For a while, Stendhal was the fastest way to destroy everything in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Unlocking this ability for Maelle revealed it wasn't just overpowered; it broke the game entirely.
When combined with the right weapon, buffs, and preparation, Stendhal could rack up billions in damage. And while that kind of firepower sounds satisfying (and it was), it came with a cost: it trivialized the game's toughest fights, including the infamous endgame boss, Simon.
So what made this build so busted? The Medalum weapon was central, increasing damage significantly and immediately putting Maelle into her Virtuose stance, which boosted her damage right away. Throw in Luminas like Cheater, Shortcut, and Last Stand, and you're looking at an unstoppable nuke.
It wasn't just a one-time thing; with the right Pictos and ability cycling, players could easily hit anywhere from 20 million to over 3 billion damage in a single hit, turning long, multi-phase boss fights into one-shot wins. The devs at Sandfall Interactive weren't blind to what was happening.
In fact, they admitted that Stendhal was "underwhelming" for most of the game's development cycle, which led to a last-minute damage buff just before release. But what they thought was a simple fix ended up creating a skill so overpowered that it overshadowed every other combat option.
As soon as the community discovered how much they could exploit it, Stendhal went from a simple move to feeling like a cheat code. As of May 9, Sandfall is rolling out a hotfix that dials back Stendhal's damage. It's not a full rework, as the devs still want players to "break" the game creatively, but this particular instance went too far.
According to their own words, Stendhal will still be strong, just more in line with other high-damage abilities instead of being 10 times stronger than anything else. Some players aren't happy, and the usual "it's a single-player game, let people play how they like" argument came up fast.
But some didn't agree, especially those on Expert, where the whole point is to be challenged. For these players, the issue wasn't about ignoring the skill. It was about not needing to sabotage their own play just to feel like they deserved their wins.
Of course, there are still other builds that feel busted in Expedition 33. Burn-focused setups with Verso or Sciel can dish out millions in damage with the right combo timing, and players continue to find new ways to stack buffs, stunlock bosses, or abuse parry loops. But none of them could match the ridiculous simplicity of the Stendhal nuke.
At the end of the day, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was always meant to let players push the boundaries. The devs themselves have said they're fine with builds that break the rules a little, as long as those builds don't break the entire game.
The Stendhal nerf doesn't mark the end of overpowered fun in Expedition 33. If anything, it might just reopen the door for other strategies to shine.