Maelle Skill Details – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

The following is a list of all skills Maelle can use, enriched with additional information not specified by the game, such as turn durations for effects and relative damage multipliers.

The damage multipliers were calculated based on the observation that, under certain conditions, your base attack deals damage exactly equal to your current Attack Power stat, assuming no additional effects are being used to augment it. This forms the baseline regarded as a 100% multiplier against which skills are compared.

Assuming equivalent elemental affinity, a skill that does 1500 damage against an enemy that takes 1000 damage from your base attack while you have 1000 Attack Power is regarded as having a 150% multiplier.

This pattern does not work for calculating Burn, however. While it increases based on Attack Power, it does not increase in a consistent way that makes it clear what value to assign to it. It appears it can also vary based on your own health (adding more health has caused it to go down).

The variance present in multiplier listings describes the minimum to maximum range of potential results based on performance during the QTEs. Enabling the Automatic QTE accessibility setting places your damage somewhere in the middle. Typically, the minimum describes failing the first QTE and not being presented with further inputs, and the maximum describes perfectly executing every QTE, but some skills have custom behavior. 

The skills are grouped by stance they switch to or gradient, then listed in ascending order of AP/Gradient costs. Beneath the list, I offer some observations about possible ways to use Maelle given the information.

For reference, the stance effects are as follows. Note that attempting to switch to a stance that is already active or performing an action that does not switch stances will remove the current stance after the action is completed. Her base attack alternates between Offensive and Defensive stance if one of them was active when it was used.

• Offensive Stance: +50% damage dealt, +50% damage taken
• Defensive Stance: -50% damage taken. +1 AP on successful Parry or Dodge.
• Virtuose Stance: +200% damage dealt.

General Skills

1. Mezzo Forte
   • Reapplies current stance and gives 2-4 AP.
   • (1 AP), [QTEs: 1]
2. Stendhal
   • Deals extreme (1500~2100% ×1) single target Void damage. 1 hit.
   • Removes self-Shields and self applies Defenceless (5 turns)
   • (8 AP), [QTEs: 2, Total Multiplier: 1500~2100%]
   • Pre-Nerf was 2500~3500%

Offensive Stance SKILLS

1. Offensive Switch
   • Deals low (100~120% ×1) single target damage and applies Defenceless for 3 turns. 1 hit.
   • Uses weapon’s element.
   • Switches to Offensive Stance
   • (1 AP), [QTEs: 1, Total Multiplier: 100~120%]
2. Degagement
   • Deals low (100~120% ×1) single target Fire damage. 1 hit.
   • Target becomes weak to Fire damage for 2 turns
   • Switches to Offensive Stance
   • (2 AP), [QTEs: 1, Total Multiplier: 100~120%]
3. Guard Up
   • Applies Shell, reducing damage taken, to up to 3 allies for 3 turns.
   • Switches to Offensive Stance
   • (3 AP), [QTEs: 2]
4. Guard Down
   • Applies Defenceless to all enemies for 3 turns.
   • Switches to Offensive Stance
   • (3 AP), [QTEs: 0]
5. Breaking Rules
   • Deals low (75% ×1 + 75~90% ×1) single target Physical damage. 2 hits.
   • Destroys all target’s Shields; Gains 1 AP per Shield destroyed
   • If target is Defenceless, play a second turn. (Cannot gain extra turn during extra turn)
   • Switches to Offensive Stance
   • (3 AP), [QTEs: 1, Total Multiplier: 150~165%]
6. Fencer’s Flurry
   • Deals medium (140~168% ×1) damage to all enemies. 1 hit.
   • Uses weapon’s element.
   • Applies Defenceless for 1 turn.
   • Switches to Offensive Stance
   • (4 AP), [QTEs: 1, Total Multiplier: 140~168%]
7. Combustion
   • Deals medium (80~96% ×2) single target Physical damage. 2 hits.
   • Consumes up to 10 Burn for increased damage
   • (3[×2.2]~10[×5] burns: [176~211% ×2] ~ [400~480% ×2]).
   • Switches to Offensive Stance
   • (4 AP), [QTEs: 1, Total Multiplier: 160~192% / 800~960%]
8. Rain of Fire
   • Deals medium (125~150% ×1 + 125~175% ×1) single target Fire damage. 2 hits.
   • Applies 3 Burn per hit. (3 turns)
   • Defensive Stance: applies 2 more Burn per hit.
   • Switches to Offensive Stance
   • (5 AP), [QTEs: 2, Total Multiplier: 250~275%]
9. Burning Canvas
   • Deals high (40~56% ×5) single target Void damage. 5 hits.
   • Applies 1 Burn per hit (3 turns). Damage increased for each Burn on the target (Based on QTE performance, each Burn adds 4~5.6 to each individual hit’s multiplier, recalculated per hit).
   • Switches to Offensive Stance
   • (5 AP), [QTEs: 2, Total Multiplier: 200~280% / 2200~3080%]
   • credit to /u/TheTimmyGamer on reddit for mentioning the 100x Burn cap

Defensive Stance SKILLS

1. Égide
   • Protects allies by taking damage in their place, for 2 turns.
   • Duration is extended by 1 on gaining Shell
   • Switches to Defensive Stance
   • (3 AP), [QTEs: 1]
2. Spark
   • Deals low (100~140% ×1) single target Fire damage. 1 hit.
   • Applies 3 Burn (3 turns)
   • Offensive Stance: Applies 2 more Burn
   • Switches to Defensive Stance
   • (3 AP), [QTEs: 2, Total Multiplier: 100~140%]
3. Percée
   • Deals medium (220~264% ×1) single target Physical damage. 1 hit.
   • Increased damage to Marked targets (×2: 440~528% ×1).
   • Virtuose Stance: Costs 2 AP
   • Switches to Defensive Stance
   • (5 AP), [QTEs: 1, Total Multiplier: 220~264% / 440~528%]
4. Revenge
   • Deals high (120~144% ×1) single target Fire damage. 1 hit.
   • Damage increased for each hit received since the previous turn (×2.5→×4→×5.5…)
   • (×2.5 for the first hit, with +1.5 for each additional hit, not sure if there’s a cap)
   • 1 hit: 300~360%, 2 hits: 480~576%, 3 hits: 660~792%…
   • Can Break
   • Switches to Defensive Stance
   • (5 AP), [QTEs: 1, Total Multiplier: 120~144% / ?~?%]
5. Phantom Strike
   • Deals very high (70~98% ×4) Void damage to all enemies. 4 hits.
   • Also gives +35% of a Gradient Charge.
   • Switches to Defensive Stance
   • (7 AP), [QTEs: 2, Total Multiplier: 280~392%]
6. Momentum Strike
   • Deals high (350~420% ×1) single target damage. 1 hit.
   • Uses weapon’s element.
   • Increased damage to Marked targets (×2: 700~840% ×1).
   • Virtuose Stance: Costs 4 AP
   • Switches to Defensive Stance
   • (7 AP), [QTEs: 1, Total Multiplier: 350~420% / 700~840%]
7. Sword Ballet
   • Deals extreme (75~105% ×5) single target damage. 5 hits.
   • Uses weapon’s element.
   • Critical Hits deal double damage (×2: 150~210% ×5).
   • Switches to Defensive Stance
   • (9 AP), [QTEs: 2, Total Multiplier: 375~525% / 750~1050%]
8. Pyrolyse
   • Deals extreme (167% + 167~200% ×2) single target Fire damage. 3 hits.
   • Applies 5 Burn per hit (3 turns).
   • Offensive Stance: Applies 2 more Burn per hit.
   • Switches to Defensive Stance
   • (9 AP), [QTEs: 1, Total Multiplier: 501~567%]
9. Payback
   • Deals very high (500~800% ×1) single target Physical damage. 1 hit.
   • Reduced AP cost for each attack parried since last turn (1 Parry : -1 AP, counterattack not necessary).
   • Can Break
   • Switches to Defensive Stance
   • (9 AP), [QTEs: 3, Total Multiplier: 500~800%]

Virtuose Stance skills

1. Last Chance
   • Reduces self-Health to 1 but refills all AP
   • Switches to Virtuose Stance
   • (1 AP), [QTEs: 0]
2. Swift Stride
   • Deals low (100% ×1) single target Physical damage. 1 hit.
   • Switches to Virtuose Stance if target is Burning
   • Regains 0 to 2 AP
   • (3 AP), [QTEs: 1, Total Multiplier: 100%]
   • Energy Master pictos has no effect when gaining 0 AP
3. Fleuret Fury
   • Deals high (80~96% ×3) single target Physical damage. 3 hits.
   • If in Virtuose Stance, stay in Virtuose Stance
   • Can Break
   • (6 AP), [QTEs: 1, Total Multiplier: 240~288%]
4. Gustave’s Homage
   • Deals high (50~80% ×7 + 100~160% ×1) single target Lightning damage. 8 hits.
   • Increased damage to Marked targets (×1.5: 75~120% ×7 + 150~240% ×1).
   • Doesn’t remove Mark.
   • Switches to Virtuose Stance
   • (8 AP), [QTEs: 3, Total Multiplier: 450~720% / 675~1080%]

gradient Skills

1. Virtuose Strike
   • Deals high (30~36% ×5) single target Physical damage. 5 hits.
   • Switches to Virtuose Stance
   • (1 Gradient), [QTEs: 1, Total Multiplier: 150~180%]
2. Phoenix Flame
   • Applies 10 Burn (3 turns) to all enemies and revives all allies with 50 to 70% Health.
   • Switches to Offensive Stance
   • (2 Gradient), [QTEs: 1]
3. Gommage
   • Kills weak targets.
   • Otherwise deals extreme (5000~6000% ×1) Void damage. 1 hit.
   • Switches to Virtuose Stance
   • (3 Gradient), [QTEs: 1, Total Multiplier: 5000~6000%]

Observations

• Last Chance is both a turn and AP-cost effective way to enable Virtuose Stance via active skills. Its downside is fairly negligible with dodging/parrying/healing readily accessible. If you don’t need the AP refill, Swift Stride performs the same function while coming with a little damage, if Burn is active.
• Stendhal is still her highest non-Gradient multiplier that does not require any setup.
• She possesses numerous options for applying Defenceless and Burn.
• She possesses the unique effect of giving a weakness (Fire) to an enemy by using Degagement. This can be valuable for increasing the damage ceiling of strong Fire skills such as Monoco’s Sakapatate Fire against enemies not already weak to it.