Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 walkthrough - Prologue

Welcome to the first part of our walkthrough for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, detailing the Prologue in Lumière. This is the start of a deeply moving game that takes tried and true JRPG mechanics from classics like Final Fantasy X, The Legend of Dragoon, and Lost Odyssey, painting them with swathes of Belle Époque elegance and wondrous music to make something truly special.

This magic recipe begins in the Prologue, which isn't very long but features several secrets to uncover. As you learn more about the world of Gustave and his companions, you'll also grow accustomed to the game's combat system, which is turn-based but awards Soulslike-style parrying and dodging.

In this guide, we'll offer a 100% walkthrough of the Prologue of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, detailing how to find all missable collectibles and beat the Lumière Mime.

In this guide:

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Meeting Sophie

Once you can control Gustave, pick up A Flower for Sophie on the nearby bench. Then follow Maelle as she leads you over the rooftops of Lumière. You'll encounter a Grapple tutorial to teach you how to propel yourself across distances.

A battle tutorial against Maelle will follow, teaching you basics about the turn-based combat system, including dodges and parries. To pull off a successful parry, hit the parry input button (RB by default) as soon as an attack is about to hit you. Dodging (B by default) works similarly.

Time to start this Franco-influenced JRPG off properly - by beating up your little sister. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Sandfall Interactive

Your reward for practising these techniques with Maelle is a Colour of Lumina, an item that grants characters additional Lumina Points. (Like many of the items acquired in the Prologue, you can't use this yet, but it'll become handy in a few hours.)

Keep going until you see a Rope that Gustave can slide down. This takes you to a cutscene where you meet Sophie, Gustave's ex, who you'll now be able to control.

Your new goal is to guide Sophie and Gustave to the harbour to prepare for the Gommage. But this doesn't mean you should rush. Take some time to explore every nook and cranny, bask in Lumière's fading majesty, and be sure to pick up every shining collection of Chroma, the currency of Clair Obscur.

Talk to as many NPCs in Lumière as you can An extra tip from Jeremy

These opening moments in Lumière contain carefully-laid lore tidbits in cutscenes and conversations with NPCs. These include plot points about Lumière, the Gommage, and the Paintress, and it's worth your time to take everything in, as this is a game where the writing is top-tier. For instance, ever wonder why Gustave and Sophie have broken up? If you pay careful attention, you can read between the lines - he wanted children, while she didn't want to bring kids into a world under the threat of gradual extinction.

Important Lumière NPCs and scenes

On your way to the Gommage, keep an eye out for the following NPCs around the square by the large "Rejoignez L'Expedition" sign:

Richard, Nicolas, and Eloise all offer missable items and can be found if you take the time to explore the square and talk with all NPCs. The Trash-can Man and the Life Enjoyers, meanwhile, are very easily missed!

• There's a man named Richard in a red suit that noticeably stands out amongst the crowd. He'll give you A Uniform for Richard's Son if you speak with him. His kid, Jules, can be found at the Expedition Festival later in the Prologue.
• Nicolas, a painter lacking inspiration, stands near a horse statue past the flower market. Talk to him to enter a duel that forces you to practise dodging Sophie's attacks six times in a row. Doing so will help him paint a lovely canvas of Gustave and Sophie dancing, and also get you a Recoat, which reallocates Attributes and Skill Points.
• Eloise stands near a tilting statue in the square. She wants to be impressed by Gustave's fighting prowess and will task you with destroying a punching ball in a single hit. To do so, attack the punching ball - which heals itself during its turns - until Gustave's Overcharge counter fills up, then use the Overcharge skill for maximum damage output. Impressing Eloise (and looking cool in front of Sophie) wins you a Colour of Lumina.
• Notice how all of the trash cans in Lumière are interactable? Lest you thought this was a mere quirk of the game, know that not far from Nicolas is a trash can with a shiny rim near a bunch of boxes. Interact with it four times until you encounter the Trash-can Man, who gives you a Chroma Catalyst, which lets you upgrade your weapons. Much later in Clair Obscur's finale, you can talk with this same trash dweller again for a very rare Perfect Chroma Catalyst - but only if you found him the first time.
• Approach the door covered with suitcases near the area where Lune is playing her guitar. You'll overhear a pair of so-called "Life Enjoyers" getting busy prior to the Gommage, ooh la la! Now, interact with the door a whopping 33 times, and eventually they'll accuse you of being a voyeur and bribe you with a Colour of Lumina to go away. Sexy stuff.

How to beat the Lumière Mime

Head in this direction to face a dastardly Mime, watching the proceedings with all of the silent creepiness that Mimes possess. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Sandfall Interactive

Right before the harbour, you should also seek out the very first Mime in Expedition 33. These tricky enemies are scattered throughout the game and offer nice rewards upon defeating them, and you can find the first Mime sitting by his lonesome to the right of the stage where a group of women are dancing. If you're facing the harbour, the stage is found at the far right of the area in front of the docks, and you'll know it when you see it, as fireworks are erupting around the dancing women.

The Mime begins the fight by hammering up an invisible barrier that raises its defence considerably. To break this barrier, fill up the yellow Break Bar beneath its health bar. Every attack will increase this bar, and you'll see yellow marks build up on the Mime's body. Once the Break Bar is full, the Mime will be briefly Stunned, and your attacks can finally do full damage.

Get used to this protective wall, as Mimes throughout the game will put it up regularly as soon as you engage them in combat. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Sandfall Interactive

As you focus on raising that Break Bar, practise parrying or dodging the Mime's hand-to-hand combo (two wild hits with its hands, followed by a short delay and a headbutt) as well as its strange combo (four quick hammer strikes). Gustave can survive a few hits from the hand-to-hand combo, but the strange combo will take him out quickly.

As the Break Bar fills, yellow cracks appear all over the Mime. When the bar is complete, the Mime's annoying barrier will finally be down. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Sandfall Interactive

Don't worry if you can't beat the Mime at first. Like all foes in Expedition 33, timing is everything, and you can retry the fight as many instances as you like. Defeating the Mime gets you the Lumière Record, which you can play during Camp scenes, along with the A Peculiar Encounter Achievement.

With the Mime down, it's time to head to the harbour and witness the Gommage in action.

Expedition Festival

Post-Gommage, you'll regain control of Gustave in the midst of the evening Expedition Festival, where he and his mates are trying to drown their sorrows in alcohol and get ready for their impending journey.

There are three stands at the Expedition Festival, each of which yields rewards but requires Tokens. We've got a guide from my comrade Callum that goes into greater detail about how to get all Festival Tokens, and I recommend giving it a peek. But in short:

• You'll start with one Token automatically.
• Get another Token by answering all of Antoine's quiz questions correctly. He's the bald guy standing near Lune. You can guess the answers easily, but Callum's penned another useful guide on Antoine's quiz questions and answers if you're having trouble.
• Have a rematch duel with Maelle, who's standing down by the docks, for the third Token. This fight is tougher than the first tutorial match, but you should be able to beat her without much trouble.

You can spend the Festival Tokens on the following items:

• Tom (the guy on the leftmost stand) will give you a Weird Pictos quest item. You'll later trade this in for an Augmented Aim Pictos in Gestral Village.
• Amadine (the stylish woman in the middle tent) will give you the Bun haircut accessory, which makes Gustave look like a hipster.
• Colette (the lady in blue at the right tent) gives you the Old Key quest item. You'll later use this in Old Lumiére to find an Expedition Journal.

Aside from Token fun, you should also be sure to chat with Jules, the kid in the red coat hanging out near the stairs of the dock. If you spoke with Richard, one of the important NPCs we mentioned above, you'll automatically get the Crimson Uniform custom outfit.

Don't miss talking with Jules and the other children at the Expedition Festival. You'll get your first custom outfit plus Gustave's Journal. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Sandfall Interactive

You should also chat with Gustave's apprentices, who can be found on the far edge of the Festival, past the stands. These kids will give Gustave his Journal, which will be a constant companion through the dangers ahead.

When you're done with the Festival, talk with Gustave's sister Emma (the woman in white) to progress the narrative. A lengthy cutscene will play, and the Prologue will come to an end as Expedition 33 gets ready to tackle the dangers of the mainland. You'll also unlock the Lumière Achievement.

That finishes our walkthrough on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's Prologue, which had a surprisingly number of secrets to uncover. Act 1 of this expansive, elegant adventure awaits you. Stay tuned to Rock Paper Shotgun as we proceed to lead Gustave and his companions on the mission of a lifetime. For those who come after!