Summary
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a must-play for turn-based RPG fans, featuring engaging gameplay similar to classic JRPGs.
- The game is full of missable optional interactions, side quests, and boss fights, offering powerful rewards.
- Players should pay attention to hidden areas, seek out side quests, and help NPCs in order to unlock unique items and boss fights.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the JRPG-influenced adventure from developer Sandfall Interactive, has received rave reviews since its launch. The turn-based battle system with heavily emphasized timing elements is engaging and satisfying to master, drawing comparisons to classics like Chrono Trigger and the Mario RPG s among others. This, combined with the game's unique visual style and themes, makes Clair Obscur a must-play for any turn-based RPG fans.
Like any classic JRPG, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is full of optional interactions, side quests, and boss fights that are easy to either ignore or miss completely. There are plenty of reasons to seek out these optional quests, as the rewards range from powerful upgrades and Pictos to new outfits for the game's various characters. For those who want to see as much as they can in one playthrough, here are the best side quests that are easy to miss.
While this article avoids story spoilers for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, it does contain mechanical spoilers, as well as information on side quest outcomes, rewards, missable items, and NPCs.
7 Trash Can Man
Early Upgrade Item
- Location: Prologue
- Type: Interaction
-
Reward:
Chroma Catalyst
There are several missable items and interactions in the prologue of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Most players will probably choose to interact with Nicolas, the painter near a large statue at the start of the game, and get the missable respec item from that interaction. Yet they might easily miss that the trash can near the stairs close by is also interactable, and interacting with it several times will let players talk with trash can man.
It's more of an amusing interaction than a side quest, but players will get an early Chroma Catalyst from it, which can be used later for weapon upgrades. Players looking to 100% the game should also make sure to get the 
Old Key from Colette during the festival and defeat the Mime in the prologue before going past the point of no return at the harbor.
6 Jar
Finding The Light
- Location: Spring Meadows
- Type: Nevron, Missing Item Hunt
-
Reward:
Healing Tint Shard
The NPC Jar is relatively difficult to miss; they are in a prominent position at the end of the Spring Meadows zone. Yet, like many of the side quests in Clair Obscur, Jar won't tell players exactly what they want or where to find it. All they'll tell players is they're looking for a light source, making it pretty easy to miss the item that players need in order to complete the quest.
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It's also possible to miss this quest entirely (and lock out the reward from a much later quest) by choosing to fight Jar at this point. If players want to help Jar instead (and they should), they'll need to find 
Resin a little ways past the NPC and into the dungeon they're in front of. The Healing Tint Shard players get as a reward for helping is used in upgrading potions, and is well worth the minor effort of backtracking.
5 Demineur
Lost Weapon
- Location: Flying Waters
- Type: Nevron, Missing Item Hunt
-
Reward:
Deminerim
(Lune weapon)
Demineur is another White Nevron NPC, similar to Jar, who players can choose to assist or attack if they find them in Flying Waters. To find this quest, players need to progress to Noco's Hut resting point in Flying Waters. Heading forward from there brings players to a large open area, and they can take the route on the right side to get to a small area containing the Demineur NPC. Examining this NPC lets players know it's missing its weapon, which is past a small platforming puzzle nearby.
If players choose to return the weapon to the Demineur, they get Deminerim, a weapon for Lune, in return. The Deminerim deals lightning damage, making it useful in the rest of Flying Waters. It's a good reward, but it's also pretty easy for players to walk straight past the area with this early game NPC and miss the encounter entirely.
4 Hidden Gestral Arena
Optional Boss Fights
- Location: Hidden Gestral Arena
- Type: Boss Fight
-
Reward:
Last Stand Critical,
Protecting Last Stand,
Accelerating Last Stand,
Solo Fighter
The Hidden Gestral Arena is home to a series of optional one-on-one boss fights that can earn players some significant rewards. This optional area is accessed from the overworld, and it's found in the northwest of the map, in the area between Ancient Sanctuary and Gestral Village.
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Not only is this optional side quest a great way to test the player's abilities in a one-on-one battle, but it also unlocks some unique Pictos that will help with later situations where players need to fight one-on-one. It's easy to miss this hidden arena, but players can visit it later if they missed out during their first trip through.
3 Hexga
Auto Shell
- Location: Stone Wave Cliffs
- Type: Nevron, Missing Item Hunt
-
Reward:
Auto Shell
Hexga is another White Nevron encounter that can be found in the Stone Wave Cliffs. Just before getting to the Tide Caverns resting point, players can find Hexga on the cliffs overlooking the Old Farm area. Like with the other Nevron quests, players can choose to attack Hexga, or they can help it by bringing back the items it's looking for. In this case, players need to explore the nearby cave and find three Rock Crystals.
The reward for assisting Hexga is the Auto Shell Pictos, a powerful item that will be forfeited if players choose to attack before completing this Clair Obscur side quest. Attacking any of the White Nevrons will lock players out of another potential reward later, too, so those on a first playthrough will likely want to assist any that they find. Hexga isn't the easiest White Nevron to miss, as it's just off the main progress path, but players definitely don't want to skip the quest reward.
2 The Crows
Chromatic Chapelier
- Location: The Crows
- Type: Hidden Boss Fight
-
Reward:
Minason
(Sciele weapon),
Shielding Death
The Crows is an area that players can find on the world map just to the west of Visage. Players might be confused if they visit it, though, as the area appears to be empty. There's actually a hidden boss fight here, but players first need to use free aim to shoot the crows that are perched around the area.
As players take out crows, the incessant cawing gets quieter and quieter. Once the last crow is taken out, the boss fight against Chromatic Chapelier will be triggered. It's easy to miss the trick required to initiate this boss fight, but the rewards are worth getting while in Act 2.
1 Blanche
Helping The White Nevrons
- Location: The Fountain
- Type: Nevron, Interaction or Boss Fight
-
Reward:
Colour of Lumina
x100
Blanche is an NPC located in a hidden area near Spring Meadows, but it's only accessible once players have access to flight much later in Clair Obscur. This NPC is the culmination of the White Nevron side quests, and their interaction with the player will depend on whether they choose to help the Nevron or attack them. If players help the Nevron, Blanche will reward them with 100 Colors of Lumina.
If players attacked any of the White Nevron, interacting with Blanche will trigger a boss fight. Players get Colour of Lumina x10 and 
Grandiose Chroma Catalyst x2 from winning the fight, so it's still worth finishing this quest chain for those who are pursuing the fighting route. There are a lot of opportunities to miss these Nevron quests or mess up the rewards for first-timers, but they make for a good reason to replay Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 92 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- April 24, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Sandfall Interactive
- Publisher(s)
- Kepler Interactive
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Genre(s)
- Turn-Based RPG, JRPG, Fantasy
