Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – A Masterclass in Combat System Exploitation

One of the most captivating aspects of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the unparalleled freedom it grants players to break down and creatively exploit its combat system. And one player has pushed that freedom to an extraordinary limit—successfully unleashing a 1.4 trillion-damage attack on Simon, the game’s postgame superboss, even under the grueling 100× health challenge modifier.

From Nerf to Innovation

Shortly after release, developer Sandfall Interactive significantly nerfed Maelle and her overpowered Medalum sword, prompting the community to delve deeper into buildcrafting and mechanical expertise. In response, one jaw-dropping video surfaced—the most technically impressive demonstration of the game yet. It features Sciel, the scythe-wielding protagonist, utterly dominating Simon in New Game+, Expert difficulty, with the full 100× health modifier in play.

The Replication Blueprint

Known as Rephian on Reddit and Coccobello on YouTube, the creator not only achieved this feat but also shared a comprehensive, step-by-step guide for replication. The optimal setup involves:

• Stacking as many speed-boosting Pictos as possible on Sciel;
• Equipping Luminas to maximize Action Point (AP) generation;
• Utilizing her Charnon weapon;
• Briefly summoning Verso—solely to apply buffs and break Simon’s Break Bar before being taken out and remaining inactive for the rest of the lengthy encounter.

The Hour-Long Setup Loop

The execution is meticulous—and time-consuming. Coccobello spends nearly 60 minutes building momentum using Sciel’s unique mechanics:

1. She shoots Simon to accumulate Foretell;
2. Then uses Delaying Slash to consume Foretell and generate a Moon Charge.

Thanks to her extreme speed (enhanced by stacked Pictos) and applied debuffs on Simon, Delaying Slash stuns Simon indefinitely—preventing him from ever acting. When his turn isn’t imminent or AP is insufficient, alternatives include Twilight Slash or Dark Cleansing.

Building Toward “God Mode”

This loop is repeated endlessly. Over approximately 50 minutes, Coccobello amasses 295 Moon Charges and consumes around 2,600 Foretell. Only then does the sequence move into its final, precision-driven phase—demanding impeccable turn management.

1. First, she secures two consecutive free turns, then applies Doom to debuff Simon and continues the stunlock with Delaying Slash.
2. In the next pair of free turns, she uses a Healing Tint (leveraging Shielding Tint Pictos) to generate an additional shield, followed again by Delaying Slash.
3. Finally, during another pair of free turns, she shoots Simon to Mark him (+50% damage on the next hit), then triggers Fortune’s Fury—doubling damage for the next turn and activating Twilight mode. With 295 Moon Charges already stacked, this provides a staggering +7,700% damage bonus.

The Earth-Shattering Finale

The climax is End Slice, Sciel’s ultimate Gradient Attack. Its base damage is tremendous—but crucially, it scales multiplicatively with total Foretell consumed since the start of the fight. By this point, that number exceeds 2,600.

The result? A single, cinematic strike dealing exactly 1,439,873,207,638 damage—a figure both unnecessary and gloriously excessive, especially considering the hour-long setup. Yet its elegance, precision, and sheer audacity are undeniable. Poor Simon never stood a chance.

A Nod to Unscripted Joy

Amid all this technical mastery, one of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s most charming qualities remains its capacity for “random improv”—moments of spontaneous, joyful discovery that remind players why RPG combat, at its best, feels alive.