If you’ve already checked our before you buy guide, and went on to buy Clair Obscur Expedition 33, you would need a universal guide to improve your gameplay experience with strategic combat, character development, and exploration.
This guide will provide you with important tips and tricks to help you navigate the game world, maximize your characters’ potential, and reveal some of the game’s hidden secrets.
Getting Started
As you begin your journey in Clair Obscur Expedition 33, it’s important to keep a few key points in mind:
- Explore thoroughly: The game rewards curiosity. Don’t be afraid to wander off the main path and discover new areas. Many of the game’s best items and secrets are found by exploring.
- Talk to everyone: Exhaust all dialogue options with NPCs (non-player characters) you encounter. This can provide valuable information and sometimes unlock side quests or rewards.
- Save often: The game automatically creates save points, but you can also manually save by interacting with flag markers in the game world.
- Adjust difficulty: If you find the game too challenging, remember that you can change the difficulty setting at any time.
Important Game Mechanics
Pictos
Pictos are a crucial element in Clair Obscur Expedition 33. These are special abilities or passive effects that can be equipped to your characters. Here are some key points about Pictos:
- To learn a Picto, equip it on a character and win four battles with that character.
- Once learned, Pictos can be equipped passively on any character if you have enough Luminina (a type of currency in the game).
- Pictos can be leveled up by defeating certain optional bosses or purchasing upgrades from Gestro merchant shops.
Some notable Pictos include:
- Roulette: Gives a 50% chance of dealing either 50% less damage or 200% more damage.
- Cheater: Allows a character to attack twice in one turn.
- Dodger: Grants AP (Action Points) when successfully dodging an attack.
Combat System
The combat in Clair Obscur Expedition 33 is turn-based but includes active elements:
- Characters can parry, jump over, or dodge enemy attacks.
- Parrying has a tight window but offers high rewards in counter-damage.
- Dodging has a larger window than parrying and can earn AP with the Dodger Picto.
- The turn order is influenced by characters’ agility stats and party positioning.
Character Development
Each character in the game has unique abilities and mechanics:
- Characters gain attribute points and skill points when leveling up.
- Attribute points should generally be allocated based on the character’s weapon proficiency.
- Skill points unlock new abilities, with “extreme damage” moves being high priorities.
- Characters can be respecced using “recodes” if you want to change their build.
Key Characters and Their Abilities
Maelle
- Best weapon: Medallum (obtained in Gestro Village tournament)
- Key ability: Last Chance (reduces HP to 1 but maximizes AP)
- Starts battles in Virtuous mode with the Medallum equipped
Sciel
- Considered one of the best characters in the game
- Key abilities: Intervention (allows allies to take turns immediately) and Fortune’s Fury (doubles an ally’s attack)
Gustave
- Utilizes an Overcharge mechanic based on landing melee hits
- Key ability: Strike Storm (deals massive damage and helps build Overcharge quickly)
Lune
- Uses a unique stain system with different elemental effects
- Key abilities: Elemental Trick and Elemental Genesis
Verso
- Has a ranking system mechanic
- Key abilities: Overload (similar to Maelle’s Last Chance) and Steel Strike
Important Locations and Events
- Gestro Village:
- Participate in the tournament as Maelle to get her best weapon.
- Visit the casino and answer “I don’t care” to obtain the Roulette Picto.
- Blades Graveyard:
- Defeat the giant enemy Sprung to obtain the Cheater Picto.
- Endless Tower:
- Great place to learn enemy abilities for Monoko (the game’s “Blue Mage” equivalent).
- Campsites:
- Visit after every story event for dialogue and character relationship building.
- Write in Gustave’s journal for future rewards.
Advanced Tips and Strategies
- AP Management: Use the Dead Energy Picto to gain AP when defeating enemies. Have one character weaken an enemy, then let another finish it off to regain AP.
- Turn Manipulation: Combine Sciel’s Intervention ability with the Cheater Picto to allow your team to take multiple turns in a row.
- Crit Chance Maximization: Focus on reaching 100% crit chance rather than overcapping it. Use Pictos that boost crit chance passively.
- Weapon Upgrading: Some boss fights automatically upgrade your weapons, potentially saving you currency.
- Breaking Blue Rocks: Find four lost Gestro kids to gain the ability to break blue rocks, opening up new areas to explore.
Missable Content
Be aware of these easily missed elements:
- Early Trophy: Defeat the mine on the right side of Lumier’s harbor in the game’s intro for a missable trophy.
- White Nevrons: Do not attack white Nevrons in Expedition 33. Fulfilling their requests often leads to positive outcomes and can earn you bonus Luminina.
End-Game Content
As you progress through the game, keep these points in mind:
- Currency Management: Save “perfect” currency for final weapon upgrades (level 32 to 33).
- Optional Bosses: Always attempt to defeat optional bosses when you encounter them. They often drop valuable rewards.
- Side Content: Explore thoroughly to find all nine lost Gestro kids and break blue totems on the world map for additional rewards.
Technical Tips
For those playing on PC with a PlayStation 5 controller:
- Right-click the game in Steam
- Go to Properties > Controller
- Disable Steam Input
- Restart the game
This will enable PlayStation button prompts and DualSense haptic feedback.
Final Thoughts
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 is a deep and engaging RPG that rewards exploration, strategic thinking, and mastery of its various systems. By following these tips and continuously experimenting with different character builds and Picto combinations, you’ll be well-equipped to tackle the challenges that await you in this exciting adventure.
Remember, the key to success in this game is to remain curious, adaptable, and willing to try new strategies. Don’t be afraid to get lost or take on tough enemies – some of the best experiences in the game come from these unexpected encounters.
As you progress, keep an eye out for more advanced strategies and game-breaking builds that become available in the later stages of the game. With practice and perseverance, you’ll soon be dominating the intricacies of Clair Obscur Expedition 33 and uncovering all the secrets this rich game world has to offer.
