Expedition 33 releases its first patch and destroys Maelle: how will it affect gameplay?

Sandfall Interactive has released Patch 1.2.3 for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, bringing a wave of balance changes and bug fixes. The most notable adjustment? A major nerf to Maelle’s Stendhal ability and her best weapon, Medalum: a change that has sparked mixed reactions among players.

Maelle’s Stendhal ability takes a hit

Before the patch, Maelle’s Stendhal skill allowed players to stack abilities and deal billions of damage, making it possible to one-shot the final boss. Sandfall Interactive admitted that the ability was underwhelming during development, leading them to boost its damage pre-release, but they overdid it.

Now, Stendhal’s damage has been reduced by 40%, bringing it more in line with other high-damage skills.

Medalum’s bug fix reduces its power

Maelle’s Medalum sword was also affected by the patch, though this change was more of a bug fix than a direct nerf. Previously, its third Lumina effect was doubling all damage in Virtuose Stance, instead of only doubling Burn damage as intended.

With this fix, Medalum is still a strong weapon, but it no longer overshadows other options.

Community reactions

The nerfs have sparked debate among players, with some arguing that overpowered builds should be allowed in single-player RPGs. Others believe the changes were necessary for balance, especially since Stendhal was too easy to access compared to other high-damage setups.

Despite the adjustments, Sandfall Interactive reassured players that Clair Obscur still offers plenty of ways to break the game, hinting that future patches may bring more balance tweaks.

While Maelle’s Stendhal ability and Medalum sword are no longer as dominant, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 remains a deeply strategic RPG with powerful builds still available. Whether this patch improves balance or takes away some of the fun is up to the players to decide.

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