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A fun fact: The name “Obscur” in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 alludes to the somewhat obscure nature of the game's menus and gameplay loops.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has you leading a group of social media mages, fronted by the audacious British Daredevil, on a journey to combat a worldwide curse that prevents aging. It fuses traditional RPG battles with action-game reflexes inspired by action RPGs, all presented with a idiosyncratic aesthetic language.

It has become one of the major games of the year, having garnered a huge player base and earned the premier award praise. The experience can feel a bit off-putting at first, but when it clicks, you’ll uncover a layered and engrossing RPG that is quite unique from contemporary titles. Below are ten crucial beginner's tips for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Rotate Team Members Regularly

In Expedition 33, party members who take part in a encounter gain a significant 50% bonus to experience versus those on the bench. Furthermore, the story will periodically mandate you to field certain characters. The most straightforward solution to both issues is to change your lineup frequently and try to keep everyone at a comparable power level.

The upside is that grinding is relatively quick. Battles provide a generous amount of XP, frequently sufficient for a stat increase after just two or three. You can respawn an zone's monsters by stopping at an save point—these markers are scattered across each level. If you need to accumulate XP fast, simply engage in combat near a flag, rest, and repeat.

Change Items Often

There are two main ways to grant passive perks to your allies: Picto accessories and Lumina skills.

• Pictos are accessories that give numerical bonuses and come with a unique passive skill. A character can equip up to three Pictos. When equipped, completing four battles with a Picto grants access to its linked Lumina.
• Luminas aren’t physical items but essentially act as equippable passives. Each character has a number of skill points (which you can raise via consumables). Every Lumina ability has a specific point cost. If a character has sufficient LP, multiple characters can equip the identical ability, allowing you to layer powerful passives across your entire team.

The most efficient tactic is to ensure someone has equipped any new accessory and completes four encounters to gain its Lumina. This ensures you gain access for future use.

When you aren't have unleveled accessories to unlock, simply use the Pictos with the highest bonuses for your playstyle.

Blocking Is Not Your Only Option

Expedition 33’s signature mechanic is its combination of strategic battles with twitch-based defenses. However, the parry window is extremely brief on any mode. Rather than breaking controllers trying to master the timing, focus on rolling.

Even though a well-timed block refunds Action Points and deals a huge damage spike, failing to parry leaves you vulnerable. Luckily there are multiple accessories and abilities that provide resources on a well-timed evade. If you struggle with the timing, focus on those evasion-based options instead.

Break Is Your Key Tactic

Inflicting Break is a battle-altering condition that can swing a fight. As you attack a foe, a gold meter charges below their health bar. When full, you can inflict break, which reduces their damage resistance by 20% and prevents them from acting for their next action. It is the single most powerful condition in the game, but only specific abilities can cause it.

Level Up Intentionally

You are able to re-spec attributes and skills using a scarce resource called a Recoat item. Since they are uncommon, it's smart to plan your build instead of committing your attribute points. Try out a party member's role and plan a skill tree path beforehand.

Always Use the Checkpoint Flag

Stopping at an save point fully heals your whole team and refreshes your supply of potions, including HP restoratives and phoenix down equivalents. Make it a habit to use each flag you see!

Checkpoints also function as the closest thing to navigation in the game. There is no mini-map, compass, or quest indicators. But, each flag has a name and number. At a flag, you can access a log of every flag you've found in that area under a fast travel menu. It's a simple but effective way to track your progress.

Paint Cages Are Invariably Rewarding

These special containers are essentially locked treasure chests that require you to find and hit three hidden locks in the immediate vicinity before claiming the prize. The contents is without fail high-tier, including items like respec items or strong equipment. The required seals aren't always obvious, but they are typically near the cage. If you are stuck, try exploring thoroughly or checking elevated spots.

Go Ahead and, Battle the Shopkeeper

Each shopkeeper has a one-of-a-kind piece of gear that won't show up in their normal inventory. To get them to sell it, you must pick a champion and beat them in combat in a single combat. This is invariably a worthwhile endeavor, as these items are game-changing. The earliest vendor you meet, for instance, sells a special accessory that applies the Defenseless debuff, which amplifies attacks against the affected enemy by a significant margin.

Trust In the Automatic Saving

There is no {manual saving