In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, players are given a pretty large amount of freedom when it comes to build and character diversity when tackling the ever-growing threats in the mainland. Each party member has their own strengths and weaknesses and brings something different to the battle, whether it be high burst damage attacks or supportive tools to keep the party going for longer.
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Maelle is no exception to this rule, as she has plenty of skills in her arsenal to both deliver significant damage and sustain it thanks to her ability to swap stances, each offering its own effects. But skills are only half the story, as no expeditioner is battle-ready without a suitable armament to match their skillset, and there are plenty of great weapon choices for Maelle that can transform her fighting style in pretty significant ways.
Updated December 12, 2025, by Oliver Tuscarny: While Clair Obscur has only received a few patches relating to bug fixes and some requested features like battle retries, players have still managed to find a bunch of new builds across all characters.
Maelle continues to be one of the strongest choices for most stages in the game, and by leveraging her insane damage potential, most bosses barely stand a chance. One of her more overpowered combos was nerfed, using Medallum and Stendhal for a huge burst of damage combined with defense, but the weapon itself remained untouched despite being bug-fixed to function as intended.
13
Stalum
Living Life On The Edge
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Stalum
- Element: Fire
- Scaling: Defense/Luck
|
Level 4 |
Apply Burn to self on turn start. 10% Increased damage for each self-burn stack |
|---|---|
|
Level 10 |
Base Attack applies two burn |
|
Level 20 |
While in Defensive Stance, receive Heal instead of Burn damage |
Stalum leans into the burn playstyle that Maelle is so good at. A lot of her skills work around applying burns, and while the Defensive Stance may seem like a strange choice for offense at first, attacks like Rain of Fire can actually benefit from being a bit less aggressive.
Also, the level 20 upgrade works on both self-burn and enemy attacks, letting the player basically nullify certain foes with a single weapon.
The weapon can be found both on the Continent and in Frozen Hearts, meaning players can try it out a little ways into the story, and while the overall effectiveness can be hard to see at first, when used with Pictos, like Double Burn and Combo Attack, it can be a decent choice for a burn build.
12
Lithum
Switching Back To Virtuose In No Time
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Lithum
- Element: Void
- Scaling: Agility/Luck
|
Level 4 |
In Virtuose Stance, hitting a Marked enemy doesn’t remove Mark |
|---|---|
|
Level 10 |
Switch to Virtuose Stance on Counterattack |
|
Level 20 |
Gain Shell when switching out of Virtuose Stance |
Lithum gives players a reliable way of switching to Virtuose Stance that doesn’t require them to spend any Gradient charges or expensive Skills. Being able to swap after a single Counterattack opens the doors for a devastating follow-up, and when combined with Marks, that retaliation turn can be pretty impressive.
Maelle herself does have some nice Mark-related skills, like Momentum Strike and Percée, both of which actually benefit from having Virtuose Stance. However, having an entire build centered around two skills can make the weapon a little inflexible, as even if players equip Double Mark, their overall damage output isn’t going to outshine some of the other sword choices.
11
Facesum
A Real Firestarter
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Facesum
- Element: Physical
- Scaling: Vitality/Luck
|
Level 4 |
In Offensive Stance, double the amount of Burn applied. |
|---|---|
|
Level 10 |
50% increased Burn damage. |
|
Level 20 |
Base Attack propagates Burn. |
Fire is one of the better and more consistent damage types in the game, and Maelle has a pretty extensive list of skills that not only apply it but can buff it at the same time. Having a weapon that plays off of an already strong playstyle makes perfect sense, and Facesum is a great choice for a player looking to amp up their fire damage without ridiculous requirements.
The downside is that the weapon requires burns to be applied pretty consistently, which can be troublesome if players are struggling with AP or the fire runs out too quickly for the rest of the weapon to become useful. Still, simple spell combos like Degagement into Spark can be pretty effective combos that alone will apply double digits worth of burn and quickly make the enemy sizzle to a crisp.
10
Melarum
Becoming The Tank The Team Needs
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Melarum
- Element: Physical
- Scaling: Vitality/Luck
|
Level 4 |
Allies recover 20% Health on switching to Virtuose Stance. |
|---|---|
|
Level 10 |
Applies Shell when Health is above 80%. |
|
Level 20 |
Switch to Virtuose Stance when Health falls below 50%. |
While her damage output can get pretty absurd, Maelle can also function as a decent tank party member who can sustain serious punishment and use her tools to keep her team alive. Being able to consistently heal the entire team on top of switching to her best stance can be a lifesaver, and the ability to soak up even more damage right from the start can make her incredibly sticky when combined with some defensive Pictos and Luminas.
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The weapon even plays off of its own effects, allowing the player to consistently heal and maintain the ability to swap to the Virtuose over and over, all while healing up the team and pumping out some serious damage thanks to her list of aggressive and stylish skills. There are even avenues for a more unconventional build that turns Maelle into a support with spells like Egide, along with several buffs that can make her feel more like a frontline.
9
Glaisum
Utility For The Most Powerful Stance
- Glaisum
- Element: Physical
- Scaling: Defense/Agility
|
Level 4 |
Allies recover 20% Health on switching to Virtuose Stance. |
|---|---|
|
Level 10 |
Gain Shell when switching out of Virtuose Stance. |
|
Level 20 |
Cleanse self Status Effects when switching to Virtuose Stance. |
Glaisum is a great choice for players who prefer to use Maelle as a more supportive party member than a full glass cannon. The main benefit comes from the team-wide healing upon switching to Virtuose Stance, and when the weapon is maxed out, the stance also comes with a self-cleanse, which can be incredibly valuable against tougher enemies with sticky status effects like Blight.
The weapon can be acquired from a boss in Falling Leaves, accessible after unlocking Esquie’s swim ability. This means that players can get their hands on Glaisum fairly early into their journey, allowing them to fully unlock Maelle’s potential as a support who shakes off everything that comes her way.
8
Tissenum
Breaking The Enemy Piece By Piece
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Tissenum
- Element: Earth
- Scaling: Vitality/Agility
|
Level 4 |
In Defensive Stance, double Break damage. |
|---|---|
|
Level 10 |
Gain 9 AP on Breaking an enemy. |
|
Level 20 |
Breaking an enemy deals a high amount of Earth damage. |
Tissenum is a pretty handy weapon that turns Maelle into a stance-breaking machine, allowing her to build up the meter quickly while staying safe in her defensive stance. Using this weapon with a skill like Fleuret Fury allows players to stun enemies and follow up straight away, thanks to the AP refund.
The weapon is found midway through Act 2 as a reward for taking down the boss in Sirene, which means that players will have access to a handy tool like this well before the late-game enemies show up. The combination of Break buildup and reward for Breaking enemies makes it a great choice against any foe that players can reliably stun, whether it be a beefy Nevron or a tough boss battle at the end of the world.
7
Battlum
Building Up The Gradient In No Time
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Battlum
- Element: Physical
- Scaling: Defense/Luck
|
Level 4 |
Double Gradient generation while in Defensive Stance. |
|---|---|
|
Level 10 |
lf Stanceless, Base Attack switches to Defensive Stance. |
|
Level 20 |
+5% of a Gradient Charge on Parry. |
Gradient attacks are among the most powerful and useful skills in all of Expedition 33, and what better way to make use of their power than with a weapon that lets the player generate them twice as fast? Maelle has some of the most ridiculously damaging and high-utility gradient attacks out of everyone on the roster, being able to resurrect the entire team at the click of a button or dish out extreme damage that can practically one-shot any opponent.
The level 20 benefit is just incredible, as later on, when bosses are swiping at the team with absurd attack chains, the added benefit of building the gradient meter almost instantly turns tricky situations into cake walks. The defensive stance might not be the best for outputting damage, and that aspect of the weapon leaves a lot to be desired, but it is still well worth choosing to unleash the power of the gradient.
6
Sekarum
No Shield Can Stand In The Way
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Sekarum
- Element: Physical
- Scaling: Vitality/Agility
|
Level 4 |
Switch to Virtuose Stance on breaking any Shield. |
|---|---|
|
Level 10 |
Free Aim shots break 2 shields. |
|
Level 20 |
In Virtuose Stance, all damage pierces Shields. |
Sekarum is a particularly interesting weapon that offers a baffling amount of power and utility in specific scenarios, and it is outright broken at times. Throughout the game, the player will encounter plenty of enemies that like to throw up defenses to keep attacks at bay, so the ability to not only shatter any barriers that may arise, as well as pierce straight through them if needed, can make shields that are otherwise frustrating basically irrelevant.
Sometimes, when playing as Maelle, it can be awkward to make use of the Virtuose stance if there are shields in the way, as either the player has to spend AP shooting them down or waste their precious stance on trying to get through. Sekarum removes the problem entirely and lets the player go straight for the throat and make the most of the powerful purple stance.
5
Yeverum
Leaning Fully Into The Shielding Support
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Yeverum
- Element: Physical
- Scaling: Defense/Agility
|
Level 4 |
Applying Shell also applies 1 Shield. |
|---|---|
|
Level 10 |
On applying Shields, also give 1 AP. |
|
Level 20 |
On switching to Virtuose Stance, double all Shields on allies. |
Shields are one of the most annoying effects to have to deal with in Clair Obscur. Rather than blocking a percentage, they block the entire attack, so when the player has access to a bunch of shields that can be applied in bulk, they themselves become immovable objects that few enemies can compete with.
Once players reach the later stages of the game, this weapon can be bought from a merchant after defeating him in a grueling battle. But it is well worth the wait, regardless of whether players want to use the shields to soak damage or as a damage buff with skills like Powerful Shield, turning defense into offense in a flash.
4
Clierum
It Doesn’t Strike Just Once
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Clierum
- Element: Lightning
- Scaling: Defense/Agility
|
Level 4 |
Critical hits with Skills give 2 AP. Once per turn. |
|---|---|
|
Level 10 |
20% increased Lightning damage with Skills. |
|
Level 20 |
+50% Critical Chance while in Offensive Stance. |
When fire isn’t cutting it, electricity can surely get the job done. Clierum is a great choice that greatly benefits the player towards the later stages of the game, where crit chance becomes a guarantee, and they can make the most of the increased damage on certain skills. Maelle doesn’t have many innate lightning skills, but has quite a few that use the weapon’s element, which turns simple attacks like Sword Ballet into lightning-infused nukes.
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It may be true that using Virtuose stance can net some of the highest damage numbers for Maelle, but the requirements for the Offensive stance are much easier to come by, which means that the player will have no trouble switching to it on the fly and attacking with a near 100% crit rate to fully unleash the power of the storm.
