10 Starter Strategies to Understand Before Beginning Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

An interesting tidbit: The title term “Obscur” in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 alludes to the initially cryptic nature of the in-game systems and systems.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 casts you as a group of magical influencers, spearheaded by the daring British Daredevil, on a journey to halt a global affliction that prevents aging. It fuses strategic role-playing encounters with real-time parries drawn from action RPGs, all wrapped in a idiosyncratic visual style.

It has become one of the major titles of the season, having sold millions and earned the premier award accolades. The experience can feel somewhat dense at first, but after you grasp its systems, you’ll find a deep and engrossing role-playing game that differentiates itself from other games. Below are ten crucial starting pointers for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Rotate Team Members Often

In Expedition 33, party members who are active during a fight gain a significant 50% bonus to experience versus those on the bench. Additionally, the story will sometimes force you to include particular characters. The simplest approach to these mechanics is to rotate your team and aim to keep your roster at a roughly equal strength.

The positive aspect is that grinding is not too tedious. Encounters award a sizable amount of XP, sometimes sufficient for a character progression after just several. You can respawn an area's enemies by taking a break at an checkpoint banner—these flags are located in each area. If you need to accumulate XP fast, simply engage in combat near a flag, refresh, and do it again.

Change Gear Frequently

You have two main ways to bestow bonus effects to your allies: Picto gems and Lumina skills.

• Pictos are items which provide attribute increases and also feature a special ability. A character can slot a maximum of three Pictos. When equipped, completing four encounters with a Picto grants access to its linked Lumina.
• Luminas aren’t physical items but essentially act as unlocked abilities. A party member has a number of LP (which you can raise via consumables). Each Lumina has a set cost. Provided that a character has the required amount, there is no limit can use the same Lumina, allowing you to layer powerful passives across your whole party.

The most efficient approach is to always one of your characters equips each fresh Picto you find and wins four encounters to reveal its Lumina. That way you gain access for later builds.

When you aren't have new Pictos to unlock, simply use the Pictos with the most beneficial attributes for your playstyle.

Perfect Guards Are Not Your Only Option

Expedition 33’s signature mechanic is its fusion of strategic battles with action-oriented blocks. However, the timing for a perfect block is extremely brief on every setting. In place of struggling endlessly trying to master the timing, focus on evading.

While a successful parry refunds Action Points and inflicts massive extra damage, failing to parry leaves you vulnerable. Fortunately there are multiple gear and skills that grant AP on a perfect roll. If you can't get the block down, focus on those dodge-focused perks instead.

Breaking Enemies Is Your Key Tactic

Break is a game-changing condition that can secure victory. As you whittle down health, a special bar increases beneath their life bar. When full, you can stun the enemy, which lowers their damage resistance by a fifth and skips their turn for one full turn. It is the most impactful condition in the game, but only certain skills can trigger it.

Level Up Intentionally

You have the option to reallocate stat points and abilities using a limited consumable called a Respec token. Given its scarcity, it's smart to consider your path before committing your skill points. Try out a character's playstyle and chart a progression route in advance.

Don't Forget to Rest At the Save Flag

Resting at an checkpoint refills the health of your whole team and refreshes all of your consumables, including healing potions and revival items. Make it a habit to stop and heal up!

Expedition flags also act as the closest thing to navigation in the game. You won't find a mini-map, GPS, or quest indicators. However, each flag has a designation. At a flag, you can access a log of all discovered flags in that zone under a navigation option. It's a simple but effective way to navigate the world.

Locked Chests Are Consistently Worth the Effort

Glowing chests are effectively locked treasure chests that demand you to discover and activate three concealed seals in the nearby environment before claiming the prize. The treasure inside is always valuable, such as rare resources or powerful weapons. The three locks aren't easy to spot, but they are almost always near the cage. If you are stuck, try breaking objects or scanning the environment vertically.

Yes, Fight the Merchant

Every merchant stocks a one-of-a-kind piece of gear that won't show up in their standard shop. To get them to sell it, you must select a party member and beat them in combat in a single combat. This is invariably worth doing, as these pieces of gear are truly unique. The initial shopkeeper you meet, for instance, offers a Picto that causes the Defenseless debuff, which boosts damage against the target by a significant margin.

Rely On the Autosave

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