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A curious piece of trivia: The “Obscur” in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 references the initially cryptic nature of the in-game systems and systems.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 casts you as a group of social media mages, led by the daring British Daredevil, on a journey to reverse a worldwide curse that stops people from growing old. It merges strategic role-playing combat with real-time parries inspired by action RPGs, all presented with a unique artistic lexicon.

It has become one of the most successful games of the period, having garnered a huge player base and secured the premier award recognition. The experience can feel a bit off-putting initially, but when it clicks, you’ll discover a rich and captivating experience that differentiates itself from other games. Here are are ten crucial starting pointers for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Swap Characters Often

In Expedition 33, characters who participate in a encounter gain a sizable bonus to XP relative to those not fighting. What's more, the story will at times require you to field certain characters. The simplest solution to both issues is to switch members often and try to keep your roster at a comparable power level.

The upside is that farming experience is fairly fast. Battles grant a sizable amount of XP, often sufficient for a stat increase after just two or three. You can refresh an area's enemies by stopping at an expedition flag—these markers are located across each area. If you need to accumulate XP fast, simply engage in combat near a flag, rest, and do it again.

Swap Items Regularly

There are two primary ways to grant passive perks to your allies: Pictos and Lumina abilities.

• Pictos function as gear that give numerical bonuses and include a unique passive skill. Every party member can slot three different Pictos. Once slotted, winning four battles with a Picto grants access to its corresponding Lumina.
• Luminas function differently but can be thought of as equippable passives. Each character has a pool of LP (which grows via items). Each Lumina has a set cost. If a character has the required amount, there is no limit can benefit from the identical ability, allowing you to stack useful effects across your full roster.

The optimal tactic is to make sure one of your characters is wearing every new Picto and fights through four encounters to reveal its Lumina. That way you’ll have it for later builds.

Should you not have unleveled accessories to level up, simply slot the Pictos with the highest bonuses for your current build.

Perfect Guards Are Not Your Only Option

Expedition 33’s key feature is its marriage of turn-based combat with real-time parries. However, the opportunity to deflect is incredibly short on every setting. Rather than struggling endlessly trying to hit perfect blocks, focus on rolling.

While a successful parry grants one AP and deals massive extra damage, missing the timing leaves you vulnerable. The good news is there are multiple gear and skills that restore Action Points on a well-timed evade. If you find parrying difficult, use those roll-centric abilities instead.

Breaking Enemies Is Your Key Tactic

Inflicting Break is a decisive condition that can turn the tide. As you whittle down health, a gold meter charges under their HP bar. When full, you can stun the enemy, which lowers their damage resistance by a fifth and prevents them from acting for an entire round. It is the single most powerful debuff in the game, but only certain skills can apply it.

Allocate Points With a Plan

You are able to re-spec attributes and skills using a limited consumable called a Respec token. Because it's rare, it's prudent to plan your build instead of committing your attribute points. Try out a character's playstyle and map out a skill tree path in advance.

Make Sure to Rest At the Expedition Flag

Resting at an save point refills the health of your whole team and replenishes all of your potions, including HP restoratives and phoenix down equivalents. Remember to stop and heal up!

These flags also serve as the primary method to quick traversal in the game. The game lacks a overworld map, compass, or floating icons. But, each flag has a name and number. When you interact with one, you can see a menu of all discovered flags in that level under a navigation option. It's a basic yet helpful way to see how far you've come.

Glowing Cages Are Invariably Rewarding

Glowing chests are essentially locked treasure chests that need you to discover and activate three scattered mechanisms in the surrounding area prior to claiming the prize. The reward is without fail worthwhile, such as rare resources or powerful weapons. The associated mechanisms aren't easy to spot, but they are usually located close by. If you can't find one, try smashing crates or checking elevated spots.

Go Ahead and, Battle the Merchant

All vendors stocks a hidden special good that isn't listed in their regular wares. To get them to sell it, you must pick a champion and win a duel in a one-on-one fight. This is always a worthwhile endeavor, as these items are truly unique. The first merchant you meet, for reference, offers a Picto that inflicts the vulnerability status, which increases damage dealt against the affected enemy by a quarter.

Rely On the Autosave

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