Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Any% Restricted

This is the updated route that uses Renoir 2&3 skips and no longer goes to Hidden Gestral Arena.
You can find the previous route here.

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.

There's also a debug reload you can do by pressing Alt+V. I will refer to this as Debug Load. You generally have to mash it as you enter an area, exit a menu, or load screen is ending.

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

Do Windmill skip. The notes will assume you do it, but will note small changes if you fight Maelle where applicable.
If you're learning, don't bother with Windmill and just fight Maelle.

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. Can do house skip to save ~1s. Don't need the pickups.
Pick up Colour of Lumina by Portier.

If you aren't going to Debug Load the Delaram upgrade, can pick up a Lumina in SWC instead.

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 (can debug load exiting menu), 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.

Watch load screen, once the "stars" disappear mash Debug Load to reload save to setup dupe'd save.
Then exit Flying Waters.

This save will be loaded during OL skip, should be 3-4s gap between saves.

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. Picto save for Delaram warp.

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

Pick up SOS Power.

If 2 Francois Polished drops, can pick up Polished Chroma Catalyst.

Pick up Duenum.

Do Cave skip and pick up Coralim.

Act II

Camp

Go to Curator.

Go to sleep.

Continent

Forgotten Battlefield

Buy Inverted Affinity.

Do launch out of Forgotten Battlefield.

Camp

Go to sleep.

Continent

Monoco Station Skip

Go to fight in front of you and preempt it.

Go to fight by Monoco Station entrance.

Go to invisible bridge, Picto save & reload (can debug load).
Do Monoco Station skip.

Old Lumiere Skip

Picto save anywhere along the way to the building where you can mount & dismount Esquie.

We're gonna use a new term here, Esquie Debug Load Mount Storage, or EDLMS. You can load a save, Debug Load as it loads in, and mount/dismount Esquie to transfer mount state to your S0 save.

Climb up building. Picto save, and load S1. EDLMS.

Go to cliff edge for Esquie mount. Picto save, load the save outside Flying Waters from Act 1.

Save should be ~12s apart from the one above it, ~3s apart from the one below it.

Run into Flying Waters trigger (want to get bit deep into it, so Esquie is mountable). Picto save, while game is saving open save menu and load S2. Back out, open and close menu quickly, and mount Esquie using Z on keyboard.

My prefered way to do this is use Tab to open menu, Circle to close, and Z to Mount

Run up mountain, get onto building past railing. Picto save, load S4. EDLMS.

Save number might not be accurate, it's the same save used for first EDLMS.

Run off the building on the left side. Run on invisible ground to the left over the water, and climb onto mountain in front. Picto save, and load S3 - by Flying Waters. EDLMS (use Z on keyboard for the mount).

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.

Visages

Go to Joy Mask.

Pick up Confident Fighter.

Go to Joy Mask, Option 1 to take Fight.

Go to Visages.

Camp

Go to sleep.

Monolith

Go to flag.

Pick up Weakness Gain.

Do Renoir 2 Skip. Reload save so you can run.

Act 3

Camp

Load save outside Flying Waters. Load S0 and enter Flying Waters while loading. Can use Debug Load for this.

Flying Waters

Exit instantly

Continent

Fly to Lumiere

Lumiere

Pick up Charging Stun behind tree from Prologue.
Pick up Recoat on the way to Abberations if none owned.
Pick up Gradient Fighter behind Abberations used for Renoir 3 skip.

Do Renoir 3 Skip. Reload save to regain running ability.

Links

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

Changelog

6/01/26

• Move Augmented First Strike to SWC menu
• Add timing note for the Flying Waters debug load

5/31/26

• Move Wildfire to Right-Top

5/30/26 Pt.2

• Pick up 2 Lumina in Spring Meadows
• Give Lune 2 Lumina after upgrading Maellum
• Add missing Lune formation toggle to Esquie's Nest menu
• Fix Esquie's Nest menu, give Maelle Augmented First Strike
• Move Verso DE2 Lumina equip to Inverted equip. Delay Crit Burn equip to cutscene menu.
• Alt+V Delaram upgrade
• No longer upgrade Chapelim, just give Lune DE2 instead.
• Also give Verso Augmented First Strike lumina before Paintress

5/30/26

• First draft with Renoir skips