Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has formally been named Sport of the Yr at The Sport Awards 2025, alongside a number of different wins. If that profitable sweep has you leaping in for the primary time (or returning for one more playthrough), IGN has you coated with guides, explainers, and wikis that will help you get began to your journey throughout The Continent.
What Is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33? Ought to You Play It?
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a turn-based RPG (it is sort of like Closing Fantasy VII… sort of) set on the earth of The Continent. It follows a gaggle known as Expedition 33 on a mission to destroy The Paintress, a mysterious determine who wipes out anybody over a sure age in a yearly ceremony known as the “Gommage.”
Alongside extraordinarily distinctive turn-based fight, which emphasizes varied abilities and parries to deal harm to bosses with “tells” and loads of secret weak factors, you and your occasion discover varied completely different areas, encountering enemies, discovering treasure, and discovering what occurred to different Expeditions that ventured out to beat the Paintress – and failed – earlier than. You can also additionally construct your staff to deal ridiculous combo-based harm, one thing that hardcore gamers have come to like about Expedition 33.
For those who’re an RPG fan however do not have time to sink 100+ hours into them, Expedition 33 could also be good for you. For those who solely give attention to the primary story, you possibly can anticipate to roll credit in round 28 hours. With facet quests, this will increase to 45 hours. For those who’re set on finishing all the pieces, it will take roughly 65 hours. And if you wish to beat a bunch of non-compulsory bosses with loopy builds, you are able to do that, too. Oh and we gave Expedition 33 an amazing rating in our assessment if you need a extra in-depth take!
For those who’re brand-new to Clair Obscur, try Issues Clair Obscur Does not Inform You for important ideas and methods, and do not forget to observe our Walkthrough for assist getting by means of the sport’s predominant story quests and use our checkmarks to maintain observe of your actual progress.
How Fight Works in Expedition 33
As talked about beforehand, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 options turn-based fight, which implies that everybody in battle, together with enemies, assaults one by one, fairly than everybody without delay – assume basic Closing Fantasy, Persona, or Baldur’s Gate 3.
You do not simply await enemy assaults to hit you, although. Right here, one of many predominant promoting factors is the flexibility to parry, dodge, and leap to keep away from and counter assaults. When an opponent makes use of a transfer, you are capable of press a button that, when timed proper, both dodges, jumps, or parries to keep away from harm fully or deal harm again to them.
In the case of your individual abilities, these are powered by Pictos and Luminas. Pictos are particular items of kit that you simply equip to characters to grant particular advantages and enhance stats. Luminas, working hand-in-hand with Pictos, are particular abilities that unlock after you’ve got received a battle with a Picto 4 occasions, and may be carried over and used with each member of your occasion.
Builds are an important a part of fight in Expedition 33, and you may have to pay thoughts to not solely your Pictos and Luminas, however weapons and attributes. Irrespective of the character, we have Construct Guides that will help you plan, so that you’re all the time suited up in the most effective gear and stats.
If all this sounds complicated or overwhelming to you, head to our Fight Information that explains all the pieces you want to find out about Expedition 33’s battle system in additional element, together with the extra intricate mechanics we have not coated right here. For extra fight and party-adjacent Sport Assist, try:
Exploration and World Design Defined
After you set off in your journey to defeat the Paintress, you will arrive at The Continent, which is basically a large overworld. Not solely is that this the way you journey to new areas throughout the primary story, however there are additionally enemies that roam round, ready to be defeated (or averted).
As well as, The Continent is house to varied collectibles to search out, Non-compulsory Bosses to take down, and Aspect Quests to finish. For those who’re a completionist, you possibly can spend hours simply on The Continent overworld alone, monitoring down each merchandise, Secret, and Easter Egg potential.
Our Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 interactive map is the right companion device to assist you in exploring The Continent. Not solely does it lay all the space out that will help you plan your subsequent transfer, however it additionally tracks important areas, akin to new areas, facet quests, collectibles, and managers, so that you all the time know the place to go to fulfill your goal.
You possibly can filters particular markers on our Expedition 33 interactive map by utilizing the filters within the left-hand sidebar. You too can observe your actual progress by utilizing our checkmarks.
We’ve loads of Sport Assist out there that will help you in exploring and amassing all the pieces that The Continent has to supply, together with:
The “Thank You” Replace
Launched as a due to the neighborhood, the free Expedition 33 “Thank You” replace was surprise-dropped throughout The Sport Awards on December 11, 2025. It added new content material, akin to Luminas and weapons, bosses, Picture Mode, and a brand new surroundings to discover, plus a handful of enhancements and bug fixes.
We’ll have a full walkthrough of the brand new content material quickly, which we’ll hyperlink right here when out there. For now, you possibly can try all the pieces that was added on our Replace 1.5.0 Patch Notes web page.
For the entire record of all our Clair Obscur Sport Assist, head over to our Expedition 33 wiki.
Meg Koepp is a Guides Editor on the IGN Guides staff, with a give attention to developments. When she’s not working, you will discover her enjoying an RPG, getting Victory Royales in Fortnite, or cuddling her corgi.
