Maxroll Unveils Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Guide, Codex, Planner

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the highly anticipated debut RPG from French developer Sandfall Interactive. With its deep narrative, atmospheric world, and tactical gameplay mechanics, it offers a truly unique experience unlike anything else on the market. Maxroll has been hard at work crafting an extensive collection of guides to help players navigate this rich and challenging world. Whether you're just starting out or diving into post-game content, Maxroll’s resources cover everything from character builds and loot locations to skill optimization and progression strategies.

For newcomers, Maxroll provides foundational guides that introduce core systems such as exploration, combat mechanics, character abilities, and progression features like weapons, attributes, Pictos, and Luminas. If you prefer a more structured walkthrough, IGN's Expedition 33 guide offers a detailed playthrough companion to keep you on track as you progress through the story.

Getting Started

New to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33? Start with Maxroll’s beginner-friendly guides covering character creation, essential mechanics, and early game strategies. For a full walkthrough experience, check out IGN’s step-by-step Expedition 33 Walkthrough to stay guided every step of the way.

Beginner’s Guide

Combat Guide

Weapons, Attributes, and Upgrades

Weapons are central to your party’s effectiveness in Expedition 33. Each weapon type delivers different elemental damage, which can be strategically exploited against enemy weaknesses. As you level up weapons, they gain attribute scaling and unlock powerful bonuses at levels 4, 10, and 20. Learn how to optimize your loadouts by understanding weapon progression and stat allocation.

Pictos and Luminas

Pictos are customizable gear items that grant passive effects and stat boosts. Each character can equip up to three Pictos, and combining them with the Lumina system unlocks even greater synergies. If you're struggling in a fight, adjusting your Picto setup can provide crucial defensive bonuses, offensive enhancements, or team-wide buffs like Shell or Powerful. Discover how to make the most of these progression tools in Maxroll’s dedicated Pictos and Luminas guide.

Early Game Pictos Guides

While Pictos offer extensive customization options, certain ones shine during the early stages of the game. Look out for high-impact choices like Dead Energy II and Critical Burn, complete side missions to obtain Last Stand-style Pictos ideal for solo play, and use Recovery-based Pictos to create a durable tank character.

Characters

Dive into each playable character's unique mechanics and skill sets using Maxroll’s in-depth Character Skill Guides. Understand their strengths, optimal builds, and how they fit into various team compositions.

Playable Characters:

• Gustave
• Lune
• Maelle
• Sciel
• Verso Monoco

More Guides

Maxroll also offers advanced strategy guides tailored for midgame and endgame players. These include zone unlocking methods, enemy weakness charts, recommended Picto selections, and area-specific combat tactics.

How to Unlock All of Esquie’s Traversal Abilities

Esquie brings a range of traversal skills including wall-breaking, swimming, flying, and underwater diving. Follow this guide to unlock all of Esquie’s movement abilities throughout the campaign.
(Pro Tip: Don’t forget—you can break black rocks with blue cracks too!)

Enemy Strengths and Weaknesses

Gain the upper hand in combat by exploiting enemy weaknesses—doing so increases your damage output by 50%. Conversely, avoid using element types that enemies absorb, as those attacks will heal them instead of dealing damage.

Zone Progression

Feeling unsure about where to go after completing the main story? Maxroll’s Zone Progression Guide helps you decide which optional areas to tackle based on your current strength. IGN also provides a list of Expedition 33 side quests and their rewards to help you prioritize valuable objectives.

Best Pictos

Whether you’re building for efficiency or experimenting with creative setups, knowing which Pictos perform best in both early and late game is crucial. Maxroll’s guide highlights top-tier Pictos offering broad utility and niche advantages alike.

Codex

Maxroll’s Expedition 33 Codex serves as a complete database for all available weapons, Pictos, Luminas, and character skills. Adjust the level filter to see how each item scales and evolves over time.

Planner and Community Builds

Plan your ideal build using Maxroll’s Expedition 33 Planner, then share it with others via the Community Builds section. Here’s what you need to know:

Key Features of the Planner:

• Select and customize your active party members.
• Create multiple team setups tagged for different purposes (e.g., “Story” or “Post-Game”).
• Choose and level weapons, observing how their stats scale accordingly (note: attribute scaling is not yet calculated).
• Assign six skills per character (Gradient Skills are not included here but can be explored in the Codex).
• Equip Pictos across your entire team—each can only be used once.
• Add Luminas and monitor your total point allocation.
• Allocate attributes strategically—ideally matching your weapon’s primary stat.
• View your overall stats based on equipped gear, attributes, and base weapon power.
• Add personal notes explaining your build logic or gear acquisition points.
• Share your build publicly to inspire and assist the community.

Tomorrow Comes

That concludes Maxroll’s latest batch of guides for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Ready to start planning your perfect build? Head over to the planner now and begin your theorycrafting journey.