Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Is far from being predictable. During the initial two acts, you follow a fairly straightforward route with some diversions along the way, but generally, you’re directed where to go next. Conversely, once Act 3 begins and Esquie gains the liberty to traverse across the land, your main objective shifts; you can either engage in various side activities or simply conclude the game in Lumiere.
Given that the endgame content is appropriately challenging from the beginning of Act 3, it makes perfect sense if your primary aim is simply completing the storyline. However, should you desire an added level of difficulty, you could utilize Esquie’s updated abilities to thoroughly investigate each part of the land and take on all remaining boss characters.
Spoilers Ahead!
Chromatic Glissando
Lune Relationship Quest
Over the course of Lune’s relationship story, you will progressively uncover details about her complicated connection with her parents, who died during Expedition 46. When you arrive at Act 3, you’ll be able to conclude Lune’s questline and choose to search for logs from Expedition 46. However, this task requires completing the challenge known as Chromatic Glissando first.
Lune’s mission will guide you
At Sirene’s Dress, you’ll encounter a horrifying serpent-like creature protecting the former Expedition’s Log. Although the Glissando presents a significant challenge, it is considerably less difficult compared to other relationship storyline bosses. This advantage allows you to enter battle with your full party, regardless of whether you possess the Lune item or not.
Grosse Tete
Coastal Cave
Although certain optional bosses in Act 3 boast significant buildup and narrative importance, others merely present themselves as formidable challenges encountered randomly throughout the game. The Grosse Tête falls squarely into this latter category.
If you’ve hasn’t made full use of the parry mechanic in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Grosse Tete will compel you to master it. This boss differs from others as you don’t need to deplete its health entirely; instead, focus on deflecting its escalating onslaughts. The concept sounds straightforward, yet when you experience the sheer volume of assaults launched per round by Tete, you’ll grasp the level of expertise required.
Sprong
Continent Ocean
Although most of the bosses in Act 3 are meant to be tackled only during that act, Sprong is an exception as you could theoretically engage with it towards the middle of Act 2. However, doing so would not be advisable.
The somewhat ungainly colossal creature is spotted traversing the seas, and its powerful strikes can be devastating if you’re unprepared to counter them. It takes some time grinding through Act 3 before facing Sprong becomes an achievable test of skill; however, once you’ve built up enough endurance to withstand several blows, he isn’t overly challenging relative to other end-of-Act 3 foes, as his assaults are relatively straightforward to block or dodge.
Alicia
Maelle Relationship Quest
It becomes evident rather quickly that Maelle
has a special relationship
with Renoir’s daughter Alicia, but you’ll only get the full story by the time you’ve reached Act 3. Even then, it’s actually possible to beat the game without fully understanding Maelle and Alicia’s dynamic, since its conclusion is optional as part of Maelle’s relationship quest line.
The concluding test within her partnership unfolds post-Act 3 initiation, leading directly to The Reacher—the sanctuary where the third Axon resides; he can be spotted during the climactic battle with Renoir. Rather than confronting The Reacher itself, your task involves facing off against Alicia individually while embodying Maelle. This confrontation’s level of difficulty hinges significantly upon Maelle’s development status, yet fortunately, Alicia primarily relies on just a few extended attack sequences, making her manageable once these patterns become familiar.
Renoir
Lumiere
In contrast to all the other Act 3 bosses, Renoir stands out as he is not optional like the others (excluding the concluding battle between Verso and Maelle). To proceed towards seeing your ending credits, you must defeat him within the depths of Lumiere.
It’s evident that Renoir was crafted as the climactic highlight of Clair Obscur, known for delivering powerful strikes and frequently employing visually stunning large-scale assaults. Although he presents a challenging multi-stage opponent, you won’t need extensive grinding to defeat him. Therefore, it’s advisable to confront him early rather than tackling numerous side bosses first; otherwise, an overly leveled-up team could make his challenges less daunting.
Golgra
Monoco Relationship Quest
Monoco is among the characters who embarks with you on a side quest to conclude his personal story arc, which features one of the most challenging trials in the game’s third act. Prior to having the opportunity to restore Noco at the Sacred River, your progress will be halted by the Gestral leader, Golgra.
Golgra wouldn’t be as much of an intense challenge if it weren’t for the fact that you’re stuck with just Monoco and Verso in the party. Since Monoco is one of the tougher characters to build, there’s a good chance he could be under-leveled, so you’ll need to grind to make him worthy of taking down Golgra. It doesn’t help that Golgra deals massive damage if she manages to hit, and is also one of the speedier enemies, letting her move plenty of times before you even get a turn.
Serpenphare
Flying Over The Continent
While many of the additional bosses are
concealed within their very own small prison
Serpenphare is notably visible the first time you venture into the overworld. This massive airborne creature poses an evident danger; however, you won’t have the opportunity to confront it directly until Esquie gains the ability to soar up to its height.
While Serpenphare’s attacks aren’t too tricky to parry, the real challenge of this boss is managing your AP. With plenty of attacks to steal this resource, you’ll be stuck dealing weaker attacks, and likely make yourself more vulnerable in the process. It’s worth re-configuring your Pictos and Luminas before the boss to counteract this debuff.
Painted Love
Endless Tower
In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, one of the most challenging sections is the massive Endless Tower. As suggested by its name, you will face an endless series of obstacles until you ultimately reach the last trial known as Painted Love.
Painted Love isn’t entirely new ground for a boss fight; rather, it merges elements from Renoir and the Paintress. You’ll have to defend against assaults from both at once. However, their shared health pool means knocking them out doesn’t require focusing on each individually, despite their combined threat level being quite perilous.
Clea
Flying Manor
During the start of the third act, Clea makes an unexpected appearance. If you concentrate solely on the primary storyline, she remains quite mysterious with little clarification provided about her. Nonetheless, should you delve into the continent using Esquie’s map and discover the Flying Manor, you will uncover some explanations regarding her character.
Clea is concealing herself behind a sequence of minor bosses, yet she remains one of the most formidable opponents in the game once you finally confront her head-on. Given no margin for mistakes, Clea can readily negate your efforts to harm her through substantial amounts of regeneration every round. To have any hope of defeating her without allowing her to recover, you must master the technique of deflecting her combo attacks.
Simon
Renoir’s Drafts
Even though you can beat Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 on standard difficulty at around Level 50, the cap for your party is Level 99, and the main reason for that is the existence of Simon. You’ll need to max out Esquie’s relationship to give him the ability to dive and access Renoir’s Drafts, and here you’ll find the terrifying secret boss.
Verso explains that Simon is a lost member of his original Expedition 0, and he’s trapped down in the abyss deeper than any other. Clearly, he’s been training though, since his aggressive attacks will have you needing to parry quicker and more precisely than any other enemy in the game. Make sure your team is fully leveled, with the most optimized stats, weapons, skills, Pictos, and Luminas, and you can start thinking about beating Simon.