⚔️ Expedition 33 Skill Tree Calculator
Allocate skill points, optimize your build, and plan party synergies for every character class
| Character | Primary Stat | Max ATK Nodes | Max DEF Nodes | Max Skill Nodes | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gustave | ATK (Strength) | 15 | 12 | 10 | Melee DPS / Tank |
| Maelle | AGI (Agility) | 14 | 9 | 12 | Striker / Crit |
| Lune | INT (Intelligence) | 10 | 10 | 15 | Caster / Support |
| Sciel | DEF (Fortitude) | 9 | 15 | 11 | Tank / Utility |
| Tree Type | Stat Bonus / Node | Max Nodes | Total Bonus (Max) | Applies To |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack Nodes | +3% ATK | 15 | +45% ATK | All characters |
| Defense Nodes | +2.5% DEF | 15 | +37.5% DEF | All characters |
| Skill Nodes | +4% Skill Power | 15 | +60% Skill | All characters |
| Passive Nodes | Unique per char | 12 | Varies | Character specific |
| Synergy Nodes | +5% Party Buff | 10 | +50% Synergy | Party-wide |
| Build Name | ATK | DEF | Skill | Passive | Synergy | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full DPS | 15 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 6 | Gustave, Maelle |
| Balanced | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | Any character |
| Pure Tank | 3 | 15 | 6 | 12 | 9 | Sciel |
| Caster | 4 | 6 | 15 | 12 | 8 | Lune |
| Speed | 10 | 3 | 10 | 12 | 10 | Maelle |
| Support | 3 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 10 | Lune, Sciel |
| Synergy Nodes (Total Party) | Party Buff % | Combo Multiplier | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 – 5 | 0% | x1.0 | No party bonus |
| 6 – 10 | +10% | x1.1 | Minor party buff active |
| 11 – 15 | +20% | x1.2 | Moderate synergy |
| 16 – 20 | +30% | x1.35 | High synergy bonus |
| 21 – 25 | +45% | x1.5 | Max synergy threshold |
| 26+ | +50% | x1.6 | Soft cap — diminishing |
• Always unlock Passive Nodes early — they provide unique character-specific bonuses unavailable elsewhere.
• Synergy Nodes compound across the entire party — investing 8–10 per character is optimal for the party buff threshold.
• Skill Nodes scale better in the late game than Attack Nodes for ability-focused characters like Lune and Sciel.
• Respeccing is free, so experiment freely before committing to a final boss build.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 casts you in a third-person RPG based on turns, that combines tactical combat with elements of real time. A small team from France created it on a limited budget yet managed to create something inspired by games like Final Fantasy and Persona, and then entirely repeated those systems in its own way.
The world is terrible. The creature called the Painter chooses every year a number, and each person whose age matches or is below that number, simply disappears. She started at 100 and already passed 67 years since then.
Expedition 33: Stop the Painter Before Time Runs Out
Now the number is 33. Every year, Lumière sends an expedition across the sea to find and kill the Painter, but none have returned alive. They left only notes, charts and tools (just traces for the next groups).
Our main hero, Gustave, is 33 years old. That gives him only twelve months before he will disappear. To break the cycle, he joins the expedition together with Maelle and other heroes.
They will race against time to trace the Painter and end her control of death. Following the paths of the lost expeditions, they slowly discover what happened to the predecessors. Those explorers must learn quickly to trust one another, there really is no time too lose.
During fights, you lead your group of explorers by means of a system that forces you to think and react quickly. Every turn gives you options: take cover, strike closely to build skill tree points or use one of the saved skills. The combat like this ties decisions based on turns with moments of real time, that requires fast reflexes.
It is the kind of game thatwill not let you zone out.
What really makes this game special is the emotional depth. The cast feels truly alive, every character has deep background and design. The main story lasts more than 30 hours and the price is 49,99 dollars.
The world itself deserves to be explored, it is full of secret paths, secret bosses, well thought level design and impressive music. So warning: even if an area seems dangerous, it does not always promise a fight with a boss.
The numbers tell the story. It sold 3,3 millions of copies in the first month. The peak number of players at once on Steam reached around 145 000 on May 4th 2025.
It runs on Steam Deck at a smooth 45 frames per second, and the Deluxe Edition is available for PS5. At the Game Awards 2025, expedition 33 truly dominated, it beat records and won more prizes than any game before it. It indeed took from Elden Ring the title of Game of the Year.
Gamespot also called it their Game of the Year for 2025.
