After a long and difficult journey through the world of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the expedition’s path meets up at its final destination: The Monolith. This area represents the game’s climactic finale, serving as the setting for the ultimate confrontation with the Paintress and the high point of the entire narrative. The Monolith is not just a boss arena; it is a sprawling and complex level filled with dangerous enemies, numerous collectibles, and a narrative conclusion that will challenge players to use every skill they’ve acquired. We will help you with a complete walkthrough of the area, detailing everything from navigation and hidden secrets to the final boss battle and the two distinct endings that await. So here’s how to beat the Clair Obscur Expedition 33 Monolith area.
A Full Walkthrough of Expedition 33 Inside The Monolith
The final phase of the expedition begins after a crucial item, the “Barrier Breaker,” has been created to pierce the defenses of the Paintress’s lair. Upon entering the area, the player will notice an extreme change in the environment; the very color of the world begins to drain, marking that the end of the expedition, and possibly the world, is at hand.
The Monolith blends expansive, open-air sections with more linear pathways that guide the party toward their ultimate objective. As the expedition ventures deeper, they will pass through an “undersea replica” section where players should keep an eye out for a corpse near an eastern spire to find a valuable Resplendent Chroma Catalyst. Progress is marked by a series of challenging enemy encounters and familiar faces. Along the way, the party will face a “beefed-up Portier” and a rematch with the formidable “Ultimate Sakapatate”
To unlock the path to the final boss, players must locate and interact with three hidden locks. Their locations are as follows:
- First Lock: Located on the side of some rocks when facing west from the perch where you find a Paint Cage.
- Second Lock: Situated high on top of the central spire within the main area.
- Third Lock: Tucked away behind a large blue and black root near the other locks.
Upon activating all three locks, the path forward will open, leading the party to their destiny.
Expedition 33 Monolith Paint Cage, Pictos, & other Collectibles Walkthrough
The Monolith area is rich with valuable collectibles, crucial for fine-tuning your party’s builds for the final confrontation. Throughout the level, players can find a variety of resources and unique items.
Players should search for Colour of Lumina items, which are found in several locations: near an impaled traveler, behind crates, and hidden within barrels inside a nearby structure. Additionally, Resplendent Chroma Catalysts, essential for upgrading weapons to their highest tiers, can be found near a corpse, at the end of a central path detour, and on a cliff after grappling across a gap.
The most significant finds are the two unique Pictos, equippable perks that further customize a character’s abilities.
- Stay Marked: Found behind a Bourgeon, this Picto extends the duration of the “Mark” status effect, allowing for more strategic damage application against enemies.
- Random Defense: Found in a Paint Cage, this is one of the most interesting and high-risk Pictos in the game. It multiplies incoming damage by a random factor between 50% and 200%. While this can be a terrifying risk, it perfectly embodies the game’s design philosophy of allowing players to “break” the system with creative and powerful combinations.
In addition to the Pictos, a Revive Tint Shard can be claimed from a Paint Cage after defeating a former boss, providing a crucial item for the final battle. The strategic use of these items and the mastery of character builds will be the key to overcoming the challenges of The Monolith.
How to Beat the Expedition 33 Monolith Area
It is important for players to understand that The Monolith is not the end of the game, but the end of Act 2. Upon completing this section, the game will progress into Act 3, which is a massive new chapter filled with more content. This post-Monolith period is designed to be the “endgame” where the world opens up for exploration and side content.
Once you reach Act 3, your character Esquie will gain the ability to fly, granting you access to a fully-opened world map. This freedom allows for a host of new activities and discoveries, including over a dozen new zones and an array of new bosses. Some of these optional challenges include:
- Serpenphare: A flying, glowing serpent found above the sea to the east of the Forgotten Battlefield.
- Clea: A penultimate challenge found in the Flying Manor, which offers more insight into the story’s big revelations.
- Simon: Described as the “Malenia of Expedition 33,” this boss is a major endgame challenge, recommended for characters at or near the max level of 99.
Act 3 also provides the opportunity to delve into character relationship missions, which unlock optional dungeons and powerful Gradient Attacks that offer further insight into the world. This post-Monolith content is where you will truly be able to test and perfect the powerful builds you’ve been crafting throughout your expedition.
Expedition 33 Monolith Final Battle, Choices & Endings
The culmination of Act 2 is the final boss fight against the Paintress, who takes the form of “Clea” in the final confrontation. This battle is a true test of the player’s mastery of the game’s reactive, turn-based combat system. A highly effective strategy against Clea involves using Maelle and her “virtuose stance”.
For a quick and decisive victory, players are advised to save Maelle’s powerful Gommage attack until Clea’s health is approximately 75%. If a successful roulette is executed during the attack, it can deal a devastating amount of damage, enough to defeat the boss in a single hit and prevent her from reaching her next set of moves. This strategic approach is a perfect example of how the game’s mechanics reward players for their timing and tactical decisions, allowing for immensely powerful combos in the game.
The narrative conclusion of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is not determined by combat prowess, but by a single, profound choice made after the battle, upon returning to the city of Lumière. The choice pits Maelle against Verso in a conflict of ideals: to live an idealized life in the “Canvas” or to face the harsh realities of the real world.
The player’s decision leads to one of two distinct, and deeply tragic, endings:
- “A Life to Paint”: By choosing to “Fight as Maelle,” the player must defeat Verso in a one-on-one duel. Verso pleads to stop the painting, but ultimately fades away. The epilogue shows the party living an idyllic life in the “Canvas,” attending an opera. However, a somber note is struck when Maelle’s eyes are shown to be afflicted in the same manner as Aline’s, suggesting that this “perfect” reality is not without its own flaws and sorrows.
- “A Life to Love”: This ending is unlocked by choosing to “Fight as Verso.” Upon defeating Maelle, she dissolves, followed by the rest of the party: Monoco, Esquie, Sciel, and Lune. The epilogue shifts to the real world, where the surviving members of the Dessendre family gather at Verso’s grave, finally able to grieve together. In the final moments, apparitions of the party wave goodbye before disappearing forever, representing the complete erasure of their ideal selves.
The game’s endings reinforce its core themes of sacrifice and the tension between illusion and reality. Regardless of the player’s choice, a tragic price is paid, highlighting that breaking the cycle of the Gommage is a complex and emotionally charged process, not a simple heroic victory.
That’s it. That is everything you need to know about how to beat the Clair Obscur Expedition 33 Monolith area. It is a fitting and powerful conclusion to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s second act. It challenges players to apply their knowledge of the game’s mechanics, rewarding them with an exhilarating boss fight and a trove of powerful collectibles.
More than that, it provides a deeply emotional and thought-provoking narrative resolution that offers no easy answers. The journey to the Monolith and the choices made within it are one of the best examples of the game’s intricate design and the devs’ effort to provide a truly unforgettable and special experience for players who are willing to delve into its multi-layered depths.
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