The Paintress is the main target that not just your Expedition is striving for, but she is what every single expedition that has ever occurred in the world of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has hunted. Decades and countless deaths have been building to this encounter. With this being godlike in nature, it only makes sense that players might struggle taking her down. Luckily, this Disaster Expedition can do it! Even if they need a little help, which is where I come in! This guide will show players how to beat the Paintress boss fight in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
How to Beat the Paintress Boss Fight in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
The Paintress is found at the end of the Monolith section of the game’s main story and is the final encounter of Act II. While being the battle the whole game has been building to, this boss doesn’t have any weaknesses or resistances. This means it’s really up to you which party members you want to use. The only thing you need to make sure you account for is that you are still fighting with the 9,999 damage cap. This is the final fight with this cap since you unlock the ability to get past the cap by defeating the Paintress, but for now, you still need to fight within these confines. This means you will need to use attacks that have multiple hits, since you still have the damage cap of 9,999 damage during this fight. With multi-hit attacks, you can get past the damage cap since the cap limits each hit to 9,999, but combining these hits can get you above the threshold in a single turn.
Party Prep
There are a few elements that can help you during this fight and since The Paintress isn’t strong against any of them, you won’t need to worry about any downsides. Fire attacks since they can apply Burn and not only provide some extra damage at the start of every one of The Paintress’s turns, but Maelle’s Swift Stride attack will allow her to enter Virtuose Stance if used on a Burning enemy. This will allow her to deal massive damage and can even get her to reach the 9,999 damage cap easily. Lune can also get extra benefits from her Thermal Transfer skill on Burning enemies, so applying Burn is just a useful tip for any encounter.
Verso should use the Powerful ability to give the party the buff of the same name. This will give him and the party more damage for the next few turns. He will need to have an attack that has the ability to Mark. This can be Marking Shot, Defiant Strike, or a Pictos that has a chance to inflict Mark like Marking Shots, especially if you don’t use Sciel and if Monoco is either not being used or lacks Marking skills. Verso also has a lot of skills that deal out a lot of hits and just as much damage so make sure you bring at least one of these long combo strings. Strike Storm is a 5-hit combo and will deal high damage based on your weapons’ element. End Bringer contains 6 hits and deals extreme Physical damage, with even more damage being done if The Paintress is Stunned. Steeled Strike is the most unique of Verso’s skills since it requires 2 turns. When you start the move, your turn will end and you will need to reach Verso’s next turn without taking any damage. If Verso is hit, he will be knocked out of the move and it will be interrupted, meaning the only thing that happens is you just lost a lot of AP and a style rank. If you can get to your next turn, Verso will let out a massive 13-hit combo that deals extreme Physical damage with even more damage done if you’re at S-Rank. These are the moves that you should use with Verso and should couple them with the boss being in Defenseless and Marked while the party also has the Powerful buff to get the most damage out of each attack.
Lune can use any of her Fire moves to apply the Burn status effect and she can use other skills like Ice Lance to inflict Slow on The Paintress and decrease the number of turns he gets for a brief time. If you use a variety of elemental attacks, you will eventually be able to build up your Stains and use the Elemental Genesis move. This is an 8-hit combo that does massive damage and since The Paintress doesn’t have any resistances or immunities, every single one of the hits from this combo will do massive damage. Lune can also be very useful as a healer so take into consideration how you will recover health if you decide to replace her. If you decide to remove her from the party, make sure Maelle has either Spark or Rain of Fire to fill the Burn gap.
Sciel should bring Marking Cards since it is very useful for building Foretells quickly and it will also Mark the boss to get massive damage potential for follow-up attacks from the rest of the party, especially Maelle if you use the Piercee skill. I also suggest using moves like Fortune’s Fury and Intervention to get the most out of the team’s turns before The Paintress gets his chance to strike back. The former will double the damage of the selected character’s next turn and the latter will allow you to select another party member to instantly play a turn with an additional 4 AP.
As you build up Foretells, you will want to use skills that are multi-hits to make sure you cash out the most damage possible. Sealed Fate is a great choice here since it is a 3-hit combo which can exceed the 9,999 damage cap in a single turn but also since if you get Critical Hits, the Foretells won’t be removed, meaning you can follow up next turn to cash out even more damage without having to worry about applying more Foretells. Twilight Dance is also a good move here. While it does consume all Foretells, it contains 4 hits and does extreme damage while also extending Twilight Stance by an extra turn. If you have hit the Twilight Foretell cap, you should consider using this move if you can. Using any of these attacks on The Paintress, especially if he’s Marked, can do massive damage. If Lune isn’t in your party, also consider using Grim Harvest as a healing tool since this move will heal the party, with more health being given the more Foretells are applied to the boss.
If you decide to use Maelle, make sure you bring in Spark and/or Rain of Fire, especially if you forego using Lune. Use the Swift Stride attack when the boss is burning to have Maelle enter Virtuose Stance. Make sure you have Fluent Fury to get a multi-hit attack that can Break and use Piercee or Momentum Strike when Maelle is in Virtuose Stance and the boss is Marked to easily hit the damage cap. I also suggest using moves that apply Defenseless, since it will make the attacks over the next few turns do more damage. This means you should consider either Offensive Switch or Guard Down.
Monoco can be really useful since he has access to a lot of multi-hit attacks while also being able to buff the party and debuff the boss. The only catch is that you need to make sure you’ve defeated the necessary enemies to unlock these skills. I suggest the Chalier Combo (6-hit high Physical damage combo), Moissonneuse Vendance (3-hit high Physical damage combo that can Break), Hexga Crush (2-hit medium Earth damage, applies Defenseless), Glaise Earthquake (3-hit medium Earth damage, applies Powerful to self, applies to full party if on the Heavy Mask Bestial Wheel), and Dancseuse Waltz (3-hit high Fire damage, damage increases if target is Burning, even more damage if the Bestial Wheel is on the Balanced Wheel). If you have a few of these attacks, I would consider using Monoco but if most of these skills aren’t unlocked yet, definitely use a different party member.
The Paintress Encounter
The Paintress Boss Fight has 3 distinct phases, each one containing its own unique attacks and moves that you will need to learn how to avoid.
Phase 1
The first phase of The Paintress’ battle makes up the entirety of the first health bar and is made up of a lot of ranged attacks with only one melee attack. Because of this, getting a grasp on when these attacks can be a bit difficult to read. One of these attacks is the “Void meteors.” The Paintress will summon 7 spikes in an arch above her. After all of them have been summoned, they will start to be launched at the party. You will know when a spike is going to be launched when it flashes with energy. This attack starts on the left and goes all the way to the right. The rate at which these spikes are fired is quick, so make sure you stay ready for it.
The most straightforward attack from The Paintress is the “Gradient Attack.” The Paintress will float up to a party member and then rise into the air. The screen will turn black and white. Time will slow. Once The Paintress returns to full speed, immediately perform a Gradient Counter to parry this attack. Another attack to look out for is when “The Paintress manipulates Rocks from the Monolith.” She will summon 3 rocks from the cliff behind her. The rocks will be thrown at your party, starting with the rock on the right and going to the left. Time will slow down as the camera pulls back slightly and the rock pulls back before quickly being launched at the party.
The Paintress has two Chroma-based attacks. One of them is when the boss “throws Chroma waves.” This can be a bit hard to dodge. The Paintress will swing her palette 4 times. The first swing will be after a short delay when she holds the palette to her side. when she swings, a pulse of energy will hit the party. After the first wave, she will swing the palette almost immediately after the first attack. There will then be a delay before she does a swing similar to the first one. She will spin in the follow-through of the third swing, cross her arms, and then let off the fourth and final attack. If you’re hit with any of these attacks, you will be inflicted with Defenseless. The other Chroma attack is when The Paintress “scatters Chroma.” She will summon a black orb above her, energy swirling around it. This energy will then collapse into the orb before letting off an explosion. This will happen 5 times. Use the visual of the collapsing energy as well as a sound cue to know when to dodge and parry. If you are hit by any of these attacks, your party will be inflicted with Powerless.
Apply Burn, Mark the target, and cash out with whichever character you have built your strategy around. Have Maelle use Percee or Momoentum Strike when the boss is Marked to easily hit the damage cap. Have Verso perform his Sword Storm or Steeled Strike the he is buffed and the boss is nerfed. Sciel can cash out her Foretells to fly past the damage cap. However, you decide to use your party, after a few rotations and using the moves mentioned at the start of the guide, you will be able to quickly get through this first phase.
Once you’ve depleted the full health bar, a cutscene will play where The Paintress summons the giant version of herself that sits in front of the Monolith. Riding atop Esquie, the Expedition must fight both of these Paintresses. After the cutscene Phase 2 will start with a whole new health bar.
Phase 2
At the start of the battle, The Paintress will summon a weapon from her palette, where she produces a giant brush that she will use for melee attacks in this phase.
With this new brush weapon, The Paintress has several melee combos that you will need to learn. The first one you will see is the “giant brush of light.” The first time she uses this attack, the giant Paintress will charge her brush. This is a 3-hit combo with each attack having long startups and delays between each swing. The first attack sees The Paintress pull the brush behind her back to your left side before swinging. She will then pause with the brush behind her back again, this time on your left. After a similarly timed delay, she will swing again. After the second swing, she will twirl the brush to try and trick you before having another delay and then performing the third and final swipe.
Another combo is when The Paintress “flies in the air.” This attack 5-hit combo will see the boss float above a party member. She will then fly to their left with her brush outstretched to the side. After a brief pause, she will fly down to swing at her target. She will then be floating to your right and, after a brief delay, will attack again. After a longer delay, the boss will attack from the left again before quickly performing the fourth slash from the right. For the final attack, The Paintress will fly back into the air and have a long startup. She will twirl her sword from left to right, and once the brush reaches your right side, she will drop down for the final swing.
When The Paintress “attacks from afar,” she will swing her brush 4 times to let off wave-based attacks. The first attack you will need to jump over with the subsequent 3 that follow requiring normal dodges or parries. After the first attack, the boss will pull back her brush and perform a swipe after a brief delay with the following attack coming out very quickly afterwards. The last attack will come out after a delay similar to the second attack. If you’re hit by any of these attacks, The Paintress will regain some health.
The bing melee combo is The Paintress’s ultimate attack. This is when The Paintress “unleashes.” She will approach one of the party members before letting out an 8-hit combo. She will twirl her brush and spring before flying up and holding her brush above her head. After a delay, shec will unleash 3 attacks back-to-back with no pause between them. After the third attack there will be a very brief delay to through off your dodge or parry timing before the fourth and fifth attacks come out very quickly. After the fifth attack, she will twirl her brush and pause before the sixth strike, followed by another pause and the seventh strike. She will spin up into the air and have a very long delay before swiping the final attack, which can hit the whole party.
As the fight progresses, the giant Paintress can “rip reality apart.” She will tear through the canvas and summon 5 beams of Chroma.The beams will come out of the tear shooting either to the left or right. The order the beams travel is left, right, left, right, right. To counter these beams, press dodge or parry right when they turn to the party. This is around the point when the beams line up with the eyes of The Paintress.
After the boss drops beneath 50% health, “Corrupted Chroma cascades from the hands of The Paintress.” The giant version of the boss will spill undodgable Chroma onto the party, inflicting them all with Defenseless, Powerless, and Curse. This means the party will die in two turns.
Glowing orbs will now float around The Paintress at the start of each turn. Shooting an orb with a Free Aim shot will increase the Curse by 1, giving the character who shot it an extra turn before death.
While you learn the boss’s moveset and dodge/parry accordingly, you should use the same offensive strategy as you did in the first phase. When you’re Cursed, make sure you allow each member of your team to shoot an orb so that they can get more turns to play before dying. if your party doesn’t succumb to the curse and you perform the same attacks in the first phase, this second phase will quickly come to close.
Once this health bar is depleted, another cutscene will play where the Paintress drops back to the Monolith, and the final phase begins.
Phase 3
The third phase of The Paintress is really a phase. She will only have 20% of a health bar and she will just lie on the ground. Her two moves don’t actually do any damage. She will protect and heal a party member, either giving her target a Shield or health.
Take out this last bit of remaining health, and you will be able to defeat The Paintress. Expedition 33 can now lay claim to being the ones who end the Gommage, but the truth of the world is about to be revealed…
You can now defeat The Paintress boss fight in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Stay tuned to Gameranx for more news, updates, and guides for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as well as other great games in the future.
