Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Complete Walkthrough (Step-by-Step Strategy Guide) – PART 01

Clair Obscur Walkthrough: Expedition 33 – PART 01 Clair Obscur Walkthrough: Expedition 33 – PART 02 Clair Obscur Walkthrough: Expedition 33 – PART 03

Prologue: Lumiere

In the Prologue in Lumiere, right after the initial scenes, you take control of Gustave. Before running off, look to your left and pick up the flower on the ground; it’s an easy collectible to miss. Then, follow Maelle along the main path. If you want to save time, use the run function by holding down the run trigger (R2 on PlayStation or RT on Xbox). At some points, she will cross gaps using the grappling hook, so when the prompt appears on the screen, do the same to avoid getting stuck. After a short stretch alternating between running and crossing, she stops, and you engage in friendly combat.

In this fight, the game may offer a battle tutorial. If you skip the tutorial, approach the duel as a real test of reaction time: pay attention to her shoulders and the beginning of her sword movement to decide between dodging and parrying. Here it’s entirely possible to lose, especially on high difficulty, and losing means leaving without the reward of training. If you’re getting beaten, there’s no shame in repeating until you get used to the rhythm of the blows.

After the fight ends, follow Maelle to the end of the path. When you reach the area with the rope, climb down and continue forward to trigger more scenes. After that, control switches to Sofie. With her, proceed along the path that goes furthest to the right. As you walk, pay attention to a striking white glow and a characteristic sound; it’s a collection point. Interact there to collect 125 Chroma, which functions as currency. Continue following the natural route and you will eventually reach a busy square full of people.

From here, explore calmly because Lumiere hides several optional dialogues and some items. The NPCs provide short scenes that deepen the world and the characters; they are not mandatory, but worth watching if you enjoy lore. Still in the square, look for an area with rubble scattered on the ground and interact with it to get a Colour of Lumina. There are also 125 more Chroma on top of wooden planks, in a somewhat difficult-to-reach spot. Use Sofie’s movement to climb and time your jumps until you manage to grab them.

Heading towards the port, you’ll see a man dressed in red. Talk to him to begin a simple but important task: he’s Richard, and he’ll give you an item to pass on to his son later. Take it as soon as you can, because it’s the kind of thing you can put off and end up forgetting about.

Continue forward until you find a woman dressed in black near a training area. Talking to her opens a simulated combat where you control Gustave against a training dummy. The objective is very specific: destroy the dummy with a single hit using Overcharge. If you mistime the attack and don’t deal the damage as intended, repeat until you get it right. Upon completion, you receive another Colour of Lumina.

Also in this area, there’s a hidden “game” that offers a reward. Near the woman in black, go behind her and stand against the left wall, staying very close until you find partially blocked double doors. Examine these doors and you’ll hear a funny situation happening on the other side. The catch is that the reward only comes if you persist: keep interacting with the door several times, more than ten interactions if necessary. After much persistence, you are “rewarded” with another Colour of Lumina.

Back on the main path, continue past Gustave’s conversation points. As you cross the flower market area, there’s another optional dialogue for him. Shortly after, you’ll reach an open space where a man is standing with a blank screen, as if lacking inspiration. Interact with him to trigger another simulated training session. This time, the challenge is different: Gustave needs to survive and avoid Sofie’s attacks through three sequences of blows. The game makes it easier because time slows down the instant before impact, so focus on pressing the dodge button at the last moment to land perfect dodges. If you fail, you can try again until you succeed. The reward for this exercise is a Recoat.

Right near this artist, look for a trash can that catches your eye. Yes, a trash can. Interact with it repeatedly, persisting with the dialogue, and it will eventually give you a Chroma Catalyst. Before leaving this area, look around because you can still find another dialogue with Gustave and another collection point for 125 Chroma.

When you return to the port, in one of the more open areas you’ll find Maelle again and can speak to her briefly. There’s usually more Chroma to collect nearby, so do a visual scan before continuing. Now, pay attention to a kind of stage to the right, with effects reminiscent of magical fireworks. Approaching this stage and going further to the right, to a dead end, reveals a very different optional fight: a mysterious mime-style enemy that reacts when you talk to it. It’s practically a hidden mini-boss and well worth defeating.

The mimic has a simple but punishing pattern if you go on autopilot. He uses a defensive technique that creates a “barrier” and reduces incoming damage, so when this appears, don’t expect to melt his life instantly. Offensively, he alternates between a quick sequence of punches, with the last hit coming with a slightly more pronounced build-up, and an attack where he “pulls” a giant hammer. The hammer has a longer build-up, but then he lands three blows almost in quick succession, so don’t just dodge once and relax; maintain the rhythm until the end of the chain. The safest way to win is to play with timing: parry or dodge precisely, accumulate Charge, press his break bar, and as soon as the window opens, use Overcharge to break him completely and finish him off while he’s stunned. If you lose, there’s no serious penalty here; you can try as many times as you want. Winning guarantees the associated achievement and also unlocks a recording of Lumiere’s music to listen to later.

After that, there’s one last NPC near the stage area for a quick chat. When you’re satisfied with everything you’ve seen and collected, head to the Harbour. The game confirms if you really want to proceed, so take this warning as a “point of no return” for the journey: if you missed collecting Chroma, items, or watching optional scenes, now’s the time to fix that.

Entering the Festival section and after the cutscenes, you take control of Gustave alone and gain fuller access to the menus. Once the opening scenes finish with Lumiere, you assume control of Gustave. Before running after Maelle, grab the flower on the left, right at the beginning. Then, follow Maelle along the main path. If you want to save time, you can run by holding the run trigger (R2 on PlayStation or RT on Xbox). At some points she will cross gaps using a grappling hook, so pay attention to the on-screen instructions to repeat the movement and not fall behind. After some running and crossing sections, Maelle stops and the game triggers a fight against her, designed for you to learn the basics. Here you can choose whether or not to activate the tutorial. If you skip the tutorial, treat this fight as a test of your movement reading skills: observe Maelle’s posture and rhythm before each attack to decide whether it’s better to dodge or parry. In the hardest mode, it’s normal to need a few tries, and you can lose if you haven’t yet mastered the timing of the parry. Keep in mind that if you lose in this version without the tutorial, you might miss out on the reward for that interaction, so if you’re having a lot of trouble, consider using the tutorial to get the hang of it and move forward with more confidence.

Once the fight is over, follow Maelle back to the end of the path. When you reach the rope section, climb down and continue straight ahead to trigger more cutscenes. After that, control passes to Sofie, and your objective is to continue advancing down the street, moving further to the right as the path opens up. As you walk, you’ll hear a characteristic sound and notice a white glow in the scenery. Stop and interact to collect Chroma, the game’s currency, which here yields 125. Continue following the natural flow of the streets and you’ll reach a busier square, full of people. In this phase, the city functions as a small exploratory walk: talking to NPCs is optional, and many lines serve to contextualize the world, so it’s worth stopping and talking to anyone who catches your attention, but without the pressure of it being mandatory to advance.

Still in this area of ​​the square, look for some easy-to-ignore spots if you’re just following the objective. One of them is a pile of scrap metal scattered near two children; interacting with it will reward you with a Colour of Lumina. Another is more Chroma: there are 125 more on top of wooden planks, in a somewhat difficult-to-reach spot. The tip is to use Sofie’s mobility: climb, carefully time your jumps, and don’t rush, because the path “seems impossible,” but it is possible. When you’re ready to push the story forward, head towards the port. On the way, you’ll see a man in red. Talk to him to start a quick and important task: he gives you an item to take to your son later. This is one of those moments that’s easy to miss if you ignore NPC conversations, so secure this item now.

Further ahead, near a stall, talk to a woman in black to unlock a short training session with Gustave against a training dummy. The goal is simple: destroy the dummy in a single hit using Overcharge. The idea here is to teach you how to prepare the ability, so perform the sequence calmly, follow the game’s instructions to charge it, and release Overcharge at the right time. Upon completion, you will also receive… Once the opening scenes end and you take control of Gustave in Lumiere, the first thing to do is look to the left and pick up the flower on the ground. It seems like a silly detail, but it helps to get you into the rhythm of the game: explore calmly, touch suspicious things, and don’t run off without checking the corners. After that, follow Maelle along the main route. If you want to speed up your movement, use the run by holding down the run button (the equivalent of R2/RT). In a few seconds, she will cross a gap using a grappling hook, and the game will teach you on the screen how to repeat the movement. The idea here is simple: follow her path, alternating between running and using hooks whenever a hole or large gap appears.

After a few runs and hook attacks, Maelle will stop, and you’ll engage in combat with her. At this point, the game usually offers a tutorial option. If you accept, it explains the basic mechanics of attack, defense, and reading moves. If you skip the tutorial, treat this fight as an observation test: instead of attacking automatically, pay attention to Maelle’s body and rhythm, because the secret to not getting hit is reacting to the “signals” before impact, choosing between dodging and parrying at the right time. You can lose here, especially on higher difficulties, and losing means missing out on the reward of the fight, so don’t be ashamed to try more than once until you get the timing of your defenses right.

Whether you win or not, continue following Maelle to the end of the path, descend the rope when the game indicates, and proceed straight ahead to trigger more scenes. From there, control switches to Sofie. With her, continue forward, pulling slightly to the right. As you walk, pay attention to a different sound and a bright white glow in the scenery: it’s a loot point. Interact to collect 125 Chroma, the game’s currency. Continue following the main path and you’ll reach a square with many people. This section is the “city tour” and functions as a large area for optional interactions. It’s not mandatory to talk to everyone, but it’s well worth it if you like context and also want to leave the prologue with some extra resources and items.

While still in the square, thoroughly search the area where there are two boys and some junk scattered on the ground. Near them, there’s a pile of scrap metal with interactive elements. Examine it and pick up a Colour of Lumina. Next, look for another loot glow: there are 125 more Chroma on top of wooden planks. This one is easy to miss because it’s “high up” and not at ground level. Use Sofie’s mobility, climbing and jumping across parts of the scenery until you reach the planks and collect the money.

Once you’re satisfied with the plaza, head towards the port. On the way, you’ll see a man dressed in red. Talk to him to start a quick task. His name is Richard, and he gives you an item to take to his son later. This part is important because you can miss it if you simply ignore the NPC and move on, so make sure you talk to him before progressing too far in the story.

Still in this region, look for a woman in black near an area that looks like a “training station”. Talking to her activates a simulated combat, now controlling Gustave, against a training dummy. The objective is very specific: destroy the dummy with a single blow using Overcharge. Here the game wants you to understand that Overcharge is not for wasting, but to use at the right time, when the blow will be decisive. Complete the challenge and you receive another Colour of Lumina as a reward.

Now comes an easy-to-ignore secret that seems like a joke, but is a real reward. Nearby, go behind that woman and keep leaning against the left wall until you find a double door blocked by objects. Examine the door. You’ll hear sounds from the other side. Instead of leaving, keep examining it repeatedly, many times even, more than ten times. After persisting quite a bit, whoever is on the other side “gives up” and gives you a Colour of Lumina. It’s one of those hidden extras that only appear if you’re stubborn with the interaction button.

Following the tour, keep walking and take the opportunity to talk to the available NPCs, because some dialogues change the mood of the prologue and help you better understand the city. Passing through the flower market, there’s at least one optional conversation with Gustave. Continue until you reach another more open space, where you’ll find a man with a blank canvas beside him. Talk to him. He asks for help to “inspire” the painting, and this leads to another simulated challenge. In this one, the rule changes: instead of dealing damage, you need to dodge Sofie’s attacks in three sequences of blows. The good news is that the game slows down time just before impact, so you can easily land perfect dodges. If you miss, you can try again. Upon completion, you receive a Recoat.

After this challenge, don’t leave immediately. Nearby there’s a trash can you can interact with. The catch is that the reward doesn’t come on the first try. Talk to the trash can a few times until it finally gives you a Chroma Catalyst. Yes, that’s right: persistence again, and again it pays off. While still in this area, look for another 125 Chroma loot and engage in any optional dialogue nearby so you don’t miss anything before moving on.

Back on the path to the port, you’ll see Maelle again and can speak to her briefly. Near her, there’s usually more Chroma to collect, so do a visual scan for glows on the ground and in corners. Keep walking and notice, to the right, a stage with a kind of magical effect resembling fireworks. From this stage, continue further to the right until you reach a dead end. There you’ll find a hidden enemy that acts as a secret mini-boss: the Mime. Talk to it and the fight begins.

Mime is dangerous at the start because he mixes defense and strikes with different rhythms. He has three main features: first, he can erect a “wall” that reduces the damage he receives, so don’t be surprised if his attacks seem weak at times. The other two are offensive. One is a sequence of quick punches, with several impacts in succession, and the last strike usually has a slightly more pronounced preparation, so be careful not to dodge early and take the finishing blow. The other attack creates a giant hammer. It takes a moment to prepare the strike, but when it starts hitting, it’s three quick blows, almost in cadence. To win safely, your goal is simple: survive the patterns by using dodge or parry at the right time, while building Charge and pressing his break bar. When the break bar bursts, Mime becomes vulnerable, and this is the best time to use Overcharge and finish off as much damage as possible while he is stunned. If you lose, there’s no heavy punishment here: you can try as many times as you want. In addition to the victory itself, defeating Mime earns an achievement and unlocks a musical recording by Lumiere for you to listen to later.

Before finishing this part of the city, there’s one more NPC near the stage for optional dialogue. When you decide you’ve seen all you wanted, head to the Harbour. The game will notify you and confirm if you want to proceed, precisely because crossing this point is its way of saying, “Look, if you wanted to explore and collect items, now’s the time.” If you missed any sparkles or important NPCs, go back and deal with them before confirming.

Moving on to the Festival, you regain control of Gustave alone, and from here the game opens up more menus: options, character page, and inventory. There’s a lot of ambient dialogue in this area, but what really matters are the NPCs who exchange services or items for festival currency, as well as some who give you extra tokens. One of the most important is Antoine, the man in white, who gives you a short lore quiz. Answer correctly to avoid wasting time: the first answer is 67 years old, the second is Expedition 0, and the third describes skills you internalize after using a Pictos in battle enough times. This ensures faster progress without complications.

This is also where Richard’s task concludes. Find a little boy dressed in red and talk to him. Gustave will give you the uniform he received from Richard, and this will unlock an additional Wardrobe item for Gustave, meaning an extra visual option.

If you enjoy training in combat, head to the docks area and talk to Maelle for a rematch. This fight is similar to the previous one, but it can be more challenging depending on how you handled the first duel. Don’t count on an Overcharge to solve everything at once. She basically alternates between two patterns: a single strike, easily recognizable when she positions her sword in front as preparation, and a three-hit combo. The advantage is that you can challenge her as many times as you want, gaining real practice in timing dodges and parries. There’s even an experience bonus if you win without taking damage, but this fight gives so little XP that the value here is more about training.

At the Festival there are three main stalls, and the logic is simple: by collecting three tokens (including the token you start with), you can buy an item at each one. At the green stall, Tom gives you your first Pictos, but it comes in a state that isn’t suitable for equipping right now because it functions as a quest item. At the red stall, Amandine gives you a new haircut, which you can exchange for the Wardrobe whenever you want. And at the third stall, Colette sells an Old Key in exchange for a token, so don’t ignore this purchase if you like opening paths and locks later on.

Before concluding the prologue, also seek out Gustave’s apprentices and speak with them to receive a journal. This is usually useful for keeping track of information and providing more context to what is happening. Once everything is resolved, go speak with Gustave’s sister, who appears at the event. By interacting with her and following the conversation until her public speech, you trigger the final sequence that concludes the prologue.

Spring Meadows

As soon as you regain control of Gustave in Spring Meadows, take a second to catch some easy loot: turn around and head to the base of the waterfall just behind where you spawn. There’s Chroma glowing on the ground, in that classic RPG style that rewards those who look back. Got it? Then return to the main path and keep going, because in a few steps you’ll enter your first real combat in this area. Use this fight as timing practice: pay attention to the beginning of the enemy animations and practice dodging, and if you’re already confident, try to land a parry. The idea here isn’t just to win, it’s to start building muscle memory so you don’t take silly damage later on. After defeating the automaton, continue along the path without deviating too much. You’ll find the first grappling hook; when the command appears on the screen, use the grapple to cross the gap. This initial part is quite “corridor-like,” so it’s a great time to adjust sensitivity, remapping, and any control options that make you more comfortable before the more annoying encounters.

After advancing through the woods and climbing a wall, you enter a cave with a very heavy atmosphere. This is where the game takes a good turn: you meet Lune and she joins the group in time for a fight against a large, slow Nevron, Portier. He hits hard, but the pace is more measured, which makes it easier to practice reading his attacks. In this fight, the game also introduces you to elemental affinities and Lune’s tools, so follow the tips, but remember the main thing: when an enemy has a weak point, prioritize dealing damage there before hitting “the body”. After winning, you receive your first important Pictos, Dodger. Open the menu, equip this Pictos on someone immediately (I like to equip it on Gustave at the beginning, because he tends to be short on AP when you want to use the best actions) and then go through the passage that Portier was blocking.

Outside, the meadows become much more open, and you’ll find an Expedition Flag. Treat this flag as your mobile base: first, rest to recover health and replenish your healing items. Just remember the side effect: when you rest, the common enemies you’ve already defeated reappear. This can be a nuisance if you just want to walk around, but it’s also a safe way to farm experience and Chroma when you feel weak. While still at the flag, spend your points to improve attributes and take a look at the panel that shows how each attribute impacts your performance. Even if you can’t buy new skills now, it’s worth checking out the future abilities to understand what kind of build you want for each character.

When you’re ready, move on. You’ll encounter another Nevron who’s engaging in a fight against two Lanceliers. Try to start with “first strike” whenever possible, because starting with an advantage here greatly reduces the risk of losing healing items early. These Lanceliers are usually quite vulnerable to ice, so Lune’s Ice Lance glows, and their weak point is in the head area, marked by a glow. Not every weak point is obvious all the time, but in this area, the glow usually gives it away. Defeated both? Equip Gustave with the new weapon you get here, the Lanceram. If you want, you can return to the flag to heal and spend points, just remember that this brings the enemies back. Before following the main route, look carefully at a side path to the right: there’s a corpse with an item there, and you can pick up a new Pictos. This Pictos is the Critical Burn, which combines very well with Lune if you’re using burn as a form of constant wear.

Once you get the Pictos on the body, take the opportunity to search the nearby area: on the opposite path you can find more Chroma. Then you return to the path and face two more Lanceliers. The pattern repeats itself, so use these fights to become consistent: learn the timing of the attack, avoid damage, and punish with a counter-attack. Afterward, enter the ruined house just ahead. Before running inside, pick up the item that glows pink/purple near the entrance, because these glows are usually Tints, upgrade materials, and not money. Inside the house, follow this route to avoid leaving anything behind: go left and climb the ramp, climb the rope, and when you’re at the top, go right to find a Blood Tint hidden in an easy-to-miss position, under the ramp you climbed up. Then, go through the door that leads outside and pick up the Chroma on the ledge overlooking the house entrance. Once that’s done, return to the rope room and now go straight ahead to continue your progression.

You arrive at another Expedition Flag, now in the wider Grand Meadow area. Heal and organize your upgrades. Here you can take a quick detour: going left, near the cliff, you’ll find Chroma; continuing along that side, there’s a Lancelier patrolling in a more shaded area. Try to take the initiative on him to avoid surprises. After defeating him, collect the nearby white item (Chroma) and then look up and to the right: you’ll see a very high grapple point. If you follow this route, passing several hooks in sequence, you’ll reach an optional fight against a Mime. He hits hard for this point in the game, so don’t get frustrated if you lose. The tip here is simple and efficient: apply Burn whenever you can and play it safe, because the damage over time helps a lot while you learn his attack timing. If you’re taking too much damage, mentally mark the path and come back later, because you can return here using the teleport via the Grand Meadow flag.

Returning to the main path, you advance towards a large Portier that’s in the way. After it, pick up a pink/purple glow to get a Colour of Lumina, which increases a party member’s Lumina Points. But before continuing straight ahead, turn left from the tree and go to the edge of the cliff, passing between two huge rocks: near some barrels there’s another purple glow that gives you a Chroma Catalyst. Now continue up the spiral path. You’ll pass under a fallen pillar, and at the top a scene introduces flying enemies, the Volester. The crucial detail is that they are slippery and, in practice, the reliable way to hit them is using firearms. Since they start with an advantage, you’ll probably need to dodge or parry right away. When it’s your turn, aim and shoot, prioritizing the bluish weak points that glow on their bodies. Spend AP wisely to take down the flyers quickly, because keeping Volester alive usually becomes unnecessary waste.

If you’re up for an extra challenge, there’s another option in this region: following a lower path hidden by rubble, you’ll find the Chromatic Lancelier, a large, greenish enemy. You can run, grab Chroma behind it, and leave, but the real reward comes if you win. The best opening is to aim and shoot at the glowing core to deal high initial damage. Only engage in this fight if you’re confident in parries and dodges, because it punishes heavily, and at low levels, two hits can take down a character. If you win, the reward is worth it: in addition to a new weapon, you get an enhanced attack Pictos, more Chroma Catalysts, and more Colour of Lumina.

Following the main route, return to the cliff near where you fought the flyers and climb up the rope. Here the scenery changes with strange, bluish trees. Walk to the edge to look at the Continent in the distance and, before leaving, look down because there’s an accessible ledge with a glow. Carefully descend, pick up the Chroma, and climb back up to the trail. From there, you advance using a grapple to cross another opening. A little further ahead is a fork: to the right you’ll have a quick fight for EXP and Chroma; to the left you climb up and continue the story. If you choose the fight on the right, you’ll face a mixed group with Portier, Lancelier, and Volester. The priority is usually: take down Volester with shots to his weak points, control Lancelier with direct damage, and use any remaining AP to hasten the end of Portier. Won? Go past the broken boxes and barrels nearby to get more Chroma, then return and follow the main route, guided by light poles, to a climbable wall. Gustave mentions a previous expedition, and you ascend to a more “cave-like” area. In a larger space, a scene presents you with your first journal, from Expedition 81, containing an interrupted account of an encounter with a Nevron.

Shortly after, you can start an optional mission by talking to a white, lantern-shaped Nevron named Jar. He’s lying on the ground, and the interaction makes it clear he needs “light,” but you can’t solve everything immediately. A little further on, you’ll find another Expedition Flag; resting there unlocks the Abandoned Expeditioner Camp travel point. Heal and adjust upgrades, and when you’re ready to continue, don’t run straight to the sky signals. Instead, take the path to the left to find a Pictos named Burning Shots hiding near a tree. It’s well worth it, because the burn effect from gunshots is excellent for fights where you want constant damage without exposing yourself.

Descending to a lower area, you may be attacked by conjurer enemies, the Abbest. They have slower, well-telegraphed attacks, with spells that take a while to cast, so you can calmly dodge if you don’t panic. I recommend facing these enemies because they can drop a better weapon for Lune, the Lighterim. Just don’t get carried away and forget about the fixed loot: return to the higher area you came from and take the right-hand path, a long, winding path through rubble. At the end, you’ll find the Pictos Dead Energy II. Then, return to the cave exit and safely descend to enter a small cavity that holds another Colour of Lumina.

From here, you’ll work through a series of fights and collections in an area with a bridge. At the fork in the path, go down and to the right, going under the bridge, and face a group that reveals itself to be three enemies (usually Volester and Abbest mixed together). After winning, go under the bridge and pick up another Colour of Lumina. Then, moving forward, you’ll face another mixed group with Volester, Lancelier, and Abbest. After clearing this fight, climb the pile of barrels and scrap to reach an important purple item: you get Resin, which is exactly the material Jar was looking for. Before climbing the slope towards the flag, take a detour that’s easy to miss: still in the lower part where you picked up the Resin, look for a narrow, dark corridor to the left of the ramp. At the end of it is a special pink/purple item, the Revive Tint Shard, which permanently increases your maximum Revive Tint capacity. This makes a real difference in the more difficult fights.

With that in hand, all that’s left is to “clear the rest” of the area. If you want to finish everything before resting (to avoid respawning), go back near the bridge and face the last group that’s there. Upon winning, you can reach a purple item on a ledge, which is another Chroma Catalyst. Then climb up to the Expedition Flag at the top (the one from Expedition 7), rest, and make your upgrades. And here’s a smart move: use the teleport to return to the Abandoned Expeditioner Camp and give the Resin to Jar. After giving it to him, you need to ignite the material by aiming and shooting at his staff. By doing this, you receive a useful reward and also resolve this issue before the next major confrontation.

When you’re ready to continue the story, return to the Indigo Tree travel point and enter. After the heavy cutscenes, you regain control of Gustave in a completely new area: the Spring Fields. Before moving on, make a quick detour to secure an easy item. Once you regain control, turn and walk towards the waterfall behind you. At its base, there’s Chroma to collect. Got it? Then return to the main path and proceed along the most obvious route through the trees.

Right after that, the first “real” combat in this region takes place, great for you to adjust your dodging timing and understand the rhythm of the enemies. The tip here is simple: don’t play on autopilot. Observe the beginning of the animations, wait for the attack to “confirm,” and only then dodge or attempt a parry. Once you win, move forward without fear because this first part is quite linear. In a short time, you will see the first hook point. Use the on-screen control to cross the gap and continue following the route, taking the opportunity to adjust the controls and sensitivity, if you usually adjust this in action games.

After crossing the woods and climbing a section of wall, you enter a cave with a very strange atmosphere. It’s here that Lune reunites with the group and begins fighting alongside you. Her entrance immediately leads to an important battle against Portier, a large and slow Nevron. Since its attacks have a long preparation time, this is the ideal enemy for you to calmly practice your defense. During this fight, the game also introduces you to elemental affinities and Lune’s abilities, so go with the flow and take the opportunity to learn in practice. One point that’s worth its weight in gold from here on out: whenever possible, prioritize hitting weak points before dealing normal damage. Generally, weak points appear as glints on the enemy’s body, but sometimes they are at less obvious angles.

Upon defeating Portier, you receive your first relevant Pictos, the Dodger. Once the fight is over, open the menu and equip this Pictos to someone. The safest recommendation is to equip it to Gustave, as he tends to lack AP to unleash his best attacks, and any efficiency gain early in the game makes a difference. With that done, cross the area blocked by Portier and exit the cave into a beautiful open field. Right ahead you’ll find an Expedition Flag. Treat this flag as your maintenance point: rest to recover health and healing items, and remember that resting causes common enemies to respawn. This can be annoying if you just want to pass through, but it’s excellent if you want to farm EXP and Chroma safely. While still at the flag, distribute your attribute points. The screen clearly shows the impact of each attribute on the character’s performance, so it’s not guesswork. You can also glimpse future abilities, even if you can’t acquire anything there yet.

When you’re finished, follow the main path until you encounter more Nevrons and fight two Lanceliers. Here you can apply a habit that will carry you throughout the game: try to get the first attack whenever the game allows you to start combat by attacking, because this gives you control of the turn and speeds up the kill. These Lanceliers are usually quite vulnerable to Lune’s ice, and their weak point is in the head area. After taking down the pair, equip Gustave with the new weapon you get, the Lanceram. If you have low health or no resources, you can return to the flag and rest, just keep in mind that enemies respawn.

Before heading straight ahead, look for a side path to the right just past this area to pick up a Pictos from a corpse. You’ll find Critical Burn, which pairs very well with Lune, especially if you want her to help “melt” tougher enemies over time. After picking up the Pictos, look to the opposite side of this detour to find more hidden Chroma. Return to the main route and face another pair of Lanceliers, keeping up your parry and dodge practice, because this initial section is designed precisely for you to master the timing of your defense without being unfairly punished.

With the path clear, enter a ruined house. As soon as you cross the entrance, don’t go straight ahead: pick up an item glowing pink or purple right next to it. These items are Tints, enhancement materials, different from the white glows that usually indicate Chroma or Pictos. Now do the following inside the house: go left, climb the ramp, climb the rope, and when you reach the top, turn right. You’ll be able to get a Blood Tint hidden under the ramp structure you used. After that, go through a door that leads outside and collect Chroma on a ledge facing the house entrance. With everything in your backpack, return to the room where the rope took you and, this time, go straight ahead to continue.

You arrive in a wider area, the Great Meadow, and find another Expedition Banner. Heal, improve attributes, and organize your Picts. From here, there’s a small fork in the path. If you go left and look near the cliff, you can pick up Chroma. Continuing to the left, you’ll find a Lancelier patrolling in a more shaded area. Try to initiate combat with an advantage and finish off this enemy solo. Afterward, advance to a white glow to pick up more Chroma, but before leaving, look up and to the right, beyond the cliff edge, to identify a hook point. If you follow this route with several hooks in sequence, you’ll reach an optional boss.

This optional boss is a Mime in the Great Meadow, and it hits hard for the point in the game you’re at. Ideally, you should face it around level 4, but there’s nothing stopping you from trying earlier if you like a challenge. If you’re having trouble, don’t force it: later you can fast travel back to that flag and retrace your steps. Against Mime, continuous damage effects like Burn help a lot, because you’ll wear down while learning its attack timings. Faced it, won, great. Didn’t win, that’s okay, go back to the main path.

Back on the main path of the Great Meadow, head towards a large enemy, another Portier. After passing him, pick up a pinkish-purple glow to obtain Colour of Lumina, which increases a character’s Lumina Points. Then, instead of going straight ahead, walk to the left from the tree and head towards the edge of the cliff, passing between two large boulders. Near some barrels there is another purple glow: pick it up to get a Chroma Catalyst.

Continue along the main route, rounding the bend and climbing a spiral slope. You’ll pass under a fallen pillar, and at the top, a scene shows flying enemies called Volester. The key here is crucial: these flyers are very elusive, and in practice, you should take them down with gunfire. Since they usually start attacking with an advantage, be ready to dodge or parry on your first turn. When it’s your turn, aim carefully and shoot at their bright blue weak point. Spend your AP on gunfire until you clear the group, and don’t complicate things by trying to resolve this with only melee attacks.

If you want an extra challenge in this region, there’s another optional boss, the Chromatic Lancelier, on a lower path and partially hidden behind rubble. You can even run and grab Chroma behind it, but the best rewards only come if you defeat the beast. The fight is tough, especially if you’re near level 3, because a few hits can take down a party member. Start by shooting the glowing core to open it with high damage, and play as if there’s no room for error: well-timed parry and clean dodge. Winning will get you a new weapon, an enhanced attack Pictos, and more resources like Catalysts and Colours of Lumina. If you lose, remember that this optional is designed to help you come back stronger later, so you don’t need to stop your progress here.

After clearing the area with the flying creatures, look for a section near a cliff where you can climb up using a rope. At the top, the scenery changes and strange, bluish trees appear. Walk to the edge to observe the Continent in the background, then look further down to locate a ledge with a glowing item. Carefully descend to the platform and pick up more Chroma. After that, return to the path and proceed along the right side, using a grappling hook to cross a gap.

You reach a fork in the path. To the right, there’s a quick combat that yields EXP and Chroma; to the left is the main path with climbing. If you choose to fight, you’ll face three enemies together: a Portier, a Lancelier, and a Volester. Use Gustave’s shots to blast weak points and let Lune help take down the Volester with shots and ice when it makes sense. With a little organization, you can even take down the Lancelier early and reduce the pressure. After winning, advance a few steps beyond the battle area and search broken boxes and barrels for extra Chroma. Then, return and follow the main path.

Following the light poles, you reach a steep cliff face that you can climb, and soon enter a more enclosed section, almost like a stone tunnel. Upon exiting, a cutscene gives you your first journal, from a previous expedition, and you find a peculiar Nevron on the ground, resembling a white lamp: the Jar. Talk to it to unlock your first optional quest related to finding light for this creature. You can still continue without doing this now, but it’s worth keeping in mind that there’s a solution nearby and a useful reward.

A little further on, rest at a flag and unlock the fast travel point at the Abandoned Camp. Upgrade what you can and follow the path through the cave, as it’s the only way. At one point you’ll see flares in the sky and Lune will want to run towards them. Don’t go straight. Take a detour to the left and pick up a Pictos called Burning Shots near a tree. This is very helpful for applying Burn with shots and is useful in several early game fights.

If you explore the lower area, you might be attacked by a new type of Nevron, the Abbest, a conjurer. The good news is that its attacks are quite telegraphic: the magic takes “a while” to cast, so you can dodge without panic if you pay attention to the rhythm. It’s worth fighting them because there’s a chance they’ll drop a better weapon for Lune, the Lighterim. Just don’t get lost: after exploring, return to the higher area where you came from and follow a long, winding path to the right, winding through the rubble. At the end of it, pick up the Pictos Dead Energy II.

Now go back to where you exited the cave and descend to the lower area. In a small cave you’ll find a strong pinkish-purple glow: pick up another Colour of Lumina. Then, at the next point where the path splits, go down further and to the right, going under the bridge. Face the Nevron there, who actually comes in a group with two Volesters and one Abbest. After defeating them, still under the bridge, pick up another Colour of Lumina.

Continue forward to another fight with three enemies, now a mix of Volester, Lancelier, and Abbest. With them defeated, climb onto a pile of old barrels to reach a purple item: you’ll find Resin, exactly what Jar was looking for. You can go back to deliver it now, but there’s still a very important item in this area, so don’t rush.

Still in this lower area, in the same section where you picked up the Resin from the pile of boxes and barrels, look for a narrow corridor to the left of the ramp. Follow it to the bottom, where it gets darker, to find a hidden pinkish-purple item: the Revive Tint Shard. This fragment permanently increases your maximum Revive Tint capacity, meaning you’ll be able to carry more resources to revive allies. It’s a big advantage for the fights ahead and the kind of item that’s easy to miss.

If you want to clear everything before going up, go back near the bridge and face the last group of Nevrons that usually stays in the upper area, again a similar combination with Lancelier, Abbest, and Volester. Then, pick up a purple item on a ledge to obtain another Chroma Catalyst.

When you’re satisfied with your exploration, climb up to the Expedition Flag at the top, rest, distribute upgrades, and if you want to do Jar’s mission the most convenient way, use fast travel to return to the Abandoned Camp and deliver the Resin. When delivering it, there’s an essential detail: aim and shoot Jar’s staff to ignite the Resin and complete the aid correctly. The reward is worth the visit, so it’s a great time to finish this task. If you haven’t yet defeated the Mime of the Great Meadow, this is also a good time to try again, because you’ll likely be stronger and have more tools.

With everything ready, fast travel back to the Indigo Tree point and proceed to the clearing. A cutscene will begin and the situation will escalate quickly: a huge Nevron will appear and the boss fight against the Evron will begin. Before anything else, memorize its affinities: it absorbs Earth and is weak to Ice. This means that Lune’s Earth attacks are wasted or worse, so avoid any Earth elemental abilities during combat and focus on Ice whenever possible.

The Evicty usually opens with a slow-prepared spear strike, much like the Lanceliers, and he repeats this pattern quite a bit during the fight. Use the first few turns to time your dodge perfectly. Right at the beginning, the game teaches you a new system: shields. Each shield negates one hit, no matter the amount of damage. Therefore, don’t waste your heaviest attacks while the boss is still full of shields. The most efficient approach is to break shields with shots and simpler actions, and only then use your strongest attacks targeting the weak point.

In addition to the simple strike, he has a two-spear attack, one in each hand, with similar speed, and also casts a spell similar to that of the Abbest. The difference is that, here, the spell comes in pulses targeting characters in sequence and ends with a final pulse hitting the group. Save your safest dodge for that final pulse, because that’s where many people mistime it.

At a certain point, a warning appears stating that the Bishop “felt threatened.” Take this as an emergency signal: on the next turn, he calls for reinforcements, usually two Abbest. The objective then becomes to reduce the chaos. Eliminate these two as quickly as possible, targeting the green weak points, or use them intelligently to generate AP if your setup allows, but without losing control of the fight. And to reiterate: no Terra against the boss.

Also, pay attention to a moment when the Evicty “charges” power. When this happens, shoot the glowing core of his body to deal significant damage and, if possible, disrupt his rhythm. In the final stretch, when his health drops to the last quarter, he enters Enraged mode and gains a huge amount of shields, so repeat the logic: light shots and attacks to remove shields, strong blows only afterward. If you let him complete an attack charge, he unleashes a turbocharged version of the magic, with several stakes rising in sequence at a faster pace, culminating in a final hit on the group. The best way to deal with this is to get into the rhythm: pay attention to the cadence and defend in time, instead of reacting in shock.

By defeating the Bishop, you receive a significant amount of EXP and Chroma, Catalysts, and a new Pictos called Cleansing Tint. Before rushing off to the next map, take the opportunity to collect the last items from the Indigo Tree. Facing the exit portal, turn your back to it and walk towards the red marker “33”. From there, explore two corners. Going to the left, you’ll find a branch with an impaled body and, on it, a Pictos called Empowering Attack. Going to the right, look for a glowing rope to descend behind the tree. Follow a short, winding path to the end to pick up a pinkish-purple item on an ledge, plus another Colour of Lumina.

With everything collected, go back and cross the rotating portal to leave the Spring Fields and reach the world map, the Continent. Here the game turns into a classic exploration RPG: you can walk around the world, find wandering enemies, and search for accessible secrets. Near the path to the next objective, you learn how to camp by pressing down on the directional pad. Use the campsite whenever possible before advancing the story, as it allows you to catch your breath, talk to Lune, and make notes in Gustave’s journal. When you’re ready to continue, head north towards the next main destination, the Flying Waters.

Flying Waters

Upon arriving at Flying Waters, a cutscene will play automatically, and once you regain control, you can start by grabbing an easy item that many people miss. Look at the two bodies ahead and, instead of going straight, turn left and continue to the end of the path, which is a dead end. At the end you’ll find the Pictos SOS Shell. Got it? Then return to the main route and continue around the large structure in the scenery, advancing through the ravine.

A few steps further on you’ll find the game’s first Paint Cage. This type of “cage” only opens when you shoot small markers scattered around it. The most important rule here is: the markers are almost always within your line of sight from inside the cage, so before running off, calmly search the sides, nearby rocks, pieces of wood, ledges, and corners of the path. Aim with your weapon, destroy all the markers, and only then return to the cage to retrieve the released item, which here is a Chroma Elixir Shard. This fragment increases the maximum amount of this elixir you can carry, so it’s a permanent quality-of-life upgrade.

With that resolved, continue along the natural rocky corridor until you find two bodies with glowing Chroma between them. Collect it and move on. In this area you will encounter a new type of Nevron, so take advantage of the habit the game teaches: observe the glowing weak point, break shields when they exist, and don’t waste your strongest attacks before the enemy is “ready” to receive real damage. Soon after, before climbing a slope, make a short detour: instead of going up, turn left to enter a small cave. Inside there is a Colour of Lumina. Take it and return to the climb.

Going up, watch out for a fork in the path. Turn left onto a path that leads to two enemies and, after them, to Pictos Marking Shots. This Pictos is worth the effort because it improves your shooting and marking skills in combat, which matches the type of threat Flying Waters puts in front of you. Got it? Return to the main path and follow it until you enter a kind of “underwater minefield”. Here, an ambush occurs with flying enemies carrying mines. The logic of this fight is different: they are annoying to hit with normal attacks, and the most consistent way to deal with them is by using shots. The key is to aim at the mines around them, because exploding these mines causes area damage and can hit more than one enemy at a time. In other words, save time and risk: use your weapon, make smart detonations, and clear the group without insisting on melee attacks.

After this ambush, advance to the right, defeat another enemy, and collect a Chroma Catalyst. Continue and notice another item glowing further ahead. As you approach it, the game attempts another ambush, this time with three of these flying mine enemies. The difference here is that you don’t want to start the fight “cold,” because taking their first turn can be costly. Try to position yourself and pull the fight your way to secure the first action and detonate mines right at the beginning. The item you were going to pick up is another Chroma Catalyst.

With the area cleared, traverse a narrow cave until you reach a hut. Near it is an expedition flag, so use this spot to heal, rearrange Picts, and invest attributes and skills if available. Before triggering the next scene, go around the hut and pick up the Chroma hidden behind it. Approach the hut to watch the scenes, and then you will be taken to the Manor.

In the Manor, don’t stress about trying to open everything. Almost all doors become unavailable on this visit, so your goal is simply to move forward. Go up the stairs, choose the right staircase to continue ascending, and follow the corridor to an open door with blue light leaking through. As soon as you pass through this section, Maelle will join the group. Take the opportunity to return to the flag to distribute attributes on it and unlock the first abilities, because entering with it “raw” is wasting potential.

When you’re ready, return to the entrance hall and speak to the unknown entity, the Curator. Agree to train. This fight serves as a tutorial for a new concept: attacks that require jumping. Some attacks appear as a type of “flare” that you can’t counter with a normal dodge or parry, so the game forces you to jump to avoid them, and if you time it right, you can respond with a jump counter-attack. The Curator essentially repeats the same pattern, so use this training to learn to read the visual cues, jump at the right time, and land the counter. This is also where the game introduces Maelle’s initial combat abilities. After finishing the training, leave the Manor to continue the story.

Back in the outdoor area, you unlock the Gestral Merchants, traders who exchange your Chromas for useful items like Chroma Catalysts and Colours of Lumina. Since Flying Waters gives you a lot of money, it’s usually worth spending here to strengthen your team. And there’s a very important detail: you can challenge the merchant to a 1-on-1 duel to unlock their rarest item. If you want to do this now, choose your fighter wisely, because it will be solo. The merchant Noko grows quickly in the first turn and starts attacking with simple strikes, usually a charge with his bag or a punch. These are one-hit attacks, very “clean” to read, so you can parry or dodge consistently, and Gustave usually handles this type of pattern well. Upon winning, you unlock a specific Pictos for purchase. Buy the Exposing Attack immediately, because it’s one of those items that doesn’t appear again, and missing it can frustrate you later on. After that, buy what makes sense for your playstyle and continue, as the path ahead becomes available.

Following the water and wreckage, look for a Chroma Catalyst near fallen Nevrons. Then, proceed to an area with a large boat and a huge enemy high above it. On the ground, before you have to worry about the giant, two larger enemies appear for you to fight. Defeat both and you’ll receive a weapon for Maelle, the Brulerum. Next, go around the large structure in the environment and, instead of continuing straight ahead on the obvious route, walk further back to find a Recoat on top of a rock. This item is valuable for holding off difficult fights, so it’s worth the detour.

Before moving on, look at the platform where you picked up the Recoat and use the scenery to climb up. Jump to the neighboring platform, use the climbing holds, cross two hooks in sequence, and follow the path until you get the Pictos Augmented Aim. This is one of those Pictos that makes all the difference in Flying Waters, because shooting and aiming play a central role here.

Now go back and enter a nearby circular tunnel. Inside, you’ll find a Nevron wearing a diving helmet, the Demineur. Talk to him and, for now, choose only to examine him, without fighting. Soon after, cross the gap by jumping across circular pillars until you find a purple item: an Intact Mine. Return to the Demineur and give him the intact mine. In exchange, you receive a weapon for Lune, the Deminerim. At this point, if you want, you can still choose to fight the Demineur, but do so with caution: it’s a tough fight, especially on higher difficulties. He usually alternates between a mine strike targeting an ally and area-of-effect lightning attacks. Against lightning, the safest approach is to dodge, not attempt a parry, because the timing can be very punishing. An important trick is to shoot the mine to deal high damage and accelerate the enemy’s breakdown, and he tends to suffer a lot from electricity, so use electric attacks if you have access. If you’re getting beaten, don’t insist. Leave, get stronger, and come back later.

Back in the open area, follow the main path. You’ll come across a Nevron “forging” something. Treat him as an enemy and try to get a head start, as he already has shields. His weak point is on his arm, and ideally you should break the shields with shots or cheap actions before unleashing your best abilities. Upon winning, you’ll get a new weapon for Gustave, the Cruleram. Behind the forge, collect another Chroma Catalyst.

Continue and you’ll reach another flag. Use it to heal, adjust Maelle and Lune, and ensure your Pictos are well distributed. From this flag, advance a little and look for a path to the right to pick up the Pictos Staggering Attack. Then, return to the path and, leaning against the left wall at a certain point, there’s Chroma to collect. Continue, because a Cruler-type enemy will come through a wall and appear in front of you. Defeat it and, immediately to the left, pick up the Pictos Rewarding Mark. Next, climb a nearby slope to find a small cave with an enemy guarding a Colour of Lumina. Clear it, pick it up, and go back down.

As you fall back down, look for Chroma near a body. Continue and you’ll reach a point where the path splits. One side leads to a cave with a red glow. Go down that side and use the grappling hook to cross a gap. After that, you’ll find another split. Your objective here is a Paint Cage with an enemy beside it. Defeat the enemy, look for the markers around the cage, shoot them all, and grab the reward: a Revive Tint Shard, which permanently increases your maximum Revive Tint Shard. Don’t run off yet. Climb the slope, use pillars to climb with jumps, and reach an ledge leading to a cliff with another Colour of Lumina.

Now, return to the main path and follow the alternate route at this fork to retrieve expedition log number 68. Keep going and you’ll see a giant humanoid Nevron in the background. You won’t fight it here, so ignore the intimidation and follow the trail. When climbing holds appear, don’t climb the first one you see. Continue to the left, into the vegetation, until you find a second set of holds. This is the access to a well-known optional challenge by this point: the Flying Waters Mime.

The Mime here behaves like the previous ones, so the fight is more about execution than surprise. He starts by raising a barrier that reduces damage and only falls when you manage to break the enemy. Additionally, he comes with shields, so remove those shields with shots before attempting big hits. If you’re already at a comfortable level and know the timing of his attacks, the strategy is straightforward: survive the pattern, break it quickly, and unleash damage while he’s vulnerable. Upon winning, you earn Wardrobe cosmetic items, and right behind the fight location, there’s another Colour of Lumina to collect.

After the Mime, return to the initial climbing point and this time, climb up and continue forward until you are near some structures. Before entering them, look to the right for a hidden path amidst the seaweed. It leads to an optional boss, the Bourgeon, a smaller version of that large threat you saw earlier. This boss begins the fight by swallowing a member of your party, and this is unavoidable. The good news is that when you break the Bourgeon and stun him, the swallowed ally is spat back out without taking damage. The Bourgeon has a lot of health and is usually weak to electricity. He also spits miasma that causes Exhaust, preventing AP generation, so if that hits, your rhythm plummets. In melee combat, he alternates combos that can range from 3 to 5 hits and also a crushing sequence with many strikes. Since the attacks are fast and the penalty for missing is high, it’s generally more consistent to focus on dodging than parrying, and remember that the miasma isn’t something to try and parry. Winning will earn you the Abysseram weapon for Gustave, the Pictos Augmented Counter 1, a quest item called Bourgeon Skin, and a Chroma Catalyst.

With the optional quest resolved or ignored, return to the path and traverse the buildings to a new flag. Soon after arriving, an enemy appears and flees, serving more as a warning that the map will begin to mix ambushes and patrols. From the flag, you enter a large open area with structures in the center. For now, go around them on the right side, defeating enemies along the way. When you take down a large Cruler with a mace, look near a kind of stand in the area, because that’s where an Energy Tint Shard is usually located. There’s also a Colour of Lumina on a nearby ledge, so pay close attention to the heights and sides.

Next, return to the flag and examine the left wall ahead to find climbing holds. Climb up, defeat the enemy at the top, and proceed to a hook leading to a structure. Cross the balcony, and at the end, you’ll reach a cliff with a Chroma Catalyst. From there, you can use the hook again to descend to a new area. Follow it, and you’ll reach another optional boss, the Chromatic Troubadour.

This Chromatic isn’t as brutal as some previous challenges, but it still demands fine-tuned timing. Its weak point is in the center of its body, so use shots whenever you have an angle to speed up the fight. It has patterns where it seems like the attack will happen when it plays its trumpet, but in reality, some blows come from the instrument’s swing, and along with that come delayed energy blasts that catch many people off guard. You need to defend not only its movement but also the invisible “second hit” that arrives an instant later. In other sequences, it alternates easier-to-read breaths with a quick strike that breaks the rhythm, so don’t relax just because the first two were easy. If you’re having difficulty, use items without hesitation, because a mistake here can take down an ally and snowball. By winning, you receive upgrade materials, the level 4 Troubadim weapon for Lune, and, behind the arena, pick up the Pictos Energising Break. Use the grappling hook to return to the beginning of the balcony area.

With that done, go to the central structure of the large area, use the grappling hook to climb up, eliminate the enemy up there, and then cross over to the building on the right with another grappling hook. Continue until you find the Pictos Versatile. Now you can head towards the final stretch of Flying Waters. From the flag, go down the path on the right to reach another flag. Heal, reorganize the team, and prepare for a mandatory boss fight.

The boss here is Goblu. As soon as the fight begins, he tends to open with a three-jump sequence that crushes the group. Defending against this initial attack is the trickiest part of the fight, because the timing can be tricky. If you can’t defend perfectly, the plan is to survive the initial onslaught and stabilize with healing. In terms of element, he is weak to electricity and resistant to ice, so prioritize electric damage and avoid wasting your best ice resources here. In addition to the jumps, he also punches in a double sequence, and although it hurts, this boss usually allows recovery even after a mistake.

When Goblu’s health drops to around 80 percent, it summons flowers with visible weak points on their bodies. Your priority changes instantly: aim and shoot these flowers to break the “trigger” that enables more dangerous attacks a few turns later. Maintaining this control makes the fight much more manageable than most of the region’s optional battles. Upon winning, you receive a Shape of Health, a Polished Chroma Catalyst, and another Chroma Catalyst. Then just follow the path ahead, and the Flying Waters area is complete.

Ancient Sanctuary

To reach the Ancient Sanctuary after finishing Flying Waters, continue north on the Continent map. You’ll notice a region in the distance with striking colors, lots of white with bright red, as if the vegetation were “painted” in contrast. This is the best sign that you’re going in the right direction. The area’s portal is nestled between two rock walls, right in the middle of a corridor with striking red trees on either side. Enter the portal and watch the area’s introductory scene.

As soon as you can move, look for the expedition flag right at the beginning (Expedition 63) and use it if you need to heal, resupply, or reorganize Pictos and attributes. Not long after the flag, you’ll encounter a new and special enemy, the Pétank. He’s skittish, tries to escape, and precisely for that reason, rewards you handsomely. The Pétank’s first “trick” happens before the fight: he runs away and forces you to chase him to a specific corner of the path, where there’s a bluish whirlpool on the stone ground. You don’t need to solve any puzzles there, just corner him. When the combat begins, he enters with a large number of shields, so your number one priority is to take down these shields with shots or cheaper actions, without spending your strongest resources. As soon as the shields fall, immediately shift gears and use your heaviest attacks to take as much health as possible before he escapes. Pay attention to the warning of remaining turns until the escape, because it usually recovers shields on the same turn, which slows you down. A detail that helps a lot is forcing the enemy to break: causing a break buys time, because you gain an extra turn in practice. Here it’s also worth risking parries when you’re already comfortable with the rhythm, because the counter-attack damage makes a real difference in this race against the clock. By taking down the Pétank, you leave with valuable upgrade materials and rare resources for this point in the game, so it’s well worth persisting.

After winning, don’t go straight ahead. Look to the left, climb the reddish planks, and proceed to a bridge with debris. At the end, amidst the remains, you’ll find a Pictos called Energising Jump. Pick it up and then return to the main path. The route ahead splits, and at this point, it’s worth going left first. Taking the lower path, near the water, you’ll reach a cliff overlooking waterfalls and a more distant area. On this ledge, examine the wall on the right until you find supports to descend. Descend carefully to pick up the Pictos Burning Mark, and once you have it, return to the upper trail, now following the right path to continue progressing. Along the way, you can talk to a faceless young boy, but for now there’s no way to advance anything related to him, so treat it as a story moment and move on.

Continue down the trail until you reach a clearing filled with fallen Nevrons. After a scene involving a misunderstanding, an important fight ensues against a robust Sakapatate, a defensive contraption of the Gestrals. Here, elemental awareness is crucial: it’s weak to fire and resistant to electricity, so focus on fire and avoid investing your best electrical resources. If you have ways to apply Burn, even better, because the damage over time helps break through the target’s defense. Its weak point is at a joint in its arm, and the best part of this weak point is that you can hit it more than once if you maintain control of the combat. At the end of the fight, it usually tries to finish by “falling” on top of the group, so pay attention to the moment of impact and dodge, because it’s a move that catches many people off guard. By winning, you obtain the Sakaram weapon for Gustave and also watch a short scene that introduces another Gestral. Just ahead there’s another flag, and it’s a good idea to rest there to register the fast travel point that leads to the Sanctuary Maze, because you’ll want that reassurance before entering the maze.

Entering the Sanctuary Maze, the best way to clear everything without getting lost is to adopt a method: whenever branching paths appear, explore the right-hand paths first until you exhaust what they offer, and only then return to the path that drives the story. At the first intersection, go to the right. Then, when the path splits again, keep to the right, heading towards a darker corner. Near the ground, at the base of the wall, there’s a low opening you can sneak through. Go through this passage, and on the other side, another split appears. Once again, go to the right. You’ll see a route to the left marked by a large torch; save this direction for later, because it leads to important rewards and also to the optional Mime boss, but for now you want to finish the right-hand circuit.

The path to the right opens into a larger area where a guard is patrolling. Before approaching the enemy, make a quick loot draw: there’s Chroma hidden behind a huge rock on the right side. Grab it and then return to face the combat, because it’s worth it. Here you face a Ranger Sakapatate alongside a Catapult Sakapatate. The reason not to ignore this fight is simple: the Catapult can yield one of the best early-game weapons for Lune, the Trebuchim. Both retain the same elemental logic as previous models, so fire works well. On the Catapult, the weak point is the wheels, with two clear targets. Shoot the wheels to break the catapult and reduce the threat. However, the enemy has a “plan B”: if they need to attack with the catapult broken, they pull out a hidden blade and make a quick strike that can inflict Exhaust, so don’t relax just because you broke the wheels. If they attack using the functioning catapult, prepare for an electric sequence targeting team members. And, like other Sakapatates, this type of enemy may try to finish you off by throwing itself against the group, so be ready to dodge when you notice the attack.

After clearing the area, there are still two important explorations to be done. First, search the back left of the clearing, in a slightly elevated area, for two climbing points. Climb up, follow the winding path, and pick up the Pictos Energising Start II at the end. Then descend and enter a dark cave at the back of the area, marked by a more ornate stone pillar. Inside this cave is a lone Catapult guarding a very useful Pictos. Walk through the long entrance tunnel and, soon after, look for a recess to the left to find the Pictos Attack Lifesteal. Continue to the back of the cave and you will see a golden rope shining; climb it to reach an upper section with a Colour of Lumina. Important: avoid jumping from certain high ledges in this area, because you can fall back near the beginning of the Ancient Sanctuary, making it an unnecessary detour. The most efficient way is to return to the clearing and then follow the torch path you left for later.

Following the path marked by the torch, look for a ledge on the left where there’s another Colour of Lumina. In the center of this area, there’s a structure where you can pick up a Revive Tint Shard, permanently increasing your maximum revive item limit, which is very helpful for future battles. There’s also an optional boss here: the Ancient Sanctuary Mime. If you’ve fought Mimes before, the idea doesn’t change much, so it’s a good time to secure Lune’s cosmetic reward, as victory unlocks a new look for her. When you’ve finished in this area, exit down the ledge where you collected the Colour of Lumina. As soon as you fall, turn immediately left and follow a path illuminated by a beam of light. At the end, hidden among ancient boxes, is Chroma.

If you want to really clear the maze, do a quick cleanup of the initial area. After falling off that edge, you’ll return to a path connected to the left side of the maze entrance – the one you didn’t explore at the beginning. Head left, past a patrolling Catapult, until you approach the start. There you’ll find a lone Ranger Sakapatate. It’s worth fighting because he can drop Polished Chroma Catalyst, an excellent material for weapon upgrades. After winning, go back and finish off the patrolling Catapult near the strange bluish statues.

Now continue along the main path, passing the glowing statues and following a route marked by illuminated and decorated pillars. At a certain point, the path splits again. Go left first, even if it seems like it won’t lead anywhere. Persist by following the left-hand paths until you find a Healing Tint Shard at the base of a statue. This shard permanently increases your maximum healing item limit, so it’s an upgrade you’ll want to secure. Once you’ve got it, return to the path where the machines are patrolling, including a robust Sakapatate accompanied by a Catapult. From here, the area opens up in three directions: a descent to the west, a passage between trees, and a stone path with blue light posts leading east. Go west first, descending the hill.

In the west, near two bodies, you’ll find Expedition Journal 63. Also in this area, there’s another Paint Cage to open, but it’s high up and inaccessible from this point. Even so, you can already destroy all the seals securing it. Do this: starting from the bodies with the journal, look to the left and up the wall to find the first seal and shoot it. For the second, circle the stone structure and the rubble in the center counter-clockwise, and pay attention to a large, glowing box. Shoot this box to reveal the hidden seal and then destroy that seal as well. For the third, continue this counter-clockwise rotation and look for the seal embedded in a wall on the opposite side of the entrance, behind tall white trees. With all three seals destroyed, the cage will be ready to be opened; you just need to reach it.

To reach the Paint Cage, leave this side area and look further north for a discreet path to the left, somewhat “swallowed” by foliage and flanked by two tall statues of Gestral. Enter there, descend a golden rope, and you’ll land on a short platform section. The path is straightforward: climb onto a platform supported by a statue and jump from one platform to another until you reach the final edge. If you’re misjudging the distance, run before jumping to gain reach. Upon completion, you’ll collect the cage’s reward: another Chroma Elixir Shard, increasing your maximum limit of this resource.

With that done, go back and follow the stone path on the east side, guided by the blue lampposts, until you reach another flag, Expedition 70, which also serves as a new fast travel point. Rest, upgrade your gear, and on the right side of the flag, look for a rotating air point that you can interact with to release a rope that becomes a shortcut back down into the maze. It’s a great shortcut to reduce return time if you still plan to explore.

When you’re ready for the main progression, return to the path and climb the hill towards the giant bell. Here comes the Gestrals’ final gamble: the boss fight against the Ultimate Sakapatate. It follows the elemental logic of the robust model, so it’s weak to fire and resistant to electricity. Right off the bat, notice when it attacks in sync with its partner: there’s a defense sequence that usually works as a pattern, with two ground responses and one air response, so be prepared to dodge, dodge, and then jump at the right time when the attack requires jumping. Aside from that, much of its kit resembles other Sakapatates, only more aggressive.

The great advantage of Ultimate Sakapatate is that it has a “protected” critical point, hidden behind its shield, which is only exposed when you manage to break the boss. Here, it’s worth using impact abilities to accelerate the break, such as Gustave’s Overcharge or Lune’s strong techniques that push the break. As soon as the point becomes visible, aim carefully and unleash all your strongest attacks on it, because dealing enough damage there can break the boss’s arm and significantly reduce the threat for the rest of the fight. Near the end, when its health drops to about a quarter, it enters a more dangerous mode and starts firing multiple cannon attacks in sequence. The best defense in this section is to shorten the fight: heal only what’s necessary to avoid falling and prioritize finishing quickly.

By winning, you receive the Pictos Breaker, refined enhancement materials, and a Recoat, and a cutscene instructs you to follow the Gestrals. But before obeying, scan the battlefield itself because there are important items there. On the left side of the arena, going up a short ramp, there is a Colour of Lumina. Then, cross to the opposite side, to the right of where you entered, and look for an ledge near several statues to pick up an Energy Tint Shard. Next to this shard there is a low passage illuminated by a lantern; crawl through it to follow a long path that ends at the Pictos Stun Boost. Pick it up and return to the arena.

With everything collected, then follow the Gestrals down and beyond the giant bell to exit the Ancient Sanctuary. When you return to the Continent, take the opportunity to set up camp. This is a great time to visit the Curator, strengthen your weapons, and spend your Colours of Lumina in the most efficient way. After that, continue north to reach Gestral Village and continue the story and the search for a way to cross the sea.

Gestral Village

Once you leave the Ancient Sanctuary and return to the Continent map, the path to Gestral Village is quite straightforward. Head north and look for a large stone building in the distance marking the entrance on the map. As you approach, you’ll see the village gate; go through it to enter the first “real” town in the game. If at any point you feel disoriented inside or outside the village, use the game’s compass to guide you by cardinal directions, because this region has signs and paths that make sense when you orient yourself by direction.

Upon arrival, there’s a clear path leading up to the gates, and next to a torch you’ll find the Expedition 52 flag, which serves as a resting point and landmark. It’s worth talking to the Gestrals along the way, as they provide context about their culture and also help indicate the location of important places. After passing through the gates, resist the urge to go straight to the chief’s house. The best thing to do first is a short detour to the left, because that’s where the Gestral Bazaar is located, and you’ll leave the village much stronger if you explore this area before advancing the story.

On your way to the bazaar, you might run into Noco perched atop a crate, ready with more sarcastic comments, but what really matters is entering the market and checking out the stalls. At the first stall on the left, talk to the merchant Jujubree. He sells very useful upgrade items for this point in the game, and two investments are usually worth every Chroma: Polished Chroma Catalysts, which accelerate equipment upgrades, and Pictos Critical Moment, which is the kind of effect that starts to pay off significantly in longer fights. If you’re feeling confident, you can challenge Jujubree to a duel. The fight is 1-on-1, so choose the character with whom you have the most dodging and parrying skills. His style is fast, with kicks and light pressure, so it’s not a battle designed to eliminate you, it’s more of a test of execution. Winning the duel unlocks a new weapon for Gustave called Demonam, but it’s not free, so only count on it if you have enough Chroma to buy it later.

While still in the bazaar, walk a little further and look for a blue and white Gestral named Berrami. He mentions a friend and shows you a collection of writings that this friend has been collecting, basically records from other expeditions. From here, you activate a kind of progressive exchange: the more Journals you give to this Gestral in the future, the more rewards he will pay you. Even if you don’t pursue this now, it’s good to keep this in mind so you don’t sell or ignore diaries thinking they’re just text.

Before leaving the market, there’s one more detail that many people miss. Go back and talk to Jujubree again if you’re carrying that “strange” Pictos that you can get much earlier, during the festival. He can transform that item into something truly usable, returning it as Augmented Aim. It’s a huge improvement because it stops being dead weight and becomes a build tool, so do this as soon as you have the opportunity.

With the bazaar sorted out, return to the central part of the village and look for the building marked as the Chief’s House. Go inside and talk to Golgra. The conversation is important because it pushes the story forward: you need a way to cross the sea, and he explains that, without a boat, the alternative is to reach Esquie. However, to reach Esquie, you need a password reserved for the greatest warriors, and to prove you deserve this password you will have to win the legendary arena tournament. At this point, when the game offers you the chance to go straight to the arena, the most efficient path is to refuse for now and explore the village more first, because there is an easy-to-find Journal, some very valuable items, and optional activities that can boost your team before the 1v1 battles.

To find the most important Journal at this point, leave the Chief’s house and follow the signs indicating the arena. The path runs along the side of the Chief’s House, and you’ll be going around to the left. As you approach the arena, pay attention to the left side before a sign with an arrow pointing to the location. There’s a small, discreet path there, and you’ll find Expedition Journal 52 on it. Pick it up and register it, both for its content and because it helps with rewards related to collecting journals.

While still in the village, it’s worth taking a leisurely stroll through the Gestral Bazaar and chatting with everyone, because in addition to shops selling clothes and Pictos, there are situations that only appear when you enter certain areas. One of them happens right after Jujubree: there’s a Gestral standing at the entrance of an alley, as if it were a secondary access point. If you enter this alley, your party is attacked by thieves, initiating an optional fight. The main enemy in this confrontation tends to be weak against fire, so use Burn and flame affinity attacks to end it quickly. The “strange victory” here is that, after defeating the thieves, you can buy items from them. The merchant who appears in this situation offers a strong selection, including a high-level weapon for Maelle (Sekarum), common and refined Catalysts, Colour of Lumina, Recoat, and a Pictos called Healing Mark, which recovers some health by hitting a marked target once per turn. If you like safety and consistency, Healing Mark is the type of Pictos that improves the entire game.

Another easy interaction to miss involves a sleeping Gestral named Victorifo, located near his house in an area close to the Chief House. Behind him is a tempting, visible item provoking you. To wake Victorifo, use free aim and shoot the mirror on the right side of his house. He won’t like it at all, but this unlocks a large Chroma loot drop. However, there’s a price: when you try to leave with the money, a fight breaks out, and you’re pulled into a battle with him. If you have resources and want extra Chroma, it’s worth it. If you’re out of healing and have a messy build, it’s better to leave it for later.

In addition, the village has other optional activities that you can view as “long-term preparation” or as aesthetic rewards. There are requests that yield themed outfits, such as helping specific characters to unlock a Sakapatate skin for Lune and a separate challenge that unlocks another Sakapatate skin for Maelle. There’s also a request that can only be completed later, involving blue mushrooms for a Gestral named Karatom, and this line rewards you with a Gustave skin and refined materials, so keep that information in mind for when you return to this region in the future. If you enjoy risky minigames, look for the gambling Gestral who poses questions to unlock the Pictos Roulette; on the way to the casino area, keep an eye out because there’s a pickable Recoat next to the path, and it often goes unnoticed when people just follow signs. Elsewhere, you can pay 1,000 Chroma for an item sold as a “legendary sword,” and even though it’s suspicious, it yields a quest item, so do it if you enjoy completing collections and unlocking consequences later on.

One area worth visiting before the arena is the theater. To find it, from the village entrance, head to the right, away from the bazaar. Hidden behind the theater is Chroma. The easiest way is to go around the left side of the theater, past the tables, and break boxes to gain access behind the stage. Additionally, there’s a golden rope climbing up a scaffolding structure; if you climb it and walk to the end overlooking the stage, you can get even more Chroma up high.

And if you like secrets, here’s one of the best in the village: in that same area of ​​the theater there’s a sign warning not to enter, but you can ignore it and find another door to the Manor. Entering through it, you fall into a kitchen. To open a hidden passage in the floor, interact with three specific objects: a candlestick on a table to the left, a bust fixed to the right wall near the door, and a copper pot hanging on the wall above the counter. Activating all three opens the passage and you descend into a short sequence of rooms. There, after a strange scene involving food and a Gestral, you can get a Shape of Energy by breaking boxes in a corner under the stairs. Then, look for an opening in the wall blocked by boxes and destroy it to enter another room. Break barrels near the stairs and get a new hairstyle for Maelle, Rebellious. If you go up the stairs from this area and enter the next room, you’ll also find a special painting as an easter egg. It’s optional content, but worth it for the reward and the charm.

When you’re ready for the main objective, follow the signs to the arena. If you get lost, return to the village entrance and use the signs from there, as they will guide you in the right direction. Before starting the fights, grab the arena’s rest point, which is also the Expedition 52 flag for the area, for reference and to quickly return if you need to reorganize your build. In the arena, speak to the Gestral responsible for registration, who is at a table. The tournament rule is the most important detail: each fight is 1 vs. 1, so you need to build a character as if you were a “solo champion.” Take your best Pictos and Lumina set and equip it all on a single Expeditioner, because it’s no use having a well-built team if only one character enters each fight.

If you want the safest and most rewarding long-term path, Maelle is the best choice for the final battle. The reason is simple: her exclusive weapon, Medallum, can be locked until very late in the game if you don’t win the decisive fight with her. Gustave and Lune’s best weapons have alternative routes in other areas, so you don’t lose as much if you don’t use them. In terms of execution, Maelle also combines very well with a simple and efficient skill cycle: first apply Burn with Spark, then use Swift Stride to enter Virtuoso stance and gain AP, then use Fleuret Fury for high damage while maintaining the stance, and finish with Percee, which costs little AP and hits very hard. If you have Marking Shot available in your build, you can even mark the target and jump straight to Percee, which in many cases knocks down the opponent instantly.

In the first duel, you face Bertrand Big Hands. He’s much simpler than he seems, with single, easy-to-read attacks. If you want to speed things up, try parrying to end the fight early, and even if you miss, the damage isn’t usually excessive. In the second duel, against Dominique Giant Feet, the logic is similar: he also works with a single attack, but slower, so the secret is patience to avoid pressing too early. In the third, Matthieu the Colossus continues in the same vein, but his attack is a quick thrust or slash with a blade, so your reaction time needs to be a bit sharper. Still, it’s a short duel if you use your best skills without holding back.

The final fight of the tournament comes with a surprise: the opponent is Sciel, another Expeditioner. After a brief conversation, you agree to keep the show for the Gestrals, and the duel begins. Here she manages to deal more damage than the previous three, so if you’re unsure, prioritize dodging instead of parrying to avoid unnecessary risk. The advantage is that, at this point, your damage is usually higher than hers, so if you maintain defensive consistency for a few turns, you’ll end the fight quickly. With Maelle, that cycle of Spark, Swift Stride, Fleuret Fury, and Percee usually works very well, and if you can apply marking beforehand, even better.

After winning, take advantage of Sciel’s optional tutorial if it appears, because her kit is different and understanding how she works now helps a lot when she joins your group. Then, talk to Golgra again to advance the “access” part you came looking for. There is also the possibility of challenging him to an optional duel, but this is a fight that requires perfection at this point in the game and, in practice, it’s not worth insisting on, especially if you’ve already secured the final victory with Maelle and obtained her exclusive weapon.

Once that’s done, it’s time to leave Gestral Village. Upon leaving the village, the game automatically takes you to the camp. Use this time to adjust Sciel’s attributes and abilities, rearrange Pictos in your party, and make your standard improvements with the Curator, especially weapon upgrades and the use of Colours of Lumina. Afterward, go to sleep to trigger an important scene. When you wake up, your next destination is to head east on the map towards Esquie’s Nest.

Esquie’s Nest

Before entering Esquie’s Nest, it’s worth doing a quick review of the Continent map so you don’t arrive unprepared, especially since Sciel has just joined the team and still needs levels and tools to shine. If you’re passing through the Yellow Forest region, you can return to the nearby merchant Gestral (the same area where a small Bourgeon usually roams around) and buy a new skin for Sciel. It’s not mandatory, but it’s an easy reward to grab while you’re there. Next, if you have access to the hidden arena, use that place to level up Sciel a bit. Reaching around level 20 will make her much more consistent for the upcoming section. This hidden arena is also the best place to get a specific trophy related to her mechanics, Maximisation, which requires you to consume 20 Foretells during the Twilight state. The most “friendly” opponent for this is Julien Tiny Head, because the duel gives you time to set up your rotation without the enemy knocking you out in a scare. To make your life much easier, unlock the Dark Cleansing and Spectral Sweep abilities. Dark Cleansing is great for opening the fight by winning Moon without spending AP, meaning you start building the path to Twilight without falling behind. Spectral Sweep becomes the shortcut to stacking Foretells, because it gives you 10 at once when you use it, as long as you have Pictos or the Last Stand Critical passive equipped. By executing the sequence correctly, you reach 20 Foretells before Twilight’s last turn and finish off Julien with any of Moon’s offensive abilities, provided you’re defending well, because ideally you should parry his attacks to avoid losing momentum.

If you’re willing to go further and level up to level 25, you can take advantage of the opportunity to clear an optional boss that used to be a real pain: the Chromatic Abbest in Abbest Cave. It’s basically a “turbocharged” version of the regular Abbest, but with extended attacks and much greater punishment. When it jumps, instead of a single impact, it can stomp the target up to three times in a row, so it’s safer to dodge than to try to parry, because the timing between impacts often deceives you. When it approaches to attack in melee, it comes with two quick slashes using its blade, almost in quick succession. In addition, it has a magic ice attack that will break you when you try to play too automatically. The most stable strategy is to win by wearing down and breaking, not by blindly “all in”. Burn works very well: Maelle with Rain of Fire spreads burn and eats away at the boss’s life while you learn the rhythm. Lune with Mayhem helps to push heavy damage at the right moments, and Sciel, if you land a well-constructed Twilight consuming Fortune, can also take a good chunk of health. Bring Revive Tints and use them liberally if someone falls, because a mistake here is common, especially on high difficulty. At level 25 the fight becomes manageable, and if it’s still not going well, the best decision is to leave it for later, because this optional doesn’t stall the story. Winning will bring excellent rewards to evolve your team, including an offensive Pictos, rare Catalysts, and several Colours of Lumina.

With your preparation complete, head to Esquie’s Nest. Upon arrival, approach the guard at the entrance to trigger the cutscenes, and when control returns, enter the cave and advance to an open area filled with hanging lanterns – quite eye-catching. In this hall, don’t just follow the main path. Jump down to the left, because down there you’ll see a Pétank. Here, the objective isn’t just to touch it as before, but to “guide” the creature along the path until it stops and engages in combat. Follow the Pétank through the water, blocking its exits to prevent it from escaping in the wrong direction, until it reaches the correct location. As soon as the fight begins, act quickly: Pétank is a high-reward enemy, but it’s also an enemy that will flee if you hesitate. Break shields with shots and cheap actions, then unleash your strongest blows to take it down before it escapes. If it escapes, don’t despair, because you can try again after you return and rest at a flag.

After the Pétank, return to where you came down, find the climbing holds and climb back up. Upon returning to the upper level, jump to the other side of the hall and look to your right, because there’s another Mime waiting for you. If you’ve been defeating Mimes since Lumiere, this fight should be quite easy now: break shields with shots, break the defense, and finish with a stun. The most important thing here isn’t the combat itself, but a specific item. On the left side of the Mime area, near large mushrooms, there’s a quest item to use later. Pick up this item, return to the holds, climb up again, and continue deeper into the cave.

You’ll reach another open area with stairs. Go up the first flight of stairs and, before continuing up, turn left to pick up some Chroma. Go back, go up the second flight of stairs and prepare for more cutscenes, because this is where you finally meet Esquie. After this encounter, go to the right to an open area and use the grappling hook to cross. As soon as you land on the other side, don’t run straight ahead: turn right to pick up a Colour of Lumina hidden there. Then, follow the main path until you find a flag, organize your team, gather resources, and advance to the open area ahead, because a boss is coming.

The boss is Francois, and the secret to this fight is accepting that it’s dangerous even if you’re above the “expected” level. He starts with five shields, and as long as those shields exist, you don’t want to waste your heaviest attacks, because each shield negates an entire hit. Your priority is to take down the shields quickly, using shots, simple attacks, and anything low-cost that consumes layers. The problem is that his magic attacks hit absurdly hard and can knock someone down in one hit, so play as if every defense matters: dodge carefully and be ready to use revive if someone falls, without trying to “save” items and lose the fight out of stubbornness. The good news is that, once the shields are gone, Francois can’t withstand pressure for long. If you manage to apply Burn to him and maintain the offensive pace, he melts quickly. Upon winning, you receive the Pictos Augmented First Strike.

The boss is finished, don’t run off yet. There’s a rope ahead to climb. Climb it, follow the path collecting the Chroma that appears along the route, and then use a pillar as a platform to jump and reach another Colour of Lumina. With that in your backpack, go back and talk to Esquie to close the final scenes and complete what you needed inside the nest.

On your way out, you’ll pass through a pillar that Esquie knocks down, use the grappling hook to advance and enter the next room. Midway, you’ll find a campsite containing an expedition journal, Journal 66, so grab it before you miss it. Continue, pass through another grappling hook, and look for a Pictos called Energising Start III, which is located along the progression path and is quite valuable for builds that rely on starting combat with a resource advantage. After that, simply leave Esquie’s Nest.

Upon leaving the nest, Esquie becomes available as a resource, and from this point on you can traverse certain types of terrain on the world map that previously blocked you. Once you return to the Continent, set up camp to watch the cutscenes, talk to the group to get dialogue and context, make your upgrades with the Curator, distribute attributes and skills, and take the opportunity to write in Gustave’s journal before moving on to the next objective.

Now the Continent’s map truly changes, because those rocky terrain strips that were once walls become “doors” to new areas. Whenever you see this blockage, call Esquie and ride across on him. He destroys the rock to open a passage. Just keep in mind that you can bump into enemies while mounted, but you can’t initiate an opening attack in that condition, so if you want to start fights with an advantage, dismount before touching your targets.

Before heading straight to the next main objective, it’s worth doing an optional exploration circuit to collect records, Pictos, and permanent upgrades. Start by going south of Esquie’s Nest, where there’s a small area called Twilight Quarry. At the entrance, before going through the portal, look to the right and break the boxes to find Chroma. Then, go a little further and notice an item on top of a cliff to the east, right in front of you, which is a Colour of Lumina. Pick up both, enter Twilight Quarry and complete what’s inside, because it’s simple: it’s practically a room with a single collectible, a record called “Un 33 Decembre A Lumiere”. Once finished, return to the world.

Next, head to that section of the overworld between Spring Meadows and Flying Waters. South of Flying Waters, there’s a rocky path that you can now cross with Esquie. As soon as you pass, you’ll find another Colour of Lumina right away, so don’t run straight past without looking at the glow on the ground. Nearby is another optional portal, the Ancient Gestral City. Enter and collect the only prize there, a new record called “Lights of the Past”. Exit and return to the Continent.

If you’re passing through the Red Woods region or its surroundings and have already accumulated 25,000 Chroma, you can refuel the fountain. It’s expensive and seems wasteful at the time, but it’s one of those investments the game charges for in stages. Just don’t be surprised when the next price increases significantly.

Now, use the Skie to cross the rocky terrain near Gestral Beach and enter Yellow Harvest. This area is optional, but it’s the size of a main region, so treat it like a large dungeon: flags, detour routes, a boss, sub-bosses, and permanent items. As soon as you enter, use the flag and climb the wall on the right side. Up there, jump off the cliff and go straight ahead, passing a red Gestral and a camp, then cross a cave until you reach an open area with wandering enemies and a huge silver statue that resembles a monument or fountain. Clear the enemies in the area. One of the important drops here is a high-level Gaulteram weapon, but don’t equip it on impulse, because many enemies in Yellow Harvest absorb Earth, and this can cause you to “heal” the opponent without realizing it if your build becomes dependent on this element.

Continue along the main trail, defeating anything you encounter until you reach a point that looks like a small farm or structured clearing, where one of the paths leads into a cave. Enter this cave and use the grappling hook to advance. Going straight ahead, you’ll reach a fork: if you wish, first go right to collect some Chroma, then return and go left to continue. Further ahead, there’s an enemy guarding the passage. Defeat it and then descend a cliff to obtain a Colour of Lumina. Once you’ve collected it, return to the previous fork and follow the path you hadn’t yet taken until you reach another flag.

From this flag, proceed and descend through more cliffs. At one point you will find a group with a Nevron carrying a torch. It’s worth eliminating this group because the reward may be a high-level Potierim weapon for Lune. Still in this area, look at the left wall from where you came and look for a hook point to climb up. Up there you will find a figure similar to the Curator, with the appearance of a boy. Talk to him for a moment of lore and then descend back down, it doesn’t matter if you descend the same way or by a path further ahead.

Back in the lake and statue area, head all the way to the right until you find a camp with a Pictos called Death Bomb. Pick it up, and before continuing, be aware that there’s an important path to a merchant. Looking at this camp, the climb you want is to the left, but you usually need to back up a bit and align the camera to see the ramp. Climb this slope and follow it to an area full of lanterns. There you’ll find Expedition Journal 38. Keep walking, past the bodies, and reach a cliff. From there, use the grappling hook to climb to a floating island and find a Gestral Merchant named Pinabby. He sells a very strange Pictos that kills the user at the start of the battle, so it’s a build-specific thing, not a general use. The most interesting thing here is that you can challenge him, and the fight is usually not difficult. Winning unlocks the Pictos Teamwork, which is much more useful for normal gameplay.

After the merchant, go down and follow the river against the current, because there’s Chroma on the left bank at one point along the way. Continue until you find another enemy group and notice that nearby there’s a lantern and another journal, Expedition Journal 44. Very close by there’s a cave. Go inside and sneak through the narrow passage, because inside there’s another Mime, the Yellow Harvest Mime.

This Mime is no joke. It has way too much health, far above average, and its damage scales to the point of taking down a character with one mistake, even with a high-level party. The moveset resembles other Mimes, but everything comes faster and stronger, and the hammer attack is even more punishing, potentially adding extra impact and even applying Silence, which can derail your plan if you rely on abilities. The safest way to deal with it is to play like a boss fight: break shields with shots, don’t waste your big hits before the right window, and prioritize defensive consistency. Here, a clean dodge is worth more than trying to parry “by yelling” and losing the entire party. Winning clears the path and allows you to continue the circuit around the lake.

After Mime, continue around the lake area until you see a large ramp. Climb it, use the grappling hook, climb another ramp, use another grappling hook, and continue until you enter a cave. Inside, use the climbing holds and follow the corridor to a flag. To the left of this flag is Expedition Journal 59, so grab it before moving on. From here, continue along the main path and prepare for a mandatory area boss, Glaise.

Glaise starts with three shields and opens the fight with an attack on the entire group. The advantage is that this attack is quite “clean” to defend against, and if you time your defense correctly, you’ll not only avoid damage but also help remove the shields quickly. During the fight, he has a sequence where he slams the ground, making it seem like the danger is in his hands, but what you need to observe is the light on the ground, because that’s where the earth magic damage will explode. He usually unleashes three impacts targeting different allies. At another point, he signals a heavier attack, still earth-based, and then the blows fall in rhythm with his ground slams. Offensively, fire is excellent, and abilities that apply Burn melt his bar, especially area attacks that leave accumulated burn. Ice also works well. What you don’t want to do is insist on electricity and earth, because it tends to yield little or disrupt your rhythm. With a little practice, the fight becomes quite controllable. Upon winning, you gain the Plenum weapon for Maelle and the Pictos Energising Attack I.

With the boss defeated, don’t go straight through the main exit. Turn back to face the path you came from and look for a trail to the left. Follow it to a cliff and jump down. Down there are two paths: one leads you back to areas near Mime, and the other leads you to a more open area with a strange structure. Choose the path that goes to this open area, because there are three special enemies there that function as a sequence of optional bosses in the same fight, the Chromatic Orphelin.

Here, the rule is: there’s no such thing as a quick victory. There are three targets with their own bars and resistances, and the fight only ends when all three fall. They tend to be weak to Earth, but Burn is an excellent strategy against all three because the continuous damage helps you get through the long duration of the combat. Be careful of treacherous attacks that can apply Blight and spinning strikes that seem “slow” but will kill you if you mistime them. They also attack using tools like spoons, nails, and hammers, with two- to three-hit combos, and the timing is usually tight. Since it’s a long fight, there’s a real chance you’ll run out of Revive Tints. Therefore, it helps a lot to equip passives that work better when you’re alone, because if the combat goes downhill and you’re left with one character, these improvements can be the difference between finishing or restarting. Abilities that hit multiple enemies also shine here, because you can maintain pressure and debuffs without wasting turns. By winning this trio, you receive a Kralim weapon for Lune, several Polished Chroma Catalysts, and Colours of Lumina, so it’s a reward well above average.

After the victory, follow the passage within this area to exit, and along the way pick up a generous amount of Chroma, around 3,000. You return to near the point where you defeated Glaise. From there, proceed to leave Yellow Harvest. Upon exiting, you reach a new segment of the overworld. Near the entrance there is a tablet that you can activate to create a shortcut back to the previous segment, so interact with it to facilitate returns. If you continue forward in this new section, you will find Lost Woods, another short optional area with a single collectible, a record called “Aline’s Glasshouse”. Pick it up and return via the shortcut.

Still in this segment, backtrack a bit and head east, behind another rocky area that you now cross with the Esquie, to pick up Expedition Journal 62. If you continue further east, you’ll cross more rocky terrain and reach a beach with a merchant. On the opposite side of the merchant, there’s a Pictos on the ground, Energising Start I, so don’t leave without picking it up.

With those detours done, it’s time to head towards the next progression section, but there’s still an important optional combat to fit in along the way. Leaving Esquie’s Nest, head north towards Stone Wave Cliffs. After crossing the rocky barrier and reaching a fork in the path, take the eastern trail to face an optional Bourgeon that comes with support. The fight follows the logic of the previous Bourgeon: it swallows an ally and only releases them when you defeat the boss. The annoying difference here is that, even after defeating and spitting it out, it tends to repeatedly swallow the same character, forcing you to play a good part of the combat with only two active members. The priority is clear: accelerate the defeat whenever possible, maintain control of healing, and avoid wasting turns on scattered damage. Winning will earn you another Bourgeon Skin and upgrades for equipment and Pictos, raising the levels of important items and bringing improvement materials.

After defeating this Bourgeon, search the eastern corner of the area to find your second Lost Gestral. Continue exploring the area to obtain a Pictos called Healing Parry, then enter the camp and speak to Sastro to receive the reward for finding the Lost Gestral.

Before finally heading to Stone Wave Cliffs, it’s worth doing a final cleanup of Gestral Village, because now you have enough Journals and also a quest item that unlocks a fight. Return to the village and speak to Berrami to receive a large reward in Colour of Lumina, usually a large amount at once. Then, give Karatom the mushroom you picked up earlier at Esquie’s Nest. This triggers a fight, and it’s a solo fight: you fight with the character you’re controlling. The enemy is an Ultimate Sakapatate in a one-on-one duel, so you can’t rely on team synergy. He has a three-hit combo where the last hit requires a jump counter, so don’t get stuck in ground defense when the jump icon appears. He also uses a single ground slam and a shield push that can mark you. When he loses about 20 percent of his health, he raises his shield and starts firing cannons every turn after the main attack, which greatly increases the pressure. Here, the key to victory is mastering the parry to counter-attack and break the boss. Once you manage to break it and gain your window, aim for the weak point and unleash damage. Near the end, with low health, it adds an electric throw attack that speeds up the pace of the fight. It’s a tough 1v1 battle, but it’s winnable with practice in the level 25-30 range, provided you play fair, don’t waste windows, and use healing at the right time.

With that, you complete the large optional exploration block that Esquie unlocks. Now, you can proceed to Stone Wave Cliffs.

Stone Wave Cliffs

Upon entering Stone Wave Cliffs, follow the main path to trigger some cutscenes and continue until you find an expedition flag. Before using it, look to your left and pick up the Chroma located there. After the flag, continue along the path and you will see a large Nevron, made of crystal. For now, ignore it and look for a rope on the right wall to climb up. This climb leads to Expedition Journal 78. Near the journal, to the left, there is a Paint Cage, but its markers are more scattered. For the first one, go to the upper left corner of the cage, turn around and look up. For the second one, use the rope to the right of the cage (when you are facing it from the journal). For the last one, jump onto the rocks in front of the cave; it’s right there, next to a tent. Destroying all the markers will release a new weapon for Gustave, the Delaram.

Return to the first rope you climbed, descend, and follow the cliff edge to the end to retrieve a Colour of Lumina. Now, defeat the large Nevron you previously ignored to obtain the Pictos Confident. Afterward, examine the walls to the left of where the Nevron was, and you’ll find another Pictos hidden behind a wall, the Breaking Counter. From where the Nevron was, follow a kind of “tunnel,” use the grappling hook to cross the ravine, and retrieve the Colour of Lumina located there.

Continue along the trail to an open area with more Nevrons. Ignore them for now and go left, following the cliff edge, to defeat a specific enemy. He will drop the Chation weapon for Sciel and the Pictos Energising Pain. Near a lamppost with a sword stuck in it, you’ll find Expedition Journal 56. Return to the main path and continue, turning left to see a gazebo with a Colour of Lumina. Go a little further and, to the right, there are some ledges to climb. Climb up, defeat the enemy, and pick up the Pictos First Strike.

Go down and use the grappling hook to cross the ravine. On the other side, you’ll find another one of those boys who look like the Curator, and to his right is Chroma. Talk to him for more lore details. Continue forward and use the flag. The path here splits. Go to the left of the flag, defeat the enemies, and find a Healing Tint Shard, which increases your ability to carry Healing Tints.

Return to the flag and follow the path to the right, descending the hill towards a ship. Near a Paintress shrine, there is an Energy Tint Shard. Continue along the path until an enemy jumps in front of you. Defeat it and proceed. From this open space, the path splits in several directions. To avoid getting lost, follow these instructions: take the leftmost path, where you will find Expedition Journal 50 near two kneeling bodies. Use the grappling hook to cross a gap and grab Chroma, then use the grappling hook again for more Chroma. Next, climb the nearby holds to return to the previous open space. Now, go left and continue straight until you defeat an enemy. Look to the right of where it was and you will see a ramp leading to the upper ledges of this space.

Up there, go straight ahead to pick up a Colour of Lumina. Turn around and go up the next ramp. Behind a rock, you’ll find the Pictos SOS Power. Go down and follow the straight path through the cave to a hook. Go through it and, to the right, there’s a Chroma point. Climb the rope.

Follow the path to a flag, and you’ll reach a farm. Again, there are many branching paths to explore before moving on. Immediately to the right of where you entered, there’s a Chroma Point near a small house. Go around the house to find a path leading away from the farm. Follow it, defeat an enemy, and pick up a Polished Chroma Catalyst behind a rock. To the left of this item, there’s a crevice to crawl through. Inside, you’ll find a Gestral Merchant and a strange yellow distortion. As with the other merchants, you can fight Jerijeri to unlock his best item. Use an ally with solo passives to make the fight easier. Winning unlocks the Rangeson weapon for Sciel. Interact with the yellow distortion to create a rope of light, which serves as a shortcut to an earlier part of the dungeon.

Return to the farm, walk from the flag towards the farm and jump off the left ledge to pick up a Polished Chroma Catalyst. Go up the ramp and you’ll see a Pétank. The strategy is the same: don’t chase it through the house. Lead it to the main farm area, then guide it towards the large Nevron and then to the right to the stopping point. Return to the top of the ramp and go to the far left to find a Paint Cage. The markers to shoot are scattered around the area. The cage reveals a weapon for Maelle, the Duenum.

Now, go back to where you first saw the Pétank and follow the path to the left of the cave. Halfway there, you’ll find a Colour of Lumina. There’s nothing else on that farm, so continue straight through the cave and, after it, follow the path to a ravine. Use the climbing holds to cross.

On the other side, you’ll find Hexga, another incomplete white Nevron. After an interesting conversation, he’ll ask you to bring three lustrous rocks from a nearby cave. Enter the cave and use the flag. Proceed further and use the grappling hook to traverse. Use the rope to descend into the cave. Nearby, there’s a large enemy. Defeat it. This area has even more branching paths, so proceed carefully. Down below, you’ll find crystals. Break two of them with attacks to obtain the quest items Hexga requested. From the rope, follow the path furthest to the right to find a Colour of Lumina in a barrel.

Jump to the right and follow that path. You’ll be ambushed by a sub-boss, Rocher, who isn’t difficult to defeat. Rocher will drop the third rock you need. For now, ignore Hexga and continue. At the end of that path, there’s a rope. Climb down it and you’ll reach a room with a large Nevron wielding a sword and a door to the Manor. That’s the Gold Chevalier.

This will be an important fight, even without a boss HP bar. His main ability is to imbue his weapon with fire and attack the group, causing Burn. He is weak to Dark. Learn to parry or dodge his attacks and focus on dealing damage. At levels 28-30, it shouldn’t be too difficult. Upon defeating him, you gain the Pictos Perilous Parry. To the left of the door is Chroma, and behind the rope, near a body, is a Recoat.

Go through the door to enter a new room in the Manor. You can interact with the wardrobe and the window. The window does nothing, but the wardrobe will give you an outfit for Maelle. You can exit through the entrance to return to where you left off. Go back along the rope, go straight ahead to get a Colour of Lumina.

Now you can go back to Hexga and deliver the rocks. After he gets up, the spot where he was will have a new Pictos, the Auto Shell. You can also ask him about his Mistress, but only once, and he will be silent afterward. At that point, you can attack him and fight. Remember that you won’t get the 100 Lumina if you do this, but they are fun fights.

Hexga, like others of its kind, has shields and can reapply them. Unlike others, it can also charge a powerful attack even with shields. If it has the chance to use this attack while its shields are active, it will unleash a blow that cannot be blocked, parried, or evaded. It deals up to 2000 damage, so you’ll be in trouble if it manages to use it before you can act, i.e., if it has two turns in a row. There are two ways to survive this, assuming your level and attributes are high enough: the first is to cast a Shell on the entire group. You can do this with Sciel’s Dark Cleansing, which allows her to share her buffs with the group, with her having Auto Shell equipped. This can also be a way to maintain the buff if it runs out. Having Sciel with the Rush ability for a group-wide Rush is also useful. For damage, your main source will be Maelle. Equip her with Sekarum, ideally at level 10. She should also have the Marking Shot skill as a bonus. This will ensure she can deal a consistent 9999 damage each turn after removing shields as quickly as possible. You will receive some upgrade items as a reward.

Now, return to the main open area of ​​the cave and take the central ramp further ahead, which is the path with red flowers and grass. You’ll reach a fork in the path. Go to the right. You’ll reach a cliff. Look ahead and you’ll see pillars you can jump onto to get the Pictos Breaking Shots. Return to the fork and take the other path, using the grappling hook. Follow the trail up a ramp to find a Colour of Lumina. Climb the rope and Esquie will let you know you’re near the end. There’s a flag ahead, but we’ll take a small detour first.

To the left, there’s a hook point. Use it and follow the path. You’ll reach a house with another flag. Go through the house and exit, following the path to another building. Enter and climb all the stairs, then go through the door to exit. Climb down the cliff to find a Revive Tint Shard. Climb back up and up the hill. Defeat the enemy here to find an item and a yellow distortion that you can use to lower a rope, creating a shortcut. On the opposite side of the rope, there’s a hook point. Go through it to find the Pictos Enfeebling Mark.

Go back outside the building you climbed and look at the building to the right. There’s a hook point. Go through it. Follow the path up the hill and, when you see a ledge, jump over it to grab an item. Continue up the hill until you encounter some enemies. Defeat them and, near a body with a sword, there’s another Pictos, Healing Tint Energy. Continue up the hill and you’ll reach another rope. Climb up and you’ll be in another building. Go through the door and head straight “out,” then use the climbing holds to climb up and grab the item here, which is Coralim, a new weapon for Lune. Go down and then down the stairs and exit the building. You’ll reach a hook point. Go through it. You’ll be back at the flagpole where Esquie appeared.

If you were wondering why we didn’t find any Mimes, it’s because there aren’t any in this area. Strange, isn’t it? Anyway, rest and get ready for the boss. Go through the tunnel and you’ll eventually reach the boss.

The Lamp Master shouldn’t give you too much trouble, but he can be annoying. He uses Light and Dark attacks. One move, the Dark Blast, is a single strike with a long build-up, which can damage and exhaust the target. He can also use a dark area attack that is easy to dodge. Another move will have him try to disrupt your ability to shoot, using a three-hit combo that stuns the target. Additionally, at the end of each turn, he will use floating lanterns to randomly shoot at the group. You can avoid this by shooting the lanterns. If this is done, he will relight them instead of attacking. That said, he doesn’t have much HP, so it won’t take long to defeat him, and then a cutscene will play.

The fight will enter Phase 2. At the start of this phase, he will use an area attack, a ball of light, which requires a jump counterattack. After that, a message will say: “He is conducting a strange ritual with his lamps.” Then, the lanterns on his body will light up in a pattern. Shoot them in the exact order. A green light will appear if you choose correctly, and if you hit them all, the message “You have completed the Lantern test” will be displayed and the Lamp Master’s attack will be canceled. He will attempt the ritual at the end of each of his turns. For attacks, he has a flying combo with multiple hits, so be ready to dodge or parry for a while if he uses it, or he will attack with each arm, which again is 3-4 hits. Don’t hesitate to use revives if you miss. Either way, keep shooting the lanterns in the correct order and dealing damage normally, using Maelle or whoever, and you will finish this fight sooner than expected. As a reward, you will receive the Pictos At Death’s Door and Shape of Life, in addition to the usual upgrade items. You can’t rest yet. There’s one more battle to fight, the final fight of Act 1. Unfortunately, you can keep attacking, but nothing will work. Just keep attacking until the cutscenes continue.

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