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A fun fact: The title term “Obscur” in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 alludes to the complex nature of the in-game systems and mechanics.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 casts you as a team of glamorous spellcasters, spearheaded by the audacious British Daredevil, on a quest to reverse a worldwide curse that stops people from growing old. It merges turn-based RPG combat with action-game reflexes reminiscent of challenging titles, all wrapped in a idiosyncratic visual style.

It has proven to be the most successful games of the year, having achieved massive sales and earned Game of the Year praise. The game can feel slightly intimidating in the beginning, but once you lock in, you’ll uncover a deep and engrossing role-playing game that is quite unique from other games. Below are 10 essential early-game strategies for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Swap Characters Often

In Expedition 33, characters who take part in a fight gain a hefty increase to XP versus those on the bench. Furthermore, the campaign will at times mandate you to include particular characters. The simplest solution to both issues is to change your lineup frequently and strive to keep your roster at a comparable power level.

The upside is that leveling up is fairly fast. Encounters grant a generous amount of XP, sometimes enough for a level up after just several. You can refresh an zone's monsters by taking a break at an expedition flag—these points are located across each zone. If you need to accumulate XP fast, simply battle monsters near a flag, rest, and repeat.

Change Items Regularly

You have two main ways to grant passive perks to your allies: Pictos and Lumina skills.

• Pictos are accessories that grant stat boosts and come with a constant effect. Every party member can equip a maximum of three Pictos. After being worn, finishing four encounters with a Picto unlocks its associated Lumina.
• Luminas are not gear pieces but are similar to equippable passives. A party member has a pool of skill points (which you can raise via consumables). A Lumina has a specific point cost. Provided that a character has enough points, there is no limit can equip the same skill, allowing you to stack powerful passives across your full roster.

The most efficient approach is to make sure someone is wearing every new Picto and wins four battles to gain its Lumina. Doing this the ability will be available for later builds.

When you aren't have fresh gear to level up, simply equip the Pictos with the highest bonuses for your current build.

Perfect Guards Are Not Your Sole Defense

Expedition 33’s signature mechanic is its combination of turn-based combat with action-oriented blocks. That said, the parry window is notoriously tight on every setting. Instead of struggling endlessly trying to master the timing, concentrate on dodging.

While a well-timed block restores one AP and inflicts massive extra damage, not blocking yields no benefit. Luckily there are a number of gear and skills that provide resources on a perfect roll. If you struggle with the timing, use those evasion-based abilities instead.

The Break Status Is Your Secret Weapon

The Break status effect is a battle-altering mechanic that can turn the tide. As you whittle down health, a yellow gauge charges beneath their life bar. Once charged, you can apply the Break status, which slashes their armor by a fifth and skips their turn for one full turn. It is the top-tier debuff in the game, but only particular abilities can apply it.

Build Characters Deliberately

You can reset stat points and abilities using a limited consumable called a Respec token. Given its scarcity, it's smart to consider your path before spending your attribute points. Try out a character's playstyle and plan a progression route first.

Don't Forget to Stop At the Save Flag

Using your tent at an save point refills the health of your entire party and refreshes all of your consumables, including healing potions and revival items. Develop the routine to stop and heal up!

These flags also function as the only means to fast travel in the game. There is no overworld map, GPS, or quest indicators. However, each flag has a designation. By resting, you can see a menu of your progress in that zone under a teleport list. It's a basic yet helpful way to track your progress.

Locked Chests Are Always Worth It

These special containers are essentially sealed loot boxes that require you to find and hit three hidden locks in the nearby environment to opening them. The treasure inside is without fail valuable, such as rare resources or powerful weapons. The three locks aren't in plain sight, but they are almost always within the same area. If you are stuck, try breaking objects or scanning the environment vertically.

Yes, Fight the Merchant

All vendors has a one-of-a-kind piece of gear that isn't listed in their regular wares. To unlock it, you must choose one character and beat them in combat in a single combat. This is always a worthwhile endeavor, as these items are truly unique. The earliest vendor you meet, for reference, provides a Picto that inflicts the Defenseless debuff, which increases damage dealt against the foe by 25%.

Rely On the Automatic Saving

The game lacks {manual saving