Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is nerfing its best skill after it started one-shotting every boss in sight: “We gave it a big damage boost—and clearly overdid it”

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In just a few weeks since its release, Sandfall Interactive’s hit turn-based RPG, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, has seen players uncover methods to amplify one of the game’s top character Skills into an extremely powerful attack. Consequently, the developers are adjusting its power with a balance tweak, set to be implemented on May 9, simultaneously with a range of bug fixes for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, PS5, and Xbox Game Pass platforms.

The move at hand is called Stendhal, a formidable ability within Maelle’s arsenal, which becomes available in Act 3 of Expedition 33’s narrative. To activate this skill, eight Action Points (AP) are spent, all existing Shields are lost, and the character receives the Defenseless debuff that amplifies damage taken by 25%. In essence, Stendhal enables you to inflict colossal damage with a high-risk, high-reward nature. On its own, it’s incredibly potent; however, when combined with damage enhancements and additional bonuses, players have successfully escalated its destructive potential, often resulting in damage figures surpassing the 2 billion mark in multiple instances.

If you’re curious, the amount of damage in that instance would be sufficient to eliminate every boss in the game, even the final one with approximately 45 million health. To put this into perspective, typical endgame attack setups deal around 1 million damage each time. Therefore, the extraordinary power of an enhanced Stendhal hit is on a completely different, utterly absurd scale. Consequently, Sandfall is deciding to eliminate it.

In a social media post early on Thursday, the developer stated that they had not initially intended to change balances so soon; their focus was only on fixing bugs. However, Stendhal’s performance caught their attention and warranted adjustments.

Initially, the studio found that the game was too weak prior to its release and received an apparently excessive boost: “During most of development, it didn’t live up to expectations. However, in our final adjustments before launch, we significantly increased its power—apparently going overboard,” Sandfall explained. “As a result, it dominated the other choices. We want you to be able to bend the rules and break the game, but Stendhal was making it too simple.

In my opinion, it’s fantastic that developers are tackling overpowered build issues in single-player RPGs such as Expedition 33. While it’s wonderful to reward players for intelligent building and crafting with strong performance, it’s concerning when setups like these eliminate all difficulty or challenge from the game. In my view, a balance adjustment is not only appropriate but essential to preserve the engaging experience that Expedition 33 offers, as the element of challenge is a crucial aspect of what makes this game appealing.

If you’d like to wield the destructive power of Stendhal before its upcoming balance adjustment, consider equipping Maelle with Act 2’s Painted Power Picto to surpass the damage limit of 9,999. Follow this up with Picto or Lumina abilities such as Confident Fighter, Inverted Affinity, and At Death’s Door to dramatically increase your damage output. Add in items like Maelle’s Medalum weapon that grants her 200% damage-enhancing Virtuose Stance, as well as support from other team members, and you’ll have a lethal combination at your disposal. This potent blend of buffs will allow you to obliterate anything in your path with Stendhal, and Sandfall challenges you to do so while the opportunity still stands.

As a passionate fan, I wanted to share some exciting news about the game we all love! You’ve got only one more day to make the most of its current form and break some records. The studio is preparing a significant adjustment that will be part of our first full hotfix, going live tomorrow. The update will debut on Steam initially, with other platforms following suit soon after.

After this change, the single-hit skill will remain powerful with fantastic synergy potential – it’ll just fit better within the overall game balance. So, let’s make these last hours count and see what incredible feats we can achieve together!

As an ardent follower of Stendhal nuke, I understand the lingering dismay. However, here’s a piece of exciting news: Enthusiasts who’ve been tearing through Expedition 33 have managed to devise a method reminiscent of that nuke using Maelle’s Gommage skill! So, while we wait for the next big thing, let’s rejoice as we can still obliterate bosses with cataclysmic damage, albeit in a slightly different way.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is currently available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (Steam, Epic Games, Xbox app), and PS5, priced at $49.99. You can also enjoy it via Xbox Game Pass on Xbox or PC, or grab a bargain at CDKeys for only $36.19. This game is widely recognized as one of the top Xbox games and PC games this year, making it an essential play for fans of turn-based RPGs.

Clair Obscur’s Expedition 33 has been released on platforms including Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (Steam, Epic Games, Xbox app), and PS5 at a cost of $49.99. Alternatively, you can access it through Xbox Game Pass on Xbox or PC, or get it discounted to $36.19 at CDKeys. Recognized as one of the best Xbox games and PC games this year, it’s highly recommended for enthusiasts of turn-based RPGs.

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2025-05-09 01:33