Sandfall Interactive announced Thursday that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s multi-billion-damage Maelle builds are ending. The 1.2.3 patch notes are filled with other bug fixes and scaling adjustments, but the Stendhal ability’s whopping 40% damage nerf is stealing the show.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Sandfall explained the reasoning for the change, with replies torn between support, sadness, and criticism. “We still want you to be able to break the game—and you absolutely still can,” the post reads. “But Stendhal was making it a bit too easy.”
Some folks in the replies wondered whether a change like this is necessary for a single-player RPG; overpowered weapons, playstyles, and skills are optional in a single-player context. But the best argument in favor of the nerf is how easy Stendhal is to access.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s combat is designed and balanced around combos and setups between party members, Pictos, and weapons. Stendhal is just the tip of the iceberg for these combos; others might read these patch notes and expect other overpowered combos to be next on the chopping block.
Nearly every character in the game has a way to achieve enough damage to trivialize boss fights, so does it matter if one-shots exist in Clair Obscur when two- and three-shot options exist as well? It is a single-player game, and more options to tailor difficulty are usually a good thing — but a nerf like this probably doesn’t matter in the long run.
While it seems like Maelle getting nerfed is the main point of conversation regarding the patch, she still has access to extremely high damage option, including one that can be accessed from the beginning of the game. Using virtuoso stance, Percee, and an ally’s ability to mark can trivialize all of Act 1, and at the end of Act 1, you receive the Medalum, which makes this three-turn one-shot into a one-turn one-shot.
More updates are coming for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 according to the patch notes, which could mean more nerfs to strong setups and combinations. But don’t fret, there are still plenty of ways to break the game if that’s your modus operandi.
Here are the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Patch 1.2.3 notes, in full:
Fixed areas of the world map where you can get stuck:
Fixed situations where Esquie specifically would get stuck (poor guy):
Weapon and skill fixes and tuning:
This is the first in a series of patches we are looking to do over the coming months. We are still investigating many feature requests and issues for future updates.
Tomorrow comes, thanks to you.