Best Maelle Weapons In Clair Obscur Expedition 33

In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, players are given a pretty large amount of freedom when it comes to build and character diversity when tackling the ever-growing threats in the mainland. Each party member has their own strengths and weaknesses and brings something different to the battle, whether it be high burst damage attacks or supportive tools to keep the party going for longer.

Maelle is no exception to this rule, as she has plenty of skills in her arsenal to both deliver significant damage and sustain it thanks to her ability to swap stances, each offering its own effects. But skills are only half the story, as no expeditioner is battle-ready without a suitable armament to match their skillset, and there are plenty of great weapon choices for Maelle that can transform her fighting style in pretty significant ways.

Updated September 6, 2025 by Oliver Tuscarny: While Clair Obscur has only received a few patches relating to bug fixes and some requested features like battle retries, players have still managed to find a bunch of new builds across all characters.

Maelle continues to be one of the strongest choices for most stages in the game, and by leveraging her insane damage potential, most bosses barely stand a chance. One of her more overpowered combos was nerfed, using Medallum and Stendhal for a huge burst of damage combined with defense, but the weapon itself remained untouched despite being bug-fixed to function as intended.

11

Facesum

A Real Firestarter

• Facesum
• Element: Physical
• Scaling: Vitality/Luck

Fire is one of the better and more consistent damage types in the game, and Maelle has a pretty extensive list of skills that not only apply it but can buff it at the same time. Having a weapon that plays off of an already strong playstyle makes perfect sense, and Facesum is a great choice for a player looking to amp up their fire damage without ridiculous requirements.

The downside is that the weapon requires burns to be applied pretty consistently, which can be troublesome if players are struggling with AP or the fire runs out too quickly for the rest of the weapon to become useful. Still, simple spell combos like Degagement into Spark can be pretty effective combos that alone will apply double digits worth of burn and quickly make the enemy sizzle to a crisp.

10

Melarum

Becoming The Tank The Team Needs

• Melarum
• Element: Physical
• Scaling: Vitality/Luck

While her damage output can get pretty absurd, Maelle can also function as a decent tank party member who can sustain serious punishment and use her tools to keep her team alive. Being able to consistently heal the entire team on top of switching to her best stance can be a lifesaver, and the ability to soak up even more damage right from the start can make her incredibly sticky when combined with some defensive Pictos and Luminas.

The weapon even plays off of its own effects, allowing the player to consistently heal and maintain the ability to swap to the Virtuose over and over, all while healing up the team and pumping out some serious damage thanks to her list of aggressive and stylish skills. There are even avenues for a more unconventional build that turns Maelle into a support with spells like Egide, along with several buffs that can make her feel more like a frontline.

9

Glaisum

Utility For The Most Powerful Stance

• Glaisum
• Element: Physical
• Scaling: Defense/Agility

Glaisum is a great choice for players who prefer to use Maelle as a more supportive party member than a full glass cannon. The main benefit comes from the team-wide healing upon switching to Virtuose Stance, and when the weapon is maxed out, the stance also comes with a self-cleanse, which can be incredibly valuable against tougher enemies with sticky status effects like Blight.

The weapon can be acquired from a boss in Falling Leaves, accessible after unlocking Esquie’s swim ability. This means that players can get their hands on Glaisum fairly early into their journey, allowing them to fully unlock Maelle’s potential as a support who shakes off everything that comes her way.

8

Tissenum

Breaking The Enemy Piece By Piece

• Tissenum
• Element: Earth
• Scaling: Vitality/Agility

Tissenum is a pretty handy weapon that turns Maelle into a stance-breaking machine, allowing her to build up the meter quickly while staying safe in her defensive stance. Using this weapon with a skill like Fleuret Fury allows players to stun enemies and follow up straight away, thanks to the AP refund.

The weapon is found midway through Act 2 as a reward for taking down the boss in Sirene, which means that players will have access to a handy tool like this well before the late-game enemies show up. The combination of Break buildup and reward for Breaking enemies makes it a great choice against any foe that players can reliably stun, whether it be a beefy Nevron or a tough boss battle at the end of the world.

7

Battlum

Building Up The Gradient In No Time

• Battlum
• Element: Physical
• Scaling: Defense/Luck

Gradient attacks are among the most powerful and useful skills in all of Expedition 33, and what better way to make use of their power than with a weapon that lets the player generate them twice as fast? Maelle has some of the most ridiculously damaging and high-utility gradient attacks out of everyone on the roster, being able to resurrect the entire team at the click of a button or dish out extreme damage that can practically one-shot any opponent.

The level 20 benefit is just incredible, as later on, when bosses are swiping at the team with absurd attack chains, the added benefit of building the gradient meter almost instantly turns tricky situations into cake walks. The defensive stance might not be the best for outputting damage, and that aspect of the weapon leaves a lot to be desired, but it is still well worth choosing to unleash the power of the gradient.

6

Sekarum

No Shield Can Stand In The Way

• Sekarum
• Element: Physical
• Scaling: Vitality/Agility

Sekarum is a particularly interesting weapon that offers a baffling amount of power and utility in specific scenarios, and it is outright broken at times. Throughout the game, the player will encounter plenty of enemies that like to throw up defenses to keep attacks at bay, so the ability to not only shatter any barriers that may arise, as well as pierce straight through them if needed, can make shields that are otherwise frustrating basically irrelevant.

Sometimes, when playing as Maelle, it can be awkward to make use of the Virtuose stance if there are shields in the way, as either the player has to spend AP shooting them down or waste their precious stance on trying to get through. Sekarum removes the problem entirely and lets the player go straight for the throat and make the most of the powerful purple stance.

5

Yeverum

Leaning Fully Into The Shielding Support

• Yeverum
• Element: Physical
• Scaling: Defense/Agility

Shields are one of the most annoying effects to have to deal with in Clair Obscur. Rather than blocking a percentage, they block the entire attack, so when the player has access to a bunch of shields that can be applied in bulk, they themselves become immovable objects that few enemies can compete with.

Once players reach the later stages of the game, this weapon can be bought from a merchant after defeating him in a grueling battle. But it is well worth the wait, regardless of whether players want to use the shields to soak damage or as a damage buff with skills like Powerful Shield, turning defense into offense in a flash.

4

Clierum

It Doesn’t Strike Just Once

• Clierum
• Element: Lightning
• Scaling: Defense/Agility

When fire isn’t cutting it, electricity can surely get the job done. Clierum is a great choice that greatly benefits the player towards the later stages of the game, where crit chance becomes a guarantee, and they can make the most of the increased damage on certain skills. Maelle doesn’t have many innate lightning skills, but has quite a few that use the weapon’s element, which turns simple attacks like Sword Ballet into lightning-infused nukes.

It may be true that using Virtuose stance can net some of the highest damage numbers for Maelle, but the requirements for the Offensive stance are much easier to come by, which means that the player will have no trouble switching to it on the fly and attacking with a near 100% crit rate to fully unleash the power of the storm.

3

Barrier Breaker

Taking The Shields For Yourself

If breaking shields wasn’t enough, then using them against the enemy sounds pretty good. Barrier Breaker not only looks the part but also has some of the best utility of any weapon in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. There are plenty of occasions where an enemy will have five or even more shields at once, so getting to take all of them away and repurpose them for defense is a massive boon to any build on Maelle.

The benefits don’t stop at just removing shields, but it even allows the player to switch to Virtuose stance without the need for a specific skill or requirement other than the enemy having a shield. It means that the player can not only add some much-needed defense to their character but also bring some offensive capabilities, all bundled into a single powerful weapon.

2

Brulerum

Never Stop The Flames

• Brulerum
• Element: Fire
• Scaling: Agility/Luck

Crits and fire are a perfect pair, and what better weapon to showcase the power of both than Brulerum? With crits that apply burn and built-in critical guarantees, the weapon doesn’t seem all that strong on the surface, but it quickly shows off its strength in no time. Each attack holds a lot of power right from the start of the fight, and certain skills like Sword Ballet are effortlessly transformed into single spell powerhouses.

Being stanceless on Maelle no longer becomes a negative, and with each basic attack, players no longer have to worry about casting high-cost skills or building up specific combos. Instead, they can rely on consistently high damage, all while applying a significant amount of burn with each strike. It’s a great weapon choice that keeps things simple and doesn’t overdo anything on the flashy side.