Choosing the right weapons early on in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is crucial for mastering the game’s challenging combat. With a vast array of weapons offering unique abilities, elemental effects, and scaling bonuses, making the right choices can set you up for massive damage and efficient crowd control. In this guide, we’ll break down the best early game weapons, where to find them, and how to upgrade them to dominate even the toughest enemies.
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1. Medalum Weapon Guide
The Medalum is one of the best early game weapons for Maelle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, offering massive damage potential and powerful stance advantages that can make Maelle a dominant force in battle. Unlike other weapons that require extensive setup to reach maximum damage, the Medalum immediately places Maelle in her most powerful stance, making it a must-have for players looking to optimize their damage output.
Medalum weapon achieved
1.1 How to Get the Medalum in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Location: Gestral Village Arena, during your first story visit.
- Requirement: Defeat Sel with Maelle as the final strike character.
- Alternative Method: If you miss this chance, you can challenge Golgra in her hut near the entrance to Gestral Village with Maelle to earn the Medalum or an upgrade for it. Golgra is a tough opponent, so consider lowering the difficulty if you struggle with this fight.
- Why It’s Worth It: The Medalum starts Maelle in Virtuos stance, providing a 200% damage boost right from the start, allowing you to skip the usual setup required to reach maximum damage potential.
1.2 Medalum Weapon Stats and Effects
- Initial Effect (Level 4): Automatically starts Maelle in Virtuos stance, granting a 200% damage boost without the need for additional setup.
- Mid-Game Effect (Level 10): Increases critical hit chance and damage, making Maelle a powerful single-target damage dealer.
- Late-Game Effect (Level 20): Increases overall damage output and stance stability, making it easier to maintain high burst damage throughout long fights.
- Scaling: Scales primarily with Might and Agility, making it ideal for high-speed, crit-focused builds.
1.3 Why the Medalum is a Must-Have Weapon
- Massive Burst Damage: The Medalum’s Virtuos stance bonus provides a 200% damage boost from the very first turn, allowing Maelle to eliminate high-priority targets quickly.
- Easy Stance Management: Unlike other weapons, the Medalum eliminates the need to manually switch into Virtuos stance, saving you valuable turns and maximizing your early game damage.
- High Critical Potential: With the right pictos and attributes, the Medalum can turn Maelle into a crit machine, one-shotting even the toughest enemies.
- Solo Build Compatibility: The Medalum is especially effective in solo builds, where Maelle can take full advantage of the stance bonus without relying on team support.
1.4 Best Build and Pictos for Medalum
- Recommended Pictos:
- Critical Burn: Increases critical hit chance and damage against burning enemies, perfect for maximizing burst damage.
- Energy Surge: Restores AP on critical hits, keeping your damage output high even in prolonged fights.
- Overcharge: Increases the damage of charged attacks, perfect for high-burst builds.
- Roulette: Provides a chance for 200% increased damage per hit, ideal for maximizing burst potential.
- Optimal Attributes: Focus on Might and Agility to maximize critical hits, attack speed, and overall damage output.
1.5 Advanced Strategies for Using Medalum
- Early Game Strategy: Use the Medalum’s Virtuos stance bonus to quickly eliminate powerful enemies before they become a threat. Focus on maximizing your critical hit chance for massive early game burst damage.
- Mid-Game Strategy: Build critical hit chance and damage further as you unlock the Level 10 effect. Maintain Virtuos stance as much as possible.
- Late-Game Strategy: Once you reach Level 20, use the Medalum to become a damage powerhouse, ideal for boss fights where sustained burst is crucial.
- Boss Fight Tactics: Use high burst potential to eliminate bosses before they retaliate. Build crit stacks for maximum damage.
1.6 Final Thoughts on the Medalum
The Medalum is a game-changing weapon for Maelle, turning her into a critical damage powerhouse with unmatched burst potential. If you enjoy fast, high-risk, high-reward gameplay, this weapon should be your top priority in the early hours of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
2. Lighterim Weapon Guide
The Lighterim is a powerful early game weapon for Lune in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, offering excellent fire-based damage and unique utility effects that make it perfect for players who like to control the battlefield with elemental power. This weapon is ideal for players who enjoy fast-paced, high-burst damage playstyles, combining fire and ice effects for devastating combos. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the Lighterim, including how to get it, its unique abilities, and the best ways to maximize its potential.
Lighterim weapon
2.1 How to Get the Lighterim
- Location: Found in the Spring Meadows.
- How to Obtain: The Lighterim is dropped by the Chromatic Lancelier, located in front of a sealed archway in the Spring Meadows. To reach this area, start from the cave entrance near Jar (the Nevron NPC) and jump down the cliff directly in front of you to find the weapon near the rock face.
- Alternative Method: It can also be found near the abandoned expeditioners campsite, where you need to drop onto a bridge and defeat a specific enemy guarding the weapon.
- Why It’s Worth It: The Lighterim offers powerful fire-based abilities, reduced AP costs for fire skills, and a free ice stain at the start of each battle, making it perfect for players who want to control the battlefield with elemental effects.
2.2 Lighterim Weapon Stats and Effects
- Initial Effect (Level 4): Fire skills cost 1 less AP, allowing you to unleash powerful fire attacks more frequently.
- Mid-Game Effect (Level 10): 20% increased fire damage with skills, significantly boosting your overall DPS.
- Late-Game Effect (Level 20): Start battles with 1 Ice Stain, providing immediate elemental advantage in tough encounters.
- Scaling: Scales primarily with agility and defense, making it perfect for high-speed, crit-focused builds that also benefit from defensive play.
2.3 Why the Lighterim is a Top-Tier Choice
- Massive Fire Damage: The Lighterim’s fire damage bonuses make it one of the best weapons for players who want to melt through enemy health bars quickly.
- AP Efficiency: The reduced AP cost for fire skills allows you to spam powerful fire attacks without running out of AP, maximizing your damage output.
- Elemental Synergy: The free Ice Stain at the start of every battle provides excellent synergy for setting up freeze and shatter combos with other characters.
- Early Game Powerhouse: The Lighterim’s early game effects make it a devastating weapon even before you reach higher levels, providing a significant power boost right from the start.
- Versatility: Combines the power of fire and ice effects, allowing for flexible, high-damage builds that can adapt to different enemy weaknesses.
2.4 Best Build and Pictos for Lighterim
- Recommended Pictos:
- Critical Burn: Increases critical hit chance and damage against burning enemies, perfect for maximizing burst damage.
- Energy Surge: Restores AP on critical hits, keeping your damage output high even in prolonged fights.
- Blazing Frenzy: Increases fire damage and burn duration, further amplifying your DPS.
- Frostbite: Increases damage against frozen enemies, perfect for exploiting the Ice Stain effect at the start of each battle.
- Explosive Ember: Causes burning enemies to explode on death, dealing area damage to nearby targets.
- Elemental Mastery: Increases all elemental damage, making your fire and ice combos even more devastating.
- Optimal Attributes: Focus on Agility and Defense to maximize attack speed, critical hit chance, and overall survivability.
2.5 Advanced Strategies for Using Lighterim
- Early Game Strategy: Use the Lighterim’s reduced AP costs to spam fire skills early in battles, quickly eliminating weaker enemies before they become a threat.
- Mid-Game Strategy: As you unlock the Level 10 effect, focus on maximizing your fire damage output with critical hits and burn effects. Use Pictos that increase fire damage and critical hit chance for devastating burst damage.
- Late-Game Strategy: Once you reach Level 20, the free Ice Stain can be used to set up devastating freeze and shatter combos, allowing you to control the battlefield and eliminate tough enemies quickly.
- Boss Fight Tactics: Use the Lighterim’s high burst potential to quickly eliminate dangerous bosses before they can retaliate. Focus on building burn stacks for sustained damage.
- Perfect Timing: Master the timing of your attacks to maximize your crit rate and damage output, especially when facing high-health bosses.
2.6 Final Thoughts on the Lighterim
The Lighterim is a high-risk, high-reward weapon for players who like to push the limits of their damage output. If you enjoy setting entire battlefields ablaze and quickly melting through enemy health bars, this weapon is an excellent choice. With the right build and playstyle, the Lighterim can carry you through even the toughest challenges, making it a must-have for any aggressive player.
3. Sakaram Weapon Guide
The Sakaram is a powerful physical weapon for Gustav and Verso in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, offering exceptional base damage and unique scaling that make it a top choice for players who want to maximize their raw attack power. Unlike more situational weapons that rely on elemental effects, the Sakaram focuses purely on physical strength, making it ideal for players who prefer straightforward, high-damage builds. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the Sakaram, including how to get it, its unique abilities, and the best ways to maximize its potential.
New Sakaram weapon
3.1 How to Get the Sakaram
- Location: Found in the Ancient Sanctuary, a challenging area filled with powerful enemies and environmental hazards.
- How to Obtain: The Sakaram is dropped by the Robust Sakapatate, a tough mini-boss that can be found deep within the Ancient Sanctuary. Be prepared for a difficult battle, as this enemy has high health, strong physical attacks, and complex attack patterns.
- Alternative Method: If you miss this opportunity, you may need to return to the Ancient Sanctuary after certain story events to find the Sakaram as a rare drop from powerful Nevrons or elite enemies in the area.
- Why It’s Worth It: The Sakaram has one of the highest base damage outputs in the game and benefits from powerful passive effects that significantly boost its performance as you level it up.
3.2 Sakaram Weapon Stats and Effects
- Initial Effect (Level 4): Can’t lose Perfection, providing consistent damage without the need for constant stance management.
- Mid-Game Effect (Level 10): Increases base attack damage by 50%, making it a devastating option for players who like to rely on powerful single-hit attacks.
- Late-Game Effect (Level 20): Base attacks generate 4 Perfection, allowing for rapid stance switching and increased damage potential in longer fights.
- Scaling: Scales primarily with Vitality (S), Defense (A), and Luck (D), making it ideal for tanky, high-survivability builds.
3.3 Why the Sakaram is a Top-Tier Choice
- Massive Base Damage: The Sakaram’s high base attack scaling makes it one of the hardest-hitting weapons in the game, perfect for players who like to eliminate enemies with a single, well-placed strike.
- Consistent Damage: Unlike more situational weapons, the Sakaram’s passive effects ensure you can consistently deal high damage without worrying about maintaining complex status effects.
- High Survivability: Its scaling with Vitality and Defense makes it perfect for frontline tank builds, allowing you to absorb hits while dishing out massive damage.
- Efficient Stance Management: The Sakaram’s ability to generate Perfection with each base attack makes it easier to maintain high-damage stances, reducing the need for constant repositioning.
3.4 Best Build and Pictos for Sakaram
- Recommended Pictos:
- Perfection Strike: Increases damage when Perfection is at maximum, perfect for maximizing burst damage.
- Iron Will: Prevents staggering and reduces damage taken, perfect for frontline tank builds.
- Battlefield Dominance: Increases damage when attacking enemies with higher health, perfect for tough boss fights.
- Unbreakable Stance: Reduces incoming damage when in a defensive stance, enhancing survivability.
- Momentum: Increases attack speed and damage as you chain attacks together, perfect for aggressive, high-pressure playstyles.
- Bulwark: Reduces incoming damage even further, allowing you to absorb hits from even the hardest-hitting bosses.
- Optimal Attributes: Focus on Vitality, Defense, and Might to maximize survivability, base attack damage, and overall damage output.
3.5 Advanced Strategies for Using Sakaram
- Early Game Strategy: Use the Sakaram’s high base damage to quickly eliminate powerful enemies before they can retaliate. Focus on maximizing your base attack damage for early game dominance.
- Mid-Game Strategy: As you unlock the Level 10 effect, focus on building your base attack damage even further. Use Pictos that enhance your Perfection gain to keep your damage high throughout longer fights.
- Late-Game Strategy: Once you reach Level 20, the Sakaram becomes a true powerhouse. Use its Perfection-generating effect to maintain high-damage stances without interruption, making it perfect for boss fights and tough encounters.
- Boss Fight Tactics: Use the Sakaram’s high burst potential to quickly eliminate dangerous bosses before they can retaliate. Focus on building Perfection stacks for maximum damage.
- Perfect Timing: Master the timing of your attacks to maximize your crit rate and damage output, especially when facing high-health bosses.
- Survivability: Use Pictos like “Iron Will” and “Unbreakable Stance” to reduce incoming damage while maintaining high burst potential.
3.6 Final Thoughts on the Sakaram
The Sakaram is a powerful, straightforward weapon for players who like to dominate the battlefield with raw physical strength. If you enjoy crushing your enemies with massive base attacks and maintaining high burst damage without worrying about complex elemental setups, the Sakaram is an excellent choice. With the right build and playstyle, the Sakaram can carry you through even the toughest challenges, making it a must-have for any Gustav or Verso main.
4. Trebuchim Weapon Guide
The Trebuchim is a powerful lightning-based weapon for Lune in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, known for its unique stain generation abilities and powerful scaling. This weapon is ideal for players who like to control the battlefield with precise, high-damage attacks that can quickly eliminate groups of enemies. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the Trebuchim, including how to get it, its unique abilities, and the best ways to maximize its potential.
Trebuchim weapon achieved
4.1 How to Get the Trebuchim
- Location: Found in the Ancient Sanctuary, specifically in the Sanctuary Maze.
- How to Obtain: The Trebuchim is dropped by the Catapult Sakapatate and Ranger Sakapatate, powerful mini-bosses located deep within the Ancient Sanctuary. To reach this area, follow the path through the maze, crawl through a small tunnel, and defeat the enemy guarding the weapon.
- Alternative Method: If you miss this opportunity, you may need to return to the Ancient Sanctuary after certain story event to find the Trebuchim as a rare drop from powerful Nevrons or elite enemies in the area.
- Why It’s Worth It: The Trebuchim has powerful lightning-based effects that make it perfect for players who want to control the battlefield with precise, high-damage attacks and chain lightning combos.
4.2 Trebuchim Weapon Stats and Effects
- Initial Effect (Level 4): Generates a random stain on free aim shots, adding elemental effects without the need for special abilities.
- Mid-Game Effect (Level 10): +1 AP when stains are consumed, allowing for rapid combo setups and sustained damage.
- Late-Game Effect (Level 20): Base attacks generate 2 random stains, significantly boosting your overall DPS and combo potential in prolonged fights.
- Scaling: Scales primarily with Vitality (S) and Luck (A), making it ideal for tanky, crit-focused builds that can capitalize on stain effects.
4.3 Why the Trebuchim is a Top-Tier Choice
- Massive Chain Damage: The Trebuchim’s lightning-based effects allow you to stack incredible amounts of damage over time, quickly eliminating groups of enemies.
- AP Efficiency: The stain generation effects at higher levels make it easy to maintain a high AP pool, allowing for rapid-fire attacks without interruption.
- Elemental Synergy: The random stain generation makes the Trebuchim perfect for setting up devastating elemental combos with other characters.
- High Critical Potential: With the right build, the Trebuchim can quickly stack critical hits, making it a powerful choice for aggressive, high-burst playstyles.
4.4 Best Build and Pictos for Trebuchim
- Recommended Pictos:
- Energy Surge: Restores AP on critical hits, keeping your damage output high even in prolonged fights.
- Overcharge: Increases the damage of charged attacks, perfect for high-burst builds.
- Elemental Mastery: Increases all elemental damage, making your stain combos even more devastating.
- Arc Lightning: Increases the number of enemies hit by chain attacks, perfect for clearing groups quickly.
- Shocking Touch: Increases the damage of lightning attacks, perfect for maximizing the Trebuchim’s burst potential.
- Lightning Conduit: Increases damage when attacking enemies affected by lightning, perfect for chaining massive damage across multiple targets.
- Optimal Attributes: Focus on Vitality, Luck, and Agility to maximize survivability, critical hit chance, and overall damage output.
4.5 Advanced Strategies for Using Trebuchim
- Stain Mastery: Focus on constantly generating and consuming stains to keep your AP high and your damage output consistent. Use free aim shots to quickly stack stains before unleashing high-damage combos.
- Chain Lightning Combos: Use the Trebuchim’s innate chain effects to hit multiple targets at once. Pair this with “Arc Lightning” and “Lightning Conduit” for devastating area-of-effect damage.
- AP Management: Use Pictos like “Energy Surge” and “Elemental Mastery” to keep your AP high, allowing you to continuously unleash powerful attacks without interruption.
- Elemental Synergy: Pair the Trebuchim with characters who can set up burn or freeze effects, creating devastating elemental combos that can quickly eliminate even the toughest bosses.
- Perfect Parry and Counterplay: Master the art of parrying and counterattacking with the Trebuchim to maximize your damage potential in high-pressure fights.
- High-Risk, High-Reward Playstyle: Use aggressive builds that maximize your critical hit chance and stain generation for maximum burst potential. Perfect for players who like to dominate the battlefield with relentless, high-damage combos.
- Boss Fight Tactics: Use the Trebuchim’s high burst potential to quickly eliminate dangerous bosses before they can retaliate. Focus on building stain stacks for sustained damage.
4.6 Final Thoughts on the Trebuchim
The Trebuchim is a high-risk, high-reward weapon for players who like to push the limits of their damage output. If you enjoy chaining massive lightning attacks and quickly eliminating groups of enemies, this weapon is an excellent choice. With the right build and playstyle, the Trebuchim can carry you through even the toughest challenges, making it a must-have for any aggressive player.
5. Brulerum Weapon Guide
The Brulerum is a powerful fire-based weapon for Maelle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, offering impressive critical hit effects and burn synergy that make it perfect for players who like to stack damage over time. This weapon is ideal for aggressive, high-burst builds that focus on maximizing critical hits and burn damage. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the Brulerum, including how to get it, its unique abilities, and the best ways to maximize its potential.
Brulerum Weapon Received
5.1 How to Get the Brulerum
- Location: Found in the Flying Waters.
- How to Obtain: The Brulerum is obtained as a drop by defeating Bruler, a powerful enemy found at the Flying Waters area.
- Alternative Method: If you miss this opportunity, you may need to revisit the Flying Waters area to find the Brulerum as a rare drop from powerful Nevrons or elite enemies in the area.
- Why It’s Worth It: The Brulerum offers powerful fire-based abilities and unique critical hit effects, making it perfect for players who want to control the battlefield with high burst damage and consistent burn effects.
5.2 Brulerum Weapon Stats and Effects
- Initial Effect (Level 4): Critical hits apply Burn, adding powerful damage-over-time effects to your high-damage attacks.
- Mid-Game Effect (Level 10): Base attacks apply 2 Burn, allowing you to quickly stack burn damage for massive DPS.
- Late-Game Effect (Level 20): 100% Critical Chance while Stanceless, making it perfect for aggressive, high-risk playstyles.
- Scaling: Scales primarily with Might (A) and Luck (S) at max level, making it ideal for crit-focused, high-burst builds.
5.3 Why the Brulerum is a Top-Tier Choice
- Massive Critical Damage: The Brulerum’s 100% critical chance while stanceless makes it one of the hardest-hitting weapons in the game, perfect for players who like to maximize burst damage.
- Burn Synergy: The Brulerum’s burn effects allow you to stack massive amounts of damage over time, quickly melting through even the toughest enemies.
- High Burst Potential: The combination of high critical hit chance and burn effects makes the Brulerum perfect for quickly eliminating high-value targets.
- Flexible Playstyle: The Brulerum is effective in both solo and team-based play, making it a versatile choice for a wide range of builds.
5.4 Best Build and Pictos for Brulerum
- Recommended Pictos:
- Critical Burn: Increases critical hit chance and damage against burning enemies, perfect for maximizing burst damage.
- Energy Surge: Restores AP on critical hits, keeping your damage output high even in prolonged fights.
- Blazing Frenzy: Increases fire damage and burn duration, further amplifying your DPS.
- Overcharge: Increases the damage of charged attacks, perfect for high-burst builds.
- Explosive Ember: Causes burning enemies to explode on death, dealing area damage to nearby targets.
- Ignition Core: Increases the burn application rate, allowing you to quickly stack burn effects on multiple enemies.
- Scorched Earth: Increases damage against burning enemies, perfect for maximizing your burst potential.
- Optimal Attributes: Focus on Might, Agility, and Luck to maximize critical hits, attack speed, and overall damage output.
5.5 Advanced Strategies for Using Brulerum
- Early Game Strategy: Use the Brulerum’s high critical chance to quickly eliminate powerful enemies before they become a threat. Focus on maximizing your critical hit chance for massive early game burst damage.
- Mid-Game Strategy: As you unlock the Level 10 effect, focus on building your critical hit chance and burn damage even further. Use skills that enhance your stance bonuses and keep Maelle aggressive in combat.
- Late-Game Strategy: Once you reach Level 20, the Brulerum becomes a devastating tool for applying massive burn stacks and critical hits. Use this to your advantage in boss fights and tough encounters where sustained damage over time is essential.
- Boss Fight Tactics: Use the Brulerum’s high burst potential to quickly eliminate dangerous bosses before they can retaliate. Focus on building burn stacks for sustained damage.
- Perfect Timing: Master the timing of your attacks to maximize your crit rate and damage output, especially when facing high-health bosses.
5.6 Final Thoughts on the Brulerum
The Brulerum is a high-risk, high-reward weapon for players who like to push the limits of their damage output. If you enjoy setting entire battlefields ablaze and quickly melting through enemy health bars, this weapon is an excellent choice. With the right build and playstyle, the Brulerum can carry you through even the toughest challenges, making it a must-have for any aggressive player.
6. Conclusion and Final Tips
Choosing the right early game weapon in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is critical for mastering the game’s intense combat and challenging encounters. The weapons covered in this guide, including the Medalum, Lighterim, Sakaram, Trebuchim, and Brulerum, provide a solid foundation for players looking to dominate their early adventures. However, mastering these weapons requires more than just equipping them – you need to understand their unique abilities, scaling, and the right Pictos to pair them with.
6.1 General Tips for Early Game Weapon Mastery
- Understand Weapon Scaling: Focus on attributes that complement your chosen weapon’s scaling, such as Might, Agility, and Luck, to maximize your damage output.
- Leverage Stance Mechanics: For weapons like the Medalum and Sakaram, mastering stance management is critical for maintaining high burst damage without interruption.
- Optimize Your Pictos: Choose Pictos that enhance your weapon’s natural strengths, such as critical hit chance, burn damage, or stain generation, to ensure maximum damage potential.
- Elemental Synergy: Use weapons like the Lighterim and Trebuchim to set up powerful elemental combos, taking advantage of burns, freezes, and shocks to amplify your damage.
- Adapt Your Strategy: Different enemies require different tactics. Use your weapon’s unique effects to exploit enemy weaknesses and dominate even the toughest foes.
- Practice Perfect Timing: Mastering the timing of your attacks and parries can significantly boost your damage output and survivability in high-pressure fights.
- Stay Flexible: As you progress, experiment with different weapon and Picto combinations to find the playstyle that suits you best.
6.2 Final Thoughts
Mastering these early game weapons will set you up for success as you progress through the challenging world of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Whether you prefer the high burst damage of the Medalum, the elemental control of the Lighterim, or the raw physical power of the Sakaram, choosing the right weapon for your playstyle is essential for overcoming the game’s toughest challenges.
