Ten Newcomer Tips to Understand Prior to Starting Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

A fun fact: The name “Obscur” in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hints at the somewhat obscure nature of the interface systems and systems.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has you leading a band of social media mages, spearheaded by the audacious British Daredevil, on a mission to reverse a global affliction that stops people from growing old. It blends turn-based RPG battles with timed defensive moves inspired by action RPGs, all presented with a unique visual style.

It has proven to be the most successful games of the period, having garnered a huge player base and secured the premier award praise. The game can feel somewhat dense in the beginning, but once you lock in, you’ll find a layered and captivating role-playing game that stands apart from many others. Here are are a collection of beginner's tips for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Change Characters Regularly

In Expedition 33, party members who participate in a battle gain a hefty increase to experience compared to those in reserve. What's more, the story will sometimes require you to use specific characters. The simplest method to these mechanics is to rotate your team and strive to keep everyone at a roughly equal power level.

The upside is that farming experience is fairly fast. Encounters award a generous amount of XP, often enough for a character progression after just several. You can refresh an area's enemies by resting at an save point—these markers are scattered across each level. If you need to gain levels quickly, simply engage in combat near a flag, refresh, and do it again.

Swap Accessories Often

You have a couple of key ways to bestow constant buffs to your allies: Pictos and Luminas.

• Pictos are items which give attribute increases and come with a special ability. A character can wear three different Pictos. When equipped, completing four fights with a Picto grants access to its associated Lumina.
• Luminas aren’t physical items but can be thought of as unlocked abilities. A party member has a amount of LP (which can be increased via items). Every Lumina ability has a specific point cost. Provided that a character has the required amount, there is no limit can use the identical ability, allowing you to layer key bonuses across your full roster.

The optimal tactic is to make sure one of your characters equips any new accessory and fights through four encounters to reveal its Lumina. Doing this you gain access for later builds.

Should you not have unleveled accessories to work on, simply slot the Pictos with the best stats for your playstyle.

Parrying Isn't Your Only Option

Expedition 33’s signature mechanic is its marriage of turn-based combat with twitch-based defenses. That said, the timing for a perfect block is notoriously tight on all difficulty levels. Instead of struggling endlessly trying to land parries, prioritize evading.

Although a well-timed block restores Action Points and inflicts a huge damage spike, not blocking gives you nothing. Fortunately there are several gear and skills that grant AP on a perfect roll. If you can't get the block down, use those dodge-focused options instead.

Break Is Your Greatest Advantage

The Break status effect is a decisive condition that can swing a fight. As you attack a foe, a yellow gauge charges beneath their life bar. Upon maxing out, you can inflict break, which slashes their armor by 20% and prevents them from acting for an entire round. It is the single most powerful debuff in the game, but only certain skills can cause it.

Allocate Points Intentionally

You are able to re-spec stat points and abilities using a scarce resource called a Respec token. Since they are uncommon, it's smart to plan your build prior to using your stat investments. Experiment with a character's playstyle and map out a skill tree path first.

Always Rest At the Checkpoint Flag

Resting at an checkpoint fully heals your entire party and replenishes every consumables, including HP restoratives and Revive Tints. Make it a habit to rest at every flag!

Expedition flags also act as the primary method to fast travel in the game. The game lacks a overworld map, waypoint system, or quest indicators. But, each flag has a identifier. By resting, you can see a menu of all discovered flags in that area under a teleport list. It's a basic yet helpful way to navigate the world.

Locked Chests Are Consistently Worth It

Glowing chests are basically puzzle caches that demand you to locate and shoot three concealed seals in the nearby environment to claiming the prize. The treasure inside is always valuable, often containing respec items or strong equipment. The associated mechanisms aren't in plain sight, but they are usually located close by. If you are stuck, try smashing crates or scanning the environment vertically.

Go Ahead and, Challenge the Merchant

Each shopkeeper stocks a secret, unique item that isn't listed in their normal inventory. To unlock it, you must select a party member and beat them in combat in a solo battle. This proves to be rewarding, as these pieces of gear are truly unique. The first merchant you meet, for instance, offers a Picto that causes the Defenseless debuff, which increases damage dealt against the target by a quarter.

Trust In the Auto-Save System

The game lacks {manual saving