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An interesting tidbit: The name “Obscur” in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hints at the complex nature of the in-game systems and gameplay loops.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 casts you as a group of social media mages, fronted by the audacious British Daredevil, on a journey to combat a worldwide curse that stops people from growing old. It blends strategic role-playing encounters with timed defensive moves reminiscent of challenging titles, all wrapped in a idiosyncratic visual style.

It has become one of the biggest games of the year, having achieved massive sales and earned Game of the Year accolades. The adventure can feel somewhat dense in the beginning, but when it clicks, you’ll discover a deep and captivating experience that is quite unique from contemporary titles. Below are a collection of beginner's tips for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Change Characters Frequently

In Expedition 33, allies who participate in a encounter receive a significant 50% bonus to XP compared to those on the bench. What's more, the campaign will sometimes mandate you to use specific characters. The easiest solution to these mechanics is to rotate your team and try to keep everyone at a roughly equal power level.

The good news is that farming experience is relatively quick. Battles provide a sizable amount of XP, frequently sufficient for a stat increase after just a few. You can reset an area's enemies by stopping at an checkpoint banner—these flags are located in each zone. If you need to accumulate XP fast, simply battle monsters near a flag, rest, and do it again.

Swap Accessories Frequently

There are a couple of key ways to grant passive perks to your characters: Picto gems and Lumina abilities.

• Pictos are items which grant numerical bonuses and come with a constant effect. Each character can wear a maximum of three Pictos. After being worn, completing four battles with a Picto will unlock its associated Lumina.
• Luminas are not gear pieces but essentially act as unlocked abilities. A party member has a number of Lumina Points (which grows via level-ups). A Lumina has a specific point cost. As long as a character has sufficient LP, multiple characters can benefit from the same Lumina, allowing you to stack key bonuses across your entire team.

The optimal tactic is to make sure someone equips any new accessory and fights through four battles to gain its Lumina. Doing this the ability will be available for when needed.

If you don't have new Pictos to work on, simply equip the Pictos with the highest bonuses for your current build.

Blocking Is Not Your Single Choice

Expedition 33’s signature mechanic is its marriage of turn-based combat with twitch-based defenses. But, the opportunity to deflect is notoriously tight on all difficulty levels. In place of frustrating yourself trying to hit perfect blocks, concentrate on dodging.

While a successful parry grants a resource and inflicts significant bonus damage, missing the timing gives you nothing. The good news is there are several gear and skills that restore Action Points on a successful dodge. If you find parrying difficult, use those roll-centric options instead.

Break Is Your Greatest Advantage

The Break status effect is a decisive condition that can turn the tide. As you whittle down health, a yellow gauge fills up beneath their health bar. Once charged, you can apply the Break status, which lowers their armor by a significant amount and skips their turn for their next action. It is the most impactful condition in the game, but only certain attacks can apply it.

Build Characters With a Plan

You are able to re-spec stat points and abilities using a limited consumable called a Respec token. Because it's rare, it's smart to consider your path prior to committing your stat investments. Try out a hero's kit and plan a build strategy in advance.

Always Use the Expedition Flag

Using your tent at an save point completely restores your all characters and refreshes all of your potions, including Chroma Elixirs and phoenix down equivalents. Develop the routine to rest at every flag!

Expedition flags also serve as the primary method to fast travel in the game. There is no mini-map, compass, or floating icons. But, each flag has a name and number. When you interact with one, you can access a log of all discovered flags in that level under a teleport list. It's a basic yet helpful way to track your progress.

Paint Cages Are Invariably Worth It

Paint Cages are basically puzzle caches that require you to find and hit three hidden locks in the immediate vicinity to opening them. The contents is without fail worthwhile, including items like respec items or unique gear. The associated mechanisms aren't easy to spot, but they are typically located close by. If you are stuck, try exploring thoroughly or looking up.

Yes, Battle the Shopkeeper

All vendors carries a hidden special good that doesn't appear in their regular wares. To gain access to it, you must choose one character and win a duel in a single combat. This proves to be worth doing, as these items are game-changing. The initial shopkeeper you meet, for example, sells a special accessory that applies the Defenseless debuff, which increases damage dealt against the foe by a quarter.

Rely On the Autosave

There is no {manual saving