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

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 casts you as a band of magical influencers, spearheaded by the audacious British Daredevil, on a journey to combat a global affliction that prevents aging. It fuses strategic role-playing battles with timed defensive moves reminiscent of action RPGs, all wrapped in a unique visual style.

It has become one of the major titles of the period, having sold millions and earned the premier award recognition. The adventure can feel a bit off-putting at first, but after you grasp its systems, you’ll discover a rich and engrossing role-playing game that stands apart from many others. Here are are 10 essential beginner's tips for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Rotate Party Members Regularly

In Expedition 33, party members who are active during a encounter gain a significant 50% bonus to XP relative to those on the bench. What's more, the story will periodically force you to use specific characters. The most straightforward approach to both issues is to change your lineup frequently and try to keep all characters at a roughly equal strength.

The upside is that leveling up is fairly fast. Fights grant a generous amount of XP, sometimes enough for a stat increase after just two or three. You can reset an local foes by taking a break at an checkpoint banner—these points are placed across each level. If you need to gain levels quickly, simply battle monsters near a flag, use the flag, and repeat.

Rotate Items Frequently

The game features a couple of key ways to provide bonus effects to your party members: Picto gems and Lumina skills.

• Pictos are accessories that give stat boosts and also feature a unique passive skill. Every party member can wear three different Pictos. After being worn, finishing four fights with a Picto unlocks its linked Lumina.
• Luminas are not gear pieces but essentially act as equippable passives. Every ally has a pool of LP (which can be increased via level-ups). Every Lumina ability has a required LP amount. If a character has enough points, you are not restricted can equip the same skill, allowing you to stack key bonuses across your entire team.

The smartest strategy is to always someone equips any new accessory and completes the required fights to reveal its Lumina. That way you gain access for later builds.

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

Blocking Is Not Your Single Choice

Expedition 33’s signature mechanic is its combination of RPG systems with real-time parries. But, the timing for a perfect block is incredibly short on all difficulty levels. Rather than struggling endlessly trying to land parries, prioritize dodging.

Although a perfect guard restores one AP and deals significant bonus damage, failing to parry yields no benefit. Fortunately there are multiple accessories and abilities that grant AP on a perfect roll. If you can't get the block down, focus on those evasion-based abilities instead.

Break Is Your Greatest Advantage

Break is a game-changing mechanic that can turn the tide. As you attack a foe, a gold meter fills up beneath their HP bar. When full, you can inflict break, which lowers their armor by 20% and stuns them for an entire round. It is the single most powerful status effect in the game, but only certain abilities can cause it.

Allocate Points Intentionally

You are able to re-spec attributes and skills using a scarce resource called a Respec token. Given its scarcity, it's prudent to plan your build instead of committing your stat investments. Experiment with a hero's kit and map out a progression route beforehand.

Always Use the Expedition Flag

Using your tent at an save point fully heals your whole team and restocks every consumables, including HP restoratives and revival items. Remember to use each flag you see!

These flags also act as the primary method to quick traversal in the game. There is no mini-map, GPS, or objective markers. Instead, each flag has a identifier. At a flag, you can view a list of all discovered flags in that zone under a teleport list. It's a simple but effective way to see how far you've come.

Paint Cages Are Invariably Worth the Effort

These special containers are basically sealed loot boxes that require you to discover and activate three concealed seals in the immediate vicinity prior to claiming the prize. The reward is consistently worthwhile, such as rare resources or strong equipment. The three locks aren't always obvious, but they are almost always within the same area. If you are missing a lock, try breaking objects or checking elevated spots.

Yes, Fight the Vendor

Each shopkeeper carries a hidden special good that isn't listed in their standard shop. To unlock it, you must pick a champion and defeat the merchant in a solo battle. This is always a worthwhile endeavor, as these rewards are game-changing. The first merchant you meet, for example, provides a special accessory that causes the vulnerability status, which boosts damage against the target by a significant margin.

Have Faith in the Autosave

There is no {manual saving