Complete Guide to Character Builds in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

In the deep and complex world of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, there’s a lot to consider when leveling up your characters (and the party as a whole).^{[1]
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Expert Source

Grant Cunningham
Online Gaming & Anime Expert

Expert Interview} If you’re trying to put together an optimal party but feeling pretty stumped, we’ve got you covered. Skip all the frustration and guesswork with this comprehensive guide to the best character builds for all playable characters in Expedition 33—including Gustave, Maelle, Lune, Sciel, Verso, and Monoco.

Quick Advice for Effective Expedition 33 Builds

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Gustave: Focus on Vitality and Agility, use weapons like Abysseram or Lanceram.
Maelle: Focus on Defense and Agility, use the Medalum weapon.
Lune: Boost Vitality and Luck (or Agility and Defense); use Choralim or Trebuchim.
Sciel: Specialize in Luck and Defense; use the Charnon weapon to scale with stats.
Verso: Specialize in Vitality, Agility, and Luck; use the Lanceram or Chevalam weapons (or Simoso in late-game).
Monoco: Focus on Agility, Defense, and Might; use Joyaro or Ballaro for a weapon.

Section 1 of 6:

Gustave’s Best Build

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Give Gustave plenty of Vitality and Agility, which will give him greater Health and Speed, respectively. The goal for Gustave’s build is to make him a better party “tank” (capable of taking and dealing more damage), while maximizing his ability to use Overcharge, which dishes out huge amounts of burst damage.^{[2]
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WeaponsGustave doesn’t need a specific weapon to be the reliable, damage-dealing backbone of the party; he simply is. That said, Luck-scaling weapons tend to work well for him, as well as weapons like Abysseram or Lanceram.
- Lanceram has good stat-scaling qualities fairly early on in the game, so opt for this weapon as soon as possible.
- Abysseram is a particularly great weapon if you’ve put a lot of emphasis on Gustave’s Vitality and Agility attributes.
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SkillsCore skills for Gustave should include Lumiere Assault, Overcharge, Powerful, Marking Shot, Recovery, and From Fire. Use Lumiere Assault to build up Charges; then, you’ll be able to unleash fully-charged Overcharges regularly in battle. In the meantime, skills like Powerful and Marking Shot will increase the party’s overall damage output, taking the fight to enemies faster.^{[3]
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- Lumiere Assault - Deals low single-target Physical damage (5 hits); critical hits generate an additional Charge.
- Overcharge - Deals high Lightning damage based on the number of Charges (1 hit).
- Powerful - Applies “Powerful” to 1-3 allies, increasing their damage for 3 turns.
- Marking Shot - Deals low single-target Lightning damage (1 hit), applying Mark.
- Recovery - Recovers 50% Health while dispelling Status Effects.
- From Fire - Deals medium single-target damage (3 hits) using the weapon’s element; also heals the user by 20% if the target Burns.
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Pictos and LuminasPictos are equippable items, while Luminas are the passive abilities that Pictos provide. Gustave’s ideal Pictos and Luminas should be used to debuff enemies, stripping them of their defenses and leaving them vulnerable to attack. That’s why you should use the following:^{[4]
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- Pictos:
  - Augmented Attack - Increases Defense and Speed.
  - Exposing Attack - Base Attack applies “Defenceless” for 1 turn.
  - SOS Shell - Apply “Shell” when you fall below 50% Health.
  - Rewarding Mark - Gain +2 AP upon dealing damage to a Marked target.
- Luminas:
  - Burning Shots - Grants a 20% chance to Burn on a Free Aim shot.
  - Critical Burn - Grants a 25% increased Critical Chance on Burning enemies.
  - Dodger - Gain +1 AP on a Perfect Dodge (once per turn).
  - Dead Energy II - Gain +3 AP on killing an enemy.
  - Marking Shots - Grants a 20% chance to apply Mark on a Free Aim shot.
  - Versatile - Increase Base Attack damage by 50% after a Free Aim hit (1 turn).

Section 2 of 6:

Maelle’s Best Build

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This build for Maelle, a young orphan who joins Expedition 33, is focused on making her a heavy damage-dealer capable of fighting by herself and inflicting lots of Burn over time. That said, the most important Attributes to invest in for Maelle are Defense and Agility, which will buff her overall defenses, critical rate, and speed.^{[5]
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For this build, choose the Medalum weapon—a powerful early-game blade found in Gestral Village (if you play through the final arena fight as Maelle). Medalum can inflict Physical elemental damage, scaling with Defense and Agility, and featuring 150 Power starting at Level 5 when it’s acquired.
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SkillsMaelle’s most important skills should include Percee, Mezzo Forte, and Swift Stride; other helpful additions are Last Chance, Payback, Phantom Strike, Stendhal, Breaking Rules, and Sword Ballet. Use the Percee skill while in Virtuose Stance (with Medalum) to unleash a powerful attack, and pull out Mezzo Forte when you need to stay in the Virtuose Stance until the next turn.^{[6]
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- Percee - Deals medium single-target Physical damage (1 hit), increasing damage to Marked targets.
- Mezzo Forte - Reapplies Maelle’s current stance, granting 2-4 AP.
- Swift Stride - Deals low single-target Physical damage, switching Maelle to Virtuose stance.
- Last Chance - Changes stance to Virtuose, reducing self-Health but refilling AP.
- Payback - Deals high single-target Physical damage, reducing AP for parried attacks.
- Phantom Strike - Deals high Void damage to all enemies (4 hits).
- Stendhal - Deals extreme single-target Void damage (1 hit), removing self-Shields.
- Breaking Rules - Deals low single-target Physical damage (2 hits), destroying Shields and granting 1 AP per destroyed Shield.
- Sword Ballet - Deals extreme single-target damage (5 hits) using the weapon’s element.
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Pictos and LuminasFinally, you can use some choice Pictos and Luminas to turn Maelle into a lean, mean, fencing machine—strong enough that you can bring her into fights all by herself, and she’ll still dominate. These include:^{[7]
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- Pictos:
  - Solo Fighter - Deal 50% more damage when fighting alone.
  - Accelerating Last Stand - Gain Rush when fighting alone.
  - Empowering Last Stand - Gain Powerful when fighting alone.
  - Energising Parry - Successful parries grant +1 AP.
  - Last Stand Critical - Gain 100% critical chance when fighting alone.
  - Immaculate - Damage increases by 30% until a hit is received.
- Luminas:
  - At Death’s Door - Deal 50% more damage when health is below 10%.
  - Critical Burn - Increase critical chance by 25% on Burning enemies.
  - Cheater - Always play twice in a row.
  - Energy Master - Each AP gain increases by 1.
  - Inverted Affinity - Apply Inverted on self for 3 turns for 50% damage increase.
  - Tainted - Grants 15% damage increase for each Status Effect.
  - Full Strength - Full health increases damage by 25%.
  - Painted Power - Damage can exceed 9,999.
  - Burn Affinity - Damage is increased by 25% on Burning targets.
  - Teamwork - Damage is increased by 10% while all allies are alive.
  - First Strike - Play first.
  - Roulette - Each hit has a 50% chance to deal 50% or 200% of its damage.

Section 3 of 6:

Lune’s Best Build

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Vitality and Luck are worthwhile attributes to invest in here, but Agility and Defense are also worth considering as a way to boost Lune’s defenses and ability to react quickly in battle. Meanwhile, Vitality will give Lune more Health, and Luck will improve her critical chance.
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WeaponsWhen choosing gear for Lune, we recommend weapons like Choralim, Trebuchim, or Snowim. Choralim deals fire damage and scales with Defense and Agility, so use it if you’re focusing on those two attributes. Trebuchim, on the other hand, should be your go-to if Lune’s top attributes are Vitality and Luck; it’ll boost those stats, keeping her active in battle longer.^{[8]
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- Snowim is another great choice for a healer build, freezing Lune when she drops below 30% health, absorbing damage, and, at level 10, restoring 60% health at the start of the next turn.
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SkillsLune’s best skills include elemental damage-dealing options such as Electrify, Mayhem, Thunderfall, Rockslide, Lightning Dance, Crippling Tsunami, and Hell. Additionally, if you want Lune to function as the party’s main healer (which is a super useful role for her), opt for skills like Rebirth, Revitalization, and Typhoon as well.^{[9]
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- Crippling Tsunami - Deals medium Ice damage to all enemies (1 hit), applying Slow for 3 turns.
- Electrify - Deals low single-target Lightning damage (3 hits), with criticals triggering an extra hit.
- Hell - Deals high Fire damage and applies Burn to all enemies (2 hits).
- Lightning Dance - Deals high single-target Lightning damage (6 hits), with criticals triggering an extra hit.
- Mayhem - Consumes as Stains to deal high elemental damage to the target.
- Rebirth - Revives an ally with 30-70% Health and 2 extra AP.
- Revitalization - Heals 1 to 3 allies by 40-60% and applies Regen for 3 turns.
- Rockslide - Deals medium single-target Earth damage (2 hits) and can Break.
- Thunderfall - Deals medium Lightning damage to random enemies (2-6 hits).
- Typhoon - Deals high Ice damage to all enemies and heals allies.
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Pictos and LuminasChoose Pictos and Luminas that’ll help Lune deal more damage in combat, work alongside your weapon of choice, and complement the other characters in the party. We recommend the following:
- Pictos:
  - Burning Shots - Grants a 20% chance to Burn on a Free Aim shot.
  - Empowering Parry - Successful parries increase damage by 5% each.
  - Immaculate - Damage increases by 30% until a hit is received.
  - Shortcut - Play immediately when falling below 30% health.
- Luminas:
  - Burn Affinity - Damage is increased by 25% on Burning targets.
  - Cheater - Always play twice in a row.
  - Double Burn - Upon applying Burn, apply a second stack.
  - Energy Master - Each AP gain increases by 1.
  - Energising Start - Grants +1 AP at the start of battle.
  - Energising Turn - Grants +1 AP at the start of a turn.
  - First Strike - Play first.
  - Full Strength - Full health increases damage by 25%.
  - Glass Canon - Deal 25% more damage, take 25% more damage.
  - Painted Power - Damage can exceed 9,999.
  - Tainted - Grants 15% damage increase for each Status Effect.
  - Warming Up - Grants 5% increased damage per turn.

Section 4 of 6:

Sciel’s Best Build

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For Sciel, the best attributes to stock up on are Luck and Defense, which in turn influence Sciel’s speed, critical rate, and innate defenses. In this build, we’ll show you how to turn Sciel into a powerful fighter who’ll hold up in battle no matter what difficulty you’re on; we’ll also show you how to mold Sciel to keep her in Twilight as much as possible in fights!
Sciel’s best weapon is going to be Charnon, a scythe-like instrument that deals Void damage on its base attack, scaling with Defense and Luck (Sciel’s primary stats). It’s a rewarding weapon provided you make the most of Sciel’s ability to parry and dodge blows, granting 20% increased damage that stacks up to 5 times and increasing Sciel’s critical chance to 100% while in Twilight.^{[10]
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SkillsIn terms of skills, equip Sciel with Focused Foretell, Sealed Fate, Marking Card, Bad Omen, and Phantom Blade—and, if you want her to stay in Twilight longer, opt for Twilight Dance and Dark Wave. Focused Foretell and Sealed Fate can help you enter Twilight as quickly as possible; then, you can build up your Foretell while in Twilight. Other noteworthy skills to consider include Fortune’s Fury, Plentiful Harvest, and Final Path.^{[11]
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- Focused Foretell - Deals medium single-target Physical damage, applies 2 Foretell.
- Sealed Fate - Deals high single-target damage in the weapon’s element (5-7 hits).
- Marking Card - Deals medium single-target Dark damage and applies Mark (2 hits).
- Bad Omen - Deals low Dark damage to enemies and applies 2 Foretell per hit (2 hits).
- Phantom Blade - Deals high single-target Dark damage, consumes all Foretell (1 hit).
- Twilight Dance - Deals extreme single-target Dark damage (4 hits) and extends Twilight duration.
- Dark Wave - Deals high Dark damage to all enemies, consumes all Foretell (3 hits).
- Final Path - Deals extreme single-target Dark damage, applying 10 Foretell (1 hit).
- Fortune’s Fury - Targeted ally deals double damage for 1 turn.
- Plentiful Harvest - Deals medium single-target Physical damage (2 hits).
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Pictos and LuminasFinally, give Sciel Pictos and Luminas that increase her damage output and AP recovery to make her as tough as possible in a fight. We recommend the following:
- Pictos:
  - Empowering Parry - Successful parries increase damage by 5% each.
  - Energising Parry - Successful parries grant +1 AP.
  - Immaculate - Damage increases by 30% until a hit is received.
- Luminas:
  - Full Strength - Full health increases damage by 25%.
  - Inverted Affinity - Apply Inverted on self for 3 turns for 50% damage increase.
  - Second Chance - Once per battle, revive with 100% health.
  - Roulette - Each hit has a 50% chance to deal 50% or 200% of its damage.
  - Cheater - Always play twice in a row.
  - Painted Power - Damage can exceed 9,999.
  - Energising Start - Grants +1 AP at the start of battle.
  - Energising Turn - Grants +1 AP at the start of a turn.
  - Energy Master - Each AP gain increases by 1.
  - Dead Energy - Grants +3 AP upon killing an enemy.

Section 5 of 6:

Verso’s Best Build

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The weapons we’ll be recommending below scale best with Vitality and Agility, making them ideal attributes to focus on for Verso. However, you might also consider investing in Luck, as well! This will boost Verso’s health, speed, and critical chance, giving him the chance to strike swiftly—and often—in battle.
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WeaponsVerso’s best weapons are Lanceram or Chevalam; however, for an extra powered-up late-game build, Simoso is the way to go. Lanceram will passively scale with Verso’s attributes, strengthening his damage output despite the (spoiler alert!) mid-game transition from Gustave to Verso; meanwhile, Chevalam will help Verso begin battles at Rank S.^{[12]
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- Simoso, on the other hand, scales with Vitality and Agility and comes with a secondary weapon that applies an additional hit for each attack.
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SkillsUse Verso’s skills to increase his damage and increase Ranks during encounters. We recommend skills like Assault Zero, Ascending Assault, Blitz, Defiant Strike, Follow Up, and Marking Shot for the damage (and damage bonuses) they provide, as well as skills such as Perfect Recovery for health regeneration. With the Simoso weapon, Light-based skills such as Perfect Break, Radiant Slash, and Phantom Stars are also potent.^{[13]
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- Assault Zero - Deals low single-target damage in weapon’s element (5 hits); criticals generate Perfection.
- Ascending Assault - Deals low single-target damage in the weapon’s element (1 hit).
- Blitz - Deals low single-target Physical damage (1 hit) and Plays a second time.
- Defiant Strike - Deals high single-target Physical damage and applies Mark (2 hits).
- Follow Up - Deals medium single-target Light damage (1 hit).
- Marking Shot - Deals low single-target damage (1 hit) using the weapon’s element and applies Mark.
- Perfect Break - Deals high single-target Light damage (1 hit) and can Break.
- Perfect Recovery - Recovers 50% health, dispelling Status Effects.
- Phantom Stars - Deals extreme Light damage to all enemies (5 hits).
- Radiant Slash - Deals low Light damage to all enemies and can Break (1 hit).
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Pictos and LuminasVerso’s Pictos and Luminas should strengthen his parries and boost his AP and health recovery. Consider equipping him with any of the following:^{[14]
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- Pictos
  - Auto Rush - Applies Rush for 3 turns at the start of battle.
  - Confident Fighter - Increases damage by 30%, but can’t be healed.
  - Empowering Parry - Successful parries increase damage by 5% each.
  - Energising Parry - Successful parries grant +1 AP.
  - Perilous Parry - Parry grants +1 AP, but damage is doubled.
- Luminas
  - Cheater - Always play twice in a row.
  - Confident - Take 50% less damage (but cannot be healed).
  - Critical Burn - Increase critical chance by 25% on Burning enemies.
  - Energy Master - Each AP gain increases by 1.
  - First Strike - Play first.
  - Glass Canon - Deal 25% more damage, take 25% more damage.
  - Inverted Affinity - Apply Inverted on self for 3 turns for 50% damage increase.
  - Powerful on Shell - Apply Powerful when Shell is applied.
  - Roulette - Each hit has a 50% chance to deal 50% or 200% of its damage.
  - Shell on Rush - Apply Shell after applying Rush.
  - Teamwork - Damage is increased by 10% while all allies are alive.

Section 6 of 6:

Monoco’s Best Build

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Monoco is a very interesting party member in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, given his ability to transform into different enemy forms. To turn Monoco into a powerful, all-around useful damage-dealer, you’ll want to boost his Agility and Defense attributes. Secondarily, invest some points in his Might attribute (to amplify his damage output).
For Monoco, we recommend using Joyaro or Ballaro as his weapon. Ballaro is great because it has high damage potential and—when using certain abilities—grants extra AP to the rest of the party, making Monoco as much of a support character as a bruiser. Meanwhile, with Joyaro, you’ll begin battles in Almighty Mask, allowing Monoco to use any skill with increased damage (which is very useful, needless to say).
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SkillsWhen building up Monoco’s abilities, you’ll want a range of options to make him into a versatile fighter. This includes buffs and healing abilities like Troubadour Trumpet, Potier Energy, and Contorsionniste Blast, as well as damage-dealing abilities like Moissonneuse Vendage, Chevaliere Piercing, Stalact Punches, Sakapatate Fire, and Portier Crash.^{[15]
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- Chevaliere Piercing - Deals single-target Physical damage through Shields (6 hits).
- Contorsionniste Blast - Deals medium Physical damage to all enemies and heals all allies.
- Moissonneuse Vendage - Deals high single-target Physical damage (3 hits) and can Break.
- Potier Energy - Gives all allies 1-3 AP.
- Portier Crash - Deals high Physical damage to all enemies and can Break (1 hit).
- Sakapatate Fire - Deals extreme fire to all enemies and applies Burn (3 hits).
- Stalact Punches - Deals medium single-target Ice damage with high Break (4 hits).
- Troubadour Trumpet - Applies a random buff to 1-3 allies.
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Pictos and LuminasFinally, use Pictos and Lumiere to give Monoco some extra firepower, particularly in his ability to parry attacks and break enemies’ defenses. We recommend the following:
- Pictos:
  - Augmented Counter III - Increases Counterattack damage by 75%.
  - Empowering Parry - Successful parries increase damage by 5% each.
  - Energising Parry - Successful parries grant +1 AP.
  - Immaculate - Damage increases by 30% until a hit is received.
- Luminas:
  - Auto Rush - Applies Rush for 3 turns at the start of battle.
  - Breaker - Grants a 25% increase in Break damage.
  - Breaking Counter - Counterattacks increase Break damage by 50%.
  - Cheater - Always play twice in a row.
  - Energy Master - Each AP gain increases by 1.
  - First Strike - Play first.
  - Full Strength - Full health increases damage by 25%.
  - Glass Canon - Deal 25% more damage, take 25% more damage.
  - Inverted Affinity - Apply Inverted on self for 3 turns for 50% damage increase.
  - Painted Power - Damage can exceed 9,999.
  - Tainted - Grants 15% damage increase for each Status Effect.