Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Patch 1.2.3 Is a Big One, Nerfs Maelle's Game-Breaking Stendahl Build

Sandfall Interactive, the developer behind the critically acclaimed role-playing game *Clair Obscur: Expedition 33*, has rolled out Patch 1.2.3 across all platforms. This update not only addresses a plethora of bugs but also introduces significant balance changes, notably nerfing the game's most overpowered build. Below, you'll find the detailed patch notes, but first, let's dive into what this means for players.

Sandfall had initially planned to focus solely on bug fixes, but the overwhelming power of a specific build forced their hand. The build in question involved the young fencer Maelle and the sword Medalum, which unlocked the Virtuose Stance, granting a 200% bonus damage. Players cleverly combined this with ability-stacking and the Stendhal skill, which delivered extreme single-target Void damage. This combination allowed for billions of damage output, capable of defeating the final boss in a single hit.

"It was underwhelming for most of development, so in our final pre-release balance pass, we gave it a big damage boost—and clearly overdid it. It ended up overshadowing most other options," Sandfall admitted. The developer emphasized their desire for players to "break the game," but noted that Stendhal made it "a bit too easy."

The nerf to Stendhal, included in this patch, reduces its damage by 40%, bringing it more in line with other skills and maintaining its synergy potential. Additionally, a bug fix ensures that Medalum's third Lumina now correctly doubles only Burn damage in Virtuose Stance, rather than all damage.

Here are the key points from the Patch 1.2.3 notes:

• Fixed Medalum third Lumina doubling all damage in Virtuose Stance instead of doubling only Burn damage.
• Stendhal: Reduced damage by 40%.

Maelle Outfits and Haircuts - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

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*Clair Obscur: Expedition 33* has been a breakout hit for Sandfall, surpassing 2 million copies sold. This is especially impressive considering it launched alongside Bethesda's *The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered* as a day-one Game Pass title. The success of both games demonstrates the strong demand for quality role-playing experiences.

The game's impact has reached the highest levels, with French President Macron publicly praising the development team. For those new to the game, be sure to check out our tips on what to know before diving in.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Update 1.2.3 Patch Notes:

Steam Deck

• Fixed backgrounds of various menus not displaying properly on the Steam Deck.

Various Ultrawide Fixes

• Gameplay no longer becomes zoomed after a cutscene occurs in ultrawide resolutions.
• The Options menu image will no longer be stretched in ultrawide resolutions.
• Combat UI now adapts correctly to ultrawide resolutions.
• Game will no longer minimize upon changing settings in ultrawide resolution.
• Cutscenes won’t letterbox in 32:9 aspect ratio.
• Title screen now displays fullscreen when the game is launched in ultrawide resolution.

Mouse and Keyboard

• UI button prompts in Expedition Menu are now visible and fully able to be triggered with Keyboard.
• Mouse buttons do not become unresponsive after first use.
• With mouse cursor on screen, using 'WSAD' or directional arrows to navigate in UI or trigger any other functionality will no longer hide the cursor instead of doing the intended action.
• Left Mouse-button click will no longer block the player from using Keyboard to navigate menus.
• Mouse input is not lost after the first Jump counter attack if it is pressed only once.

Fixed areas of the world map where you can get stuck:

• Between lanterns scattered on the ground near Stone Wave Cliff portal.
• While walking on the ship wreck near the Forgotten Battlefield level entrance.
• Between lanterns on the ground near Bourgeon encounter next to Stone Wave Cliffs level.
• Between two small rocks located between Spring Meadows and Abbest Cave.
• Between vases and corals when jumping from rooftopps.
• Between various rocks.
• In ruins behind Flying Manor level entrance.
• Near the bridge between Flying Waters and Spring Meadows.
• In the rocks on the World Map, near Flying Waters.
• Next to hardened land, close to the Flying Waters location exit.

Fixed situations where Esquie specifically would get stuck (poor guy):

• When taking off from paint bridges, making him fall through the bridge and restrict movement.
• When flying into bottom parts of levitating structures near Visages.
• Near the Flying Waters entrance level.
• Near a giant hammer when traversing close to Blades' Graveyard level.

Weapon and skill fixes and tuning:

• Fixed Lithelim attribute scaling not working at high level. Reduced initial Vitality scaling from A to C (will still end at S at max level). Added Luck scaling starting at D.
• Fixed Blizzon attribute scaling not working at high level. Reduced initial Luck scaling from B to C (will still end at S at max level). Added Defense scaling starting at D.
• Fixed Medalum third Lumina doubling all damage in Virtuose Stance instead of doubling only Burn damage.
• Stendhal: Reduced damage by 40%.

Other fixes

• Boss encounter in Stone Wave Cliffs can now be finished on NG+.
• You will no longer be blocked by the Journal UI window after opening the first Journal in the Spring Meadows.
• Fixed being unable to shoot in Free aim while exploring levels due to worn triggers.
• Lune and Monoco no longer spawn in same place during end of theirs Level 6 relationship quests if they are completed without going to camp.
• If at camp you pick “remember the objective”, then quickly choose to "go to sleep" and immediately after press "leave", the screen no longer goes black.
• You can no longer trigger the "Discovering the truth" cutscene in Old Lumière a second time in a row, splitting the party forever with only Verso and Maelle in it.
• Update to rolling credits.