Maelle's 2 Billion Damage Build Nerfed by Clair Obscur

Discover the explosive potential of Maelle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, where her nuke build can unleash over 2 billion damage. Delve into the details of this powerful strategy and learn how Sandfall Interactive is addressing this game-changing skill.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Updates

Stendhal Hurts, A Lot

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 continues to surprise and delight players with new discoveries every day, including the revelation of Maelle's staggering 2 billion damage potential with her nuke build.

After completing the main story, players dive into the endgame, which offers additional story elements and formidable bosses. These challenges can be overwhelming, with bosses boasting enormous health pools and some capable of one-hit kills. In response, players have devised a nuke build to counter these threats. Be cautious as this article may contain minor spoilers.

Maelle's skill, Stendhal, inflicts significant damage, which can be amplified to 200% in her Virtuose stance. To execute her nuke build, Maelle requires two specific Luminas, unlocked through Pictos—equipable items with various effects.

The essential Luminas for this build are Cheater, granting an additional turn, and Shortcut, providing another turn when Maelle's health falls below 30%. Additionally, Maelle needs her weapon, the Medalum, which allows her to start battles in Virtuose stance. She also requires the Last Stand skill, which activates Virtuose stance and reduces her to one hit point.

To maximize her damage, Maelle should equip at least three of the following skills: Painted Power, enabling damage beyond 9,999; Death’s Door, offering a 50% damage boost at low health; Confident Fighter, providing a 30% boost while disabling healing; and Inverted Affinity, granting a 50% boost but causing healing to damage her. Various combinations of Pictos and Luminas can be explored, but with the right setup, Maelle can achieve over 2 billion damage. For context, the endgame boss Simon has about 45 million HP—Maelle’s nuke build could theoretically defeat him 48 times over.

Players continue to push the limits, experimenting with different characters and strategies to achieve even higher damage outputs. The challenging post-game content of Expedition 33 encourages players to innovate and enjoy their gaming experience.

Stendhal Getting Nerfed

Sandfall Interactive recognized that Stendhal was making the game too easy for players. In a Twitter (X) post on May 8, the studio announced upcoming adjustments to Maelle’s skill. Initially, they planned only to implement bug fixes at this early stage, but the extreme damage from Stendhal prompted them to act.

During development, Stendhal was underwhelming until a final balance pass before release, where it was inadvertently boosted too much. Sandfall Interactive stated, "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." The changes to Stendhal will be included in their first full hotfix, which will roll out today on Steam before being released on other platforms.

2 Million Copies in 12 Days

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 continues to break records, surpassing 2 million copies sold in just 12 days since its launch, as announced in a Twitter (X) post on May 6.

Earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Sandfall Interactive on Instagram for their success and for showcasing French creativity, stating, "Congratulations to Sandfall Interactive and all the creators of Expedition 33. You are a shining example of French audacity and creativity."

With its ongoing success and continuous updates, Expedition 33 is a strong contender for this year's Game of the Year award. The developers are committed to enhancing the game experience, with potential DLC on the horizon.

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