Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 might be the most fun Ive had playing a role-playing game since 2023s Baldurs Gate 3. Its turn-based combat is more engaging than at first blush, and defeating powerful enemies provides the same elation that taking down a boss in a FromSoftware game does. It also offers some of the more challenging gameplay Ive encountered in some time, with dodge and parry timing thatll leave even the most experienced soulsborne vets pulling their hair out.

Clair Obscurs six playable heroes all have unique combat mechanics, so no two heroes play the same. This is great once youve mastered Gustave, Maelle, and the rest, but mastering them takes plenty of trial and error. Youre only presented each characters tutorial once, so youll have to learn how to use them on the fly in battles with Nevrons. How does Sciel enter Twilight again? What exactly are Lunes stains? How does Monocos Bestial Wheel move? Theres a learning curve to each character, but once they click for you — knowing how to best leverage Maelles stance switching, quickly overcharge with Gustave — youre off to the races.

Using my A-team of Maelle, Lune, and Sciel makes the game almost too easy, and I barely felt in any danger during Act 2s late-game boss fights. They bounce off one another well, and at higher levels, can easily knock off enemies before your opponents have even had a turn. Unfortunately for Clair Obscurs other characters, the strengths of Maelle, Lune, and Sciel put the rest of the group on the sidelines.

Image: Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive

Look, I like Verso — nice guy, great hair, plays the piano, ageless wonder. But his skills mostly rely on not taking damage, which is difficult when fighting enemies for the first time as youve yet to learn their attack patterns. Parrying is perhaps the greatest challenge in Clair Obscurs combat, and trying to parry as Verso just opens the door to getting hit and therefore lowering his Perfection Rank, his own special ability. (Did I mention theres a lot to learn in Clair Obscur? Because theres a lot to learn.)

Monoco, too, ends up getting the short end of the stick in my party. He arrives in the game when Ive already settled on a good rhythm with Clair Obscurs three women leading my party, and timing his Bestial Wheel to make the most use out of it is something Im still struggling with going into Act 3. Alas, Monoco and Verso are warming the bench as my “B-team Boys,” itching for some playing time.

Verso and Monoco gave way to my A-team trio late in Act 2. Around when I had to go fight the Axons, I finally started to get the hang of using Maelle, Lune, and Sciel as a team, synergizing their abilities in a way that I could wipe the floor with enemies before those enemies even got a turn. Once I hit that stride, I never had any use for the other playable characters (Sorry, Monoco and Verso. See you at camp?).

Image: Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive

Clair Obcurs battles rely on leveraging your characters skills and unique mechanics, like Maelles Stance switching or Sciels Foretell stacking, to pummel your foes to dust. Lune might be the toughest hero to pin down as generating and using her elemental stains at first is a confusing matter. When using Lunes skills in battle, the element(s) between the skill name and the Action Point (AP) cost are what stains are generated. Each of her powers can consume those stains for additional effects, like enhancing damage or increasing the duration of a power.

When I fully understood how to leverage Lunes stains, the game opened up for me. Lune can use Wildfire to burn all enemies, but I prefer positioning Maelle first and using her Rain of Fire right off the bat. Lunes Thermal Transfer can then generate AP for her when used against the burning foe, meaning, depending on your Pictos and Luminas setup — Clair Obscurs system for stat bonuses and passive effects — she could have the max of 9 AP by her next turn.

With foes on fire, Maelle can then use Swift Stride to put her in Virtuose Stance, and on her next turn stay in Virtuose Stance with Fleuret Furyuse. Maelles Virtuose Stance sees her dealing 200% damage, and using it in conjunction with her high damage-dealing skills is your path toward hitting — or exceeding in Act 3 — the damage cap. Even post-nerf, shes still a powerhouse.

With Lunes Chapelim weapon, I fall into a bit of a rhythm for each bout. At level 20, it generates an Earth Stain on each turn, and Thermal Transfer consumes two Earth Stains to allow Lune to play again and continue to wreak havoc. If Lune and Maelle are low on AP, no matter — Sciels Plentiful Harvest consumes all of an enemys Foretell and distributes AP among the party for each Foretell consumed. When in Twilight with 20 Foretell applied to a foe, this skill can easily top off everyones AP, leaving you free to continue your onslaught.

Venturing into Act 3, with even more “Danger” areas and tough Chromatic foes ahead, knowing the end is in sight, Ill be sticking with Maelle, Lune, and Sciel for the battles to come. Theyve gotten me this far.