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

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 casts you as a team of magical influencers, fronted by the daring British Daredevil, on a journey to combat a universal phenomenon that halts the natural aging process. It fuses traditional RPG combat with real-time parries reminiscent of action RPGs, all wrapped in a unique aesthetic language.

It has become one of the most successful games of the season, having achieved massive sales and secured Game of the Year recognition. The game can feel slightly intimidating in the beginning, but after you grasp its systems, you’ll find a deep and engrossing experience that differentiates itself from many others. Here are are ten crucial beginner's tips for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Swap Party Members Regularly

In Expedition 33, party members who take part in a fight gain a hefty increase to Experience Points relative to those in reserve. What's more, the story will at times require you to field certain characters. The simplest solution to both issues is to rotate your team and strive to keep your roster at a comparable level.

The upside is that leveling up is not too tedious. Fights grant a sizable amount of XP, often enough for a character progression after just several. You can reset an area's enemies by taking a break at an checkpoint banner—these points are located throughout each area. If you need to accumulate XP fast, simply fight enemies near a flag, refresh, and do it again.

Swap Accessories Regularly

The game features a couple of key ways to grant constant buffs to your party members: Pictos and Luminas.

• Pictos are accessories that provide stat boosts and include a special ability. Every party member can equip a maximum of three Pictos. Once slotted, winning four encounters with a Picto unlocks its linked Lumina.
• Luminas aren’t physical items but are similar to skill tree nodes. Every ally has a amount of skill points (which grows via level-ups). A Lumina has a set cost. As long as a character has sufficient LP, multiple characters can use the same Lumina, allowing you to stack key bonuses across your whole party.

The smartest tactic is to make sure someone is wearing any new accessory and wins the required fights to gain its Lumina. Doing this the ability will be available for when needed.

If you don't have fresh gear to work on, simply slot the Pictos with the best stats for your current build.

Blocking Is Not Your Sole Defense

Expedition 33’s key feature is its combination of turn-based combat with action-oriented blocks. That said, the timing for a perfect block is incredibly short on any mode. In place of breaking controllers trying to land parries, prioritize evading.

Even though a successful parry refunds a resource and causes significant bonus damage, missing the timing yields no benefit. The good news is there are multiple accessories and abilities that provide resources on a well-timed evade. If you find parrying difficult, focus on those roll-centric perks instead.

Break Is Your Key Tactic

Inflicting Break is a game-changing state that can secure victory. As you attack a foe, a gold meter increases beneath their HP bar. When full, you can apply the Break status, which slashes their armor by a fifth and skips their turn for an entire round. It is the single most powerful condition in the game, but only specific attacks can apply it.

Allocate Points Deliberately

You have the option to reallocate stat points and abilities using a limited consumable called a Recoat item. Since they are uncommon, it's wise to think ahead instead of spending your attribute points. Try out a party member's role and plan a build strategy first.

Make Sure to Use the Save Flag

Stopping at an save point completely restores your entire party and restocks every healing items, including HP restoratives and revival items. Make it a habit to use each flag you see!

Checkpoints also act as the closest thing to navigation in the game. You won't find a mini-map, compass, or objective markers. Instead, each flag has a designation. By resting, you can access a log of every flag you've found in that level under a teleport list. It's a simple but effective way to see how far you've come.

Locked Chests Are Consistently Rewarding

Glowing chests are effectively puzzle caches that require you to find and hit three hidden locks in the immediate vicinity prior to claiming the prize. The reward is consistently high-tier, including items like Recoats or powerful weapons. The required seals aren't easy to spot, but they are typically within the same area. If you are stuck, try smashing crates or looking up.

Absolutely, Battle the Vendor

All vendors stocks a one-of-a-kind piece of gear that doesn't appear in their regular wares. To unlock it, you must choose one character and defeat the merchant in a one-on-one fight. This proves to be rewarding, as these pieces of gear are exceptionally powerful. The first merchant you meet, for instance, offers a special accessory that applies the Defenseless debuff, which boosts damage against the affected enemy by a quarter.

Trust In the Automatic Saving

The game lacks {manual saving