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

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has you leading a band of glamorous spellcasters, led by the audacious British Daredevil, on a quest to combat a global affliction that stops people from growing old. It fuses traditional RPG encounters with real-time parries reminiscent of Soulslike games, all wrapped in a distinctive aesthetic language.

It has emerged as the biggest games of the period, having achieved massive sales and won the premier award praise. The game can feel somewhat dense in the beginning, but when it clicks, you’ll find a deep and captivating experience that differentiates itself from other games. Here are are ten crucial early-game strategies for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Rotate Party Members Frequently

In Expedition 33, characters who are active during a encounter gain a hefty increase to XP versus those in reserve. What's more, the campaign will periodically force you to use specific characters. The easiest method to these mechanics is to rotate your team and aim to keep all characters at a comparable level.

The positive aspect is that farming experience is fairly fast. Battles grant a sizable amount of XP, frequently enough for a character progression after just a few. You can reset an local foes by taking a break at an save point—these points are placed across each level. If you need to gain levels quickly, simply engage in combat near a flag, refresh, and do it again.

Swap Gear Regularly

You have a couple of key ways to provide bonus effects to your party members: Picto gems and Lumina abilities.

• Pictos are accessories that give attribute increases and include a special ability. A character can wear three different Pictos. After being worn, completing four encounters with a Picto will unlock its linked Lumina.
• Luminas function differently but are similar to skill tree nodes. Each character has a number of LP (which grows via consumables). Every Lumina ability has a set cost. As long as a character has sufficient LP, multiple characters can equip the same skill, allowing you to combine useful effects across your whole party.

The optimal tactic is to ensure someone has equipped every new Picto and fights through four battles to gain its Lumina. That way the ability will be available for later builds.

Should you not have new Pictos to level up, simply use the Pictos with the highest bonuses for your current build.

Perfect Guards Are Not Your Only Option

Expedition 33’s signature mechanic is its fusion of turn-based combat with twitch-based defenses. However, the timing for a perfect block is notoriously tight on every setting. Instead of frustrating yourself trying to land parries, concentrate on dodging.

Even though a well-timed block grants a resource and deals a huge damage spike, missing the timing yields no benefit. The good news is there are several accessories and abilities that grant AP on a perfect roll. If you find parrying difficult, equip those roll-centric options instead.

Breaking Enemies Is Your Greatest Advantage

Inflicting Break is a game-changing condition that can swing a fight. As you attack a foe, a yellow gauge increases beneath their HP bar. Once charged, you can stun the enemy, which reduces their damage resistance by a fifth and prevents them from acting for one full turn. It is the most impactful debuff in the game, but only particular skills can trigger it.

Level Up Intentionally

You are able to re-spec attributes and skills using a scarce resource called a Respec token. Given its scarcity, it's wise to think ahead prior to committing your stat investments. Experiment with a hero's kit and chart a skill tree path first.

Always Rest At the Save Flag

Stopping at an checkpoint completely restores your entire party and restocks every consumables, including Chroma Elixirs and Revive Tints. Make it a habit to use each flag you see!

These flags also function as the primary method to navigation in the game. You won't find a overworld map, GPS, or objective markers. But, each flag has a name and number. At a flag, you can access a log of your progress in that zone under a fast travel menu. It's a basic yet helpful way to see how far you've come.

Locked Chests Are Consistently Worth It

These special containers are essentially locked treasure chests that demand you to discover and activate three concealed seals in the surrounding area prior to opening them. The contents is consistently worthwhile, including items like respec items or powerful weapons. The required seals aren't always obvious, but they are almost always located close by. If you are stuck, try exploring thoroughly or looking up.

Yes, Battle the Shopkeeper

Each shopkeeper carries a secret, unique item that won't show up in their normal inventory. To get them to sell it, you must pick a champion and beat them in combat in a one-on-one fight. This proves to be rewarding, as these items are exceptionally powerful. The initial shopkeeper you meet, for example, offers a special accessory that inflicts the Defenseless debuff, which boosts damage against the target by a quarter.

Rely On the Autosave

The game lacks {manual saving