Expedition 33 Combat Guide: How to Parry, Dodge and Counter

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 looks like a classic turn-based RPG while you pick your actions, then turns into a timing game as soon as an enemy attacks. Learning to dodge and parry is the biggest step toward winning fights. This guide covers every defensive option, how Action Points (AP) work, and how to use Free Aim, Break and elemental weaknesses.

Last checked: November 9, 2026 (game version 1.5.6).

Expedition 33 combat at a glance

Action	When	What it does
Base attack	Your turn	Low damage, but builds AP
Skill	Your turn	Costs AP; well-timed button presses boost the effect
Free Aim shot	Your turn	Costs 1 AP and doesn't end your turn
Item	Your turn	Healing, revives and other consumables
Dodge	Enemy turn	Avoids the hit; the most forgiving timing
Parry	Enemy turn	Avoids the hit and gives AP; parry a whole combo to counterattack
Jump	Enemy turn	Avoids ground slams and sweeps marked by a gold flare
Gradient Counter	Enemy turn	Counters special greyscale attacks, starting in Act II

How turns and AP work

The turn order runs down the left side of the screen, so you can always see who acts next and when to get ready to defend.

Action Points pay for Skills. You build AP in two main ways: landing base attacks and parrying enemy hits. Some Pictos and Luminas add more, for example by giving AP on dodges or at the start of a battle.

That creates the basic rhythm of every fight:

Use base attacks or parries to build AP.
Spend AP on Skills, which deal most of your damage. Sandfall has said plainly that base attacks do little damage on their own.
Hit the on-screen prompts during Skills. Good timing raises damage or adds bonus effects, and some late-game Skills punish a missed press.

If you'd rather not deal with the prompts on your own turn, an accessibility option lets the game enter these timed inputs for you.

How to dodge

Press Circle on PlayStation or B on Xbox as the attack connects. A successful dodge shows "EVADE" and you take no damage. Dodge as late as possible and you get a Perfect Dodge instead.

Dodging has a wider timing window than parrying, which makes it the best tool for learning a new enemy. Sandfall's own tips say the same: dodge until you know an enemy's rhythm, then start parrying.

How to parry

Press R1 on PlayStation or RB on Xbox as the hit lands. A parry blocks all damage and gives you 1 AP, so a good parrying run powers your next turn.

The real reward comes from parrying every hit in a combo. Do that and your character automatically counterattacks for heavy damage. Miss one hit and the combo plays out normally.

Parrying is harder than it looks because enemies:

delay or fake their swings to bait an early press
chain more hits together as the game goes on

The best habit is to watch the enemy's body rather than the visual effects, and press when the weapon or spell actually reaches you. If you're landing Perfect Dodges against an attack, try parrying it next.

How to jump over attacks

Some attacks, usually ground slams or wide sweeps, can't be dodged or parried. A bright gold flare appears before them as a signal to press Jump. A successful jump avoids the attack and lets you hit back. These attacks are rarer than normal swings, and the flare makes them easy to spot.

Gradient Counters

From Act II, some enemies use special attacks that turn the screen black and white and slow things down. You can't parry these normally; you need a Gradient Counter, which blocks the damage and fires an automatic counterattack.

The timing is fairly forgiving, but the slow motion throws many players off. Ignore the filter and react to the moment the attack lands.

Gradient Attacks

Gradient Attacks are powerful moves that draw on a shared party gauge. The gauge fills as your team uses Skills, so you can't spam them, but a well-placed one can end a tough fight. More Gradient moves open up as you raise relationship levels with your party at camp.

Free Aim: shooting weak points

Every character can switch to Free Aim and shoot. In battle, each shot costs 1 AP and doesn't end your turn, so you can fire a few shots and still use a Skill or attack.

Free Aim is most useful for:

Weak points. Many enemies have glowing spots that take big damage.
Boss gimmicks. Some bosses rely on objects you can shoot. Goblu, a boss in Flying Waters, for example, is surrounded by flowers that buff it, and you can destroy them from range.
Flying enemies. Many can be finished with shots alone.

Outside battle, shooting a Nevron stuns it. Walk up and hit it while it's stunned to start the fight with a First Strike.

Break, weaknesses and status effects

Break: enemies have a stamina-style bar. Fill it and they're Broken, which stuns them for a short time and opens a window for big damage.
Elemental weaknesses: some enemies take extra damage from certain elements. Lune is the easiest way to exploit them early, since her Stains add elements to her Skills.
Status effects: both sides can apply them. Burn deals damage over time, and Mark makes a target take more damage. Pictos such as Burning Shots add Burn to Free Aim shots.

What happens when you lose

If your active party falls, characters in reserve can step in and keep the fight going. Losing a battle isn't harsh either. You respawn nearby, and since patch 1.4.0 a prompt lets you retry the battle straight away. You can also flee from minor enemies, and the December 2025 Thank You update added an option to abandon battles.

Beginner combat tips

Start with dodges. Switch to parries once you know an enemy's pattern.
Skip fights you can't win yet. Some optional enemies, mimes included, hit much harder than the main path. Come back later.
Rest at Expedition Flags. Resting heals the party and refills healing and revive items, but it also respawns most enemies, which is handy for leveling.
Use spare AP on Free Aim. A couple of shots before a Skill often decides a fight.
Equip every new Picto you find. After four battles, its effect becomes a Lumina your whole party can use. Our Pictos and Lumina guide explains how.
Lower the difficulty if you need to. You can change it at any time, and Story mode widens the dodge and parry windows. See our difficulty settings guide.

Frequently asked questions

How do you parry in Expedition 33?

Press R1 on PlayStation or RB on Xbox just as an enemy hit lands. Each successful parry blocks the damage and gives you 1 AP. If you parry every hit of a combo, your character counterattacks automatically.

Is it better to dodge or parry in Expedition 33?

Dodge while you're learning an enemy, because the timing window is wider. Parry once you know its rhythm, since parries give AP and can trigger a counterattack, while dodges only avoid damage. Many players mix the two, dodging attacks they're unsure of and parrying the ones they know.

How do you counterattack in Expedition 33?

Parry every hit in an enemy's combo and your character counters automatically. Successful jumps over gold-flare attacks and Gradient Counters against greyscale attacks also lead to a counterattack.

When do you unlock Gradient Counters?

Enemies start using Gradient attacks in Act II, and that's when you need Gradient Counters. Look for the black-and-white filter and slow motion, then press the Gradient Counter input as the attack lands.

How do you get more AP in Expedition 33?

Use base attacks and parry enemy hits, as both build AP. Pictos and Luminas add more, for example by giving AP on dodges or at the start of battle. Spend leftover AP on Free Aim shots, which cost 1 AP each.

Can you beat Expedition 33 without parrying?

Yes. Sandfall's creative director has said players aren't meant to parry everything, and good builds can carry you on easier settings. Story mode widens the parry and dodge windows by 40% and halves the damage you take.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 © Sandfall Interactive, published by Kepler Interactive. mgame.gg isn't affiliated with or endorsed by them.