After sweeping almost all the awards at The Game Awards, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is riding a wave of renewed excitement. As luck would have it, Sandfall Interactive had already planned to mark this milestone with a brand-new update, offering a mix of fixes and new content that’s sure to grab players’ attention. Among the fresh offerings are some boss encounters that are certainly stirring up quite the conversation among fans.
For veteran players, superbosses are nothing new; they can be found scattered across the game’s expansive world, luring in unsuspecting adventurers only to deliver crushing defeats. By the end game, players have access to a toolkit of pictos—passive abilities that can stack or synergize to buff character stats and deal eye-popping damage in a single hit. Over time, dedicated players devised builds that leveraged this foundation, effectively opening the game up and trivializing many encounters.
However, with this celebratory DLC, it looks like Sandfall Interactive has crafted challenges that are a worthy test for even the most skilled players out there.
Some players are voicing their concerns about feeling inadequate in tackling the new update, indicating they’re heading back into this JRPG to confront their toughest fears.
The team has a reputation for appreciating players who “outsmart” them with builds capable of breaking the game’s mechanics—something they describe as “the best reward you can get.”
The DLC introduces a brand-new area called Verso’s Drafts, along with extra late-game bosses, celebrating the game crossing the milestone of 5 million copies sold. The developers expressed hope that this update will serve as a heartfelt “thank you” to their community.
Spoilers Ahead for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
The newly released DLC unveils an area known as Verso’s Drafts, complete with additional boss fights. However, the real challenge seems to be lurking in the Endless Tower, previously featured in the game as a repeatable arena for escalating challenges and level-grinding. Now, this tower boasts four new superbosses, each a variant of existing foes, and even the most seasoned players are finding them tough to conquer. The multi-phase encounter against the boss Duolliste, in particular, has left players feeling overwhelmed—one even reportedly “screaming” in frustration.
Of course, part of this difficulty could also stem from some under-the-hood adjustments made by Sandfall with the new update. While the DLC adds new abilities that players can equip, the developers have also seized the chance to dial back on some of the previously overpowered builds by removing invisible damage buffs, which were capable of being stacked.
Soon after the patch went live, some players discovered that their once-mighty builds, capable of dealing up to 11 million points of damage, were now struggling to hit those numbers. A user on the game’s subreddit observed that, “So far it seems like 90% of Verso’s setups are essentially dead, but the rest of the crew is somewhat untouched.” This sentiment resonated with others, who noted that the new superbosses would require fresh strategies.
While the damage adjustments aren’t catastrophic and some builds continue to pack a punch, it’s intriguing to see how Sandfall is engaging with their audience in this respect. Even if this isn’t a complete reset, the necessity for skilled players to reevaluate their tactics adds another layer of enjoyment to the game. The community seems receptive to this challenge, embracing the chance to push the game to its limits once again without the aid of hidden buffs.
In other exciting news, Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi recently praised Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, inspired by the heartfelt words of its director, who credited Sakaguchi as a key influence in their journey to becoming a game developer.