Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 blends classic JRPG mechanics with a unique Belle Époque aesthetic, set against a backdrop of impending doom. The game's opening hours, encompassing the Prologue in Lumière and the subsequent Spring Meadows area, introduce players to its turn-based combat system, which incorporates Soulslike elements like parrying and dodging. This guide provides a thorough walkthrough of these initial areas, covering essential tips, combat strategies, and hidden collectibles.
The Prologue in Lumière
The game begins in Lumière, where players first control Gustave. Early interactions involve learning basic movement and combat mechanics, including tutorials on grappling and engaging in turn-based battles that reward precise timing for dodges and parries. Players will encounter various NPCs who offer quests or lore insights. For instance, speaking with Richard can yield a uniform for his son, Jules, who can be found later. A painter named Nicolas challenges Gustave to a dodging duel, rewarding the player with a Recoat item that allows for attribute reallocation. Eloise tasks Gustave with destroying a punching ball in a single hit, requiring the use of Gustave's Overcharge skill. Interacting with a specific trash can multiple times reveals the Trash-can Man, who provides a Chroma Catalyst for weapon upgrades, an item crucial for later progression.
Players will also uncover secrets by interacting with environmental elements. Knocking on a specific door 33 times can lead to receiving a Colour of Lumina. The Prologue culminates with a confrontation against the Lumière Mime. To defeat this enemy, players must break its protective barrier by filling its Break Bar with attacks, leaving it vulnerable. Careful parrying and dodging of its combos are essential. Victory yields the Lumière Record and the A Peculiar Encounter Achievement.
Following the Gommage, the Expedition Festival takes place. Here, players can earn Festival Tokens by correctly answering quiz questions from Antoine, dueling Maelle, or through other means detailed in separate guides. These tokens can be exchanged for valuable items such as a Weird Pictos quest item, the Bun haircut accessory, or an Old Key quest item.
Spring Meadows Exploration
Act One begins with Spring Meadows, a region where Gustave, now accompanied by Lune, must navigate a dangerous continent. The area serves as an extended tutorial for combat, introducing new enemy types like the Lancelier and Portier. Players are encouraged to use the Free Aim function to target enemy weak points, often their heads, for increased damage. Lune, a magic-user, inflicts elemental stains, and her skills are most effective when exploiting enemy elemental weaknesses. The introduction of Expedition Counters, a party-wide counter-attack triggered by successful parries, is vital for tackling tougher encounters.
Players will find Expedition Flags, which act as save points and allow for attribute upgrades and skill learning. The game's limited healing items regenerate at these flags, and defeated enemies respawn, facilitating grinding for character progression. Attributes are tiered from D to S, with higher tiers indicating greater synergy with specific weapons.
Optional Encounters and Collectibles
Spring Meadows features several optional challenges and hidden items. A Lancelier is often found guarding collectible items. Along the path to the Indigo Tree, players can find the Critical Burn Pictos, beneficial for Lune's elemental attacks, and various amounts of Chroma currency. Inside a rundown house, players can acquire a Chroma Catalyst, an Energy Tint Shard, and more Chroma.
Two optional bosses are present: the Spring Meadows Mime and the Chromatic Lancelier. The Mime, similar to its Prologue counterpart, requires breaking its barrier before dealing damage. Its defeat rewards Gustave with the Baguette outfit and haircut. The Chromatic Lancelier is a significantly tougher foe. Its weakness is ice damage, and players must master parrying its varied lance attacks to survive. Exploiting its ice weakness with Lune's Ice Lance and following up with damage-over-time effects like Burn is recommended. Successfully defeating the Chromatic Lancelier grants the Augmented Attack Pictos, an upgraded weapon for Gustave, Chroma Catalysts, and multiple Colours of Lumina.
Jar's Side Quest and Évêque
Near the Expedition Flag at the Abandoned Expeditioner Camp, players meet Jar, a friendly Nevron who requests help finding a light source. This leads players to collect Resin from across the area. Along the way, players will encounter new enemies like the Abbest, whose attacks can be dodged or parried. The side quest rewards a Healing Tint Shard upon completion. Players can choose to fight Jar for immediate rewards, or spare him for a larger reward later in the game. Jar is resistant to physical attacks, making magical attacks from Lune more effective.
The main objective in Spring Meadows is to defeat Évêque, the area's boss. Évêque is weak to ice damage and resistant to earth. The boss often begins by summoning a lance and must have its protective shields broken before significant damage can be dealt. Applying damage-over-time effects or using Free Aim can remove these shields efficiently. Exploiting its ice weakness and avoiding earth elemental stains is key. Évêque has multiple attack patterns, including lance strikes and magical bursts, which escalate in intensity as its health depletes. Successfully defeating Évêque rewards the Cleansing Tint Pictos, Chroma Catalysts, and a Recoat. Upon completing Spring Meadows, players are treated to a view of the game's overworld and receive the Spring Meadows Achievement.