In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, players have numerous options to create their party, but one of the most powerful strategies involves utilizing Maelle’s Medalum weapon in combination with the Stendhal skill. This particular build excels in a solo setting, allowing players to eliminate enemies with incredible efficiency. While this approach may not appeal to everyone, it enables players to skip most combat encounters, effectively one-shotting virtually any foe—including the game’s most formidable endgame bosses. As a result, this playstyle can significantly alter the player’s experience in the game.

Maelle, a key character in Clair Obscur, is ideally suited for a solo build thanks to the Stendhal skill, which becomes accessible in Act 3. Upon unlocking this skill, players can enhance Maelle’s damage output significantly by utilizing various Pictos and Luminas. This build is best suited for those who prefer to bypass typical combat scenarios in Act 3, making even the toughest secret bosses, like Simon or Clea, feel incredibly easy to defeat. While this strategy may seem overpowered, it truly offers a glimpse into a near-God Mode experience in Clair Obscur.

Optimal Weapon Choices & Attribute Allocation for a Solo Maelle Build in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Maelle’s Medalum Weapon Provides Immediate Virtuose Stance Advantage

Medalum is widely regarded as the premier weapon choice in Clair Obscur, particularly for Maelle, as it automatically initiates her in Virtuose Stance at the start of every battle. This unique feature provides a significant edge, allowing for immediate aggression without wasting valuable turns. For this solo build, additional upgrades to the Medalum weapon are largely insignificant; however, players are free to experiment with Maelle’s various Burn skills for alternative strategies.

The Medalum weapon benefits from both Defense and Agility stats, and investing points into Might will enhance its effectiveness as well. Once you reach the maximum level, you can allocate 99 points across three different attributes. However, before reaching that point, I strongly recommend focusing primarily on Agility and Might. Your Defense and Health will be less critical in most situations due to the use of Last Chance, which utilizes a strategy of maintaining low health to trigger powerful buffs.

Top Skills to Enhance Maelle’s Solo Build in Clair Obscur

Essential Skills: Stendhal, Phantom Strike, & Last Chance

To maximize your success with a solo build, it is essential to equip three primary skills for Maelle: Stendhal, Phantom Strike, and Last Chance. The Stendhal skill, unlocked during Act 3, is particularly overpowered as it inflicts significant Void damage on single targets. Despite its drawbacks, such as losing shields and becoming defenseless, the high damage output makes the risk worthwhile. This skill is essential for any dedicated Maelle player looking to dominate in solo play.

Utilizing Phantom Strike is advantageous when facing multiple enemies, as it allows you to potentially wipe out weaker foes on the first turn while significantly damaging tougher opponents. By effectively setting up your Luminas and Pictos, you can enjoy three turns at the start of each encounter. As you progress and level up, you should be able to deploy all three skills in quick succession, vanquishing most enemy groups before they get the chance to retaliate.

Optimal Pictos & Luminas for Maximizing Maelle’s Solo Play in Clair Obscur

Key Pictos: Solo Fighter, Roulette, & Immaculate for Maximum Damage Output

When executing a solo build, stacking Maelle with passive buffs from Luminas is crucial, and you may need to wait until you reach NG+ in Clair Obscur to acquire all necessary enhancements. If you plan to engage in most encounters exclusively with Maelle, invest in her Colour of Lumina upgrades to maximize passive buffs. Essential Lumina passives include Cheater, First Strike, and Shortcut.

Using Cheater and Shortcut allows you to effectively play three turns consecutively if you activate Last Chance to reduce your health to 1, while First Strike ensures you attack first. For my choice of Pictos, I selected Second Chance to provide a safety net in case of unexpected outcomes, and this selection also conserves 40 Lumina points for allocating toward more beneficial passives. Additionally, I equipped Shortcut and Roulette Pictos, primarily for their passive benefits rather than their individual stats.

Building up Lumina passives is your primary means of amplifying damage, and there are various effective combinations to explore for increasing your output. These combinations include Shell and powerful Luminas such as SOS Shell, SOS Power, Greater Powerful, and Powerful on Shell, which provide additional damage boosts throughout encounters. Other valuable passives include Shield Affinity combined with In Medias Res and Inverted Affinity.

When focusing on a solo playstyle, it’s crucial to choose Luminas that specifically mention benefits for solo fighting, particularly Solo Fighter. Skills like At Death’s Door and Confident Fighter are excellent choices, considering you will be reducing your health to 1, making healing unnecessary. Additionally, you’ll want to avoid healing to maintain your inverted state.

Effective Solo Strategies for Maelle in Clair Obscur

Employ Stendhal for Single Targets & Phantom Strike for Group Encounters

The Stendhal skill should be your primary attack for any single-target battle. If you’ve optimized your Luminas, it’s improbable that a one-on-one encounter will last beyond a single turn. For battles involving multiple enemies, a straightforward strategy can ensure you eliminate all foes. Start with Phantom Strike to either weaken or take down multiple opponents, then activate Last Chance to drop your health to 1, granting you full AP and transitioning back into Virtuose Stance.

This approach will also provide you with an automatic turn courtesy of the Shortcut passive. You can then follow up with Phantom Strike again to deal with groups or finish off any remaining enemies with Stendhal. I tested this method in Renoir’s Drafts, arguably one of the toughest areas in the game, and managed to clear the entire zone and defeat Simon in a single attack, all while playing solo with Maelle.

Overall, this build may seem almost unfair as you progress towards max level, allowing you to defeat some of the toughest bosses in the game within mere seconds. With this strategy, you’ll make quick work of formidable enemies, such as Serpenphere, Clea, and Simon, solidifying this build as one of the most powerful, if not the most effective, in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.