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As more new players discover the turn-based intricacies of RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, many are struggling to nail dodging and parrying properly – but one fan is proving they might not need to after all.
Spotted by PC Gamer, Reddit user "HunterIV4" has conducted an "experiment," you see, after having "seen a lot of posts from people about how hard this game is and how you need to get perfect at dodge and parry in order to survive." Specifically, he's witnessed some fans compare it to "Souls games and Sekiro and talk about how the game is action combat sneaking in as a turn-based RPG" – but they shouldn't.
That's because, as the user has discovered, players don't actually need to dodge or parry at all. "As a test, I started a brand new game, put it on Story difficulty (the lowest), and turned on the auto QTE accessibility feature," he writes. "I wanted to see how far I could get in the campaign without any dodge, parry, jump, anything." The trial playthrough came after he saw fans deem such mechanics necessary.
No Dodge/Parry: An Experiment, and What to Do If You Think You Suck from r/expedition33
"I've seen plenty of comments from people saying you 'have' to use these mechanics or you'll just die against the main story," as HunterIV4 puts it. "I wondered, 'Is that true?'" Lo and behold, the Reddit user was successful in his no-dodge and no-parry run, "beating the entire game without using a single dodge, parry, jump, etc," despite struggling to make it through the acts "because I enjoy the harder gameplay."
Their experiment proves prospective players shouldn't be put off by rumors regarding difficulty. "Don't let concerns about a 'hardcore' experience prevent you from playing this awesome game and experiencing the story first-hand," concludes HunterIV4.
"Despite the hype, this is not Elden Ring, and while the Expert difficulty is very difficult (plenty of enemies will one-shot your whole party from full if you miss a dodge), that is not true on the lower difficulties."
As a fan of RPGs but not controller-breaking difficulty myself, it's always nice to see a game be accessible to all flavors of players. Those who want a challenge can find it, while those who don't, don't have to. In the wise words of HunterIV4, "Play how you want to play."
Playing the new RPG yourself? Here are our best Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 tips to read if diving in.
