Maelle's 2 Billion Damage Build Nerfed by Clair Obscur

Discover the explosive power of Maelle's nuke build in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which can deal a staggering 2 billion damage. Dive into the details of this game-changing strategy and learn how Sandfall Interactive is responding to this overpowered mechanic.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Updates

Stendhal Hurts, A Lot

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 continues to captivate players with new discoveries each day, including a player's innovative approach to achieving 2 billion damage with Maelle, the Expeditioner. After completing the main storyline, the game's endgame unfolds, revealing additional narrative elements and formidable bosses. This can be challenging, as bosses often have massive health pools and some can deliver one-hit kills. To counter this, players have developed the nuke build strategy. Note that this article may contain minor spoilers, so proceed with caution.

In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Maelle's skill Stendhal is key to her devastating damage output. When in her Virtuose stance, Stendhal's damage can increase by up to 200%. To maximize Maelle's nuke build, players must equip her with two specific Luminas, which are unlocked through Pictos (items that enhance various effects). The essential Luminas are Cheater, which grants an additional turn, and Shortcut, which provides another turn when Maelle's health drops below 30%.

Additionally, Maelle requires her weapon, the Medalum, which enables her to start battles in Virtuose stance. She also needs the Last Stand skill, which activates Virtuose stance while reducing her to one hit point.

To further enhance her damage, Maelle should equip at least three of the following skills: Painted Power, which allows damage to exceed 9,999; Death’s Door, which boosts damage by 50% at low health; Confident Fighter, which increases damage by 30% but disables healing; and Inverted Affinity, which adds another 50% damage while making healing detrimental. Various combinations of Pictos and Luminas can be experimented with, but with the setup described, Maelle can achieve over 2 billion damage. For perspective, the endgame boss Simon has approximately 45 million HP, meaning Maelle's nuke strategy could theoretically defeat him 48 times over—an extreme example of overkill.

Players are continually pushing the boundaries of damage output with different characters and strategies, making the challenging post-game of Expedition 33 a thrilling experience.

Stendhal Getting Nerfed

Sandfall Interactive has acknowledged that Stendhal's extreme damage made the game too easy. In a May 8th Twitter (X) post, the studio announced upcoming adjustments to Maelle’s skill. Originally, they planned only to address bugs early in the game's lifecycle, but the overwhelming power of Stendhal necessitated a balance change. Sandfall admitted that during development, Stendhal was initially underwhelming, but a last-minute damage boost in the final balance pass went too far.

"We still want you to be able to break the game—and you absolutely still can—but Stendhal was making it a bit too easy," Sandfall Interactive stated. They will include these changes in their first full hotfix, which will roll out on Steam today and soon after on other platforms.

2 Million Copies in 12 Days

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has hit another impressive milestone, selling 2 million copies in just 12 days since its launch, as announced in a May 6th Twitter (X) post. Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron praised the game on Instagram, saying, "Congratulations to Sandfall Interactive and all the creators of Expedition 33. You are a shining example of French audacity and creativity."

Given its rapid success and ongoing updates, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a strong contender for this year's Game of the Year. The developers are committed to enhancing the game further, with potential DLC on the horizon.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Stay updated with the latest game news by clicking on our article below!