Sandfall Interactive announced Thursday that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s multi-billion-damage Maelle builds are ending. The 1.2.3 patch notes are filled with other bug fixes and scaling adjustments, but the Stendhal ability’s whopping 40% damage nerf is stealing the show.In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Sandfall explained the reasoning for the change, with replies torn between support, sadness, and criticism. “We still want you to be able to break the game—and you absolutely still can,” the post reads. “But Stendhal was making it a bit too easy.”Some folks in the replies wondered whether a change like this is necessary for a single-player RPG; overpowered weapons, playstyles, and skills are optional in a single-player context. But the best argument in favor of the nerf is how easy Stendhal is to access.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s combat is designed and balanced around combos and setups between party members, Pictos, and weapons. Stendhal is just the tip of the iceberg for these combos; others might read these patch notes and expect other overpowered combos to be next on the chopping block.Nearly every character in the game has a way to achieve enough damage to trivialize boss fights, so does it matter if one-shots exist in Clair Obscur when two- and three-shot options exist as well? It is a single-player game, and more options to tailor difficulty are usually a good thing — but a nerf like this probably doesn’t matter in the long run.While it seems like Maelle getting nerfed is the main point of conversation regarding the patch, she still has access to extremely high damage option, including one that can be accessed from the beginning of the game. Using virtuoso stance, Percee, and an ally’s ability to mark can trivialize all of Act 1, and at the end of Act 1, you receive the Medalum, which makes this three-turn one-shot into a one-turn one-shot.More updates are coming for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 according to the patch notes, which could mean more nerfs to strong setups and combinations. But don’t fret, there are still plenty of ways to break the game if that’s your modus operandi.Here are the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Patch 1.2.3 notes, in full:Steam DeckFixed backgrounds of various menus not displaying properly on the Steam DeckXbox Game PassPC GAMEPASS: PS5 controllers are now compatibleVarious Ultrawide FixesGameplay no longer becomes zoomed after a cutscene occurs in ultrawide resolutionsThe Options menu image will no longer be stretched in ultrawide resolutionsCombat UI now adapts correctly to ultrawide resolutionsGame will no longer minimize upon changing settings in ultrawide resolutionCutscenes won’t letterbox in 32:9 aspect ratioTitle screen now displays fullscreen when the game is launched in ultrawide resolutionMouse and KeyboardUI button prompts in Expedition Menu are now visible and fully able to be triggered with KeyboardMouse buttons do not become unresponsive after first useWith mouse cursor on screen, using ‘WASD’ or directional arrows to navigate in UI or trigger any other functionality will no longer hide the cursor instead of doing the intended actionLeft Mouse-button click will no longer block the player from using Keyboard to navigate menusMouse input is not lost after the first Jump counter attack if it is pressed only onceFixed areas of the world map where you can get stuck:Between lanterns scattered on the ground near Stone Wave Cliff portalWhile walking on the ship wreck near the Forgotten Battlefield level entranceBetween lanterns on the ground near Bourgeon encounter next to Stone Wave Cliffs levelBetween two small rocks located between Spring Meadows and Abbest CaveBetween vases and corals when jumping from rooftoppsBetween various rocksIn ruins behind Flying Manor level entranceNear the bridge between Flying Waters and Spring MeadowsIn the rocks on the World Map, near Flying WatersNext to hardened land, close to the Flying Waters location exitFixed situations where Esquie specifically would get stuck (poor guy):When taking off from paint bridges, making him fall through the bridge and restrict movementWhen flying into bottom parts of levitating structures near VisagesNear the Flying Waters entrance levelNear a giant hammer when traversing close to Blades’ Graveyard levelWeapon and skill fixes and tuning:Fixed Lithelim attribute scaling not working at high level. Reduced initial Vitality scaling from A to C (will still end at S at max level). Added Luck scaling starting at D.Fixed Blizzon attribute scaling not working at high level. Reduced initial Luck scaling from B to C (will still end at S at max level). Added Defense scaling starting at D.Fixed Medalum third Lumina doubling all damage in Virtuose Stance instead of doubling only Burn damage.Stendhal: Reduced damage by 40%.Other fixesBoss encounter in Stone Wave Cliffs can now be finished on NG+You will no longer be blocked by the Journal UI window after opening the first Journal in the Spring MeadowsFixed being unable to shoot in Free aim while exploring levels due to worn triggersLune and Monoco no longer spawn in same place during end of theirs Level 6 relationship quests if they are completed without going to campIf at camp you pick “remember the objective”, then quickly choose to “go to sleep” and immediately after press “leave”, the screen no longer goes blackYou can no longer trigger the 2nd cutscene in Old Lumière a second time in a row, splitting the party forever.Update to rolling creditsThis is the first in a series of patches we are looking to do over the coming months. We are still investigating many feature requests and issues for future updates.Tomorrow comes, thanks to you.~ The Expedition 33 TeamSee More: