Maelle's 2 Billion Damage Build Nerfed by Clair Obscur

Discover how Maelle from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 can unleash over 2 billion damage with her nuke build, and learn about Sandfall Interactive's response to this game-altering strategy.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Updates

Stendhal Hurts, A Lot

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 continues to surprise and delight players with daily discoveries, such as the groundbreaking 2 billion damage potential of Maelle's nuke build. As players delve into the endgame after completing the main story, they encounter new story elements and challenging bosses with massive health bars and one-hit kill capabilities. This has led to the creation of Maelle's nuke build, a powerful strategy to tackle these formidable foes. Be cautious, as this article may contain minor spoilers.

Maelle's skill, Stendhal, is central to this build, capable of delivering massive damage, especially when amplified to 200% in her Virtuose stance. To achieve this, players must equip Maelle with two specific Luminas, unlocked through Pictos: Cheater, which grants an additional turn, and Shortcut, which provides another turn when Maelle's health drops below 30%.

Maelle also requires her weapon, the Medalum, which allows her to begin battles in Virtuose stance, and the skill Last Stand, which activates Virtuose stance while reducing her health to one hit point.

To further enhance her damage output, Maelle should equip three of the following skills: Painted Power, which allows damage to exceed 9,999, Death’s Door for an additional 50% damage at low health, Confident Fighter for another 30% damage (though it disables healing), Inverted Affinity for a 50% damage boost that causes healing to be harmful, and other skills that increase damage percentages.

With the right combination of Pictos and Luminas, Maelle can deliver over 2 billion damage, far surpassing the 45 million HP of the endgame boss Simon. This means Maelle could theoretically defeat Simon 48 times over, showcasing the extreme effectiveness of her nuke build.

Players are continuously exploring new ways to maximize damage with various characters and strategies, making the challenging post-game of Expedition 33 both exciting and rewarding.

Stendhal Getting Nerfed

Sandfall Interactive has acknowledged that Stendhal's extreme damage was making the game too easy. In a Twitter (X) post on May 8, the studio announced upcoming adjustments to Maelle’s skill. Initially, they planned only bug fixes without balance changes at this early stage. However, Stendhal's overpowering nature prompted a rethink.

During development, Stendhal was underwhelming, but a final pre-release balance pass inadvertently boosted its damage 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 part of their first full hotfix, rolling out on Steam today and soon on other platforms.

2 Million Copies in 12 Days

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has achieved remarkable success, selling 2 million copies within just 12 days of its launch, as announced on Twitter (X) on May 6. This milestone adds to the game's impressive accolades, including a congratulatory message from French President Emmanuel Macron on Instagram, praising the game for its representation of French creativity and audacity.

With its ongoing updates and potential for future DLC, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a strong contender for this year's Game of the Year. The game is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Stay updated with the latest news by clicking on our article below!