Discover the secrets behind Maelle's jaw-dropping 2 billion damage nuke build in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Learn how to achieve this feat and understand how Sandfall Interactive is responding to this overpowered skill.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Updates
Stendhal Hurts, A Lot
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a treasure trove of discoveries, with players uncovering new strategies daily, including Maelle's astounding 2 billion damage build. After completing the main storyline, the game's endgame unfolds, offering additional narratives and formidable bosses. These challenges can be daunting, as bosses boast massive health bars and can deal devastating one-hit attacks. To counter this, players have ingeniously crafted a nuke build. Note: This article contains minor spoilers, so proceed with caution.
In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Maelle's skill, Stendhal, delivers significant damage, which can be amplified to 200% when she's in her Virtuose stance. To execute Maelle's nuke build effectively, players must equip her with two specific Luminas, unlocked via Pictos (items that offer various effects). The essential Luminas are Cheater, granting an extra turn, and Shortcut, which provides another turn when Maelle's health drops below 30%.
Moreover, Maelle needs her weapon, the Medalum, which initiates battles in Virtuose stance, and the skill Last Stand, which activates Virtuose stance while reducing Maelle's health to one hit point.
To further enhance Maelle's damage output, players should equip her with any three of the following skills: Painted Power, allowing damage to exceed 9,999; Death’s Door, boosting damage by 50% at low health; Confident Fighter, increasing damage by 30% but disabling healing; Inverted Affinity, offering a 50% damage boost but making healing detrimental; and other percentage-based damage boosts.
With the right combination of Pictos and Luminas, Maelle can unleash over 2 billion damage. To put this into perspective, the endgame boss Simon has approximately 45 million HP. Maelle's nuke strategy could theoretically obliterate Simon 48 times over, showcasing extreme overkill.
Players are continually pushing the boundaries, experimenting with different characters and strategies to achieve unprecedented damage levels. The challenging post-game content of Expedition 33 encourages players to devise creative and effective tactics, enhancing both their gameplay experience and enjoyment.
Stendhal Getting Nerfed
Sandfall Interactive has acknowledged that Stendhal's overpowering damage is making the game too easy. In a Twitter (X) post dated May 8, the studio announced upcoming adjustments to Maelle’s skill. Originally, they planned only to address bugs early in the game's lifecycle, but Stendhal's extreme impact necessitated a balance change.
During development, Stendhal was considered underwhelming until a final pre-release balance adjustment inadvertently boosted its damage excessively. 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 studio will implement these changes in their first comprehensive hotfix, rolling out today on Steam before being released on other platforms.
2 Million Copies in 12 Days
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 continues to break records, selling 2 million copies within just 12 days of its launch, as announced in a recent Twitter (X) post on May 6. This milestone follows an earlier congratulatory message from French President Emmanuel Macron on Instagram, who praised the game for showcasing French audacity and creativity.
With its ongoing success and updates, Expedition 33 is a strong contender for this year's Game of the Year award. The developers are committed to enhancing the game further, with potential DLC on the horizon if sales continue to soar.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Stay updated with the latest news and developments by clicking on our article below!
