies: Picto gems and Lumina skills.

• Pictos are items which grant attribute increases and include a special ability. Every party member can equip a maximum of three Pictos. Once slotted, completing four encounters with a Picto will unlock its corresponding Lumina.
• Luminas are not gear pieces but can be thought of as equippable passives. Every ally has a number of LP (which you can raise via consumables). Every Lumina ability has a specific point cost. As long as a character has enough points, there is no limit can benefit from the same Lumina, allowing you to layer key bonuses across your whole party.

The smartest strategy is to always one of your characters is wearing any new accessory and fights through four encounters to reveal its Lumina. This ensures you’ll have it for when needed.

If you don't have fresh gear to level up, simply use the Pictos with the best stats for your needs.

Blocking Is Not Your Sole Defense

Expedition 33’s signature mechanic is its marriage of RPG systems with twitch-based defenses. However, the parry window is incredibly short on any mode. In place of struggling endlessly trying to hit perfect blocks, focus on evading.

Even though a well-timed block refunds a resource and causes a huge damage spike, missing the timing gives you nothing. Fortunately there are several gear and skills that grant AP on a successful dodge. If you find parrying difficult, use those dodge-focused options instead.

Break Is Your Greatest Advantage

Inflicting Break is a decisive state that can swing a fight. As you whittle down health, a special bar fills up beneath their HP bar. Once charged, you can inflict break, which lowers their damage resistance by a significant amount and prevents them from acting for their next action. It is the most impactful condition in the game, but only certain attacks can trigger it.

Allocate Points With a Plan

You are able to re-spec attributes and skills using a rare item called a Recoat item. Since they are uncommon, it's prudent to consider your path instead of committing your stat investments. Experiment with a hero's kit and plan a skill tree path first.

Make Sure to Stop At the Checkpoint Flag

Resting at an expedition flag completely restores your whole team and refreshes all of your consumables, including HP restoratives and phoenix down equivalents. Remember to use each flag you see!

Expedition flags also function as the closest thing to fast travel in the game. You won't find a mini-map, compass, or floating icons. However, each flag has a identifier. By resting, you can see a menu of your progress in that zone under a fast travel menu. It's a minimalist way to navigate the world.

Glowing Cages Are Always Worth It

These special containers are basically locked treasure chests that require you to locate and shoot three concealed seals in the nearby environment to getting the loot. The contents is without fail worthwhile, often containing rare resources or powerful weapons. The required seals aren't easy to spot, but they are almost always near the cage. If you are stuck, try exploring thoroughly or scanning the environment vertically.

Absolutely, Fight the Shopkeeper

All vendors stocks a secret, unique item that doesn't appear in their standard shop. To unlock it, you must choose one character and beat them in combat in a solo battle. This is always a worthwhile endeavor, as these rewards are exceptionally powerful. The initial shopkeeper you meet, for reference, offers a Picto that applies the Defenseless debuff, which increases damage dealt against the affected enemy by a significant margin.

Rely On the Automatic Saving

There is no {manual saving