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A fun fact: The “Obscur” in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hints at the somewhat obscure nature of the game's menus and systems.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 casts you as a group of glamorous spellcasters, fronted by the daring British Daredevil, on a journey to reverse a universal phenomenon that prevents aging. It fuses traditional RPG combat with timed defensive moves inspired by Soulslike games, all wrapped in a distinctive aesthetic language.

It has emerged as the biggest titles of the season, having achieved massive sales and earned top honors accolades. The experience can feel a bit off-putting at first, but after you grasp its systems, you’ll discover a layered and fascinating RPG that stands apart from other games. Here are are a collection of beginner's tips for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Rotate Characters Regularly

In Expedition 33, party members who take part in a fight earn a sizable bonus to XP compared to those in reserve. What's more, the campaign will sometimes force you to field certain characters. The easiest solution to both issues is to switch members often and aim to keep all characters at a comparable strength.

The good news is that leveling up is fairly fast. Battles provide a sizable amount of XP, frequently sufficient for a character progression after just a few. You can respawn an area's enemies by stopping at an expedition flag—these points are scattered across each level. If you need to power level, simply engage in combat near a flag, refresh, and continue the cycle.

Rotate Accessories Regularly

The game features two primary ways to provide constant buffs to your characters: Pictos and Luminas.

• Pictos are items which give numerical bonuses and also feature a special ability. Each character can equip up to three Pictos. When equipped, completing four fights with a Picto will unlock its associated Lumina.
• Luminas aren’t physical items but are similar to unlocked abilities. A party member has a number of skill points (which you can raise via items). Every Lumina ability has a specific point cost. As long as a character has the required amount, there is no limit can equip the same Lumina, allowing you to combine powerful passives across your full roster.

The optimal tactic is to ensure a party member has equipped each fresh Picto you find and fights through four battles to gain its Lumina. That way you gain access for future use.

Should you not have fresh gear to level up, simply use the Pictos with the best stats for your needs.

Perfect Guards Are Not Your Only Option

Expedition 33’s key feature is its combination of strategic battles with twitch-based defenses. However, the timing for a perfect block is incredibly short on every setting. Instead of breaking controllers trying to land parries, concentrate on evading.

Although a well-timed block grants a resource and deals a huge damage spike, not blocking gives you nothing. Fortunately there are multiple gear and skills that grant AP on a perfect roll. If you find parrying difficult, equip those roll-centric abilities instead.

Breaking Enemies Is Your Key Tactic

Break is a game-changing state that can turn the tide. As you whittle down health, a special bar increases under their HP bar. When full, you can apply the Break status, which reduces their damage resistance by a significant amount and skips their turn for their next action. It is the single most powerful condition in the game, but only certain skills can trigger it.

Build Characters Deliberately

You can reset attributes and skills using a scarce resource called a Respec token. Since they are uncommon, it's prudent to plan your build instead of spending your skill points. Get a feel for a hero's kit and chart a skill tree path in advance.

Make Sure to Stop At the Expedition Flag

Using your tent at an save point refills the health of your whole team and refreshes all of your potions, including healing potions and revival items. Develop the routine to rest at every flag!

Expedition flags also serve as the closest thing to navigation in the game. There is no traditional map, waypoint system, or objective markers. Instead, each flag has a designation. At a flag, you can access a log of every flag you've found in that zone under a fast travel menu. It's a minimalist way to track your progress.

Paint Cages Are Consistently Rewarding

Paint Cages are effectively sealed loot boxes that need you to find and hit three concealed seals in the immediate vicinity before getting the loot. The contents is without fail high-tier, often containing rare resources or powerful weapons. The required seals aren't always obvious, but they are usually near the cage. If you can't find one, try breaking objects or looking up.

Absolutely, Battle the Shopkeeper

Every merchant carries a secret, unique item that won't show up in their normal inventory. To gain access to it, you must pick a champion and win a duel in a solo battle. This proves to be worth doing, as these rewards are truly unique. The earliest vendor you meet, for instance, sells a Picto that causes the damage-increasing condition, which increases damage dealt against the target by a significant margin.

Have Faith in the Autosave

The game lacks {manual saving