One of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33‘s most powerful abilities is about to get nerfed, so if you want to keep doing absolutely outrageous damage numbers with Maelle, you’ve got one more day to get your fill.
In a post on X, developer Sandfall Interactive says that Maelle’s ability Stendhal has “ended up overshadowing most other options” in the fencer’s arsenal. The studio says the ability was “underwhelming for most of development”, which resulted in a “big damage boost” that the developer says “overdid it”.
Sandfall says that it “hadn’t planned to make any balance changes” this early into Clair Obscur: Expedition 33‘s release, but that Stendhal’s overpowered nature “clearly stood out”, making things “a bit too easy” for those using Maelle in combat.
Despite Stendhal’s nerf, Sandfall says it still very much wants you to “be able to break the game”, and that you “absolutely still can”.
Stendhal will remain a “strong single-hit skill with great synergy potential”, but it’ll be “more in line with everything else” rather than standing out as Maelle’s best option in every combat situation.
Changes to the ability will come as part of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33‘s first round of hotfixes, which will arrive on Steam tomorrow, with other platforms to follow soon after. There likely won’t be any other changes on the same level as those being made to Stendhal.
If you’re wondering why you haven’t yet unlocked the Stendhal ability for Maelle, it becomes available automatically at the beginning of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33‘s third act. I shan’t say any more for fear of spoilers.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a turn-based RPG heavily inspired by classic JRPG franchises like Final Fantasy.
Developed by French studio Sandfall Interactive, the game takes place in the Belle Epoque-inspired land of Lumiere, which is subject to the whims of the Paintress, a monstrous figure who paints a descending number each year, causing everyone of that age or above to die.
It’s proven a popular game among fans; sales of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 reached two million within less than two weeks of the game’s launch, despite the fact it’s also available on Game Pass.
You can check out Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 right now on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, and you can play it as part of a PC Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate subscription as well. Make sure to check out our Erren’s review to find out what she thought.
