Clair Obscur Expedition 33 Stendhal Nerf: What’s Changing for Maelle’s Top Build

If you’ve been running wild with Maelle’s outrageous Void damage in Clair Obscur Expedition 33, it’s time for a reality check. Sandfall Interactive is dropping a major nerf on the infamous Stendhal skill—a long-standing favorite among boss busters and min-maxers alike. The update hits on Friday, May 9, and it’s set to flip the meta on its head.

Why Was Stendhal So Overpowered?

Let’s not mince words: in Maelle’s hands, Stendhal took single-target Void damage from “pretty good” to “utterly bonkers.” Yes, using it nuked Maelle’s shield and slapped on a nasty Defenceless debuff, but when you’re smashing bosses for seven-digit damage, who cares about a little vulnerability? Players leaned hard into the risk, chaining skills, stacking buffs, and popping Virtuose stances to turn even the nastiest bosses into vapor in one turn. Naturally, Stendhal-Maelle became the gold standard for big numbers, and the internet was awash with clips of instant boss annihilation.

Developer’s Take: Reining It In

As Sandfall Interactive tells it, their goal was to let Maelle shine at the top. But in their own words: “We clearly overdid it. Stendhal ended up overshadowing most other options.” When one move dominates the field, every other build gets benched, and creativity goes out the window.

In short: it’s all fun and games until one skill breaks the playground.

What’s Actually Changing on May 9?

The upcoming patch will reduce Stendhal’s damage output. Don’t panic—it’s not getting turned into a paperweight. Sandfall says, “After the change, it’ll still be a strong single-hit skill with great synergy potential, just more in line with everything else.” The signature high-risk, high-reward playstyle is staying, but those reality-warping numbers? You’ll have to work a bit harder (and pray to RNGesus) to see them now.

What Does This Mean for Players?

Prepare for tougher boss fights and a lot fewer screenshots of billion-damage crits. The legendary Stendhal-Maelle combo isn’t dead—it’ll just require more strategy and less brute force. If you’ve played RPGs for any length of time, you know the drill: today’s meta king is tomorrow’s patch note. It’s a tale as old as time, from classic Final Fantasy nerfs to the latest live-service shakeups.

The Bottom Line

With this move, Sandfall Interactive is making it clear they want Clair Obscur Expedition 33 to stay fun and balanced for everyone. Stendhal’s reign was glorious, but the meta is moving on. If you’re still chasing those big-risk, big-reward plays, you’re in luck—just be ready to earn those jaw-dropping crits the hard way.