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A curious piece of trivia: The name “Obscur” in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 references the complex nature of the game's menus and systems.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has you leading a team of social media mages, fronted by the audacious British Daredevil, on a mission to halt a worldwide curse that halts the natural aging process. It fuses traditional RPG combat with real-time parries inspired by Soulslike games, all cloaked in a idiosyncratic visual style.

It has proven to be the biggest titles of the period, having garnered a huge player base and won top honors recognition. The experience can feel somewhat dense initially, but once you lock in, you’ll discover a deep and engrossing RPG that is quite unique from other games. Below are 10 essential beginner's tips for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Swap Team Members Often

In Expedition 33, characters who take part in a battle gain a hefty increase to XP versus those in reserve. What's more, the story will at times require you to use specific characters. The easiest approach to both issues is to rotate your team and aim to keep all characters at a roughly equal power level.

The upside is that farming experience is not too tedious. Fights provide a generous amount of XP, frequently sufficient for a stat increase after just two or three. You can refresh an zone's monsters by stopping at an checkpoint banner—these flags are located throughout each area. If you need to power level, simply engage in combat near a flag, refresh, and continue the cycle.

Rotate Gear Regularly

The game features two main ways to grant passive perks to your allies: Picto accessories and Lumina abilities.

• Pictos are items which give stat boosts and also feature a unique passive skill. A character can slot three different Pictos. Once slotted, finishing four fights with a Picto grants access to its associated Lumina.
• Luminas aren’t physical items but essentially act as unlocked abilities. A party member has a pool of Lumina Points (which can be increased via items). Every Lumina ability has a required LP amount. If a character has the required amount, multiple characters can equip the same skill, allowing you to combine powerful passives across your whole party.

The smartest tactic is to ensure a party member has equipped every new Picto and completes four encounters to reveal its Lumina. This ensures you gain access for when needed.

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

Perfect Guards Are Not Your Only Option

Expedition 33’s key feature is its marriage of RPG systems with action-oriented blocks. But, the opportunity to deflect is incredibly short on all difficulty levels. Rather than frustrating yourself trying to hit perfect blocks, focus on rolling.

Although a successful parry grants a resource and causes massive extra damage, not blocking gives you nothing. The good news is there are several gear and skills that provide resources on a successful dodge. If you find parrying difficult, use those dodge-focused options instead.

The Break Status Is Your Greatest Advantage

Break is a decisive condition that can secure victory. As you damage an enemy, a special bar charges under their health bar. Upon maxing out, you can stun the enemy, which slashes their defense by a fifth and skips their turn for an entire round. It is the top-tier condition in the game, but only certain abilities can trigger it.

Build Characters Deliberately

You are able to re-spec attributes and skills using a scarce resource called a Recoat. Since they are uncommon, it's prudent to plan your build prior to using your stat investments. Get a feel for a party member's role and plan a skill tree path beforehand.

Make Sure to Use the Save Flag

Using your tent at an save point refills the health of your all characters and replenishes every potions, including Chroma Elixirs and phoenix down equivalents. Remember to use each flag you see!

Checkpoints also serve as the only means to quick traversal in the game. There is no traditional map, waypoint system, or floating icons. However, each flag has a identifier. At a flag, you can see a menu of your progress in that area under a teleport list. It's a minimalist way to navigate the world.

Locked Chests Are Consistently Worth the Effort

These special containers are effectively puzzle caches that require you to find and hit three concealed seals in the surrounding area before claiming the prize. The contents is always worthwhile, such as Recoats or powerful weapons. The three locks aren't always obvious, but they are typically near the cage. If you are missing a lock, try exploring thoroughly or checking elevated spots.

Yes, Battle the Shopkeeper

Each shopkeeper stocks a hidden special good that won't show up in their standard shop. To unlock it, you must pick a champion and win a duel in a single combat. This proves to be a worthwhile endeavor, as these pieces of gear are truly unique. The earliest vendor you meet, for example, sells a Picto that inflicts the damage-increasing condition, which increases damage dealt against the target by 25%.

Trust In the Autosave

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