Table of Contents
Welcome to the beautiful city of Lumière! Though the prologue is relatively short, there's a surprising amount to discover in this charming locale during its festival. Let me walk you through everything from basic navigation to those easily missed hidden secrets.
The Gommage
When you first start playing as Gustave, you'll be chatting with Maelle. She offers to show you the way down to town. Before you go, grab the rose sitting on the nearby bench by pressing your interact button. Maelle will then lead you to your first chance to use your grapple. Just aim and press the action button to swing across the gap.
As you follow Maelle across the rooftops, she'll stop and challenge you to a friendly duel. This is actually the game's combat tutorial, and I definitely recommend giving it a try if this is your first time playing. You'll learn all about the Battle Wheel for selecting attacks, how AP works as your combat currency, and the Timeline that shows whose turn is coming up. You'll also practice dodging and parrying to avoid getting hit.
During this fight, you'll get to try out Gustave's special moves. First, there's Lumière Assault, which is a combo attack that builds up charge. Then there's Overcharge, a powerful attack that uses all that stored-up energy. After the training is done, you will get a Colour of Lumina.
After some more rooftop running, you'll reach a glowing rope. Use it to climb down to the streets, where you'll find a red and white tree that Maelle mentioned earlier. You'll meet Sophie here and have a brief conversation. Gustave will automatically give her the flower you picked up.
Before heading to the docks for the Gommage ceremony, take a moment to look around. Check both sides of the tree for a trash can you can inspect, and grab the glowing Chroma x125 on the right side of the area, next to a pile of boxes.
On your way to the docks, chat with Tiffanie near the tree, then keep going until you reach a crowd around a statue. This area is worth exploring, talk to the different characters to learn more about the world.
If you look to the right, you will see Chroma x125 on a stack of wood, which you can get by jumping onto it. Then head to the left of the statue, and you will find a playable piano that plays a nice tune. After the piano, you will find another Colour of Lumina by examining the thrown-away pieces of furniture.
Proceed towards the path and talk to a guy wearing a red suit under the left statue. Richard will then give you a Uniform for Richard’s Son, which you’ll need a bit later for a reward.
Keep going until you see a stage with a "Rejoignez L'expedition" banner. Off to the left, you'll find Eloise, who challenges you to destroy a Punching Ball in a single hit. This is a great chance to practice what you learned in the tutorial. Build up your Overcharge, then unleash it to smash the Punching Ball in one go. Eloise will give you a Colour of Lumina as a reward.
Behind Eloise, there's a dead-end with a trash can and a door. If you listen to the door blocked by suitcases, you'll hear a couple of Life Enjoyer having some "fun" time. The real secret is to listen 33 times (yes, exactly 33!). After that many attempts, you'll get a different dialogue, and they'll bribe you with a Colour of Lumina to go away. Worth it!
As you continue through the festival, Sophie will notice Lune playing guitar to your right. Climb the stairs behind Lune for Chroma x125, and right in front of Lune, you'll spot a painter staring at a blank canvas. Help him out by completing a simple dodging mini-game to inspire his creativity, and he'll thank you with a useful item called Recoat.
After completing the mini-game with the painter, look right for a trash can with a glowing blue rim. Interact with this one multiple times. Eventually, the "Trash-can Man" will reveal himself and give you a Chroma Catalyst.
Further ahead, you'll come to another statue with horses at its base. Go left for more Chroma x125, just behind a counter with flowers. Go back to the statue of horses and make your way towards a stage with children dancing on it. If you look towards the right of the stage, you will see a creepy Mime, head there and talk to it.
This first Mime is perfect for testing your combat skills. The Mime creates a defensive wall and attacks with either a three-hit hand combo or a four-hit invisible hammer attack. The key to defeating a Mime is to use a skill that can Break armor, and in this case, Gustave’s Overcharge.
Use Lumière Assault to build charge, then Overcharge to break his guard. Once he's stunned, hit him with regular attacks to finish him off. You'll get a Lumiere Record and the "A Peculiar Encounter" achievement for your trouble.
Once you’ve defeated the Mime, head over to the harbor behind the horse statue and prepare for the Gommage celebration. Just a heads-up, there’s no turning back after this point, so take care of anything else you want to do beforehand.
The Festival de L’Expedition
After the emotional cutscene, you’ll be taken straight to the Festival de L’Expedition, where you’ll receive your first Festival Token. You’ll need more of these if you want to grab all the Festival items.
Look for a boy in a red jacket, that’s Richard’s son. He’ll give you the Crimson Uniform, which you can equip from the Wardrobe menu. Once that’s done, turn left and head to the corner where three boys are hanging out. Talk to them, and they’ll hand you the Expedition Journal, which you’ll be using later.
Turn around and look for Antoine, he’s the bald guy standing in front of the blue tent. Talk to him, and he’ll quiz you. The correct answers are:
- 67 years ago
- Expedition Zero
- Abilities you internalize by using a Pictos in battle after enough times
Get them all right, and Antoine will reward you with 1 Festival Token.
Next, head over to the dock and look for Maelle. Defeat her in a battle, and she’ll give you the final Festival Token. Don’t worry if you lose, you can keep rematching until you win.
Head back to the festival and visit each tent to collect all the Festival Items. Tom will give you a Weird Pictos, Amandine will offer you a new haircut, and Colette will hand over an Old Key.
Once you’ve grabbed everything, speak to Gustave’s sister, Emma, to wrap up the Prologue and begin Act 1: Spring Meadows.
