Summary
Players will level up in the traditional sense while playingClair Obscur: Expedition 33.Fighting enemies will net players EXP, which will then increase levels, but making the party stronger isn’t automatic. There are two types of points that players will get upon leveling up:Skill Points and Attribute Points.
Every character has askill tree inClair Obscur: Expedition 33,and every character has an Attribute menu that can boost basic stats most RPG fans know about, like HP and Defense.There are five core Attributes in general, so which among them is the best to focus on leveling?While Attributes can be respeced, it’s better to get them right the first time.
5Attack Power
Raised Through Agility, Might, And Luck
Attack Powerwill boost the strength of all attacks, which is different from other RPGs that separate Strength and Wisdom/Intelligence between physical and magical attacks. In the game, players have three different types of attacks to use on enemies. There is the basic attack utilizing the character’sweapon inClair Obscur: Expedition 33, like Gustave’s sword.
Players can also select Free Aim, which uses a ranged attack to strike enemies at the cost of AP, and Gustave’s example in this case is a gun. AP is also used to execute special or magical attacks. Lune, for example, is like a classic RPG mage who can sling spells around. Raising Attack Power can strengthen all of these abilities, but raising the stat through the Might Attribute is sort of a waste as it won’t boost much compared to finding a good weapon or upgrading an existing one.
4Critical Rate
Raised Through Defense And Luck
Critical Rate, like Attack Power, is a good offensive stat, and there are a couple of ways to increase it. It’s a better stat because a critical hit will always do 50% more damage, as stated in the game’s tutorial. The higher a character has their Critical Rate, the better chance they have to score a critical hit; simple as that.
Players can also find and equip accessories calledPictos inClair Obscur: Expedition 33. Once a Picto’s ability is learned, any character can use it by equipping it in the Lumina menu. Many of these passive abilities can increase the strength or hit rate of a critical hit. Beyond Attack Power, players should know it’s best to think about their Critical Rate in this RPG, but it’s also a luck-based thing, as there is no way of predicting a critical hit. Players just have to cross their fingers and hope for the best during stressful situations.
3Defense
Raised Through Agility And Defense
Defenseis always a valuable stat in RPGs, especially for those who value defensive strategies over offensive ones. The higher a character’s Defense, the less damage they will take from an enemy’s head-on attacks.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33is different from mostturn-based RPGs, though, as it has an active elementto using Skills and getting attacked.First, when players use Skills, a Quick-Time Event will pop up, and the better players do, the more damage they will inflict.
On the defensive end, players can decide to Parry or Dodge an enemy’s attack. Both options will negate damage, but create different results. Dodge will grant players AP, while Parry will execute a counterattack, and this is the more attractive move. Both options are valuable, and they make a stat like Defense seemingly unnecessary. Still, players aren’t going to be able to Parry or Dodge every time, which is why raising Defense is a good safety net, especially while they’re still learning the proper timing on a tough enemy’s attacks.
2Health
Raised Through Vitality
Healthand Defense are closely intertwined in terms of their value in the game. Increasing Health will obviously raise a character’s HP. Even if their Defense is low, having more HP means players don’t have to heal as often or worry about dying as easily. Speaking of, there are very few ways toheal inClair Obscur: Expedition 33, so having a solid HP pool is highly recommended.
First, characters like Lune and Gustave can learn healing skills inClair Obscur: Expedition 33. These can be used in battle as long as they have enough AP or meet other conditions. Players can also use potions, or Tints, in battle, which will recharge at checkpoints called Expedition Flags (think Bonfires inDark Souls). Players cannot stock up on potions like in otherRPGs, which is why getting more HP through the HealthAttribute is a good measure.
1Speed
Raised Through Agility And Luck
Last, but not least,Speedis the quickest way to victory in the game. There aren’t that many time-based or active turn-based games out there, but there are a lot of turn-based games that choose to show turn order. One of the first to do it wasGrandiaon theSega Saturn, although RPGfans are probably more familiar withFinal Fantasy 10’sturn order system.
Legacies aside, with a greater Speed stat inClair Obscur: Expedition 33, players can have more turns in battle. If the party each gets an extra turn normally or occasionally in battle, then enemies will have less time to strike back, thus keeping everyone safer. It is simple math, although the further players get in the game, the harder it will be to keep up with the enemy’s Speed stats. Players shouldn’t dump all Attribute Points into Speed, but it will certainly help in the long run.
