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A curious piece of trivia: The name “Obscur” in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 alludes to the somewhat obscure nature of the game's menus and systems.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 places you in the role of a team of glamorous spellcasters, spearheaded by the bold British Daredevil, on a quest to reverse a worldwide curse that prevents aging. It blends turn-based RPG combat with timed defensive moves inspired by Soulslike games, all presented with a unique aesthetic language.

It has become one of the most successful games of the year, having achieved massive sales and earned the premier award praise. The game can feel somewhat dense at first, but when it clicks, you’ll discover a layered and fascinating role-playing game that stands apart from other games. Here are are 10 essential starting pointers for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Rotate Team Members Regularly

In Expedition 33, allies who participate in a fight earn a sizable bonus to experience relative to those not fighting. What's more, the campaign will periodically require you to use specific characters. The most straightforward approach to these challenges is to change your lineup frequently and aim to keep your roster at a roughly equal strength.

The positive aspect is that grinding is fairly fast. Fights award a sizable amount of XP, sometimes sufficient for a level up after just several. You can reset an local foes by resting at an expedition flag—these flags are located throughout each level. If you need to gain levels quickly, simply fight enemies near a flag, refresh, and do it again.

Change Items Frequently

The game features a couple of key ways to bestow constant buffs to your allies: Picto accessories and Luminas.

• Pictos are items which give numerical bonuses and come with a special ability. A character can slot up to three Pictos. Once slotted, finishing four battles with a Picto unlocks its corresponding Lumina.
• Luminas are not gear pieces but essentially act as skill tree nodes. A party member has a pool of LP (which you can raise via items). Every Lumina ability has a specific point cost. If a character has the required amount, multiple characters can benefit from the same skill, allowing you to layer useful effects across your whole party.

The optimal approach is to make sure someone has equipped any new accessory and wins four encounters to reveal its Lumina. That way you’ll have it for when needed.

When you aren't have new Pictos to level up, simply equip the Pictos with the best stats for your playstyle.

Perfect Guards Are Not Your Only Option

Expedition 33’s key feature is its combination of RPG systems with twitch-based defenses. However, the timing for a perfect block is extremely brief on any mode. Instead of frustrating yourself trying to land parries, prioritize evading.

Even though a perfect guard restores Action Points and inflicts significant bonus damage, missing the timing yields no benefit. Fortunately there are a number of gear and skills that restore Action Points on a successful dodge. If you struggle with the timing, equip those evasion-based options instead.

The Break Status Is Your Key Tactic

Break is a decisive condition that can turn the tide. As you whittle down health, a special bar increases beneath their life bar. Once charged, you can inflict break, which reduces their damage resistance by 20% and prevents them from acting for an entire round. It is the single most powerful status effect in the game, but only certain attacks can apply it.

Build Characters Deliberately

You can reset attributes and skills using a rare item called a Recoat. Since they are uncommon, it's wise to think ahead before spending your skill points. Try out a character's playstyle and chart a skill tree path in advance.

Make Sure to Rest At the Save Flag

Resting at an checkpoint completely restores your entire party and refreshes all of your healing items, including healing potions and Revive Tints. Remember to rest at every flag!

Checkpoints also act as the only means to quick traversal in the game. You won't find a mini-map, compass, or floating icons. Instead, each flag has a name and number. When you interact with one, you can view a list of your progress in that area under a fast travel menu. It's a minimalist way to navigate the world.

Paint Cages Are Always Rewarding

Glowing chests are effectively locked treasure chests that need you to find and hit three concealed seals in the surrounding area prior to claiming the prize. The contents is consistently worthwhile, often containing rare resources or powerful weapons. The associated mechanisms aren't easy to spot, but they are almost always near the cage. If you are missing a lock, try breaking objects or looking up.

Absolutely, Battle the Merchant

Every merchant stocks a one-of-a-kind piece of gear that isn't listed in their regular wares. To get them to sell it, you must pick a champion and defeat the merchant in a single combat. This is invariably a worthwhile endeavor, as these rewards are exceptionally powerful. The earliest vendor you meet, for reference, offers a Picto that causes the vulnerability status, which amplifies attacks against the foe by a quarter.

Trust In the Auto-Save System

There is no {manual saving