How to find the missing expeditioner for Merchant in Clair Obscur Expedition 33

The many merchants across the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 map offer rare items and unique fashion upgrades. Some goods remain unavailable, hinting at a missing expeditioner. Here’s what you need to do to find them.

Where to find the missing expeditioner in Expedition 33

When you’ve been locked out of an item at a merchant’s shop, it means one of two things: you haven’t found all the playable characters, or you went past a point of no return after Act 1. In addition to Gustave, you’ll need to find the following members:

Most of the Expedition 33 characters can be found during Act 1, starting with Gustave, Lune, and Maelle in your main party. Then, once you battle through the Gestral Village tournament, you’ll add Sciel. The last two members, Verso and Monoco, won’t appear until the transition between Act 1’s conclusion and Act 2’s beginning. Reaching this point could take a while, especially if you’re hunting for side quests like Jar’s light and Hexga’s lustrous rocks. It could take around 10 hours to complete the entire ensemble, but it may be less if you focus solely on the story objectives.

Upon discovering a new character, you can return to the merchant to see if the outfit is ready to purchase.

If the merchant still shows the “missing expeditioner” prompt, you’ve likely passed the point of no return already. Even so, a hidden method might still exist; I’ve just yet to come across any evidence pointing to one. There’s a significant reason why certain content from the merchant remains inaccessible, and those curious can read on. As you’d expect, major Act 1 spoilers are ahead.

Why can’t I find the missing expeditioner after unlocking all the playable characters in Expedition 33?

The reason you can’t find the missing expeditioner, even with all playable characters, is the gear from the merchant was designated explicitly for Gustave. If you’re well past Act 1, you already know his fate, so it makes sense the merchant no longer offers his gear once he’s unavailable. The only chance to unlock it was during Act 1, and sadly, you can’t return to that part of the story unless you start a new save or begin a New Game Plus. Since Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 doesn’t allow manual saving, it’s nearly impossible to backtrack to specific points. But there may still be hope if you’ve just entered Act 2. Check your available save files in case one is from just before that transition. The window is short, but it’s worth checking.

Beyond the missing expeditioners in Expedition 33, Gustave’s content from other areas will also be inaccessible. For example, after completing the Gestral Beach challenge, I was supposed to unlock Gustave’s exclusive swimsuit. Due to my current progress, though, no gift appeared. This is just one of many pieces of skipable content, so I highly recommend exploring every inch of the map before you miss out on valuable rewards. Alternatively, you could always try again for your next playthrough and make the most of your time with Gustave. Just ensure you visit the same merchants you encountered before to unlock all of his gear in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.