Going through the story of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 takes you on an emotional adventure, while keeping you on your toes as you fight incredible enemies. Along the way, you'll have a very powerful character join your team, and having him the best Verso build will help you on your journey.
Explore some of the best weapons and attributes, skills, Pictos, and Luminas that you can have on Verso. He can be a monster against his foes as long as you have the right equipment.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Best Verso Build
Verso joins Expedition 33 in Act II and seems untrustworthy in the beginning, as it looks like he's associated with the old man. While that was the case in the beginning, you'll eventually find that he doesn't seem that bad (his interactions with Monoco are always hilarious). He wields a sword in battle.
Understanding Verso's Kit
Like the other Expedition 33 members, such as Sciel, Verso also has his unique mechanic that can be taken advantage of. Whenever Verso attacks, performs dodges or parries, and uses his skills, he gains Perfection. After stacking on Perfection, his Rank increases. This Rank goes from D until it reaches S. The higher the Rank, the more damage Verso deals.
When he is hit or takes damage, his Rank drops, so you have to practice your parries and dodges. Certain weapons allow Verso to drop Perfection instead of full Ranks based on a condition (Cruleram - Rank doesn't drop if hit by a Powerless enemy).
His skills also have advantages depending on the specific rank they require. For example, Phantom Stars is a 9-cost skill. However, if Verso's Rank is on S, this skill will cost 5 AP instead, which is an excellent help in AP management.
Machine Gun Build
Expedition 33 is always fascinating, with the numerous builds you can do due to the number of things you can mix and match. This build will focus on Verso, utilizing the Free Aim system in Clair Obscur. I will also include some alternatives before you can get the specific Pictos that you need to achieve this build, since a lot of them are in Act III.
Weapon
For Verso's Machine Gun Build weapon choices, you can honestly equip any of them, but I prefer the ones that give +1 AP on Rank up, like the following weapons:
- Corpeso
- Element: Fire
- Attribute focus: Vitality, Agility
- Danseso
- Element: Fire
- Attribute focus: Agility, Luck
You'll get the Danseso first by defeating the Chromatic Danseuse in Old Lumiere. However, the additional AP is locked behind the Level 20 passive of the weapon. Corpeso can be acquired after you have Esquie's swim or fly ability. The +1 AP is on the weapon's Level 10 passive, which should already be unlocked by then.
Alternatives while you're in earlier Acts of the game:
- Gaulteram
- Element: Earth
- Attribute focus: Agility, Luck
This is one of Verso's weapons that lets him lose Perfection instead of a full Rank when hit. If you're still practicing the timing on your dodges and parries, this will be a lifesaver if you plan to include Verso in your main party from Act II onwards.
- Dualiso
- Element: Lightning
- Attribute focus: Vitality, Defense
This is the closest we can get to a Free Aim build before getting the best Pictos for Verso. You'll be able to take another turn after performing a base attack thanks to the Level 4 passive. Before doing so, make sure to take your Free Aim shots, do a base attack, then use a skill. You'll need to do a little math to ensure you have enough AP for a skill. This will help in accumulating Perfection for Verso.
Skills
In this Verso build, his skills will not matter much since we will focus on his Free Aim shots. However, it's always good to have a Skill set ready. This is especially true during Act II since you're still building up the members of Expedition 33. I like having the following skills on Verso:
- Follow-up: This skill increases the damage from Free Aim shots during the turn. It is best with the Cheater Picto or the Dualiso equipped.
- Paradigm Shift: This is an AP-efficient skill when I'm desperate for some AP, but this can be replaced by other skills.
- Leadership: This helped me manage my Rank system since certain attacks require a specific Rank to activate their passive.
- Defiant Strike: Low-cost skill that marks the enemy. Great set-up for other members of the Expedition.
- Strike Storm: One of my choices for Verso's damage-dealing skills, with Critical Hits generating more Perfection. Just make sure to complete your QTEs since it can fail.
- Phantom Stars: High damage skill that is AP-efficient since it will only cost 5 AP if you're on S Rank.
Pictos and Luminas
Here is the most crucial part of the Machine Gun Verso Build. You'll need all the Pictos and Luminas that affect the Free Aim shot, such as the following:
- Energising Shots (Really important to have in your Picto or Lumina slots since this will give a 20% chance to gain 1 AP on Free Aim shot)
- Accelerating Shots
- Augmented Aim
- Breaking Shots
- Marking Shots
- Powerful Shots
- Sniper
- Versatile
- Burning Shots
- Piercing Shots
Other than these, it's always great to equip AP-generating Pictos and Luminas, such as Energising Start (I to IV) and Energising Turn. I also include ones that affect the Base Attack like the Attack Lifesteal and Combo Attack (I to IV).
There's so much freedom in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 when it comes to character builds, and it's so fun trying them all out. Try out everything to your heart's content!