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A fun fact: The name “Obscur” in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 alludes to the complex nature of the in-game systems and systems.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 places you in the role of a team of glamorous spellcasters, led by the daring British Daredevil, on a mission to reverse a worldwide curse that stops people from growing old. It fuses traditional RPG combat with action-game reflexes inspired by action RPGs, all wrapped in a idiosyncratic visual style.

It has become one of the major titles of the period, having achieved massive sales and secured the premier award accolades. The game can feel somewhat dense initially, but after you grasp its systems, you’ll uncover a rich and fascinating role-playing game that is quite unique from many others. Listed here are ten crucial early-game strategies for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Rotate Party Members Often

In Expedition 33, characters who participate in a battle earn a sizable bonus to Experience Points compared to those in reserve. Furthermore, the narrative will sometimes force you to include particular characters. The easiest approach to both issues is to switch members often and strive to keep everyone at a roughly equal power level.

The upside is that leveling up is fairly fast. Encounters provide a substantial amount of XP, sometimes sufficient for a stat increase after just several. You can respawn an local foes by resting at an save point—these points are located throughout each area. If you need to power level, simply battle monsters near a flag, rest, and repeat.

Change Accessories Often

You have two primary ways to grant bonus effects to your party members: Picto gems and Lumina skills.

• Pictos are accessories that grant numerical bonuses and come with a special ability. Every party member can equip a maximum of three Pictos. After being worn, finishing four fights with a Picto grants access to its associated Lumina.
• Luminas aren’t physical items but are similar to equippable passives. Every ally has a number of skill points (which grows via consumables). Each Lumina has a set cost. If a character has enough points, multiple characters can equip the same skill, allowing you to stack powerful passives across your full roster.

The smartest tactic is to make sure someone is wearing any new accessory and wins four encounters to reveal its Lumina. Doing this you’ll have it for when needed.

Should you not have unleveled accessories to work on, simply slot the Pictos with the most beneficial attributes for your playstyle.

Perfect Guards Are Not Your Only Option

Expedition 33’s key feature is its combination of RPG systems with real-time parries. However, the opportunity to deflect is notoriously tight on all difficulty levels. In place of frustrating yourself trying to land parries, focus on dodging.

While a perfect guard grants Action Points and inflicts significant bonus damage, failing to parry yields no benefit. Fortunately there are a number of gear and skills that provide resources on a successful dodge. If you struggle with the timing, use those evasion-based options instead.

Breaking Enemies Is Your Secret Weapon

Break is a game-changing state that can turn the tide. As you whittle down health, a yellow gauge fills up beneath their HP bar. Upon maxing out, you can inflict break, which slashes their defense by a significant amount and prevents them from acting for an entire round. It is the top-tier status effect 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 item. Because it's rare, it's smart to think ahead before committing your stat investments. Experiment with a party member's role and map out a build strategy beforehand.

Don't Forget to Stop At the Save Flag

Using your tent at an expedition flag refills the health of your entire party and refreshes your supply of consumables, including Chroma Elixirs and Revive Tints. Develop the routine to rest at every flag!

Expedition flags also act as the primary method to fast travel in the game. The game lacks a mini-map, compass, or floating icons. However, each flag has a identifier. By resting, you can view a list of all discovered flags in that area under a fast travel menu. It's a basic yet helpful way to see how far you've come.

Glowing Cages Are Always Worth It

Glowing chests are effectively puzzle caches that need you to locate and shoot three hidden locks in the surrounding area prior to opening them. The reward is consistently high-tier, such as Recoats or powerful weapons. The associated mechanisms aren't in plain sight, but they are usually near the cage. If you can't find one, try breaking objects or scanning the environment vertically.

Go Ahead and, Challenge the Vendor

Each shopkeeper carries a secret, unique item that won't show up in their regular wares. To get them to sell it, you must pick a champion and win a duel in a single combat. This is always rewarding, as these items are game-changing. The first merchant you meet, for reference, sells a special accessory that causes the Defenseless debuff, which amplifies attacks against the foe by a significant margin.

Have Faith in the Auto-Save System

The game lacks {manual saving