Maelle's 2 Billion Damage Build Nerfed by Clair Obscur

Dive into the world of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, where Maelle's nuke build has been making waves, capable of dealing over 2 billion damage. Discover how to achieve such staggering numbers and learn about Sandfall Interactive's response to this game-breaking skill.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Updates

Stendhal Hurts, A Lot

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an ever-evolving adventure, with players uncovering new strategies daily. One such discovery is Maelle's ability to unleash up to 2 billion damage with her nuke build. After completing the main storyline, players dive into the endgame, which not only offers more narrative depth but also introduces formidable bosses with massive health pools and one-hit kill potential. This has led players to develop powerful counter-strategies like the nuke build. Note: This article may contain minor spoilers, so proceed with caution.

Maelle's skill, Stendhal, is the cornerstone of her nuke build, capable of massive damage that can be boosted to 200% in her Virtuose stance. To maximize her damage output, players need two specific Luminas, unlocked via Pictos (equipable items with various effects). The Luminas required 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 allows her to start battles in Virtuose stance. Another crucial skill, Last Stand, puts her into Virtuose stance and reduces her health to one hit point.

Maelle must also equip at least three of the following skills to amplify her damage: Painted Power to exceed 9,999 damage, Death’s Door for an extra 50% damage at low health, Confident Fighter for another 30% damage (disabling healing), Inverted Affinity for 50% more damage (with healing causing harm), and other skills that offer percentage 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 around 45 million HP, meaning Maelle's nuke could theoretically defeat him 48 times over—an undeniable overkill.

Players continue to experiment with different strategies and characters to push damage limits, making the post-game challenges both engaging and fun.

Stendhal Getting Nerfed

Sandfall Interactive has acknowledged that Stendhal's overwhelming damage was making the game too easy. In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter) dated May 8, the studio announced upcoming adjustments to Maelle’s skill. Originally, they planned only to release bug fixes early in the game's lifecycle, but Stendhal's impact necessitated a balance change.

During development, Stendhal was initially underwhelming, but a last-minute boost in the final pre-release balance pass resulted in its current overpowered state. 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 the first full hotfix set, rolling out today on Steam and soon on other platforms.

2 Million Copies in 12 Days

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 continues its meteoric rise, surpassing 2 million copies sold within just 12 days of its launch, as announced on X on May 6. This milestone follows a congratulatory message from French President Emmanuel Macron on Instagram, praising Sandfall Interactive for their representation of French culture and creativity: "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 award. With potential future DLCs on the horizon, the game's future looks bright.

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