Weapon Properties: And Upgrading Weapons

Learn about weapon properties like Power, Element, and Attribute Scaling, and discover how passive effects can significantly alter your playstyle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Weapons in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 have several properties that determine their effectiveness in combat. Understanding these properties is key to optimizing your character builds and combat strategy.

Weapon Properties

Every weapon possesses the following core properties:

• Power: This directly influences the base damage dealt by the weapon.
• Element: Weapons deal damage of a specific element (e.g., fire, ice). While most base attacks use this element, skills may not always be affected. Enemy resistances and weaknesses to certain elements can be crucial, but the innate element is often less important than other factors unless it provides a specific damage bonus or is negated by an enemy.
• Attribute Scaling: Similar to Souls-like games, weapons have affinities that boost their Power based on your character's invested attributes. For example, a weapon might have Defense and Agility scaling, meaning more points in these attributes increase its damage. Scaling is graded (e.g., C, B, A), with higher grades offering greater bonuses. This bonus is often a nice-to-have rather than a necessity for much of the game.

Weapon Passive Effects

Arguably the most impactful properties are a weapon's passive effects. Most weapons have three passive effects that unlock at Weapon Levels 4, 10, and 20. These effects can dramatically change a character's playstyle by modifying their unique gimmicks, core gameplay mechanics, or specific attacks and damage types.

For instance, Lune can gain stains from base attacks, free aim shots, or at the start of her turn. Her Potierim weapon can generate light stains when healing spells are cast, creating a beneficial loop for continuous healing. Maelle's Medalum weapon can start her in Virtuose Stance for immediate damage combos, while Sciel's Corderon weapon might curse him at battle start but boost damage by 50% while cursed, encouraging him to enter his Twilight state. Other weapons might focus on boosting specific damage types.

Passive effects, along with Attributes and Luminas, are significant components of character builds in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. They can be unlocked by leveling up the weapon but cannot be upgraded or modified themselves.