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-breaking strategy.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Updates

Stendhal Hurts, A Lot

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 continues to captivate players as new discoveries emerge daily. One such finding is the ability to deal up to 2 billion damage using the character Maelle's nuke build.

Once you've completed the main story, the endgame unlocks, offering more narrative depth and challenging bosses. These bosses often boast massive health pools and can deliver one-hit kills, prompting players to seek out powerful strategies like the nuke build. Be warned, this article may contain minor spoilers.

Maelle's skill, Stendhal, is pivotal to her nuke build, capable of dealing significant damage. When in her Virtuose stance, this damage can be amplified by 200%. To achieve this, players need two specific Luminas: Cheater, which grants an additional turn, and Shortcut, which provides another turn when Maelle's health drops below 30%.

Additionally, Maelle must wield her weapon, the Medalum, which allows her to begin battles in Virtuose stance. The skill Last Stand is also crucial, as it activates Virtuose stance while reducing her health to one hit point.

To maximize her damage output, Maelle should equip any three of these skills: Painted Power to exceed the 9,999 damage cap, Death’s Door for a 50% damage boost at low health, Confident Fighter for an additional 30% damage but no healing, or Inverted Affinity for a 50% increase with a healing penalty, among other damage-boosting skills.

With the right combination of Pictos and Luminas, Maelle can achieve over 2 billion damage. To put this into perspective, the endgame boss Simon has approximately 45 million HP. Maelle’s nuke strategy could theoretically defeat Simon 48 times over, showcasing the sheer power of her build.

Players continue to experiment with different strategies and characters to push damage limits even further, highlighting the creativity and challenge of Expedition 33’s endgame.

Stendhal Getting Nerfed

Sandfall Interactive has acknowledged that Stendhal's overwhelming damage has made the game too easy for players. In a post on Twitter (X) dated May 8, the studio announced upcoming adjustments to Maelle’s skill. Originally, no balance changes were planned this early in the game's lifecycle, only bug fixes.

However, due to Stendhal's excessive damage, a decision was made to recalibrate it. The skill was initially underwhelming during development, but a final pre-release balance pass resulted in an unintended damage boost.

"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. These changes will be part of the first full hotfix set, which will go live today on Steam and soon on other platforms.

2 Million Copies in 12 Days

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has reached a significant milestone, selling 2 million copies within just 12 days of its launch, as announced in a Twitter (X) post on May 6.

French President Emmanuel Macron recently 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, Expedition 33 is a strong contender for this year's Game of the Year award. With potential DLC on the horizon, the future looks bright for this innovative title.

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