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A curious piece of trivia: The title term “Obscur” in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 references the somewhat obscure nature of the game's menus and systems.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 places you in the role of a group of social media mages, spearheaded by the daring British Daredevil, on a journey to combat a universal phenomenon that stops people from growing old. It fuses strategic role-playing encounters with real-time parries drawn from Soulslike games, all wrapped in a unique visual style.

It has become one of the major games of the year, having achieved massive sales and secured the premier award accolades. The adventure can feel somewhat dense at first, but when it clicks, you’ll discover a layered and fascinating experience that differentiates itself from contemporary titles. Below are a collection of beginner's tips for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Rotate Party Members Often

In Expedition 33, characters who are active during a battle earn a hefty increase to Experience Points compared to those not fighting. Additionally, the narrative will periodically mandate you to field certain characters. The simplest solution to these mechanics is to change your lineup frequently and strive to keep your roster at a roughly equal level.

The positive aspect is that farming experience is not too tedious. Battles award a substantial amount of XP, frequently sufficient for a character progression after just two or three. You can respawn an zone's monsters by taking a break at an checkpoint banner—these markers are scattered across each area. If you need to gain levels quickly, simply battle monsters near a flag, rest, and repeat.

Swap Gear Frequently

You have two main ways to provide bonus effects to your characters: Picto accessories and Lumina skills.

• Pictos are items which provide numerical bonuses and also feature a unique passive skill. Every party member can equip three different Pictos. Once slotted, finishing four fights with a Picto will unlock its corresponding Lumina.
• Luminas are not gear pieces but can be thought of as skill tree nodes. Each character has a number of skill points (which you can raise via items). Every Lumina ability has a required LP amount. As long as a character has the required amount, multiple characters can use the same Lumina, allowing you to stack key bonuses across your whole party.

The optimal approach is to make sure one of your characters equips any new accessory and wins four battles to gain its Lumina. This ensures you gain access for later builds.

When you aren't have new Pictos to work on, simply use the Pictos with the most beneficial attributes for your playstyle.

Parrying Isn't Your Sole Defense

Expedition 33’s defining element is its combination of RPG systems with twitch-based defenses. However, the parry window is notoriously tight on any mode. Rather than frustrating yourself trying to land parries, concentrate on evading.

Although a perfect guard restores one AP and causes significant bonus damage, not blocking yields no benefit. Fortunately there are a number of gear and skills that grant AP on a perfect roll. If you find parrying difficult, focus on those roll-centric perks instead.

Breaking Enemies Is Your Greatest Advantage

Inflicting Break is a game-changing state that can secure victory. As you damage an enemy, a yellow gauge fills up beneath their life bar. Upon maxing out, you can inflict break, which lowers their armor by a fifth and prevents them from acting for an entire round. It is the single most powerful condition in the game, but only particular skills can cause it.

Level Up Deliberately

You have the option to reallocate your build using a limited consumable called a Recoat. Given its scarcity, it's wise to consider your path before using your stat investments. Experiment with a party member's role and map out a build strategy beforehand.

Make Sure to Rest At the Checkpoint Flag

Using your tent at an checkpoint completely restores your all characters and replenishes all of your consumables, including healing potions and Revive Tints. Make it a habit to rest at every flag!

Expedition flags also function as the primary method to fast travel in the game. The game lacks a traditional map, waypoint system, or objective markers. But, each flag has a identifier. By resting, you can view a list of every flag you've found in that level under a navigation option. It's a simple but effective way to track your progress.

Paint Cages Are Invariably Rewarding

Paint Cages are essentially puzzle caches that require you to find and hit three hidden locks in the surrounding area prior to claiming the prize. The reward is without fail high-tier, including items like respec items or strong equipment. The three locks aren't easy to spot, but they are typically within the same area. If you are missing a lock, try breaking objects or looking up.

Go Ahead and, Fight the Shopkeeper

Each shopkeeper carries a one-of-a-kind piece of gear that isn't listed in their regular wares. To unlock it, you must select a party member and win a duel in a single combat. This is always rewarding, as these pieces of gear are exceptionally powerful. The first merchant you meet, for example, provides a special accessory that causes the vulnerability status, which boosts damage against the target by a significant margin.

Have Faith in the Automatic Saving

There is no {manual saving