Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 developer Sandfall Interactive has rolled out Patch 1.2.3 for its acclaimed role-playing game, now available across all platforms.
The update brings a comprehensive list of fixes and, most notably, key balance adjustments—most significantly, the nerfing of what was arguably the game’s most overpowered build (patch notes included below).
Sandfall had previously mentioned that it didn’t intend to make balance changes so early in the post-launch phase, focusing instead on bug fixes—“unless something clearly stood out.”
“Well, Stendhal did,” the developer admitted.
The infamous build centered around young fencer Maelle and the sword Medalum, which unlocks the Virtuose Stance ability—granting a 200% bonus damage boost. Players combined this with ability-stacking mechanics and the Stendhal skill, resulting in absurdly high single-target Void damage. Reports showed players dishing out billions of damage per hit, enough to one-shot the final boss.
Stendhal “was underwhelming for most of development,” Sandfall explained, so during the final pre-release tuning pass, it received a significant damage buff—which, as it turns out, was a bit too generous. The result? A build that overshadowed nearly every other viable option in the game.
“We still want you to be able to break the game—and you absolutely still can—but Stendhal was making it a bit too easy,” the team noted.
In response, the patch includes a 40% reduction in Stendhal’s damage output. While the skill remains potent and retains strong synergy potential, it now fits more appropriately within the overall balance framework.
Additionally, a bug affecting Medalum’s third Lumina effect was fixed. Previously, it was doubling all damage in Virtuose Stance, rather than only Burn damage as intended.
Here are the relevant highlights from today's patch 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 has emerged as a major success for Sandfall Interactive, having surpassed 2 million copies sold since launch. This is particularly impressive considering it launched alongside Bethesda’s Oblivion Remastered as a day-one Game Pass title.
When Bethesda surprise-released The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered at the same time as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, many assumed only one could thrive. Yet, both games have found their audience and flourished.
The overwhelming success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 even caught the attention of French President Emmanuel Macron, who publicly praised the development team for their achievement.
If you're preparing to dive into the game, [ttpp] offers a solid foundation for mastering its deeper systems.
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 zooms in after cutscenes in ultrawide resolutions
- Options menu image will no longer stretch in ultrawide resolutions
- Combat UI now adapts correctly to ultrawide resolutions
- Game will no longer minimize when 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 functional with keyboard input
- Mouse buttons remain responsive after initial use
- Using 'WSAD' or directional arrows while the mouse cursor is visible will no longer hide the cursor
- Left mouse-button clicks will no longer block keyboard navigation in menus
- Mouse input is retained after the first Jump counter attack if pressed once
World Map Navigation Fixes
- Fixed areas where players could become stuck:
- Between lanterns near Stone Wave Cliff portal
- On shipwrecks near Forgotten Battlefield
- Near Bourgeon encounter next to Stone Wave Cliffs
- Between small rocks in Spring Meadows/Abbest Cave
- Between vases and corals when jumping from rooftops
- Between various rocks in different zones
- In ruins behind Flying Manor level entrance
- Near the bridge between Flying Waters and Spring Meadows
- On world map rocks near Flying Waters
- Near hardened terrain close to Flying Waters exit
Esquie Pathing Fixes
- Fixed situations where Esquie would get stuck:
- When taking off from paint bridges, causing him to fall through
- Near bottom parts of levitating structures near Visages
- Near Flying Waters entrance
- Near a giant hammer close to Blades' Graveyard
Weapon and Skill Adjustments
- Fixed Lithelim attribute scaling not working at higher levels. Initial Vitality scaling reduced from A to C (still reaches S at max level). Added Luck scaling starting at D.
- Fixed Blizzon attribute scaling not working at higher levels. Initial Luck scaling reduced from B to C (still reaches 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: Damage reduced by 40%
Additional Fixes
- Boss encounter in Stone Wave Cliffs can now be completed in New Game+
- Journal UI window no longer blocks progression after opening the first journal in Spring Meadows
- Fixed inability to shoot in free aim mode while exploring due to worn triggers
- Lune and Monoco no longer spawn in the same location during Level 6 relationship quest endings if completed without visiting camp
- If selecting “remember the objective” at camp, then quickly choosing "go to sleep" and pressing "leave", the screen no longer goes black
- You can no longer trigger the "Discovering the truth" cutscene in Old Lumière twice in a row, preventing an unintended party split with only Verso and Maelle remaining
- Updated rolling credits sequence
