Best character builds in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Putting together Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 builds often feels overwhelming. Each character has access to skills that have so many different, potent combinations with other skills or other character builds, and that's not even getting into the hundreds of Pictos you can augment your setups with.

For the most part, you can get through the main story and most optional bosses on normal mode without bothering to optimise builds, though some late-game foes will put this strategy to the test. Expedition 33's Expert mode is another matter entirely, though. Enemies frequently one-shot you there, and you'll need to stack the deck in your favour as often as possible.

In this guide, we lay out two builds for the characters in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, covering offence, defence, support, and hybrids. Most of these builds work just fine on their own without needing a complementary build from a different character, though we've noted when some of them function better with a certain ally. We've also listed Pictos for each build and where to find them.

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The best Lune builds in Expedition 33

Whether thrashing your enemies with fire or keeping the other expedition members in tip-top condition, Lune's abilities are varied. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Sandfall Interactive

Lune is a brilliant attacker or supporter, depending on what your party needs. And even in her support role, she's free to dish out plenty of free aim and skill damage thanks to an expensive, but essential, skillset. An attack-focused Lune has several skill combinations, but it's also easy to overwhelm yourself with too many high-AP abilities and get caught with a deficit more often than not. The right combination includes a handful of low-cost skills to keep Lune's AP topped up and a regular rhythm of powerful attacks.

Lune support build

Weapon: Benesim

• Element: Earth
• Attributes: Agility (S), Defense (A)

Skills:

• Typhoon
• Crippling Tsunami
• Wildfire
• Elemental Genesis
• Thunderfall
• Terraquake

Pictos and Luminas:

• Energy Master: Increases all AP gains by one. Obtained by defeating Serpenphare in the Boat Graveyard, reachable after Esquie learns to fly.
• Powerful Heal: Healing an ally applies Powerful for one turn. Purchase from the Gestral merchant in Endless Night Sanctuary.
• Protecting Heal: Healing an ally applies Shell for one turn. Obtained by helping the Friendly Spirit in the Esoteric Ruins.
• Energizing Heal: Healing an ally provides two AP. Found near the Endless Tower on the Continent.
• Powerful on Shell: The caster gains Powerful for one turn after applying Shell. Found by following the path to the right of the Dancing Classes Expedition Flag and defeating the Benisseur at the end of it.
• Painted Power: Allows you to exceed the 9,999 damage cap. Acquired automatically at the start of Act 3.
• Second Chance: Once per battle, revive with 100% health. Acquired automatically near the end of the Monolith.

Lune's support build depends on Typhoon, a mid-game healing skill that activates at the start of a turn and heals the entire party for a substantial amount. If Lune has two Earth Stains, Typhoon consumes those and activates at the start of every turn for three to five turns. Basically, you'll get free healing and ice damage, though it takes a bit of set-up to reach that point.

We've added Terraquake to this build to get Lune those two initial Earth Stains, but from there on, the Benesim weapon does the job for you. At level 10 and higher, it generates one Earth Stain at the start of each turn, so by the time Lune needs to re-cast Typhoon, she'll have plenty of Stains. The starting perk reduces healing skill costs by one AP as well.

Throw in all the support Pictos listed above, and Lune will be buffing the entire party and giving them a fair bit of AP every turn while also buffing herself (though do note that Energizing Heal gives others AP, not Lune).

All of this leaves Lune with a lot of time and AP to deal damage. Use Wildfire to burn enemies, then Thermal Transfer to damage them and gain extra AP. If Thermal Transfer consumes two Earth Stains, it also lets Lune have another turn. Just bear in mind that extra turns gained this way or through the Cheater Picto count toward Typhoon's turn total.

Stormcaller, Crustal Crush (good for Breaking enemies), and Mayhem are Lune's main sources of damage. Stormcaller is particularly good with Wildfire, since consuming two Fire Stains makes Stormcaller summon extra lightning strikes. Regardless of Stains consumed, Stormcaller deals additional damage when other allies attack foes affected by it.

If you're playing in a team of AP-hungry characters like an offense-focused Maelle or Sciel, you might want to put Energizing Powerful and Shell on Lune as well. These grant 2 AP to the allies receiving the buffs — but not Lune.

Lune offense build

Weapon: Kralim

• Element: Lightning
• Attributes: Vitality (A), Agility (S)

Skills

• Wildfire
• Thermal Transfer
• Stormcaller
• Revitalization
• Crustal Crush
• Mayhem

Pictos and Luminas:

• Energizing Start IV: Provides one AP at the start of battle. Found on the Forgotten Battlefield. Follow the path to the right of the Main Gate Expedition Flag.
• Dead Energy I: Obtain three AP after defeating an enemy. In a crate on the beach near Dark Shores' entrance.
• Dead Energy II: Obtain three AP after defeating an enemy. Found in Spring Meadows. Exit the tunnel after the Abandoned Expedition flag, and turn right to find it.
• First Strike: Always play first. Found in Stone Wave Cliffs. Pass Hexga and follow the path until you reach a statue. Defeat the enemies at the base of the statue to get this Picto.
• Solidifying: Once per battle, gain two shields when your health drops below 50%. Acquired by defeating the Giant Sapling in the Crushing Cavern, northwest of the Gestral Village.
• Auto Shell: Gain Shell for three turns at the start of a battle. Acquired after bringing Hexga their rock crystals in Stone Wave Cliffs.
• Painted Power: Allows you to exceed the 9,999 damage cap. Acquired automatically at the start of Act 3.

This build functions similarly to the support build, just without all the buffs, and pairs well as a sub-DPS with Maelle, Verso, or even Sciel. Set foes alight with Wildfire, then use Thermal Transfer to build AP. Crustal Crush is excellent for building Break, whether you've got another Break character in the party or not, and Mayhem is an exceptionally powerful skill — and an expensive one. Revitalization is here to keep the party's health topped up.

Just make sure to keep up a steady rotation of alternate element skills. Kralim's perk increases skill damage by 20% up to five times, but the buff resets if you use the same element twice.

The best Maelle builds in Expedition 33

Maelle is a powerhouse of a character as long as you can figure out her Stances. Follow the rotations below to start Breaking Nevrons left and right. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Sandfall Interactive

Maelle is one of Expedition 33's strongest characters, though working around her Stance switching — and costly skills — can take some getting used to. She's an excellent debuffer who can burn enemies and lower their defense, though while Maelle does have some support options, it's best to ignore them. Let another character buff Maelle, so she can focus on wiping the floor with your foes, and we've got two builds below that do just this, with one focused on DPS and the other on counterattacks.

Maelle DPS build

Weapon: Medalum

• Element: Physical
• Attributes: Defense (S), Agility (A)

Skills:

• Fleuret Fury
• Swift Stride
• Burning Canvas
• Fencer's Flurry
• Sword Ballet
• Breaking Rules

Pictos and Luminas:

• Piercing Shot: Increases Free Aim damage by 20%, and Free Aim damage ignores shields. Found in the Ancient Sanctuary. Follow the path behind the Gestral Totem Expedition Flag, then destroy the paint spike at the end to get the Pictos.
• Energizing Attack 1: Gain one extra AP from base attack. Acquired after defeating Glaise in Yellow Harvest.
• Energizing Burn: Gain one AP once per turn when applying Burn to an enemy. Acquired by defeating the Chromatic Veilleur in Frozen Hearts.
• Exposing Attack: Base attack applies Defenseless for one turn. Purchase from the Gestral Merchant in Flying Waters.
• Burn Affinity: Deals 20% increased damage to Burning foes. Found in Frozen Hearts, in the cliffs to the right of the Glacial Falls Expedition Flag.
• Painted Power: Allows you to exceed the 9,999 damage cap. Acquired automatically at the start of Act 3.
• Cheater: Always act twice. Defeat Sprong, a world boss on the Continent near Stone Wave Cliffs.

This build takes a bit of setup to get going, though it has high damage potential. Burning Canvas and Swift Stride push Maelle into Virtuose Stance, and Fleuret Fury deals extensive damage and keeps Virtuose going. It's a good way to take chunks out of your opponent before using Sword Ballet for the really big hits. Breaking Rules is here just on account of how many shielded enemies you run into during the game's latter parts.

Medalum lets you start the battle in Virtuose Stance, so you can begin on a strong note, and it applies extra burn when Maelle Burns foes and increases Burn damage.

We picked Burning Canvas over the more common Rain of Fire, since the former deals more damage to Burning enemies despite costing the same. Cheater makes a big difference by letting you get Maelle's combos in without having to wait for a new turn. So, for example, you can use Burning Canvas and Swift Stride immediately, or apply Defenseless with Fencer's Flurry before unleashing Sword Ballet so the latter deals even more damage.

Maelle counter build

Weapons: Jarum (before completing Maelle's relationship quest)

• Element: Physical
• Attributes: Defense (S), Luck (A)

Lithum (obtained after completing Maelle's relationship quest)

• Element: Physical
• Attributes: Luck (S), Agility (A)

Skills:

• Revenge
• Egide
• Guard Up OR Stendhal
• Burning Canvas
• Swift Stride
• Fleuret Fury

Pictos and Luminas:

• Powerful Mark: Gain Powerful upon hitting a marked enemy. Obtained in Flying Manor. Pass the Expedition Flag and the elevator beyond it, take a right at the large enemy waiting at the end of the path. Then, climb up, follow the path, and grab the Pictos from between two Chevalier enemies.
• Clea's Life: On the start of a turn, if no damage was taken during the previous turn, recover full health. Acquired by defeating Clea in Flying Manor.
• Augmented Counter I: Increases counterattack damage by 25%. Obtained after defeating the Bourgeon enemy in Flying Waters.
• Augmented Counter II: Increases counterattack damage by 50%. Obtained after defeating the Chromatic Ramasseur in Visages.
• Augmented Counter III: Increases counterattack damage by 75%. Obtained after defeating Danseusse Teacher in Frozen Hearts. You must complete her parry trial first.
• Painted Power: Allows you to exceed the 9,999 damage cap. Acquired automatically at the start of Act 3.
• Cheater: Always act twice. Defeat Sprong, a world boss on the Continent near Stone Wave Cliffs.

This is a hybrid build that uses counterattack Luminas to drastically enhance counters and the Revenge skill. Jarum and Lithum both have Maelle switch to Virtuose after a counterattack, but Lithum has the added bonus of keeping the Mark on a Marked enemy after Maelle attacks them. It's a strong fit for a team with Verso, as many of his builds include Marking attacks. Or you can add the Marking Shots Pictos to Maelle's build so she can Mark, attack, and leave it for the next character.

Revenge becomes more powerful the more times an enemy hits Maelle. Actual damage numbers don't seem to count — just the fact that she takes a hit. That means you'll need to avoid dodging or parrying, which seems at odds with the counterattack buffs, but that's where Egide comes in. After using it, Maelle stands in for another teammate and takes damage on their behalf. You can use Guard Up to apply Shell, but if you're running this Maelle with a support Lune or Sciel, then you probably won't need it. If so, swap it for Stendhal so Maelle has damage options outside of Revenge.

We opted for Cheater with this build as well to help get Maelle into Virtuose Stance, apply Guard Up if necessary without losing a chance to attack, or let the Stendhal debuff wear off, if you opt for that skill.

The best Sciel builds in Expedition 33

Sciel or Lune - who's the best girl? It's a close call, and they actually work pretty well together thanks to similar DPS and support capabilities. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Sandfall Interactive

Sciel is another excellent sub-DPS with strong support potential. Either a purely focused DPS or a support build works when you pair Sciel with any other party member, though she functions best with heavy-hitting allies who inflict Burn, like Maelle and Lune.

Sciel DPS build

Weapon: Martenon

• Element: Earth
• Attributes: Vitality (S), Agility (A)

Skills:

• Sealed Fate
• Final Path
• Plentiful Harvest
• Twilight Dance
• Marking Card
• Searing Bond

Pictos and Luminas:

• Energizing Turn: Gain one AP at the start of your turn. Obtained after defeating Sirene.
• First Strike: Play first, but only if you don't attack the foe in the overworld to gain advantage. Found in Stone Wave Cliffs near the statue beyond the open field.
• Breaking Burn: Deal 25% more Break damage against burning enemies. Southwest of Old Lumière on the world map, behind a Bourgeon enemy.
• Energizing Start I: Begin the battle with one additional AP. Found on the beach behind the Gestral Village.
• Energizing Start II: Begin the battle with one additional AP. In the Ancient Sanctuary on a ledge behind the Ranger Sakapatae.
• Energy Master: Increases all AP gains by one. Obtained by defeating Serpenphare in the Boat Graveyard, reachable after Esquie learns to fly.
• Energizing Parry: Gain one AP on a successful parry. Defeat Chromatic Luster on the Forgotten Battlefield or purchase from the merchant in Sacred River after defeating him during a duel.
• Painted Power: Allows you to exceed the 9,999 damage cap. Acquired automatically at the start of Act 3.
• Cheater: Always act twice. Defeat Sprong, a world boss on the Continent near Stone Wave Cliffs.

And if you're not running this Sciel in a team with an AP-focused support Lune, you'll want to consider adding these:

• Marking Shots: Free Aim shots have a 20% chance of Marking an enemy. Found in Flying Waters.
• Burning Shots: 20% chance for Free Aim shots to Burn an enemy. Found in Spring Meadows on the cliff-edge after you pass through the tunnel beyond the Abandoned Expedition Flag.
• Beneficial Contamination: Once per turn, gain 2 AP after applying a status effect on an enemy. Purchase from Persik in Falling Leaves.
• Energizing Shots: 20% chance to gain 1 AP from a Free Aim hit. Found in Flying Manor, near Goblu's arena.

The goal with any offensive Sciel build is getting as many stacks of Foretell as you can on a foe, which you'll do by casting Sun skills, and then using a Moon skill to consume those stacks and deal extra damage. Sciel enters Twilight after having a Sun and Moon charge active, during which she deals extra damage. Martenon rewards you by dealing bonus damage based on how many charges you have when Twilight activates, and since its max-level perk doubles your charges, Sciel will always be dealing high amounts of damage just by going through her normal rotation.

Searing Bond and Marking Card are this build's Sun skills, with the latter being especially useful for stacking extra AP thanks to Sciel's Luminas. Searing Bond works well with Lune and Maelle, if either or both of them apply Burn.

And Sciel needs AP. Sealed Fate and Twilight Dance are where most of her damage comes from, and both of them are expensive. It's possible with this combination of Pictos to cast one of them every or every other turn, but just make sure you're using Free Aim attacks to apply status effects and marks for the extra AP. Add Cheater to the mix if you need another turn to set Sciel up or just to benefit from all the status effects you applied previously.

And if AP is a problem, adding that additional set of Pictos should help keep Sciel fully energized.

Sciel support build

Weapon: Litheson

• Element: Physical
• Attributes: Luck (S), Agility, (A)

Skills:

• All Set
• Plentiful Harvest
• Fortune's Fury
• Intervention
• Dark Wave
• Final Path

Pictos and Luminas:

• Energizing Turn: Gain one AP at the start of your turn. Obtained after defeating Sirene.
• Auto-Death: Instantly die at the start of battle. Purchase from the merchant in Yellow Harvest.
• Second Chance: Once per battle, revive with 100% health. Acquired automatically near the end of the Monolith.
• First Strike: Play first, but only if you don't attack the foe in the overworld to gain advantage. Found in Stone Wave Cliffs near the statue beyond the open field.
• Clea's Death: On the death of the equipping character, all allies deal 25% more damage for the duration of the battle until they die. Obtained by defeating Clea Unleashed in the Endless Tower.
• Energizing Death: On death, all allies gain four AP. Found on the Forgotten Battlefield, or you can purchase it in Monoco's Station after bringing the Eternal Ice item back from Frozen Hearts.
• Death Bomb: On death, damage all enemies. Found in Yellow Harvest, along a path to the right of the Harvester's Hollow Expedition Flag.
• Greater Powerful: Makes the Powerful buff 15% stronger. Purchase from the merchant in Sirene.
• Greater Shell: Shell buff is 10% stronger. Found in Sirene. Follow the path straight ahead from the Dancing Classes Expedition Flag, then turn left. Continue following the path, and you'll find the Picto at the end.
• Greater Rush: Rush buff is 25% stronger. Purchase from Monoco's Station after bringing the Eternal Ice item back from Frozen Hearts.
• Breaker: Deal 25% increased Break damage.
• Breaking Death: Fully charge an enemy's Break bar on death. Acquired by defeating Thunder Eveque on The Continent.
• Painted Power: Allows you to exceed the 9,999 damage cap. Acquired automatically at the start of Act 3.
• Cheater: Always act twice. Defeat Sprong, a world boss on the Continent near Stone Wave Cliffs.

In terms of power, Sciel is one of the best supports in the game thanks to Fortune's Fury and Intervention. Fortune's Fury doubles the power of the target character's next attack. Using it with something like Maelle's Stendhal or a powered-up Revenge and the right combination of buffs and debuffs is absolutely devastating.

All Set provides Shell, Rush, and Powerful to the party, and with Cheater, you can apply those and still have another turn for whatever you see fit. That's really all you need to do for this build. Auto-Death seems a little extreme at first, but the buffs and damage that come after will get your team off on the right foot. From there, you could augment with Free Aim Pictos that let Sciel debuff enemies further before your main damage dealer takes over, or basic attack Pictos, or both. The core of this build is simply explosive death plus big buffs to allies, so you're free to tinker with it beyond that as you wish.

The best Verso builds in Expedition 33

A late entry to the party he may be, but Verso will soon become your reliable man when it comes to debuffing foes. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Sandfall Interactive

You can do a lot with Verso. Like Lune and Sciel, he functions effectively as a primary DPS (though he's a bit less straightforward than Maelle), a sub-DPS, or a support unit, depending on how you're building the rest of the party and what you need. However, he works particularly well in builds that let him debuff enemies and set them up to take more damage, either from himself or his allies. Free Aim shots play a big role in most Verso builds for that reason, and while we've only recommended Cheater in certain circumstances for other builds, it's pretty much essential to get the most out of Verso's setup or on Expert difficulty.

Verso DPS build

Weapons: Dualiso, then Corpeso

Dualiso:

• Element: Lightning
• Attributes: Vitality (S), Defense (A)

Corpeso:

• Element: Fire
• Attributes: Agility (S), Vitality (A)

Skills:

• Assault Zero
• Defiant Strike
• Phantom Stars
• Follow Up
• Light Holder
• Berserk Slash

Pictos and Luminas:

• Energizing Attack 1: Gain one extra AP from base attack. Acquired after defeating Glaise in Yellow Harvest.
• Combo Attack 3: Base attack has one extra hit. Acquired after defeating all three challengers in the Dark Gestral Arena.
• Exposing Attack: Base attack applies Defenseless for one turn. Purchase from the Gestral Merchant in Flying Waters.
• Burning Shots: 20% chance for Free Aim shots to Burn an enemy. Found in Spring Meadows on the cliff-edge after you pass through the tunnel beyond the Abandoned Expedition flag.
• Burn Affinity: Deal 25% extra damage to Burning enemies. Acquired in Frozen Hearts, at the end of the path to the right of the Glacial Falls Expedition Flag.
• Double Burn: When applying Burn, apply one extra stack of Burn. Found in Visages, after defeating the enemies in the cavern in the Anger Vale area.
• Energizing Burn: Gain one AP once per turn when applying Burn to an enemy. Acquired by defeating the Chromatic Veilleur in Frozen Hearts.
• Painted Power: Allows you to exceed the 9,999 damage cap. Acquired automatically at the start of Act 3.
• Cheater: Always act twice. Defeat Sprong, a world boss on the Continent near Stone Wave Cliffs

Dualiso works well for most of Act 2, as its base attack bonus lets you spend one turn debuffing enemies and prepping for the next turn. However, its low base power means it quickly becomes less useful near the end of the act, and should definitely be replaced by the start of Act 3. Once you get Corpeso (found near the Dark Shores on the Continent), swap to it. Corpeso drastically raises Burn damage and lets you apply Burn, while gaining one AP, just by using your base attack.

The Pictos and Luminas that go with Corpeso lean into that specialisation. The choices here are fairly straightforward and designed to increase Burn damage and Burn application, while raising Verso's AP, which he always needs quite a lot of. Feel free to add Energizing Burn and Energizing Shots if you need more AP, though this build and AP help from other characters should be enough for him.

Assault Zero is this build's standard attack, good for opening salvos and raising Perfection, but not one to rely on after that thanks to its low damage. Defiant Strike and Berserk Slash are a combo, with the former taking a chunk out of Verso's health and the latter increasing damage based on missing health. Follow Up can deal exceptionally high damage if you start the turn with a few Free Aim shots, and Phantom Stars is Verso's capstone skill that Breaks and deals high damage. It's well worth the AP cost.

Verso support build

Weapon: Sireso

• Element: Physical
• Attributes: Vitality (S), Agility (A)

Skills:

• Powerful
• Burden OR Light Holder
• Perfect Recover
• Marking Shot
• Radiant Slash
• Paradigm Shift OR Purification

Pictos and Luminas:

• Rush on Powerful: Apply Rush on applying Powerful. Obtained by clearing Stage 9, Trial 3 in the Endless Tower.
• Longer Powerful: Powerful lasts longer when you apply it. Purchase from the merchant in Old Lumière.
• Double Mark: Mark requires one more hit to remove. Purchase from the merchant in Sirene.
• Augmented Aim: Free Aim shots deal 50% more damage. Found on the large anchor in Flying Waters.
• Marking Shots: Free Aim shots have a 20% chance of marking an enemy. Found in Flying Waters.
• Energizing Shots: 20% chance to gain 1 AP from a Free Aim hit. Found in Flying Manor, near Goblu's arena.
• Exposing Attack: Base attack applies Defenseless for one turn. Purchase from the Gestral Merchant in Flying Waters.
• Combo Attack 3: Base attack has one extra hit. Acquired after defeating all three challengers in the Dark Gestral Arena.
• Stay Marked: 50% chance for Mark to remain applied after you attack a Marked enemy. Found in The Monolith, near the Tainted Waters Expedition Flag and the Chromatic Bourgeon.
• Painted Power: Allows you to exceed the 9,999 damage cap. Acquired automatically at the start of Act 3.
• Cheater: Always act twice. Defeat Sprong, a world boss on the Continent near Stone Wave Cliffs.

Sireso is a fantastic weapon for this build. Its first perk takes half the damage bonus from Verso's Perfection and applies it to the entire party. Verso doesn't get the damage buff anymore, but given how quickly you can increase his rank with Paradigm Shift and other low-cost skills, not to mention Free Aim shots, you're essentially getting a free, big, party-wide buff. Powerful also applies the eponymous status to the party, which also comes with Rush if you use the associated Pictos. Perfect Recover may not seem necessary if you're good at dodging or parrying, but it gives Perfection.

Most of your damage with this build will come from Free Aim and base attacks. Verso debuffs enemies, marks them, and gains AP and Perfection, and you can do all of this in one turn — or do even more, if you use Cheater. It's not a complex build, but it is highly effective. Burden's usefulness depends on whether you're facing enemies that inflict status conditions. If so, make sure to pair it with Purification, a skill that deals damage and removes debuffs. If not, get rid of Burden and use Light Holder instead, another moderately powerful light skill, but one that can automatically get you from rank A to rank S.

The best Monoco builds in Expedition 33

A complex member of the party to wrap your head around, Monoco nevertheless becomes highly capable of this level of carnage if you follow one of the two builds listed below. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Sandfall Interactive

Monoco is a tough one to build, since you can make a strong case for dozens of his skill combinations. We've opted for a straightforward offensive build that lets him reliably dish out high damage, albeit one where you need to keep an eye on AP and mask rotation to get the most out of it, and then a Break build. Monoco has a lot of Break skills to pick from, making him an ideal choice to stun foes without having to use skill slots for other characters who aren't quite as capable at it.

Monoco offense build

Weapon: Sidaro

• Element: Darkness
• Attributes: Luck (S), Might (A)

Skills:

• Creation Void (Defeat a Creation enemy in Lumiere or Renoir's Drafts with Monoco in the active party)
• Gault Fury (Defeat a Gault enemy in Yellow Harvest or Falling Leaves with Monoco in the active party)
• Lampmaster Light (Defeat the Lampmaster boss in the Painting Workshop or Endless Tower with Monoco in the active party)
• Chapelier Slash (Defeat a Chapelier enemy in Visages with Monoco in the active party)
• Benisseur Mortar (Defeat a Benisseur enemy in Sirene or the Red Woods with Monoco in the active party)
• Chevaliere Thrusts (Defeat a Steel Chevaliere in Old Lumiere with Monoco in the active party)

Pictos and Luminas:

• Augmented First Strike: First hit deals 50% more damage. Obtain by defeating Francois in Esquie's nest.
• Sniper: The first Free Aim shot each turn deals 200% damage and can Break. Obtained in The Reacher, near the Mountain Expedition Flag.
• Stay Marked: 50% chance for Mark to remain applied after you attack a Marked enemy. Found in The Monolith, near the Tainted Waters Expedition Flag and the Chromatic Bourgeon.
• Powerful Shots: 20% chance to gain Powerful from a Free Aim shot. Found in the Gestral Village near the doctor's residence.
• Rush on Powerful: Apply Rush on applying Powerful. Obtained by clearing Stage 9, Trial 3 in the Endless Tower.
• Shell on Rush: Apply Shell on applying Rush. Purchase from the merchant in Endless Night.
• Rewarding Mark: Once per turn, gain 2 AP from damaging a Marked enemy. Found in Flying Waters near the Coral Cave Expedition Flag.
• Burning Mark: Apply Burn on hitting a Marked enemy. Found in the Ancient Sanctuary. Follow the main path from the entrance, then turn left and follow the stream until you reach the Pictos.
• Burn Affinity: Deal 25% extra damage to Burning enemies. Acquired in Frozen Hearts, at the end of the path to the right of the Glacial Falls Expedition Flag.
• Burning Shots: 20% chance for Free Aim shots to Burn an enemy. Found in Spring Meadows on the cliff-edge after you pass through the tunnel beyond the Abandoned Expedition flag.
• Energizing Shots: 20% chance to gain 1 AP from a Free Aim hit. Found in Flying Manor, near Goblu's arena.
• Energizing Parry: Gain 1 AP on successful parry. Obtained by defeating the Chromatic Luster on the Forgotten Battlefield.
• Energy Master: Increases all AP gains by one. Obtained by defeating Serpenphare in the Boat Graveyard, reachable after Esquie learns to fly.
• Energizing Rush: Gain 2 AP on applying Rush. Obtained in Endless Tower after completing Stage 2, Trial 3.
• Energizing Powerful: Gain 2 AP on applying Powerful. Found in Lumiere at the start of Act 3, on a rooftop near the harbor.
• Painted Power: Allows you to exceed the 9,999 damage cap. Acquired automatically at the start of Act 3.
• Cheater: Always act twice. Defeat Sprong, a world boss on the Continent near Stone Wave Cliffs.

This build relies heavily on using the Mask Wheel to bump up Monoco's damage. Sidar's unique effect continually increases damage dealt when you use an empowered skill — that's a skill that matches the current mask on the wheel — and while it has no ceiling, it also resets if you use a non-empowered skill. The skill selection here includes one for each mask to cover your bases, and Almighty Mask makes any skill empowered. The tough part is just making sure you have enough AP, which, if you're running Monoco with a support-focused Lune or a Sciel build that utilises Plentiful Harvest, shouldn't be an issue. We've added a hefty number of Energizing Pictos in case you aren't running an AP support unit with Monoco, but if you don't need them, feel free to swap for something else.

Creation Void and Lampmaster Light are Monoco's heavy-hitting skills. Lampmaster Light gets more powerful each time you use it, but you don't have to use it in succession. If you use it one turn, then don't use it again for another two turns or so, and it'll still get the buff. Chapelier Slash is handy for Marking enemies and getting the various buffs that come with that. The same goes for Gault Fury, which sets you up for using Benisseur Mortar. That skill automatically switches the Mask Wheel to Almighty Mask if the enemy is Marked.

Monoco Break build

Weapon: Joyaro

• Element: Lightning
• Attributes: Agility (S), Defense (A)

Skills:

• Hexga Crush (Defeat a Hexga in Stone Wave Cliffs with Monoco in the active party)
• Clair Enfeeble (Defeat a Clair enemy in The Monolith with Monoco in the active party)
• Demineur Thunder (Defeat a Demineur in Flying Waters with Monoco in the active party)
• Portier Crash (Defeat a Portier in Spring Meadows with Monoco in the active party)
• Lampmaster Light (Defeat the Lampmaster boss in the Painting Workshop or Endless Tower with Monoco in the active party)
• Duallist Storm (Defeat the Dualliste boss in Endless Tower or the Flying Manor with Monoco in the active party)

Pictos and Luminas:

• Breaker: Deal 25% increased Break damage. Obtained by defeating the Ultimate Sakapate in Ancient Sanctuary.
• Quick Break: Play again on Breaking a target. Obtained by defeating the Chromatic Crueler boss in Endless Night Sanctuary.
• Critical Break: Critical hits deal 25% more Break damage. Found behind a paint spike on the world map, west of Isle of the Eyes.
• Energizing Parry: Gain 1 AP on a successful parry. Obtained by defeating the Chromatic Luster on the Forgotten Battlefield.
• Breaking Burn: Deal 25% more Break damage against Burning enemies. Southwest of Old Lumière on the world map, behind a Bourgeon enemy.
• Breaking Counter: Deal 50% more Break damage with counterattacks. Find in Stone Wave Cliffs near some jars to the left of the Hexga near the Entrance Expedition Flag.
• Painted Power: Allows you to exceed the 9,999 damage cap. Acquired automatically at the start of Act 3.
• Cheater: Always act twice. Defeat Sprong, a world boss on the Continent near Stone Wave Cliffs.

This build gives Monoco several opportunities to Break enemies and has a reliable cycle to get you back to Almighty Mask every three turns so you can use Duallist Storm or Lampmaster Light to dish out heavier damage. Additionally, you can soften enemies with Hexga Crush and Portier Crash, or if you want a regular Almighty cycle, do this: Start with Lampmaster or Duallist, then use Demineur Thunder to move the Mask Wheel five spaces, followed by Clair Enfeeble to weaken foes and move you back to Almighty for your next Lampmaster or Duallist.

This Monoco build pairs well with a counterattack-focused Maelle or anyone who regularly applies Burn. Or if you don't want to rely on other characters, you can slap Cheater and Burning Shots on Monoco. That gives you one turn to load Burn or other debuffs on foes with Free Aim, and reap the benefits of Breaking Burn before using your normal skill rotation the next turn. It also works to help get Monoco back to Almighty faster. Last but not least, Cheater isn't essential for this build, except maybe on Expert mode. But it sure is fun to add in there anyway.

That finishes our look at the best builds in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Now that your party's equipped with the finest Pictos, why not head over to our boss list to get a sense of the Nevron opponents that await you? Or, if making these attractive denizens of fantasy France smooch is more your style, check out our romance and relationships guide. Last but certainly not least is our Expedition 33 walkthrough, which begins with the Prologue and will help you witness everything there is to see in this wonderful game.