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A curious piece of trivia: The title term “Obscur” in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 references the initially cryptic nature of the game's menus and gameplay loops.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 casts you as a team of social media mages, fronted by the daring British Daredevil, on a mission to halt a universal phenomenon that halts the natural aging process. It blends turn-based RPG battles with timed defensive moves inspired by challenging titles, all cloaked in a idiosyncratic artistic lexicon.

It has emerged as the major releases of the year, having sold millions and won top honors praise. The experience can feel a bit off-putting initially, but once you lock in, you’ll uncover a rich and engrossing RPG that is quite unique from contemporary titles. Here are are a collection of starting pointers for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Rotate Team Members Often

In Expedition 33, party members who are active during a encounter receive a hefty increase to Experience Points versus those in reserve. Furthermore, the story will at times mandate you to include particular characters. The most straightforward approach to these mechanics is to switch members often and aim to keep all characters at a similar strength.

The positive aspect is that farming experience is not too tedious. Fights provide a sizable amount of XP, often sufficient for a character progression after just a few. You can reset an zone's monsters by resting at an checkpoint banner—these markers are located across each level. If you need to power level, simply engage in combat near a flag, use the flag, and repeat.

Change Gear Regularly

The game features a couple of key ways to grant passive perks to your allies: Pictos and Lumina skills.

• Pictos function as gear that give stat boosts and include a constant effect. A character can slot a maximum of three Pictos. After being worn, winning four battles with a Picto will unlock its corresponding Lumina.
• Luminas are not gear pieces but essentially act as skill tree nodes. Every ally has a number of LP (which grows via consumables). A Lumina has a required LP amount. As long as a character has enough points, multiple characters can use the same Lumina, allowing you to stack powerful passives across your full roster.

The smartest strategy is to ensure one of your characters equips each fresh Picto you find and completes four encounters to unlock its Lumina. Doing this you gain access for when needed.

When you aren't have unleveled accessories to work on, simply equip the Pictos with the best stats for your current build.

Blocking Is Not Your Sole Defense

Expedition 33’s key feature is its combination of turn-based combat with action-oriented blocks. That said, the opportunity to deflect is extremely brief on every setting. Rather than breaking controllers trying to land parries, focus on dodging.

While a well-timed block grants a resource and inflicts a huge damage spike, failing to parry gives you nothing. Fortunately there are several accessories and abilities that provide resources on a perfect roll. If you struggle with the timing, use those roll-centric options instead.

The Break Status Is Your Key Tactic

Inflicting Break is a decisive condition that can swing a fight. As you whittle down health, a gold meter charges under their health bar. When full, you can inflict break, which lowers their defense by 20% and prevents them from acting for an entire round. It is the single most powerful condition in the game, but only particular attacks can trigger it.

Allocate Points Intentionally

You are able to re-spec stat points and abilities using a rare item called a Recoat item. Because it's rare, it's prudent to plan your build before spending your attribute points. Get a feel for a hero's kit and plan a build strategy beforehand.

Make Sure to Stop At the Checkpoint Flag

Stopping at an expedition flag refills the health of your all characters and restocks your supply of healing items, including healing potions and revival items. Develop the routine to use each flag you see!

These flags also act as the only means to fast travel in the game. You won't find a traditional map, compass, or objective markers. But, each flag has a designation. When you interact with one, you can access a log of every flag you've found in that zone under a teleport list. It's a basic yet helpful way to track your progress.

Paint Cages Are Always Rewarding

Paint Cages are essentially locked treasure chests that require you to find and hit three hidden locks in the nearby environment prior to opening them. The contents is always high-tier, often containing rare resources or powerful weapons. The associated mechanisms aren't always obvious, but they are typically near the cage. If you can't find one, try smashing crates or looking up.

Yes, Challenge the Vendor

Each shopkeeper has a one-of-a-kind piece of gear that doesn't appear in their regular wares. To gain access to it, you must select a party member and defeat the merchant in a one-on-one fight. This proves to be a worthwhile endeavor, as these rewards are game-changing. The earliest vendor you meet, for instance, offers a special accessory that causes the Defenseless debuff, which boosts damage against the foe by 25%.

Trust In the Autosave

The game lacks {manual saving