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A fun fact: The “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 team of magical influencers, led by the daring British Daredevil, on a journey to reverse a universal phenomenon that prevents aging. It fuses strategic role-playing encounters with action-game reflexes reminiscent of Soulslike games, all presented with a idiosyncratic visual style.

It has emerged as the most successful releases of the period, having garnered a huge player base and won the premier award praise. The game can feel slightly intimidating initially, but after you grasp its systems, you’ll discover a rich and engrossing experience that stands apart from many others. Here are are ten crucial early-game strategies for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Swap Characters Often

In Expedition 33, characters who participate in a fight gain a sizable bonus to experience versus those on the bench. Additionally, the campaign will periodically require you to use specific characters. The most straightforward approach to these challenges is to change your lineup frequently and try to keep everyone at a similar strength.

The good news is that leveling up is fairly fast. Encounters award a sizable amount of XP, sometimes enough for a level up after just two or three. You can reset an local foes by resting at an save point—these points are located throughout each zone. If you need to accumulate XP fast, simply engage in combat near a flag, rest, and repeat.

Swap Items Often

There are two main ways to grant passive perks to your allies: Picto accessories and Lumina skills.

• Pictos function as gear that give attribute increases and come with a constant effect. A character can equip three different Pictos. Once slotted, completing four battles with a Picto will unlock its linked Lumina.
• Luminas are not gear pieces but essentially act as skill tree nodes. Every ally has a pool of LP (which grows via items). Every Lumina ability has a specific point cost. As long as a character has sufficient LP, multiple characters can equip the same skill, allowing you to stack useful effects across your entire team.

The optimal tactic is to make sure one of your characters is wearing any new accessory and fights through four encounters to gain its Lumina. Doing this you’ll have it for future use.

Should you not have new Pictos to level up, simply use the Pictos with the most beneficial attributes for your playstyle.

Parrying Isn't Your Single Choice

Expedition 33’s key feature is its marriage of strategic battles with real-time parries. But, the parry window is extremely brief on all difficulty levels. Instead of frustrating yourself trying to hit perfect blocks, focus on dodging.

Although a well-timed block refunds a resource and causes massive extra damage, not blocking yields no benefit. The good news is there are a number of accessories and abilities that grant AP on a perfect roll. If you can't get the block down, use those evasion-based abilities instead.

The Break Status Is Your Secret Weapon

Inflicting Break is a battle-altering mechanic that can turn the tide. As you whittle down health, a special bar charges under their life bar. Upon maxing out, you can apply the Break status, which slashes their defense by 20% and skips their turn for an entire round. It is the single most powerful status effect in the game, but only particular abilities can trigger it.

Build Characters Intentionally

You are able to re-spec your build using a limited consumable called a Recoat item. Given its scarcity, it's prudent to consider your path before spending your attribute points. Get a feel for a party member's role and plan a progression route beforehand.

Always Rest At the Expedition Flag

Resting at an expedition flag refills the health of your whole team and replenishes every healing items, including Chroma Elixirs and Revive Tints. Make it a habit to stop and heal up!

Checkpoints also act as the primary method to navigation in the game. There is no mini-map, GPS, or floating icons. Instead, each flag has a name and number. At a flag, you can view a list of your progress in that zone under a teleport list. It's a simple but effective way to navigate the world.

Paint Cages Are Always Worth It

Glowing chests are essentially locked treasure chests that demand you to locate and shoot three hidden locks in the nearby environment to getting the loot. The contents is always valuable, often containing rare resources or unique gear. The required seals aren't easy to spot, but they are almost always within the same area. If you are missing a lock, try breaking objects or scanning the environment vertically.

Go Ahead and, Fight the Vendor

Every merchant stocks a one-of-a-kind piece of gear that isn't listed in their standard shop. To get them to sell it, you must pick a champion and defeat the merchant in a solo battle. This proves to be worth doing, as these pieces of gear are exceptionally powerful. The first merchant you meet, for reference, offers a Picto that inflicts the vulnerability status, which boosts damage against the affected enemy by 25%.

Have Faith in the Autosave

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