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Despite being a turn-based RPG,Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s combat design has a lot of interactive elements baked into it. Like traditional turn-based games, you take turns attacking the enemy withdifferent party members. But during the enemy’s turn, instead of simply watching the attacks unfold, you’re able to actively dodge to completely negate incoming damage.
For those feeling particularly confident, parrying is an interesting risk-reward mechanic, allowing you not only to block attacks but also to unleash devastating counterattacks if you time your moves perfectly. Mastering the timing, however, can be tricky. In this guide, we’ll share some helpful tips to sharpen your parry timing inClair Obscur: Expedition 33.
How to Get Better at Parries in Clair Obscur Expedition 33
For new players, parrying inClair Obscur: Expedition 33can feel a bit unforgiving. The mechanic itself is simple; you just need to press the parry button (E on PC, R1/RB on Consoles) right as the enemy’s attack connects. But mistiming it means you’ll eat the full damage, which can quickly turn a fight against you.
A helpful tip early on is to focus on dodging instead of parrying unfamiliar moves. Dodging is a lot more forgiving. Since the dodge animation is quick, you can tap the dodge button multiple times during an enemy’s attack animation, giving you several chances to evade damage even if your timing isn’t perfect.
An added bonus of dodging is that it lets you learn enemy attack timings safely. As you dodge, you’ll occasionally see the Perfect Dodge text flash across your screen. This is the timing you want to memorize. The perfect dodge window is very close to the parry timing, and noticing this rhythm makes transitioning into parrying much easier.
Dodging doesn’t restore any AP inClair Obscure: Expedition 33.
Once you’ve learned an enemy’s attack pattern and can consistently dodge them, that’s your cue to start practicing parries. In most cases, you’ll want to hit the parry button a few frames before the enemy attack hits. Parrying is extremely rewarding as not only does it give you additional AP, but if you manage to parry every hit in a multi-hit attack, you can land a devastating counterattack to deal massive damage to the enemy.
SomePictos inClair Obscur: Expedition 33,such as theHealing ParryorEmpowering Parry, give additional bonuses when you manage to parry enemy attacks.
Is it Better to Dodge or Parry in Clair Obscur Expedition 33?
Both dodging and parrying are crucial parts of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s combat, and each has its own use cases. In the early parts of the game, you’ll mostly rely on dodges as you learn the enemy patterns and come to terms with the intricate parry timings. However, as you get deeper into the game, you’ll find yourself relying more on parries, mainly because of the huge counter damage you can inflict if you manage to parry attacks perfectly.
That being said,some Pictos and Luminascan heavily favor dodging over parrying. For example, theDodgerPicto you pick up early on grants you +1 AP when you dodge an enemy attack. If you equip multiple dodge-focused Pictos on a character, it might actually be better to lean into dodging instead of forcing parries with that character.
The timing window for dodging is much more forgiving than for parrying. If you’re not 100% confident about parrying an attack, it’s usually safer to stick to dodging and avoid unnecessary damage.
As youprogress through the chapters, you’ll encounter different enemies with a variety of combo attacks. The key is patience. Learn the enemy movesets, practice dodging, and only go for the parry once you’re comfortable with the attack rhythm. With enough practice, parrying will become second nature and when it clicks,Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s combat feels better than ever.
