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A curious piece of trivia: The name “Obscur” in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hints at the complex nature of the interface systems and mechanics.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 casts you as a team of magical influencers, fronted by the bold British Daredevil, on a mission to combat a universal phenomenon that halts the natural aging process. It fuses strategic role-playing combat with action-game reflexes inspired by action RPGs, all wrapped in a idiosyncratic aesthetic language.

It has proven to be the most successful titles of the season, having achieved massive sales and secured top honors praise. The experience can feel somewhat dense initially, but when it clicks, you’ll find a rich and fascinating experience that differentiates itself from many others. Here are are ten crucial early-game strategies for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Change Team Members Often

In Expedition 33, allies who participate in a battle gain a hefty increase to Experience Points compared to those on the bench. Additionally, the story will at times require you to include particular characters. The most straightforward solution to both issues is to switch members often and aim to keep your roster at a roughly equal level.

The positive aspect is that grinding is fairly fast. Encounters grant a sizable amount of XP, often enough for a stat increase after just a few. You can reset an area's enemies by stopping at an checkpoint banner—these flags are placed in each level. If you need to accumulate XP fast, simply battle monsters near a flag, rest, and continue the cycle.

Swap Accessories Regularly

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

• Pictos are items which give stat boosts and include a special ability. Every party member can equip a maximum of three Pictos. Once slotted, winning four battles with a Picto grants access to its corresponding Lumina.
• Luminas are not gear pieces but essentially act as skill tree nodes. A party member has a pool of LP (which can be increased via consumables). Every Lumina ability has a required LP amount. Provided that a character has enough points, you are not restricted can benefit from the identical ability, allowing you to combine powerful passives across your entire team.

The optimal strategy is to make sure one of your characters has equipped any new accessory and wins four battles to gain its Lumina. That way you’ll have it for future use.

When you aren't have fresh gear to work on, simply slot the Pictos with the best stats for your current build.

Blocking Is Not Your Single Choice

Expedition 33’s key feature is its combination of strategic battles with action-oriented blocks. That said, the timing for a perfect block is incredibly short on any mode. In place of breaking controllers trying to master the timing, focus on evading.

While a perfect guard refunds Action Points and causes significant bonus damage, missing the timing leaves you vulnerable. The good news is there are a number of Pictos and Luminas that restore Action Points on a successful dodge. If you can't get the block down, use those roll-centric options instead.

The Break Status Is Your Secret Weapon

Break is a game-changing condition that can secure victory. As you whittle down health, a gold meter charges below their life bar. When full, you can stun the enemy, which slashes their armor by a significant amount and skips their turn for one full turn. It is the single most powerful condition in the game, but only certain attacks can cause it.

Allocate Points With a Plan

You are able to re-spec stat points and abilities using a limited consumable called a Recoat item. Since they are uncommon, it's smart to think ahead before committing your stat investments. Experiment with a party member's role and plan a progression route beforehand.

Always Rest At the Save Flag

Resting at an expedition flag refills the health of your entire party and restocks your supply of consumables, including healing potions and Revive Tints. Make it a habit to stop and heal up!

Checkpoints also function as the closest thing to quick traversal in the game. You won't find a overworld map, compass, or objective markers. But, each flag has a identifier. By resting, you can access a log of your progress in that level under a teleport list. It's a simple but effective way to see how far you've come.

Glowing Cages Are Invariably Worth the Effort

Paint Cages are basically puzzle caches that demand you to find and hit three scattered mechanisms in the immediate vicinity before opening them. The contents is without fail high-tier, 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 exploring thoroughly or checking elevated spots.

Yes, Challenge the Merchant

All vendors stocks a secret, unique item that doesn't appear in their standard shop. To gain access to it, you must choose one character and defeat the merchant in a single combat. This is always a worthwhile endeavor, as these pieces of gear are exceptionally powerful. The initial shopkeeper you meet, for example, provides a special accessory that applies the Defenseless debuff, which boosts damage against the foe by a significant margin.

Have Faith in the Auto-Save System

The game lacks {manual saving