Summary
InClair Obscur: Expedition 33, players are given a pretty large amount of freedom when it comes tobuild and character diversitywhen 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.
Level 20
Base Attack propagates Burn.
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 toamp up their fire damagewithout 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.
Switch to Virtuoso Stance when Health falls below 50%.
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 ofswitching to her best stancecan 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 Virtuoso 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.
+5% of a Gradient Charge on Parry.
Gradient attacks are among the most powerful anduseful skills in all ofExpedition 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 in order to unleash the power of the gradient.
In Virtuoso Stance, all damage pierces Shields.
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 Virtuoso 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.
+50% Critical Chance while in Offensive Stance.
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 Virtuoso 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.
Hitting a Marked enemy breaks all its Shields.
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 inClair 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 isa 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 Virtuoso 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.
100% Critical Chance while Stanceless.
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.
In Virtuoso Stance, Burn deals double damage.
With Virtuoso being the bread and butter of any high damage Maelle attack, the ability to start the fight in her most powerful form is incredibly valuable and makes Medalum one of the best overall choices for Maelle. Fleuret Fury lets the player continuously reapply the stance, and the added bonus of some serious fire damage on top makes using the weapon feel amazing and deal incredible damage all at the same time.
There are plenty of skill combos in her kit that allow for quick juggling between stances, all while applying the fire at the same time, with certain spells permitting the player to reach well over 10 fire in a single move, thanks to this weapon. It’s an all-rounder that has both consistency and damage, and there are few better choices when it comes to deciding on a well-rounded weapon that can carry the player from start to finish.
