How to Beat Simon in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — Advanced Boss Guide

Why Simon is the Ultimate Challenge (and How I Finally Beat Him)

After nearly a dozen hours of failed attempts, I can confidently say that Simon in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a wall that will break even the most prepared players – unless you walk in with the right setup and strategy. I wasted entire evenings trying random parties, grinding the wrong levels, and spamming shields that only made things worse. This guide will save you that pain and give you a real shot at victory.

Essential Prep: Gear, Picto Selection, and Minimum Level

Before even attempting Simon, I learned the hard way that level and gear make a night-and-day difference. I tried at level 85 with underleveled weapons and barely scratched him; it finally clicked when I pushed my characters to level 95+ and maxed weapons (level 33). The difference? I could survive longer and my big attacks actually landed real damage.

• Recommended Party Level: 95 or higher across all members
• Weapon Upgrade: All main weapons at level 33 (max!)
• Lumina: Everyone at 180 or above
• Subquests: MUST finish Esquie’s relationship quest (level 6) for underwater access.
• Pictos: Focus on offense/gradient boosters, not shields (Simon steals them!)

Common trap: I lost hours using shield/pv pictos, only to realize Simon absorbs shields for himself each round – avoid defensive pictos that generate shields or bonus HP.

How to Unlock and Locate Simon’s Boss Arena

Simon isn’t just waiting at the end of a corridor – you’ll need to grind another relationship to even reach him. My breakthrough came by talking to Esquie repeatedly at the camp, pushing her relationship to level 6 to get the underwater swim ability. If you’re stuck, double-check you’ve finished Esquie’s arc and picked up the skill.

• From camp, speak to Esquie after key story beats; keep an eye out for new dialogue.
• Get the underwater swim ability by maxing out her questline.
• Head to Renoir’s Drafts zone, locate “The Abyss,” and platform until you reach the Simon encounter spot at the bottom.

Tip: If you get lost, look for unique platform edges or shimmering pools — Simon is tucked away deep, and it’s easy to second-guess your path.

Best Picto & Lumina Loadouts — The Winning Formula

I wish I’d known earlier that certain pictos actively make Simon harder. Anything that generates shields is a liability. Instead, focus on damage multipliers, action boosters, and resurrection/burst pictos. Here’s the list that gave me my first win (I used about 80% of these):

• Affinité Inversée (Inverted Affinity)
• Au seuil de la mort (On the Brink)
• Canon de verre (Glass Cannon)
• Hardiesse (Boldness)
• Charge sur critique (Critical Charge)
• Parade Renforçante (Reinforced Parry)
• Seconde chance (Second Chance resurrection — NEVER leave this off!)
• Énergie Maîtrisée
• Surpuissance prolongée (Prolonged Overpower)
• Puissance Surpeinte (Overpainted Power)

Pro-Tip: If you’re dying just before phase 3, make sure you bring Seconde chance on everyone for that one free revive — Simon’s wipe attacks demand it.

Phase 1: Pattern Recognition & Keeping Your Cool

This is your warm-up. I underestimated it and wasted good resources panicking over mistakes. The cues repeat in phase 2 — so master them now.

• 5-hit combo (Sword in the ground): Watch for a high jump, two side punches, a rush, then one more aerial attack.
• 3-hit combo (Power combo): Standard timing — don’t second-guess yourself.
• 2 jumps + R2, final jump: Time your jump and parry sequence — don’t spam, wait for the last attack.
• Long combo (6 hits): Trickiest the first time; memorize the rhythm by holding off on attacking, just parrying.

Don’t stress if you’re not perfect: Your “Second Chance” effect resets for phase 2. Preserve healing and focus on learning every attack’s tell.

Phase 2: Sword Images, Double Parries, and Surviving the Onslaught

Here’s where I almost quit. Phase 2 introduces ghostly sword echoes — you’ll have to parry each pattern twice, sometimes up to 12 hits in a row.

• 6-hit sword echo attack: Wait for the double-spin, parry twice in rapid succession, then space out the next two. The last hits come with a brighter “chroma” flash — time your parry carefully.
• 12-hit combo: The stamina/memory check — DO NOT panic and spam parry. Instead, practice on earlier patterns; knowing when to wait is more important than fast reflexes.
• “Attack at Light Speed”: This absolutely wrecked my party. It hits all three members simultaneously, unpredictable, and often unseeable. I survived only by keeping that “Second Chance” active for an instant revive.

Avoid triggering phase 3 late: Simon ramps up his chaos if you’re not ready. The ideal is to finish phase 2 with everyone alive and “Second Chance” effects off cooldown.

My Winning Team Setup & Burst-Finish Strategy

I tried nine different team builds. What finally won, and worked for my friends too, was this:

• Frontline: Lune (DPS), Verso (Support/DPS), Monoco (flex)
• Closing team: Maëlle (Virtuoso stance), Sciel (status/turn booster)

The real trick? Saving Maëlle and Sciel for the final burst. Here’s how to set it up:

• Keep Maëlle in Virtuoso stance with charges up (Medalum weapon recommended; doubles damage at fight start).
• Stack three Gradient charges (use “Charge sur critique”).
• Apply “Tirs Marquants” Lumina for a free mark — don’t waste turns on setup.
• Build to Gradient 3 on Maëlle, strike Simon when marked. This can drop Simon from 30% to zero in one move if timed perfectly.
• Sciel runs Braise (Burn) via Gobluso weapon every three Presages — giving chip and emergency damage. Use “Fortune Enragée” and “Intervention” so Maëlle acts immediately after Sciel for a true one-two punch, doubling the final attack’s impact.

Troubleshooting: If you’re getting wiped before burst, swap out lower DPS for more survivability pictos, but always avoid shields. If you can’t charge gradients, try manual defending a round to recover — don’t rush every turn.

Advanced Tips, Pitfalls & Optimizations

• Stay in “Story” mode for practice: The parry windows are slightly more generous. Don’t let pride keep you from learning timings — you can always re-challenge Simon in higher difficulties after winning.
• Save your revive pictos for “Light Speed” phases or full wipes: I made the error of using them early — it hurts to have nothing left when the boss starts erasing party members or setting HP to 1.
• Don’t heal when affected by “Chroma Gathering”: If Simon sets your HP to 1, he prevents healing until the end of the effect.
• Reactions to unique Simon moves: If you see him “erasing” a character (removal from the battle), do NOT waste turns trying to revive — it won’t work. Shift all focus to offense and defense for the survivors.
• Don’t get greedy: It’s tempting to force damage mid-combo; I lost multiple tries because I tunnel-visioned on DPS and ate lethal hits. Surviving until your burst window is always better.

Victory Rewards & What Comes Next

Defeating Simon nets you the “Enfin la paix” trophy, his unique journal, and the ultra-powerful Simoso weapon for Verso. Plus, you unlock the ability to re-challenge Simon for fun or prestige. Expect your total time investment (with a fully prepped party and no major mistakes) to be at least 90 minutes from start to finish, factoring in retries and setup.

My advice: Don’t be discouraged if it takes you a week of attempts. This boss is truly the peak of Expedition 33. Stick with the above strategy, tweak to your playstyle, and you’ll see real progress. Good luck — if I can do it, so can you!