Maelle's 2 Billion Damage Build Nerfed by Clair Obscur

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

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Updates

Stendhal Hurts, A Lot

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 continues to surprise players with daily discoveries, including a player who managed to deal up to 2 billion damage using the Expeditioner, Maelle. After completing the main story, the game's endgame unfolds, offering additional narrative depth and challenging bosses with immense health pools and one-hit kill capabilities. This has prompted players to devise powerful strategies, such as Maelle's nuke build. Warning: Minor spoilers ahead.

Maelle's skill, Stendhal, is central to this build, capable of inflicting substantial damage that can be boosted to 200% in her Virtuose stance. To achieve this massive damage output, Maelle needs two specific Luminas: Cheater, which grants an extra turn, and Shortcut, which provides another turn when health drops below 30%. Additionally, Maelle requires her weapon, the Medalum, which enables her to start battles in Virtuose stance, and the skill Last Stand, which activates Virtuose stance at the cost of reducing her to one hit point.

Maelle can further enhance her damage by equipping three of the following skills: Painted Power to surpass the 9,999 damage cap, Death’s Door for an extra 50% damage at low health, Confident Fighter for a 30% boost with no healing, and Inverted Affinity for another 50% damage while making healing detrimental. With the right combination of Pictos and Luminas, Maelle can deal over 2 billion damage, far surpassing the 45 million HP of the endgame boss, Simon, effectively capable of defeating him 48 times over.

Players continue to experiment with different strategies and characters to achieve even higher damage numbers, showcasing the creativity and challenge of Expedition 33’s post-game content.

Stendhal Getting Nerfed

Sandfall Interactive has acknowledged that Stendhal's overwhelming power was making the game too easy. In a May 8 Twitter (X) post, the studio announced upcoming adjustments to Maelle’s skill. Originally, no balance changes were planned so soon after launch, only bug fixes. However, Stendhal's extreme damage prompted a rethink. Sandfall admitted that the skill was underwhelming during development but received a significant boost in the final balance pass before release, which went too far.

"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. The changes to Stendhal will be part of their first full hotfix set, rolling out today on Steam and soon on other platforms.

2 Million Copies in 12 Days

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has reached a remarkable milestone, selling over 2 million copies in just 12 days since its launch, as announced in a May 6 Twitter (X) post. Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron praised the game on Instagram, congratulating Sandfall Interactive for their success and for showcasing French creativity and audacity.

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 news on the game by clicking on our article below!