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A fun fact: The name “Obscur” in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 references the somewhat obscure nature of the in-game systems and gameplay loops.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has you leading a band of magical influencers, led by the audacious British Daredevil, on a quest to combat a universal phenomenon that halts the natural aging process. It fuses traditional RPG battles with real-time parries drawn from action RPGs, all wrapped in a unique visual style.

It has proven to be the major releases of the period, having achieved massive sales and secured the premier award accolades. The adventure can feel a bit off-putting in the beginning, but once you lock in, you’ll discover a layered and captivating RPG that stands apart from contemporary titles. Here are are a collection of beginner's tips for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Rotate Team Members Frequently

In Expedition 33, party members who participate in a encounter earn a significant 50% bonus to XP versus those in reserve. What's more, the campaign will sometimes force you to use specific characters. The most straightforward method to both issues is to change your lineup frequently and try to keep everyone at a roughly equal strength.

The upside is that farming experience is fairly fast. Battles provide a substantial amount of XP, often sufficient for a stat increase after just a few. You can refresh an zone's monsters by resting at an save point—these points are scattered throughout each level. If you need to power level, simply battle monsters near a flag, refresh, and continue the cycle.

Rotate Accessories Often

The game features two main ways to provide passive perks to your characters: Pictos and Luminas.

• Pictos are items which give numerical bonuses and include a special ability. Each character can equip up to three Pictos. After being worn, completing four fights with a Picto will unlock its linked Lumina.
• Luminas aren’t physical items but can be thought of as skill tree nodes. Every ally has a number of skill points (which grows via level-ups). A Lumina has a required LP amount. As long as a character has sufficient LP, there is no limit can benefit from the identical ability, allowing you to stack powerful passives across your entire team.

The optimal strategy is to make sure one of your characters equips any new accessory and wins four encounters to reveal its Lumina. This ensures you’ll have it for when needed.

Should you not have unleveled accessories to level up, simply use the Pictos with the best stats for your current build.

Perfect Guards Are Not Your Only Option

Expedition 33’s key feature is its marriage of RPG systems with real-time parries. That said, the parry window is extremely brief on all difficulty levels. In place of struggling endlessly trying to master the timing, focus on rolling.

While a successful parry grants one AP and inflicts significant bonus damage, missing the timing gives you nothing. Fortunately there are multiple Pictos and Luminas that restore Action Points on a successful dodge. If you can't get the block down, equip those dodge-focused options instead.

Break Is Your Key Tactic

The Break status effect is a decisive mechanic that can swing a fight. As you attack a foe, a special bar fills up below their life bar. Once charged, you can apply the Break status, which reduces their armor by 20% and skips their turn for one full turn. It is the most impactful debuff in the game, but only particular abilities can trigger it.

Level Up Deliberately

You are able to re-spec your build using a rare item called a Respec token. Because it's rare, it's prudent to think ahead before spending your skill points. Experiment with a party member's role and chart a skill tree path beforehand.

Don't Forget to Use the Checkpoint Flag

Resting at an expedition flag fully heals your all characters and restocks your supply of potions, including Chroma Elixirs and phoenix down equivalents. Remember to stop and heal up!

Expedition flags also act as the only means to fast travel in the game. There is no mini-map, waypoint system, or objective markers. Instead, each flag has a name and number. When you interact with one, you can access a log of all discovered flags in that area under a navigation option. It's a minimalist way to see how far you've come.

Paint Cages Are Always Worth the Effort

Glowing chests are effectively puzzle caches that require you to locate and shoot three concealed seals in the surrounding area prior to claiming the prize. The reward is consistently high-tier, often containing respec items or unique gear. The associated mechanisms aren't always obvious, but they are usually near the cage. If you are stuck, try exploring thoroughly or scanning the environment vertically.

Yes, Challenge the Merchant

Every merchant stocks a one-of-a-kind piece of gear that doesn't appear in their standard shop. To get them to sell it, you must pick a champion and defeat the merchant in a one-on-one fight. This is always a worthwhile endeavor, as these rewards are game-changing. The first merchant you meet, for instance, offers a Picto that inflicts the Defenseless debuff, which increases damage dealt against the affected enemy by 25%.

Trust In the Automatic Saving

The game lacks {manual saving