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

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 places you in the role of a band of social media mages, fronted by the audacious British Daredevil, on a quest to reverse a worldwide curse that prevents aging. It merges traditional RPG battles with real-time parries reminiscent of action RPGs, all cloaked in a idiosyncratic visual style.

It has proven to be the most successful releases of the year, having garnered a huge player base and secured top honors praise. The experience can feel a bit off-putting initially, but when it clicks, you’ll discover a rich and captivating experience that is quite unique from many others. Listed here are ten crucial starting pointers for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Rotate Characters Frequently

In Expedition 33, party members who participate in a battle gain a significant 50% bonus to XP versus those not fighting. Additionally, the campaign will sometimes mandate you to use specific characters. The easiest approach to these challenges is to rotate your team and strive to keep your roster at a similar power level.

The good news is that grinding is relatively quick. Battles provide a substantial amount of XP, frequently sufficient for a level up after just a few. You can reset an zone's monsters by resting at an checkpoint banner—these flags are placed in each zone. If you need to power level, simply battle monsters near a flag, use the flag, and repeat.

Change Items Regularly

You have two primary ways to bestow passive perks to your allies: Picto gems and Luminas.

• Pictos are items which provide attribute increases and include a constant effect. A character can wear up to three Pictos. Once slotted, winning four fights with a Picto grants access to its associated Lumina.
• Luminas aren’t physical items but can be thought of as equippable passives. Each character has a number of skill points (which you can raise via level-ups). Every Lumina ability has a specific point cost. Provided that a character has sufficient LP, multiple characters can benefit from the identical ability, allowing you to layer powerful passives across your full roster.

The most efficient approach is to make sure a party member is wearing any new accessory and completes the required fights to gain its Lumina. Doing this you’ll have it for later builds.

When you aren't have fresh gear to level up, simply use the Pictos with the highest bonuses for your needs.

Blocking Is Not Your Sole Defense

Expedition 33’s key feature is its marriage of RPG systems with twitch-based defenses. However, the timing for a perfect block is extremely brief on all difficulty levels. Instead of breaking controllers trying to master the timing, prioritize rolling.

Even though a well-timed block refunds a resource and deals significant bonus damage, not blocking leaves you vulnerable. The good news is there are multiple gear and skills that grant AP on a successful dodge. If you struggle with the timing, focus on those dodge-focused options instead.

Break Is Your Key Tactic

Inflicting Break is a decisive state that can secure victory. As you whittle down health, a yellow gauge fills up under their life bar. Once charged, you can stun the enemy, which lowers their armor by 20% and prevents them from acting for their next action. It is the top-tier debuff in the game, but only particular attacks can trigger it.

Build Characters Intentionally

You can reset your build using a limited consumable called a Recoat. Because it's rare, it's wise to plan your build instead of committing your stat investments. Experiment with a character's playstyle and chart a build strategy beforehand.

Don't Forget to Rest At the Expedition Flag

Using your tent at an expedition flag fully heals your whole team and restocks your supply of healing items, including HP restoratives and phoenix down equivalents. Remember to stop and heal up!

Checkpoints also act as the closest thing to quick traversal in the game. You won't find a traditional map, compass, or quest indicators. Instead, each flag has a designation. At a flag, you can see a menu of your progress in that level under a navigation option. It's a simple but effective way to navigate the world.

Paint Cages Are Invariably Rewarding

Paint Cages are effectively puzzle caches that demand you to locate and shoot three scattered mechanisms in the immediate vicinity before getting the loot. The contents is always worthwhile, including items like Recoats or powerful weapons. The three locks aren't easy to spot, but they are usually within the same area. If you are stuck, try exploring thoroughly or scanning the environment vertically.

Go Ahead and, Challenge the Merchant

Each shopkeeper has a one-of-a-kind piece of gear that won't show up in their normal inventory. To unlock it, you must choose one character and defeat the merchant in a single combat. This is always rewarding, as these pieces of gear are exceptionally powerful. The initial shopkeeper you meet, for example, provides a Picto that inflicts the Defenseless debuff, which increases damage dealt against the affected enemy by a significant margin.

Trust In the Auto-Save System

There is no {manual saving