You’ve finally done it. You reached the heart of the Continent, faced down the Paintress’s final brushstrokes, and watched the credits roll on one of 2025’s most surprising hits. But for most of us, finishing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 doesn't mean we're actually "done." You probably noticed a few locked doors in the Manor or those suspiciously high-level upgrade materials like Perfect Chroma Catalysts that seemed impossible to find during your first run. That’s because the real meat of the game—the endgame grind and the ultimate character builds—is hidden behind the Expedition 33 New Game Plus mode.
Honestly, the jump from the base game to NG+ is a bit of a slap in the face if you aren't ready. Sandfall Interactive didn't just give us a "victory lap" where you steamroll through early-game mobs with endgame gear. They cranked the difficulty dial until it nearly snapped. If you’re wondering if it’s worth going through the Gommage all over again, the answer is a resounding yes—but only if you know what you’re getting yourself into.
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Does Expedition 33 Have New Game Plus?
Yes, it absolutely does. It’s not a hidden feature or a paid DLC either. You unlock the ability to start a New Game Plus (NG+) run immediately after defeating the final boss in Act III and witnessing the conclusion of Gustave’s journey.
Once you’ve beaten the game, you’ll find yourself back in Lumiere. To actually trigger the restart, you need to head to any Expedition Flag and select the "New Game+" option. The game is pretty cool about this; it gives you a big warning prompt explaining exactly what carries over and what gets tossed back into the abyss. Don't rush into it, though. I'd strongly suggest clearing out the "Verso’s Drafts" DLC area and hitting at least level 75-80 before you pull the trigger.
The enemies in NG+ aren't just slightly tougher. Their health pools are massive, and their speed stats are tuned to make parrying much more punishing. Basically, if you aren't hitting the 9,999 damage cap regularly by the time you start, you're going to have a rough time in the opening hours of the second run.
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What Carries Over to Your Next Run
One of the best things about the Expedition 33 New Game Plus system is that it respects your time. You don't have to re-grind your character levels or re-learn every single skill in the tree.
The Essentials That Stay:
- Character Progression: All your levels carry over. If you finished at level 99 (the cap), you start at level 99.
- The Full Party: You don't have to wait to recruit Sciel, Lune, or Maelle again. They are unlocked and ready to go from the very first camp.
- Weapons and Gear: Every sword, gun, and gadget you collected stays in your inventory.
- Skills and Luminas: All those hard-earned Pictos and Luminas? You keep them. This is huge because it allows you to experiment with "illegal" early-game builds that weren't possible the first time around.
- Cosmetics: Your outfits and tints are safe. If you want Gustave to look like a Renoir-inspired dandy from minute one, you can.
What You Lose (The Reset):
- Side Quest Progress: All your quest logs are wiped. You’ll have to do the legwork again if you want those specific rewards.
- Relationship Levels: This is the big one. Your bonds with your party members reset to zero. If you missed a specific romance or want to see how Sciel’s story plays out differently, this is your chance.
- Collectibles: Expedition journals and music records are gone. You'll have to find them again to fill out the Manor.
- Quest Items: Anything specific to a story beat (like the Wooden Stick) vanishes from your bag.
Why You Actually Need to Play NG+
You might be thinking, "Why bother if I've already seen the ending?" Well, Sandfall designed the progression so that you literally cannot reach the peak of power in a single playthrough.
There are exclusive upgrade materials, specifically Perfect Chroma Catalysts, that only start dropping frequently in NG+. These are required to get your weapons to Level 33. Without these, you’ll never see the true potential of builds like Simon’s "Divergent Star" or Maelle’s one-shot setups.
Furthermore, the "Endless Tower" gets a massive update in New Game Plus. You'll encounter "Chromatic" versions of bosses that have entirely new move sets. These aren't just palette swaps; they are mechanical nightmares that require frame-perfect parries and specific Lumina loadouts to survive.
Pro Tips for Your First NG+ Hour
Don't just run out into the first field and expect a breeze. Here is a quick reality check for your second loop.
- The 9,999 Barrier: Make sure you have the Painted Power Lumina equipped. In NG+, enemies have so much HP that being capped at four digits of damage will make fights take thirty minutes. You need to be hitting those 20k+ crits as soon as possible.
- Save Your Tokens: If you have Festival Tokens left over, keep them. You can get the "Baguette" joke weapons for every character, but you can only get one per run. To get the full set, you actually have to go into NG+2.
- Check the Merchant: The Gestral Merchant in the "Verso’s Drafts" area sells high-tier loot in NG+ that isn't available in the first run. Hit him up early.
Actionable Next Steps
Before you commit to a New Game Plus run, do these three things:
- Max Out One Weapon: Get at least one character’s primary weapon to Level 29. You’ll need the raw stats to handle the initial level scaling of NG+ enemies.
- Farm Lumina: You're going to want to swap builds constantly. Spend an hour in the "Dark Shores" or "Frozen Hearts" to bank at least 500,000 Lumina so you aren't strapped for cash when you need to re-spec.
- Kill Simon: If you haven't beaten the secret boss Simon yet, do it in your current save. He is significantly harder in NG+, and you’ll want his unique Picto drop to make the second run easier.