Visages vs. Sirene: Which to Tackle First in Clair Obscur?

In Act 2 of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, once you depart from Old Lumiere, you’ll need to choose which Axon boss to confront first before attempting to defeat the Paintress. Your options are the Visages and Sirene, two major bosses situated on separate islands that you can access during this act. Eventually, you will need to take down both bosses to progress in the story, but the order in which you tackle them can impact the difficulty of the battles.

WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR ACT 2 OF CLAIR OBSCUR: EXPEDITION 33! Both Sirene and Visages are essential bosses in this act. After leaving Old Lumiere, if you listen closely to the character dialogue, Verso suggests going after Visages first, claiming it’s the “easier” option. In contrast, Sciel recommends facing Sirene, which can be tougher. Ultimately, the choice is yours, as both foes come with their own set of challenges and require careful preparation.

What Happens If You Fight Visages First In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Visages Can Be Weakened By Defeating The Masks In Each Vale

While Visages may be deemed the “easier” choice, the fight can still be quite challenging if your characters are not properly equipped or leveled. It’s advisable to explore all side paths and take down the masks in the three Vales—Sadness Vale, Joyous Vale, and Anger Vale—before initiating the battle with Visages. Each side area features a unique mask mini-boss, namely the Sorrowful Chapelier, Jovial Moissonneuse, and Seething Boucheclier, that you can defeat to make the main fight easier.

Defeating these masks has a significant effect on Visages’ second phase, known as the Mask Keeper. Taking down each mini-boss will restrict the Mask Keeper’s ability to summon masks, which would otherwise provide it with buffs, complicating the encounter. Therefore, if you decide to face Visages first and find yourself under-leveled, targeting the side bosses first is a smart strategy. You’ll gain additional experience and loot while making your eventual fight against Visages easier.

Choosing to fight Visages first means you won’t collect loot from Sirene, which could prove beneficial in your upcoming battle. However, there’s no absolutely necessary equipment that you need for the Visages fight. That being said, beating Visages first can yield some valuable weapons, like Confuso and Chapelim. Plus, you can acquire impressive offensive Pictos like Double Burn, Confident Fighter, Glass Cannon, and Immaculate.

What Happens If You Fight Sirene First In Clair Obscur

Sirene Drops Both Tisseron & Energising Turn

Sirene may be the more challenging of the two bosses, but your success largely depends on your party’s setup and strategy. If you have a strong party build in Clair Obscur, you can manage Sirene without necessarily overpowering her. If you opt to engage with Sirene first, it’s crucial to defeat the Tisseur prior to her main encounter. Much like with Visages, this step will limit her available attacks during the later parts of the battle, preventing her from summoning the Tisseur as reinforcement.

Furthermore, by defeating the Tisseur, you’ll earn the Anti-Charm Pictos, which is vital because Sirene will frequently try to charm your party members, and this Pictos nullifies those dangerous abilities. Defeating Sirene first will also reward you with the Tisseron, which many consider Sciel’s best weapon option for mid to late game, as well as the Energising Turn Pictos, which is helpful for all your characters as a Lumina passive.

The area where Sirene resides might present more challenges than Visages due to the tougher foes and mini-bosses. You’ll need to defeat a mandatory mini-boss, Glissando, who blocks access to the boss fight. If you don’t take down the Tisseur before confronting Glissando, it can be a tough challenge, as its Enchant ability can really impact your team without the passive to prevent Charming effects. While the Tisseur is technically optional, having the Anti-Charm Pictos is essential if you’re feeling under-leveled against both Glissando and Sirene.

You Should Fight Visages First In Clair Obscur

Both Enemies Pose Challenges, But Visages Will Prepare You For Sirene If Under-Leveled

In the end, whether you confront Visages or Sirene first is up to you and should cater to your comfort level and preparation. If you’ve mostly focused on the main quest and haven’t explored side areas, I suggest facing Visages first. The enemies here are generally easier, allowing you to gather experience points while acquiring valuable loot. This way, you can enhance your Lumina stats, making you better prepared for battling Visages and subsequently entering the Sirene area.

While the Fire-related gear from Visages helps make your Tisseur fight in Sirene easier, keep in mind that the required bosses (Glissando and Sirene) are not particularly weak to Fire damage. Regardless of this, Fire remains a powerful damage type due to the significant damage increase based on Burn stacks on an enemy.

If you’re confident in your party’s composition and have a good grasp of the combat mechanics, taking on Sirene first might be beneficial. There’s a wider range of loot available from Sirene that can be useful in various scenarios, and you’d likely gain more from the passive effects of the Pictos in this area than what Visages offers. Both Visages and the Mask Keeper will also be simpler with the extra gear obtained from facing Sirene first.

Overall, whether you choose to fight Visages or Sirene first doesn’t have a right or wrong answer; it should reflect your exploration and preparation level. If you haven’t upgraded your weapons or don’t have a decent number of Lumina passives, Sirene will likely be significantly harder than Visages. Hence, if you’re sticking strictly to the main path in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Visages is a safer first choice. Both bosses and areas will become manageable if you thoroughly explore side content along the way.