How New Game+ Works In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (& What Carries Over)

Published Apr 26, 2025

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As you reach the final Act of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and return to Lumiere to defeat Renoir one last time, you will be able to restart from the very beginning of the game in NG+. This comes with a few caveats, but is absolutely essential given the many mysteries hidden in the far reaches of the Continent. NG+ allows you to play through the game once again, but everything will not be the same. Most significantly, NG+ enemies are going to be much harder to take down, and you're going to have to put each character's skills to the ultimate test.

This article contains spoilers for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.While each character in Clair Obscur will be pretty powerful by the end of your first playthrough, you won't even be near the tip of the iceberg in of upgrades and weapons. There are certain upgrade materials that are not available until NG+, and you won't be able to upgrade your weapons or Pictos to Level 33 without them. If you want to deal the most damage possible, upgrade your weapons and items to the max, and level your character and attributes as high as you can, your only choice will be to play through on NG+.

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How NG+ Works In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

What Carries Over In Clair Obscur NG+

How NG+ Works In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

There Are Exclusive Rewards & Tougher Enemies In Clair Obscur's NG+

Once you defeat Renoir at the end of Act 3, you will have the choice to start the game over from the very beginning of Act 1, picking back up with Clair Obscur's beloved protagonist Gustave. Starting over in NG+, you will gain access to better upgrade materials such as Grandiose and Perfect Chroma Catalysts. These materials allow you to upgrade your weapons to maximum level 33, and they are only accessible once you enter NG+. In addition to better upgrade materials, there will be better and more valuable loot drops from all enemies, making a NG+ run well worth it.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Best Maelle Build Guide (Skills, Weapons, & Pictos)

Maelle is one of the best playable characters in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and her best build includes her fire-based skills and Virtuose Stance.

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However, the big caveat here is that enemies and battles will be much more difficult than anything you've experienced in your first run. All enemies, and bosses in particular, are incredibly powerful in NG+, with much higher Health, Defenses, Speed, and more. You'll want to make sure you have the Painted Power Lumina equipped on all your party in NG+, which allows you to deal more than 9,999 damage on a given enemy. Otherwise, you won't stand a chance in NG+.

In NG+, you can get more Perfect Chroma Catalysts by defeating Chromatic enemies and taking on Clair Obscur.

I'd also highly recommend leveling up your Clair Obscur weapons and re-collecting Pictos and weapons through exploration, as these will automatically upgrade the associated item to a higher level. In NG+, you might need to switch up your builds depending on the area and/or enemies you're up against, and having multiple max-level weapon options available for each character is incredibly useful, so take the time to re-collect these weapons if you don't want to spend all your Perfect Chroma Catalysts.

What Carries Over In Clair Obscur NG+

Your Weapons, Pictos, & Luminas Will Transfer Over To NG+

In NG+, your entire arsenal of weapons carries over. For Gustave, this means he has access to any weapons you grabbed playing as Verso in your first run, but they won't have any Level Upgrade bonuses associated with them until you play as Verso again at the start of Act 2 in NG+. On top of your weapons, you will also carry over all the Pictos and unlocked Luminas, as well as any Tints you may have collected in your first run. This includes the lesser Chroma Catalyst upgrade materials, Recoats, and any unspent Colour of Lumina tints.

"Any relationship progression you've made with each character will be reset to zero, and Verso will have to build those relationships up once again."

Things that do not carry over to NG+ include any Quest Items you have in your inventory at the end of the first playthrough. Quest items such as Bourgeon Skins, the mysterious Wooden Stick from the Gestral Village, and most significantly, any records you've collected will all be lost upon starting a NG+ run. Additionally, any relationship progression you've made with each character will be reset to zero, and Verso will have to build those relationships up once again.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Best Monoco Build Guide (Skills, Weapons, & Pictos)

Monoco is one of the most unique characters in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and he is an excellent candidate for a class for your party.

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Overall, NG+ is an excellent opportunity to try things out a little differently in your second run. You can choose to romance Sciel instead of Lune, or the other way around, depending on what you did the first time. You will also be able to try out the alternate ending if you haven't already, and you can choose to fight as Verso instead of Maelle or vice versa. NG+ is where I did most of my deep exploration for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and it's a great time to go back and re-explore any overlooked areas from your first run.