Maelle Mastery: Ultimate Build Guide for Expedition 33 in Clair Obscur

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Maelle: A Powerhouse in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Maelle stands out as one of my favorite characters in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 due to her exceptional combat mechanics. Her fighting style focuses on dueling and features three unique stances that enhance her abilities in various ways. In my opinion, the best build for Maelle utilizes her impressive fire-based elemental attacks alongside a one-of-a-kind weapon that automatically places her in Virtuose Stance at the start of every battle. This build pairs seamlessly with Lune’s fire attacks and Gustave’s ability to build Break, proving effective from Act 1 through Act 3.

Spoiler Alert: This post contains spoilers for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33!

In gameplay, Maelle can switch between her three distinct stances, each providing different buffs based on her current position and the skills she employs. She transitions between stances each turn according to her skill choices or weapon effects, moving through a Stanceless position, a Defensive Stance that reduces damage taken while gaining Action Points (AP) for dodging and parrying, an Offensive Stance that boosts both dealt and received damage, and the Virtuose Stance that grants a substantial +200% damage increase.

Best Weapons and Attributes for Maelle in Clair Obscur

The Medalum Saber: The Best Choice for Burn Stacking

While there are plenty of top-tier fire-based weapons to choose from in Clair Obscur, the standout choice for Maelle is actually a weapon that isn’t categorized as fire elemental. The Medalum Saber, which you can win during the Gestral Village Tournament by defeating Sciel as Maelle, is an excellent pick for several reasons, especially its three unique upgrade bonuses. At level 4, the Medalum begins Maelle’s journey in Virtuose Stance, providing her with a crucial advantage right from the start of each encounter.

Using a skill from the same stance type will leave Maelle Stanceless, so it’s important to find an effective rhythm that alternates between each stance for maximum benefit.

Upgrading the Medalum to level 10 allows it to stack twice the amount of Burn while Maelle is in Virtuose Stance. At level 20, all Burn damage is also doubled when in Virtuose Stance. These upgrades are incredibly powerful, especially when combined with some of the Pictos and Luminas that enhance Burn stacking and improve Burn damage from fire-based abilities.

This weapon primarily scales with Defense, giving Maelle excellent damage resistance while also enhancing her weapon damage. Its secondary scaling attribute is Agility, allowing Maelle to take more turns during combat and further boosting Medalum’s damage output. Although focusing solely on these attributes is tempting, don’t overlook the potential benefits of investing in Might as well for added damage.

Best Skills for Maelle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Fire-based Skills Are Highly Effective for Maelle with Medalum Equipped

To maximize the potential of the Medalum’s Burn effects and the starting Virtuose Stance, it’s essential to utilize all of Maelle’s fire-based attacks. Key skills include Rain of Fire, Combustion, Pyrolyse, and Burning Canvas in the late game. Since Maelle kicks off in Virtuose Stance, you can immediately unleash Burning Canvas, Rain of Fire, or Pyrolyse to inflict significant Burn stacks on your chosen enemy, provided you have accumulated enough AP through buffs from Lumina and Pictos.

Establishing an effective rotation with these skills is quite straightforward if you include Swift Stride in your loadout. This skill allows you to revert Maelle back to Virtuose Stance after attacking a Burning target. Ideally, you want to use Swift Stride with every other attack to keep Maelle in Virtuose Stance as often as possible. If the enemy’s Break Bar has reached its limit, consider using Fleuret Fury for massive single-target damage, which can also trigger a Break and maintain Maelle’s presence in Virtuose Stance for the next turn.

Best Pictos and Luminas for Maelle

Utilize Double Burn for Even More Stacking

When it comes to Pictos and Lumina passives, incorporating as many Burn buffs as possible is key. The Double Burn Picto is crucial for this build; when combined with Medalum’s effects, you’ll be able to stack quadruple Burn on enemies while in Virtuose Stance. Additionally, Critical Burn is valuable, increasing your critical hit chance against Burning foes.

Burning Mark is another excellent choice for stacking Burn, but ensure you have another character in your party capable of applying it. Luminas should focus on granting additional AP resources, such as Energising Start and Dead Energy passives. It’s also wise to include First Strike, allowing Maelle to attack first, along with Healing Fire and Fueling Break.

Healing Fire will restore 25% of Maelle’s health when attacking a Burning target, and Fueling Break will double the target’s Burn stack if you manage to break their stance. The potential for stacking Burn is phenomenal here; as long as an enemy isn’t immune to fire damage, you’ll be in great shape.

Final Thoughts

Maelle is an outstanding choice for solo encounters and team dynamics, particularly in one-on-one battles like the Gestral Tourney. While you can give buffs to all your characters with Luminas that cater to solo fighting, this build offers Maelle an extraordinary edge. Overall, she emerges as one of the most formidable characters in your party, capable of overwhelming nearly every enemy in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.