Clair Obscur: Expedition 33has surprised 2025 by becoming one of the highest-rated games of the year, so it’s doubtless that players will be and likely already have been flocking to it. On the surface,Clair Obscur: Expedition 33might look like any otherfantasy RPG. However, there is a lot going on in the game that new players would do well to be aware of before they head in for their first Expedition.
When it comes toClair Obscur: Expedition 33’s unwritten rules, there are things players might wish to know about its exploration, characters, and combat that could really help them in the long run.Clair Obscurdoes a decent job of telling players the ins and outs of its mechanics, but there are so many systems at play that it can take some time to become familiar with how they all work together.
The Unwritten Rules of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s Exploration and Characters
Explore Every Nook and Cranny, Especially on the World Map
Just as it is in any classic fantasy RPG,Clair Obscur: Expedition 33wants players to explore every nook and cranny they come across to earn valuable rewards. There are plenty of items out there to find — like weapons,Pictos, and Colour of Luminas— making no venture off the beaten path a waste of time. This especially applies toClair Obscur’s world map, where players can find all those items an more, including plenty of optional enemies and locations that are worth visiting.
Look Out for ‘Danger!’ Zones on the World Map
It’s very easy to get too far off track quickly inClair Obscur: Expedition 33, as itsFinal Fantasy-esque world mapis very inviting. However, there are plenty of zones players shouldn’t wander into too soon, as the threats within them can sometimes be too much for players to handle. Should players approach a zone’s entrance that reads “Danger!” in red, it simply means that the player’s level isn’t quite high enough, and attempting to take on the challenge inside is probably not the best idea.
That being said,Clair Obscur’s parry and dodge system allows skilled players to face any enemy they want as long as they have access to them, so the most daring players might wish to enter a “Danger!” zone anyway.
Seek Out Gestral Beaches for Special Cosmetic Items and Comedic Activities
Gestral Beaches offer some of the most comedic and often frustratingly hilarious side activities inClair Obscur: Expedition 33. Most of them revolve around ludicrous platforming challenges, but the rewards pay off. If players manage to complete these challenges, they will obtain various swimwear for theirparty members inClair Obscur, making for a bit of self-aware humor on the game’s part, as it seems to know players will want those cosmetic items more than others. Gestral Beaches can be found throughout the world map, and they generally look like beaches with wooden structures built around them.
Exhaust Everyone’s Dialogue at Camp
One of the most important things players should remember to do when making camp or being forced into a camp scene byClair Obscur: Expedition 33’s story is to speak with exhaust every character’s dialogue. The dialogue can be repetitive at times, but it will sometimes end with a prompt asking players if they want to spend time with that character. Choosing to spend time with that character can increase theirRelationship Level, which can, in turn, unlock new Gradient Attacks for them. Gradient Attacks are unique because they don’t take up a character’s turn in combat, so they are more than worth learning.
Lune and Sciel Can Both Be Romanced, But Only One Per Playthrough
One of the best-kept secrets ofClair Obscur: Expedition 33is itsromance options, as it never explicitly tells players that it’s even possible. Something else it is never explicit about is that players will eventually get the chance to romance Lune, so long as they haven’t accepted any advances from Sciel during the story. In other words, Sciel is very easy to romance, but when the opportunity arises for players to romance Lune, if they’ve already sealed the deal with Sciel, Lune will reflect on what could have been and that will be that. If players wish to romance Lune, they must ensure they never engage in any romance with Sciel until Lune presents players with the opportunity to romance her.
The Unwritten Rules of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s Combat
Kill Everything in Sight at Least Once
While it’s possible to upgrade weapons and Pictos with special items inClair Obscur: Expedition 33, a much cheaper but occasionally more difficult method involves killing every enemy in the world at least once. Sometimes, when an enemy or enemy group is killed for the first time, players will be rewarded with a new weapon, a new Picto, or a heftyupgrade for a weaponor Picto they already have. As such, those who would much rather hold onto their most valuable resources can do so and still upgrade their gear, should they be willing to potentially face some ofClair Obscur’s toughest foes.
Parry What You Can, Dodge What You Can’t
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s combat, for the most part, is a parry and dodge game. While dodging is more forgiving, however, parrying comes with the added bonus of triggering a counterattack, should players successfully parry every attack in a combo or a single attack, along with generating AP. That being said, there are some attacks that simply cannot be parried, or at least, it’s not recommended that they be parried. In those cases, players should dodge.
Don’t Underestimate the Power of Burn
Burn is one of the most powerful debuffs to inflict on enemies inClair Obscur: Expedition 33, and there’s actually a lore reason for this, but that ventures too far into spoiler territory, and it’s never outright explained that way anyway. Nevertheless, should players wish to obtain and maintain the upper hand inbattle inClair Obscur, they should ensure they are stacking Burn debuffs on their victims with the Fire skills and weapons that can inflict the debuff. It should be noted that the more stacks of Burn there are on an enemy, the more damage they will take each turn, and players should also be aware that not every Fire-based weapon or skill can inflict Burn.
The only time a Burn-focused approach is not recommended is when players are facing Fire-based enemies, as these foes will simply absorb the initial attack and any Burn damage that follows.
Stars Around a Skill Act as a Recommendation
There are a vast number of systems at play inClair Obscur: Expedition 33, and most of these come down to the way each playable character behaves mechanically in battle.Success inClair Obscur’s combat ultimately comes down to players optimizing each character’s rotation to ensure they are getting the most out of that character’s system. However, it’s not always easy to discern — at least, at first — which skill is best executed next. Fortunately,Clair Obscurhas a subtle recommendation system that can guide players along. When a skill is recommended next in rotation,Clair Obscurwill highlight that skill with stars, although players can still get away with executing any skill they wish.
