Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Any% Restricted

Notation

For menus, I will sometimes have something in parenthesis. If it's (S1-3), it refers to the slot the Picto should be placed in. If it's a Playstation controller button, it's a button you should press to optimize the menu.

For battles, there will sometimes be something like (1.1 QTE). This refers to the Quick Time Action you do when you use an Ability. A perfect is 1.2, a normal is 1.1, and a fail is 1.0. The number refers to the damage multiplier the skill gets from the QTE.

For loading saves, I will use notation like load S0 to load the top save, or S2 to load the 3rd save (2 down).
These will assume no mistakes, since mistakes will often lead to extra saves. The notes will still describe which save to load.

You can check the changelog at the bottom of the notes.

These are my personal notes for the category, the writing will reflect that. For the most part these notes will not say where to go or where things are, just what to do. I will be updating these as the route progresses, changes will be reflected in the changelog at the bottom of the notes.

There will also be enemy data and maybe some other useful information at the bottom of the notes.

If there's a time listed by a fight, it's my best time for it so far. It does not represent the average.

Prologue

Harbor

• Talk to Maelle, skip Maelle duel
• Talk to Aprentices
• Talk to Emma

4 CS on Transition

Act I

Spring Meadows

Pick up Critical Burn.

Pick up Dead Energy II. Pick up Colour of Lumina under the bridge.

Continent

Go to Camp before entering Flying Waters

Flying Waters

Optionally, menu during cutscene and remove Gustave's pictos.

Load most recent save after autosave after Demineurs. If you don't get one, make a picto save.

Menu during the cutscene where you enter Maelle's room.

After getting Maelle, reload the manor autosave (Top+1)
After talking to door, open menu as screen is fading out and load most recent autosave.

If no drop, pick up Recoat.

Talk to flag.

Pick up Staggering Attack.
Do Goblu Skip

Camp

Reload the latest autosave, go to sleep.

Continent

Esquie's Nest

Password Skip

Menu during Esquie's cutscene.

After talking to Esquie cutscene, load autosave outside Flying Waters (Top + 1).
Go to Flying Waters entrance, then reload most recent autosave and mash to enter Flying Waters.
Then exit Flying Waters.

Continent

Chroma Elixer to autosave at midpoint between SWC and ES1.
Right before picking up Energising Start I, reload most recent autosave and pick up Energising Start I during the load.
Pick up $1305.
Go to SWC entrance and camp.

Camp

Go to sleep.

Continent

Stone Wave Cliffs

Menu during first cutscene.

Pick up $790.
Menu at Delaram split point.

Unlock Paint Cage, reload autosave and pick up Delaram during the load.
Pick up Colour of Lumina. Pick up First Strike.

The Color of Lumina is not needed if you're not Windmilling

Pick up SOS Power.

Pick up Polished Chroma Catalyst.
Pick up Deunam.

Do Cave skip and pick up Coralim.

Act II

Camp

Continent

Forgotten Battlefield

Buy Inverted Affinity.
Do launch out of Forgotten Battlefield. For safety save, can use Chroma Elixer.

Camp

Go to sleep.

Continent

Monoco Station Skip

Go to fight in front of you and preempt it. Then flee.

Go to invisible bridge, Chroma Elixer by tree on hill on right side.
Load S0, do Monoco Station skip.

Climb up building, menu to make a save.

Load the save outside Stone Wave Cliffs. It will be ~15s after the save before it.

Picto save, then quickly load S2 - OL Skip Save. As save is loading, quickly open & close menu, and dismount Esquie.

Run to the tip of the mountain (should sink into ground a bit). Picto save, load S2 SWC Save.

Go to Hidden Gestral Arena. Dismount Esquie a bit before the entrance, and walk to the entrance.
Picto save, then quickly load S2 - OL Skip Save. As save is loading, quickly open & close menu, and mount Esquie.

To mount Esquie in the Hidden Gestral Arena entrance, you have to use keyboard for the mount.
I like to do Tab > Circle > Z.

Run up mountain, get onto building past railing. Picto save, load S4 - SWC Save.

Picto save, then quickly load S2 - OL Skip Save. As save is loading, quickly open & close menu, and dismount Esquie.

Run off the building at the top left corner. Run on invisible ground to the left over the water, and climb onto mountain in front. Picto save, and load S4 - Hidden Gestral Arena Save

Load OL Skip Save, and enter Hidden Gestral Arena while loading.

Hidden Gestral Arena

All fights are Defiant Strikes + Counters.
Fight opponents 1 & 2. After 2nd fight menu.

Fight opponents 3 & 4. After 4th fight menu.

Fight 3rd opponent 2 more times. Then menu.

Fight 3rd opponent 1 more time.
Load S0, then menu.

Load S6 - Outside Hidden Gestral Arena Save.

Continent

Picto save, then quickly load S4 - OL Skip Save. As save is loading, quickly open & close menu, and mount Esquie.

Ride Esquie past the trees and off into the water. There's a part of the ground that protrudes out like a dock.

Go to Visages. Before entering, load S2 - Hidden Gestral Arena save and then enter Visages.

Visages

Talk to Merchant

Talk to flag.

Camp

Talk to Curator

Monolith

Feetress: Skip x2

Pick up Weakness Gain.

Pick up Recoat if 0 owned.
Talk to flag.

You can Chroma Elixer to make a safety save before Renoir

Act 3

Camp

Load save at Hidden Gestral Arena. It will be the most recent save with a low play time.
Load S0 and enter Hidden Gestral Arena while it's loading.

Hidden Gestral Arena

Exit Hidden Gestral Arena.

Continent

Fly to Lumiere

Lumiere

Talk to Merchant

Flee from Creation.

Chroma Elixer before fighting Verso.

Links

Cardinal's Windmill
Cardinal Playlist
Cardinal Old Lumiere Skip
Password Skip

Notes

Gestral Arena
1. 2228XP $392 Last Stand Critical

Changelog

3/20/26

• Francois notes simplified, added backup for no crit
• Chroma Elixer for MS Skip, menu for OL Skip
• Changed note format for Old Lumiere skip, added save positions
• Different saves used for OL Skip, use Hidden Gestral Arena save for Esquie mounts.
• Moved 1 picto equip from Arena to Visages.
• More menuing in 1st cutscene menu in Visages, Lune now gets Augmented First Strike for Mask Keeper
• Visages flag: Lune gets all Might here now, and Blitz is skipped.
• Can add Lune to Formation on Feetress end transition
• Equip Maelle with Barrier Breaker in Monolith
• Lune gets 4 Agility before Renoir 2 (moved from Visages)
• Added note on how much counter damage Renoir 2 needs
• Remove Maelle skills on Paintress Transition
• New faster Paintress Phase 3 using Mayhem
• Act 3 Formation done while exiting Hidden Gestral Arena