Clair Obscur: 10 Best Pictos Every Character Needs, Ranked

The Clair Obscur universe is full of powerful pictos, but some stand out above the rest! ✨ Whether you’re new to the game or a seasoned player, here’s the definitive list of the top 10 pictos you absolutely need for each character.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lives up to its artistic name thanks to its beautiful setting, score, and story. This creativity doesn’t extend just to its story or its world, it encourages players to be creative as well. With Pictos, players can enhance and modify their party to create a wide range of strategies while being encouraged to break the game. If there’s a certain gameplay style players like, such as status effects, solo fighting, damage-dealing, or Free Aim, players can build around that to truly personalize the experience.

Pictos can be found throughout the world of Expedition 33 and, at first, need to be equipped in one of three open Pictos slots per character. Once a character completes three battles with that Pictos equipped, it’s able to be equipped by every character so long as they have enough available Lumina. Here are the Pictos players should prioritize regardless of strategy, and where to find them.

“Full Strength” Helps Start a Battle Off Strongly

Add Some Extra Damage When at Full Health

Image via Sandfall Interactive

One thing that makes Expedition 33’s battle system so great is its interactivity. Players can Parry or Dodge nearly any enemy attack. For the “Full Strength” Pictos, players will have even more incentive to do that. So long as the player is at full Health, whether at the beginning of battle or after healing, they get an extra 25% damage boost. With a relatively cheap Lumina cost of 15, compared to other powerful ones that require 40, “Full Strength” is an easy equip for every character.

Discription
25% increased damage on full Health.

Lumina Cost
15

Location
Defeat the merchant Cribappa in Lumière, and purchase it for 53,200 Chroma

“Full Strength” is mostly an endgame Pictos as it’s acquired late in the game in Lumière. While in Lumière, players can find the Gestral merchant Cribappa between the Opera House and the Gardens. Cribappa won’t sell the Pictos right away, players will need to challenge and defeat him in battle. Once defeated, Cribappa will sell the “Full Strength” Pictos for 53,200 Chroma, which should be pocket change at this stage of the game.

“Teamwork” Is a Good Perk For Something Most Players Will Do Naturally

Keep Allies Alive For a Damage Boost

Image via Sandfall Interactive

Expedition 33 has amazing party members, but it does offer players the opportunity to fight solo with their favorite character. There’s an array of solo-based Pictos for characters fighting alone, whether intentionally or if they’re the only surviving character. “Teamwork” is the opposite by giving characters a 10% damage boost if the other two allies in battle are still alive. It may not seem like much, but considering most players won’t be fighting solo, there’s no reason not to have “Teamwork” equipped.

Discription
10% increased damage while all allies are alive.

Lumina Cost
5

Location
Defeat the merchant Pinabby in Yellow Harvest, and purchase it for 9,120 Chroma

Obtaining the “Teamwork” Pictos requires defeating another merchant, this time Pinabby, in the optional area Yellow Harvest. He’s situated on top of a pillar in the Harvester’s Hollow section. On the right side of the area, there’s a long ramp to a higher level. At the top, there are a bunch of lamps. Past this, there’s a grapple point that’ll take players right to Pinabby.

“Shortcut” Can Come In Clutch After Taking Big Damage

Take An Earlier Turn If Damaged Enough

Image via Sandfall Interactive

It can be stressful to wait out an enemy’s turn as they’re performing tricky maneuvers that are difficult to avoid. “Shortcut” can mitigate that by giving characters a turn as soon as they are below 30% Health. This can break up a long string of enemy attacks and give characters an opportunity to heal or land a devastating blow. The caveat to this is that it only triggers once per battle, per character.

Discription
Immediately play when falling below 30% Health. Once per battle.

Lumina Cost
5

Location
Defeat an Aberration in Lumière or Renoir’s Drafts

“Shortcut” is another late-game Pictos found in Lumière during Act III. Players will need to defeat the Aberration enemy to earn it. Aberration is an enemy that looks like two people stuck together, with a large orb and sword in-between them. Defeating one of these also unlocks a skill for Monoco as well, so be sure to keep him in the party when fighting one.

“First Strike” Has Characters Batting Lead Off

Always Go First In Battle With “First Strike”

Image via Sandfall Interactive

Agility is a useful trait to level up, but sometimes enemies can still be faster. This can result in a party being wiped out before ever getting a turn. “First Strike” is a great countermeasure to have. Simply put, characters with it equipped start the battle with top priority unless other characters have it equipped as well. This, in conjunction with other Pictos such as “Full Strength,” can lead to a strong opening turn or allow for setting up.

Discription
Play first.

Lumina Cost
10

Location
Stone Wave Cliffs

“First Strike” is found in Stone Wave Cliffs. From the entrance, continue onward and through the tunnel with the dead Hexal (large diamond Nevron). In the next open area, hang to the right and eventually climb up the series of ledges where a group of enemies surrounds the “First Strike” Pictos. Defeat them, and then pick up the Pictos on the ground.

“Energising Turn” Starts Every Turn on a High Note

Makes It Easier To Keep Up the Pressure

Image via Sandfall Interactive

AP management is at the core of Expedition 33’s gameplay. It dictates what moves a character can make during their turn. There’s few feelings worse in this game than being one AP short of using a powerful move. This is where “Energising Turn” comes into play. With it, characters get a bonus AP at the start of every turn. This can keep up the momentum in a battle and ensure no turn is wasted.

Players get the “Energising Turn” Pictos during the story after beating the boss Sirene in the location of the same name. Higher-level versions can be found in Sacred River and Renoir Drafts. In the Sacred River, it can be purchased for 89,800 Chroma after defeating the Gestral merchant there. It’s the same for Renoir’s Drafts by paying Grour 195,400 Chroma after defeating him.

“Second Chance” Saves a Revival

Use Death-Related Pictos To Form a Fun Strategy

Image via Sandfall Interactive

Dying isn’t fun in Expedition 33. Another will have to waste their turn reviving them, and that’s assuming there are even enough Revive Tints. “Second Chance” can alleviate some of that by automatically reviving a character once they die, albeit once per battle per character. At the very least, this can come in clutch when facing a new enemy or a boss for the first time.

Discription
Revive with 100% Health. Once per battle.

Lumina Cost
40

Location
Defeat Renoir at The Monolith

This can also be very fun in conjunction with “Auto-Death” and other Pictos that provide boons for a character dying, allowing a party to be fully buffed out before anyone gets a turn. “Second Chance” is acquired late in Act II once Renoir is defeated in The Monolith. Its Lumina cost is hefty, but it is worth noting that the cost is free for the character that has it equipped as one of their three main Pictos.

“Cheater” Provides an Immediate Second Turn

It’s Like Having Six Characters Instead of Three

Image via Sandfall Interactive

What’s better than three turns in a round? How about six? “Cheater” is a must-have Pictos that grants any character who has it equipped an immediate second turn right after their previous turn. This isn’t even a once-a-battle thing. With “Cheater,” players can now spend a character’s first turn setting up for their second turn’s big attack, or they can perform big attacks for both. This also stacks with something like “Energising Turn” for greater AP gain. It’s well worth seeking out and getting.

Discription
Always play twice in a row.

Lumina Cost
40

Location
Defeat Sprong on the Overworld Map

Obtaining “Cheater” is no easy task, however. Roaming the waters of the Overworld is a giant superboss called Sprong. Sprong has a lot of Health, likely far more than any other adversary players have faced at the time. Luckily, its attacks are fairly easy to dodge, so it can be a battle of attrition. Ideally, having an overpowered Maelle build can make quick work of it.

“Clea’s Life” Rewards Those Who Don’t Take Damage

It Also Works Extremely Well With “Cheater”

Image via Sandfall Interactive

“Cheater” really is like a cheat code with how easily it can be exploited. It, in conjunction with “Clea’s Life,” can feel really overpowered. “Clea’s Life” instantly heals a character to full Health if they did not take any damage during their last turn. With “Cheater,” that last turn is immediately before. This can render healing items and moves worthless, allowing for more turns and AP to be spent on offense. It also works well with “Full Strength,” ensuring that the second “Cheater” turn can be extra powerful.

Discription
On turn start, if no damage taken since last turn, recover 100% Health.

Lumina Cost
30

Location
Defeat Clea in the Flying Manor

“Clea’s Life” is acquired after defeating the superboss Clea in the Flying Manor. Clea is easily one of the strongest enemies in Expedition 33. Even just getting to her requires a high-level party to have to endure numerous difficult bosses that are each stronger versions of certain story bosses. In a way, this can feel underwhelming as there’s only one superboss stronger, but it’s a lifesaver during that fight and into New Game+.

“Energy Master” Increases Every AP Gain

Can Never Have Enough AP

Image via Sandfall Interactive

There are numerous Pictos, such as “Energising Turn,” that can grant AP by fulfilling certain requirements, such as parrying, getting hit, defeating an enemy, or being revived. These Pictos are normally limited to just one AP per activation. “Energy Master” doubles all AP gain. This includes the AP that characters always get at the start of their turn. With something like “Energising Turn,” characters can amass four AP at the start of every turn. Never worry about AP ever again.

The problem with “Energy Master” is actually acquiring it. Players will have to defeat Serpenphare on the Overworld Map. It’s the superboss that is flying on the Eastern side of the central portion of the map. Serpenphare can be very tough as it will frequently consume characters’ AP, making it difficult to do anything. Once it consumes enough AP, it will explode, giving players the opportunity to amass AP and damage it.

“Painted Power” Breaks the Damage Limit

Good Luck Defeating Super Bosses Without It

Image via Sandfall Interactive Image via Sandfall Interactive Image via Sandfall Interactive Image via Sandfall Interactive

With numerous superbosses with Health well exceeding a million, a damage limit of 9,999 is woefully low. As customary with many RPGs, this damage limit can be broken. Once it does, there is truly no limit to how much damage a character can inflict. So much so that Sandfall Interactive had to release a patch nerfing the overpowered Maelle build because it was one-shotting the most powerful superbosses.

Discription
Damage can exceed 9,999.

Lumina Cost
5

Location
Defeat The Paintress at The Monolith

Luckily, obtaining “Painted Power” occurs during the story as the members of Expedition 33 and their allies finally complete their goal of defeating The Paintress. With more story to go afterward, along with optional content and New Game+, players will still be getting a lot of use out of “Painted Power.” With its cheap Lumina cost of only five, it’s tough to imagine never having “Painted Power” equipped for any non-challenge run.