Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Combat Tips To Dominate Every Battlefield

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is now in the hands of players who have been eagerly waiting to take on The Paintress and her minions. However, that’s easier said than done, considering how the game actively forces its players to use every tool in their arsenal against the mysterious deity’s creations.

Combat in Clair Obscur subtly integrates Soulslike elements into its mechanics, forcing players to think on their feet and to bring their quickest reflexes to the field in order to survive against the Nevrons, who are the bread and butter of The Paintress’ army.

Taking the Fight to Your Opponents in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

You may already know that dodging and parrying enemy attacks is a thing in Sandfall Interactive’s debut title. However, the French studio has not shied away from adding a layer of difficulty to its combat, with attack animations that leave very little margin for error.

With that being said, it could be useful to understand how combat works in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. For starters, paying attention to the order of turns on the left side of your screen can help you plan your attacks in a way that allows you to utilize your characters’ individual strengths to create synergies between their various skills.

This is crucial to your success in the game’s early hours, as the Nevrons can pack quite a punch and can make Gustave, Lune, and Maelle really work for their victories if they do not function as a team. It can be a good idea to pay attention to your skills and any elemental damage they apply to enemies, and to know which skills work well with the element in question.

For instance, Lune’s ability to set Burn damage on enemies works very well with one of Maelle’s skills, allowing her to switch to her high-damage Virtuoso Stance when it is used on a Burning enemy. Mixing and matching attacks to maximize your damage should be your priority when taking on hordes of Nevrons or in fights against deadly bosses.

Dodge and Parry Like a Pro to Decimate the Nevron Ranks

Remember that dodging is less risky than parrying in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. To that end, you may want to practice your hand against Maelle in the game’s opening act to get the hang of the timing required to execute a Perfect Dodge. This is important because you unlock Attack Points that you need to execute both standard attacks and Skills in combat. It’s also a safe way to avoid taking damage in a pinch.

However, you should start attempting to parry enemy attacks as soon as you feel comfortable dodging them. A simple trick to getting better and parrying is to watch your enemy’s attacking arm and hit the parry button as it swings downwards toward you. You will need to wait till the last possible instant before an attack connects with your character to ensure success.

Soulslike players will be quite familiar with this style of parrying, but be warned that Sandfall’s take on this tried and tested mechanic does your expertise no favors, with each enemy requiring patience and practice before you can reliably parry them.

But why should you choose to parry instead of dodging attacks? For starters, parrying attacks lets you respond with a counterattack for some serious damage. This can be from a single member of your party or from the Expedition as a whole, and the resulting animations are very satisfying! However, each successful parry also generates attack points while contributing to skills like Gustave’s Overcharge.

With a little patience, you will soon find yourself deflecting enemy attacks with abandon while unleashing attacks of your own with impunity.

Don’t Sleep On Your Pictos and Luminas

With parrying and dodging enemy attacks out of the way, it’s time to begin tailoring your party to suit your playstyle. That’s where Pictos and Luminas come in.

Pictos are equippable bonuses that boost a specific aspect of your offensive and defensive capabilities. For instance, one Picto that you can find fairly early in the game allows you to generate 3 Attack Points every time the character who has it equipped kills an enemy. As you continue to use a Picto in the field, it eventually levels up and unlocks its unique bonus as a Lumina.

Luminas serve a similar function to Pictos, but are a little different in how they work. They essentially remove the need for the corresponding Picto to be equipped. Each member of your party has a limited amount of Lumina Points, which limits the number of Luminas they can have working at any given time. However, you will soon find an item that lets you increase that limit, letting you slot in more powerful Luminas, or have as many as you can find active at the same time.

When you equip a Lumina, it’s a good idea to swap out the Picto that provides its effect, allowing you to level up more of them to let others in your party enjoy the bonuses they grant. The right combinations of Pictos and Luminas could make your Expedition a powerhouse that can tear through Nevrons with ease!

These tips should help you get used to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s combat as you continue to explore the Continent. Remember to make good use of your items in addition to the above tips to ensure your survival!

For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, check out our comprehensive guide on everything you need to know about the Clair Obscur, or how Oblivion Remastered’s release has not made a dent in the momentum that Sandfall has managed to achieve.

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