Here's Exactly How Long It Takes to Beat Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
A lean, mean RPG.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a bold and bewildering debut from developer Sandfall Interactive — an RPG that manages to feel both nostalgic and shockingly innovative. Set in a French-inspired dark fantasy world, Expedition 33 is clearly inspired by the likes of Final Fantasy and NieR, but manages to carve out its own unique identity. A big part of what makes Expedition 33 so memorable is how impeccably constructed and paced it is, free from any kind of fetch quests and padding that you find in a lot of modern RPGs. But that doesn’t mean it won't take up a few weekends for you. With that in mind, here’s everything you need to know about how long it takes to beat Expedition 33.
How Long Is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33?
The main story of Expedition 33 is similar to something like Final Fantasy 10 or Lost Odyssey — mostly linear with a bit of room for light exploration. It’s entirely possible to just mainline the main story if you want, and ignore any and all side content. The main story will take roughly 25-30 hours, with some variation depending on the difficulty level you play — Story (Easy), Expeditioner (Standard), and Expert (Hard).
Does Expedition 33 Have Side Content?
On top of superbosses, there are “Chromatic” versions of regular enemies that are drastically more difficult.
While that main story is fairly linear, Expedition 33 actually has a surprising amount of side content packed it, but it’s done different than most games. There’s no journal or quest log in the game — everything has to be discovered and done naturally.
Most of the exploration is layered into the world map, especially when you reach Act 3 and unlock the ability to fly. At this point, there’s a good extra 30 hours of side content to get through, making your grand total in the 60-70 hour range. There are over a dozen super bosses to take down, a handful of extra dungeons, and a bunch of collectibles find — including records to play music at camp, Expedition Journals that add narrative, and costumes. If you’re strapped for time, however, there are three optional dungeons we’d highly recommend doing, as they directly expand the story and characters. Here are those three if you need to know.
- The Reacher — Unlocked by getting Maelle to max relationship bond.
- The Flying Manor — Found in the sky near Endless Tower in Act 3.
- Renior’s Drafts — Found in a dive point near the Axon Islands in Act 3. To unlock dive, get Esquie to max bond level.
Is There a New Game Plus in Expedition 33?
Expedition 33 has a few ultra-hard bosses that might be better left for a New Game Plus.
Yes, Expedition 33 does have a New Game Plus feature at launch, unlocked after you see the credits roll and reload your save. This will let you carry over all your character’s levels, weapons, and Pictos — but enemies will be significantly more difficult to help maintain the challenge. This means you can play through the game again without worrying about the experience being too easy.
