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9 Tips for Starting Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Here’s some good advice to help you get started with the exciting RPG.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a gorgeous RPG from Sandfall Interactive. After previewing it during the Game Developer Conference, we’ve been anxiously awaiting its release. After playing over 20 hours of the title, I’ve compiled a short list of tips to help you start your journey on the best footing.

Pause cutscenes

Lengthy RPGs are known for having extensive cutscenes, and Clair Obscur is no different. It’s important to know if and how you can pause these in order to step away from the game momentarily — and luckily, you can do so in the middle of the game’s story-rich cinematic moments. Pressing A (when using an Xbox controller) is how you’ll pause a scene; from there, you can decide to skip or continue watching.

Get all three tokens in the early game

During the prologue you’ll get the chance to meet many of your teammates before heading off island. The game will grant you a single token to spend at one of three merchants located around the titular Expedition 33’s prelaunch festival. You can pick between a “pictograph,” an outfit and an item you don’t have use for yet. 

However, you can unlock two more tokens in order to purchase everything available before moving on. The first optional token is won by completing the quiz that one of your friends asks (answers include that the first venture to defeat the Paintress was Expedition Zero, and that it’s been 100 years since the shattering). The second token you can get by battling against Maelle. There’s no need to worry about which item you should buy; you don’t have to miss out on any of them.

Automatic quick time events

Found within the settings’ accessibility menu, you can turn on automatic quick time events in order to avoid some of the game’s real-time combat. However, this only applies to QTEs that happen from your party’s attacks — which are nice to turn off if you just can’t get the timing right or have trouble seeing the icons. Actions that take place on an enemy’s turn, such as parrying or dodging, will not be performed for you.

Listen to your team

Often, one of your party members will call out when the team is being attacked. What they say will determine which of your team is the target. For example, if Lune shouts, “I’m ready to counter,” it means she’s about to be attacked. But if she says, “Gustav, dodge this,” then Gustav is the one in danger. Keep this in mind if you’re worried about a specific character receiving more aggro and getting focused down by enemies.

Avoid danger

You’ll quickly find side dungeons to explore after progressing far enough to unlock the overworld. Some of these will display a Danger marking under their name when you approach. While it may be fun to test your might against the difficult opponents there, I’ve found that they’re far too tough to battle my way through. It’s recommended to level up significantly and come back later.

Practice parrying

When enemies attack, dodging is far easier to perform than parrying, but the latter is too useful to ignore. Not only do you avoid taking any damage, but the counterattack you strike is super powerful. Even if you typically shy away from learning a game’s parry mechanic, as I often do, I highly advise you to practice and learn this from the beginning. While the timing is different for each enemy (and even attacks), it’s a surefire way to whittle down tough enemies.

Counters use elements

It’s worth noting that the element of your weapon will come into play when performing a base attack with it. This can be very useful when exploiting enemy weaknesses, but can be a hindrance if the elements match. For example, using a fire sword against an ice enemy will do increased damage, while the same sword will heal a fire-based opponent. 

This elemental system comes into play when you parry as well. Even though you’re avoiding damage and performing a counterattack, you can still end up healing an enemy if you aren’t paying attention. Keep this in mind when deciding whether to parry or dodge enemy blows.

Dodge/parry multiple times

There’s enough time to dodge and/or parry repeatedly during an enemy attack. This is one of the reasons it can be hard to nail down the right timing, especially as enemies incorporate weird delays in their swings and projectiles. However, it can also be a blessing. If you miss the correct moment, you can try again before the attack lands. It’s not a single attempt per action. It’ll be hard to pull off, but there’s still a chance to try again.

Weak points

Many enemies have weak points that you can use your ranged attack (LT on Xbox) to shoot. This will often deal a decent amount of damage and may cause further status effects to the enemy and/or its companions. Every time you encounter a new foe, take a moment to survey the character design for something glowing or shiny. These points are often found in the center or near the head. However, I’ve encountered some located on the enemy’s arms and even floating around them in the form of orbs or hats. If something seems like it’s sticking out, shoot it first and ask questions later.

Those should give you good starting tips for the lengthy Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The game comes out on April 24 for Xbox, PlayStation and PC.

Technologies

Anthropic warns investors of AI’s ‘existential risk to humanity’ in IPO prospectus, reports say

Anthropic’s IPO filing dedicates 80 pages to the risks of AI, nearly double the 48 pages it spends discussing its business plans, according to Reuters.

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U.S., Iran hold separate mediator talks as Mideast oil exports hit war-time high

Iranian and U.S. officials reportedly met separately with mediators Monday to push for a ceasefire, as Middle Eastern crude exports rebounded to war-time high.

Iranian and U.S. officials reportedly met separately with mediators Monday to push for a ceasefire.

Middle Eastern crude exports rebounded this month to around their highest level since the war began in February.

An outright export ban by Washington on diesel would keep roughly 1.2 million barrels a day at home, and risks overwhelming Gulf Coast storage, according to Kpler.

The building of the destroyed Shajareh Tayebeh primary school is pictured surrounded by rubble in Minab in Iran’s Hormozgan province on August 10, 2026. Six months on, a team of AFP journalists obtained rare access to the school which has remained largely in ruins, its collapsed walls and twisted steel now surrounded by portraits of the children killed as Iranian flags flutter above the rubble. Iran says the attack on the school involved two separate US Tomahawk missiles but neither the United States nor Israel has officially claimed responsibility for the strike. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images) /

Atta Kenare | Afp | Getty Images

U.S. and Iranian officials have reportedly held separate indirect talks with mediators on Monday, reviving efforts to end seven months of war as Tehran presses for a response to a revised ceasefire framework and Middle East crude exports climb to their highest level since the conflict began.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Qatari mediators in New York, where he remained after the United Nations General Assembly, and reportedly said he expects Washington’s reply by Tuesday. “We talked about ideas and how to find solutions to fulfil Iran’s conditions,” Araghchi said, adding that he planned to return to Tehran once a response arrives. “Whenever the Qataris have a response, they know how to get it to us.”

Iran’s proposal, first presented on the sidelines of last week’s General Assembly, calls for a four- to five-day U.S. timeline to release frozen Iranian funds, lift sanctions on Iranian oil and end the naval blockade of Iranian ports, with nuclear talks beginning within seven days. Tehran has tied any reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to those steps.

President Donald Trump had on Sunday called the plan “unacceptable” and rejected it, telling reporters Iran wants a swift deal because of the economic pressure it is under. Speaking at the White House Monday, Trump said U.S. officials had spoken separately with mediators but gave no further details, adding: “We’re going to win. It’s going to go pretty quickly.”

The diplomatic push comes as physical supply data shows the war’s toll on the oil market easing. Middle Eastern crude exports rebounded this month to around their highest level since the war began in February, Kpler data showed. “Middle East crude exports at just under 80% of pre-conflict levels,” the tracking firm said in a note on Monday.

The Strait of Hormuz itself remains far from normal. Kpler’s real-time tracking showed total clearance through the strait at 10,591 kilobarrels a day on Saturday, against a pre-war baseline of 17,133.

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Oil prices fall as crude exports recover at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea ports

Saudi Arabia has restored flows through the pipeline to around 3.5 million barrels per day, according to media reports.

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