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A fun fact: The title term “Obscur” in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 alludes to the somewhat obscure nature of the interface systems and gameplay loops.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 places you in the role of a group of social media mages, spearheaded by the bold British Daredevil, on a journey to halt a worldwide curse that halts the natural aging process. It fuses strategic role-playing combat with action-game reflexes drawn from challenging titles, all cloaked in a unique aesthetic language.

It has emerged as the most successful titles of the period, having achieved massive sales and won the premier award accolades. The game can feel somewhat dense in the beginning, but after you grasp its systems, you’ll find a layered and engrossing role-playing game that is quite unique from many others. Below are a collection of early-game strategies for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Change Party Members Often

In Expedition 33, allies who participate in a battle earn a significant 50% bonus to XP relative to those not fighting. What's more, the campaign will at times require you to field certain characters. The simplest solution to these mechanics is to change your lineup frequently and strive to keep everyone at a comparable power level.

The positive aspect is that leveling up is fairly fast. Battles grant a substantial amount of XP, frequently enough for a character progression after just a few. You can reset an area's enemies by taking a break at an expedition flag—these markers are placed across each level. If you need to gain levels quickly, simply engage in combat near a flag, refresh, and repeat.

Change Accessories Regularly

You have two main ways to grant passive perks to your characters: Picto accessories and Luminas.

• Pictos function as gear that give numerical bonuses and come with a constant effect. A character can wear a maximum of three Pictos. Once slotted, finishing four fights with a Picto grants access to its associated Lumina.
• Luminas are not gear pieces but essentially act as unlocked abilities. Each character has a pool of LP (which can be increased via consumables). A Lumina has a specific point cost. If a character has the required amount, multiple characters can use the same Lumina, allowing you to stack key bonuses across your entire team.

The smartest strategy is to ensure someone is wearing every new Picto and wins the required fights to unlock its Lumina. Doing this you’ll have it for future use.

If you don't have fresh gear to level up, simply use the Pictos with the most beneficial attributes for your current build.

Perfect Guards Are Not Your Sole Defense

Expedition 33’s defining element is its marriage of turn-based combat with real-time parries. However, the timing for a perfect block is incredibly short on any mode. In place of breaking controllers trying to land parries, prioritize rolling.

Although a well-timed block refunds a resource and inflicts significant bonus damage, failing to parry yields no benefit. The good news is there are multiple gear and skills that grant AP on a successful dodge. If you can't get the block down, use those roll-centric perks instead.

Breaking Enemies Is Your Greatest Advantage

The Break status effect is a battle-altering state that can secure victory. As you damage an enemy, a special bar fills up below their HP bar. Upon maxing out, you can stun the enemy, which reduces their damage resistance by a significant amount and stuns them for their next action. It is the single most powerful debuff in the game, but only specific abilities can trigger it.

Allocate Points With a Plan

You are able to re-spec your build using a limited consumable called a Recoat. Because it's rare, it's prudent to consider your path instead of using your stat investments. Try out a character's playstyle and map out a skill tree path in advance.

Don't Forget to Use the Save Flag

Resting at an save point completely restores your all characters and replenishes your supply of consumables, including healing potions and revival items. Remember to use each flag you see!

These flags also act as the only means to navigation in the game. The game lacks a traditional map, GPS, or quest indicators. But, each flag has a identifier. By resting, you can see a menu of all discovered flags in that zone under a navigation option. It's a basic yet helpful way to see how far you've come.

Locked Chests Are Always Worth It

Paint Cages are essentially locked treasure chests that require you to find and hit three scattered mechanisms in the surrounding area to getting the loot. The treasure inside is consistently worthwhile, such as respec items or strong equipment. The three locks aren't easy to spot, but they are almost always within the same area. If you are missing a lock, try breaking objects or looking up.

Absolutely, Fight the Merchant

Every merchant carries a hidden special good that isn't listed in their normal inventory. To get them to sell it, you must choose one character and beat them in combat in a solo battle. This is invariably a worthwhile endeavor, as these rewards are truly unique. The first merchant you meet, for example, sells a Picto that causes the vulnerability status, which amplifies attacks against the foe by a significant margin.

Rely On the Auto-Save System

The game lacks {manual saving