Best Maelle Build in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Maelle is a teenage girl who joins the Expedition to escape her past and discover who she truly is. As the story in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 progresses, you find out she’s Alicia Dessendre, daughter of important figures in the game’s world. That gives her special powers and a significant role in the story. In battle, Maelle is a damage dealer. This means she’s good at defeating enemies quickly. But she doesn’t have much defense, so you need to protect her carefully. Below. We outline her best build to maximise her damage output. 

3. Early Game- Maelle Build

In the early game, the best way to build Maëlle is to maximize her Agility and Luck. Agility increases her turn order and speed, which means Maëlle gets more turns in a fight. This allows her to act more frequently during combat, vital for applying status effects and capitalising on her offensive skills.

Luck, on the other hand, increases her critical hit chance and significantly enhances her Burn damage. Since many of her abilities scale with critical hits and Burn synergy, focusing on these two attributes lays a solid foundation for a DPS-focused build.

When it comes to weapons in the early stages, Medalum and Brulerum stand out. Medalum is a game-changer for Maëlle thanks to its unique effects. Acquired during Act 2 from the Gestral Village Tournament, it allows her to enter Virtuose Stance at the start of battle, giving her an immediate damage advantage. This eliminates the need for setup and lets her strike with enhanced power from the very first turn.

It gets even better while Maëlle remains in Virtuose Stance, Medalum doubles both Burn stacks and Burn damage. This synergy turns her into a living flamethrower, continuously melting enemies with high-DPS Burn ticks. If Medalum isn’t available yet, Brulerum is a solid secondary option that enhances her fire-based abilities and keeps her competitive in early encounters. Just be aware that Medalum is missable in Act 2, so plan accordingly.

Maëlle’s early-game skillset should include Spark, a quick attack that causes Burn, and Percée, a powerful single-target ability. These attacks work hand-in-hand with her Crit and Burn focus. Swift Stride is another strong option, helping her enter Virtuose Stance quickly when necessary and maintain that offensive momentum. Together, these skills provide the consistency and burst damage needed to handle early-game battles efficiently.

To support this build further, Pictos and Luminas that enhance Burn and critical damage are essential. Burning Shots increases Burn damage and duration, while Marking Shots boosts her crit chance against marked enemies. Critical Burn adds even more punch when attacking burning targets, reinforcing her synergy-based combat style. Speed-enhancing Luminas are also crucial to ensure Maëlle strikes before opponents, securing her role as an early-game powerhouse.

With this setup, Maëlle Build can dominate early fights by quickly entering Virtuose Stance, applying Burn, and landing devastating critical hits, setting the stage for her to evolve into one of the most dangerous characters in your party.

2. Maelle Build- Mid-Game

During the mid-game, Maëlle should continue to focus on Agility and Luck as her primary stats. These remain crucial for maximizing her speed and critical hit potential. That said, it’s also smart to start investing in Defence or Vitality. As enemy encounters become more punishing, the added survivability will help her stay in the fight longer and reduce the risk of being one-shot in tougher battles.

When it comes to weapons, Yeverum and Lithum stand out. Yeverum provides strong overall stats and synergises well with critical-hit builds, making it an excellent choice for this stage. Lithum, while typically an endgame weapon, becomes accessible in Act 3. If obtained early, it serves as a powerful alternative with unique advantages that can give Maelle Build an edge.

Her skillset should also begin evolving in the mid-game. Fleuret Fury becomes a key ability; its multi-hit nature pairs beautifully with high crit builds, dishing out massive damage. Stendhal remains a viable burst damage option, even after its nerf. Momentum Strike is another solid addition, helping Maëlle keep up offensive pressure without draining her AP pool too quickly. During this phase, mastering her stance transitions and AP economy is essential to maintaining high damage output while staying safe.

For Pictos and Luminas, consider equipping Critical Moment to boost her critical damage, and Dead Energy II, which adds bonus damage in specific combat scenarios. Glass Cannon also becomes a strong pick if you’re confident in your ability to keep her alive, as it significantly amplifies her offensive power at the cost of defense.

1. Endgame

By the endgame, Maëlle should have both Agility and Luck maxed out at 99. Allocate any remaining points to Defense or Vitality to ensure she can survive heavy hits and withstand the most dangerous boss encounters.

The best weapon at this stage is Lithum, a Void-elemental rapier that unlocks Maëlle’s full potential. Lithum enables her to strike marked enemies while remaining in Virtuose Stance. With the weapon, Maëlle can automatically enter the stance when counterattacking. Lithum also allows her to receive the Shell buff upon exiting Virtuose Stance. These effects make her nearly unstoppable, especially when paired with allies who can consistently apply Mark to enemies.

Maëlle’s endgame skills should still include Stendhal for its superior burst damage, alongside Last Chance, which refreshes Virtuose Stance when needed. You can also add other high-damage fire or critical-based abilities to round out her toolkit and enhance her one-turn kill potential.

For Pictos and Luminas, Immaculate Glass Cannon offers peak damage at the cost of her defense, while In Affinity raises both her critical chance and Agility even further. Solo Fighter proves helpful in duels or boss fights where Maelle Build carries much of the burden alone. Additionally, Recovery Luminas can provide healing and sustenance to keep her on the battlefield longer.

With this fully optimized build, Maëlle’s build transforms into a high-speed, high-damage threat capable of delivering millions of points of damage in a single turn. Her combination of Virtuose Stance control, critical hits, and Burn synergy makes her one of the most powerful and rewarding characters to master in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.