When it comes to combat inClair Obscur: Expedition 33, defense and support might keep you alive, but offense decides how quickly a fight ends. And if you want to deal fast, heavy or precise damage, you’ll want pictos that actually work in combat, not just look good on paper.
Review: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a turn-based RPG that pushes the technical aspect of modern hardware to its limits.
Once you’re in the middle of a fight, it becomes clear which ones are worth the Lumina and which aren’t pulling their weight. So this list is to show you what each offensive picto actually does in practice, not just what it promises.
10Augmented Counter III
Ramps Up Your Damage
When you pull off a counter,Augmented Counter IIIgives your damage a staggering boost. It also adds a bit of Defense and Critical Rate to your stats, which can be handy for surviving and landing more critical hits. Because this picto rewards counterattacks, you’ll need to be good at timing your counterattacks.
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Augmented Counter III costs 7 Lumina Points, which is a decent chunk. Plus to get it you need to take out theChromatic Echassier in Lumiere, so it’s not exactly a quick pick-up.
High-Risk, High-Reward Gamble
Rouletteintroduces a high-risk, high-reward mechanic to your combat. Instead of giving you a flat damage boost or a steady effect, it turns every hit into a coin flip. When it’s equipped, each attack you make has a 50% chance to deal either half the normal damage or double.
What that really means is damage is dealt at random. Sometimes you’ll hit like a truck, sometimes you’ll barely scratch the enemy. It’s not about planning a big combo or building up power; it’s about accepting that your damage might spike or fall flat without warning. Over time, across many hits, the numbers kind of balance out, but in individual moments it’s chaotic and fun.
Double Your Damage with Free Aim Shot
Sniperrewards you for timing your attacks right. It doesn’t hand out constant damage boosts, instead focusing everything on one moment: your very first Free Aim shot each turn. That shot hits for double damage – and it’s not just stronger. If that first shot lands, it also has the potential to Break the enemy, leaving them vulnerable and stalled.
But Sniper only works once per turn. After that first Free Aim shot, Sniper’s bonus doesn’t apply again until the next round. So if you’re the type who likes to spam attacks, this isn’t the best fit. But if you plan your moves carefully, that first hit can turn the tide of a battle.
7Critical Stun
Turns Stunned Enemies into Guaranteed Critical-Hit Targets.
Critical Stunmakes any hit on a stunned enemy an instant critical strike. That means you no longer rely on chance for that extra damage, it’s 100% certain. Because it relies on Stun status, Critical Stun works best for teams that can reliably inflict or chain Stuns.
Slotting in Critical Stun requires 5 Lumina Points, which is a relatively light amount. To add Critical Stun to your kit, go to the Sacred River area and look for the Gestral Merchant. After you beat him in combat, you can trade 53,880 Chromas for Critical Stun in his shop menu.
6Immaculate
Deal More Damage Until You Take a Hit
Immaculategives you a clear message: hit hard, but don’t get hit. When you equip it, you get a 30% damage boost, but there’s a catch: you only get that bonus until your character takes damage. The moment they get clipped, whether it’s a small attack or a big one, the effect cuts off completely.
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Immaculate is best used by characters who act early in a fight and can do a lot of damage before the enemy has a chance to react. The effect is ideal for starting strong, bursting down a key target or setting the tone for the encounter. But once you’ve been hit, Immaculate might as well not be there anymore. It’s not something that helps you recover or scale. It’s all about that clean, unbroken opening.
5Empowering Dodge
Successful, Consecutive Dodges Give You a Small Damage Boost
Empowering Dodgeis a lot like Empowering Parry, but I prefer it to the latter since dodging is easier than parrying. Every time you successfully dodge an attack, your damage goes up by 5%. That bonus stacks, and if you keep dodging without messing up, it can climb all the way to 50%.
But the moment you fail to dodge, the stack resets, so it only rewards clean, consistent timing. To get this Picto, just find your way to The Continent, near the Endless Night Sanctuary. You’ll find it lying around in the area, no fighting or farming required.
4First Offensive
Boosts the First Hit You Land
First Offensiveis a Picto that plays all its cards at the very start of a fight. It boosts the first hit you land and the first hit you take by 50%, no more, no less. Once those two events happen, the effect is done. So, it’s not something that scales or sticks around. It’s just about setting the tone at the start.
If your approach relies on opening strong or baiting the enemy’s first move, First Offensive might be a perfect fit. To equip First Offensive, you need to allocate 5 Lumina Points. This picto can be yours by simply taking out the Chromatic Abbest inside Abbest Cave.
3Exposing Attack
Lets You Strip Away an Enemy’s Defenses Every Time You Land a Base Attack Strike
Exposing Attackmakes every basic strike you land peel away an enemy’s defenses for one turn, opening them up to follow‑up damage. On top of that, it quietly bumps your speed and your Critical Rate, so you’re just that much quicker and a tad more likely to score a crit when enemies are at their weakest.
Equipping Exposing Attack eats up 10 Lumina Points, so budget your build carefully. To get the Exposing Attack picto, just go to the Flying Waters and challenge Noco, theGestral Merchant. Beat him in combat, then spend 3,600 Chromas in his shop to buy Exposing Attack.
2Full Strength
Damage Boost When Your HP is Full
Full Strengthis an offensive picto that rewards you for staying untouched. As long as your HP is completely full, it gives you a 25% damage boost. But the moment you take any damage, the effect cuts off entirely. It favorsparty memberswho start fights with a strong burst or builds that can avoid taking early hits.
Imagine a turn-based opener where you act first, deal high damage and maybe take the enemy out before they even get a chance to hit you. That’s where this Picto pays off, but it costs 15 Lumina Points, which is on the higher side. So you have to ask yourself, “can I consistently keep my HP full long enough to justify the cost?”
1At Death’s Door
Deal More Damage at the Brink of Death
TheAt Death’s Doorpicto gives you a significant advantage when they’re on the brink of defeat. If your character’s health drops below 10%, this Picto boosts your damage by 50%. It’s perfect for players who like to play on the edge and take risks, because when you’re low on health, your offense gets a serious power-up.
This Picto isn’t for everyone. It works best for aggressive players who can handle low health without getting wiped out. It rewards precision and timing, but if you’re not managing your health well, it can backfire. To get this Picto, you’ll need to spend 5 Lumina Points, which is a modest cost.
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