Clair Obscur: Expedition 33is conveniently split into three acts, the final of which gives you free rein to explore every area of the map with Esquie’s newly unlocked flying ability. However, just because you’re able to now access all of these areas doesn’t mean you should, as some of these locations should wait until after you level up or even finish the main story.
While the level requirements are not strictly enforced, and you don’t need to reach the level cap to have a chance, reaching level 70 or above is still recommended as the baseline for most of these areas. Even if you’re prepared level-wise, you might enjoy saving some of these for after the credits roll.
This article contains late-game and story spoilers.
8Sky Island
You’ll find Sky Island in the far northeastern corner of the map, next to the large floating dragon-like enemy. This area isn’t nearly as challenging as some of the hardest areas still to come, but given how difficult it can be to deal with the nearby boss in the overworld, it’s an area you’d do well to save for later so you can clear it all at once.
Inside the Sky Island area, you’ll find theChromatic Glaiseboss, which, like most other fights against Chromatic enemies, can be a serious challenge.
7Sirene’s Dress
Sirene’s Dress is an unusual secret areathat you’ll only find if you continuespeaking to Lune and eventually unlock her companion quest.You won’t even be able to enter this area without triggering the quest, as you need to perform a certain action with Lune at the door to unlock it.
Once you enter the area, your main goal will be finding out more information about Lune’s parents' expedition and their fates. While the area is more emotionally taxing than it is challenging, it shouldn’t be anywhere as difficult to get through as the ending, assuming you come here after.
6Endless Night Sanctuary
The Endless Night Sanctuary gives us another glimpse into the world of the Gestrals, along with several powerful enemies patrolling the area, just waiting to challenge you. There are two major bosses in this area, including theUltimate Sakapatateand theChromatic Cruler.
Luckily, despite the difficult enemies waiting for you in this area, it yields a fantastic reward: the Joyaro weapon, which is arguably the best available choice for Monoco. While this area isn’t easy, it’s one of the better options to explore before some of the spots still to come.
5The Reacher
Just like Sirene’s Dress, The Reacher is directly related to a companion quest, as this time, you’ll need to complete this area to complete Maelle’s quest. Here,you’ll fight one of the most difficult bosses in Act Three,Alicia, who looks eerily similar to another character you’ve come to know and love.
This location’s enemies also hit you as hard in the face as this area’s story hits you in the feels, so steel yourself for a difficult rollercoaster ride. There’s more emphasis on the emotional impact, though the fight can be a challenge if you’re not properly prepared.
4Dark Gestral Arena
This area offers a much more difficult challenge than the one you originally encountered at the arena in the Gestral Village. Each of the bosses here is Chromatic, making them some of the most difficult enemies to defeat in the game, providing a still challenge.
Don’t begin the third and final round of fights until you’re ready, as the arena will be destroyed at the end.
Luckily, you won’t need to wander around this area, as it’s mainly about moving from fight to fight rather than getting lost in larger areas like The Reacher.
3Endless Tower
While you don’t necessarily need to wait until the postgame to begin fighting in the Endless Tower, you should absolutely wait until after to complete it, as this area offers 33 total trials to face with increasing difficulty as you move further up the levels.
Even if you’re able to get through the first half of this challenging area, you’ll start to experience a noticeable difficulty spike that will slow you down if you’re not properly equipped. Feel free to come here to grind some levels, but expect to need to return later before you can complete it.
2Flying Manor
The Flying Manor is one of the most dangerous locations in the game, with a gauntlet of seven powerful bosses to face,culminating with a very important person you meet late in the story.Given that this area is so deeply entrenched in the story and lore, it’s a clear choice to save for later.
While there’s no official postgame area, this location seems designed to finish it after an immense amount of grinding, or after you’ve finished the main story and had some time to explore. You’ll need to fight your way to the end to see exactly who’s waiting for you.
1Renoir’s Drafts
Renoir’s Drafts is an area that will push you to your limits. Don’t even think about coming here before level 80 at minimum, or you might risk dying, and that would make Esquie sad. You don’t want to make Esquie sad, right?
Aside from Renoir’s Drafts, there’s an area located even deeper within called The Abyss, which is home to anotherincredibly strong boss named Simon.Without spoiling any of the lore behind this character, Simon’s raw strength is only eclipsed by the rewards for beating him, as you’llearn 50 Colours of Lumina and two Perfect Chroma Catalysts.
