Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Main Characters Ranked

I finished “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” a good few months ago and have wanted to talk about it on this blog for ages, but I never knew what to focus on. It’s a near-perfect game, so any ranking I do is going to be quite boring with everything in the higher tiers.

When I thought about it, however, a ranking of my favourite characters (based on how they’re written – not just in-game ability) led to an interesting list. I also included some other key characters so the core cast don’t feel as lonely.

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

Good

10 – Clea

Clea is the queen of E33 side content. Her side quest is one of the most intriguing lore explorations in the game, and her boss fight is tough as nails.

In terms of the main story, however, we hardly see her. She’s in one scene where she’s mean to Maelle and sends her into the painting to rescue their parents. A secondary Dessendre, a secondary villain and a secondary character in general – so the fact she’s supposed to be a main character makes her last on this list.

9 – Aline

For a long stretch of E33, Aline is the focal point of the story. She’s the formidable “Paintress” which your team is adventuring towards, and that goal is enough to get you through two Acts of the story.

The truth being the Paintress, however, is more tragic than I could have imagined. She takes a bit of a backseat once you defeat her at the end of Act 2 – otherwise she would’ve been amongst the Greats.

She’s more of a plot tool than a character. Her grief is touching, but we see it explored more in the other Dessendre characters. These reasons are why she slumped to the bottom two in a strong list of characters.

Great

8 – Gustave

If it wasn’t for the fact Gustave died so early (a twist I’m still reeling from), he would’ve been a top five character easily.

He’s such a genuine soul, and his depression at the start of the story when most of the Expedition died was crushing. The most painful part, however, was that with Maelle’s help he was starting to flourish … until Renoir cut his life short.

7 – Lune

The second Expedition member to join your party, and Lune stayed in my personal line-up until the final credits. This isn’t a ranking for skill, however, so she dips a little lower than her allies.

She was headstrong and wise, and more often than not she was the one at the forefront of a major discovery. Her backstory with her parents was kinda sad, but she probably got off the easiest out of any main character.

6 – Sciel

Sciel was my least favourite Expeditioner for the longest time, but once I talked to her more and found out her devastating backstory I couldn’t see her the same way again.

She lost her husband and then tried to drown herself in sorrow, losing her unborn baby in the process. It was such an overwhelmingly despairing story that I couldn’t help but pity her, and I had a newfound appreciation for her willingness to press on towards the Monolith.

Amazing

5 – Monoco

Monoco has to be one of the weirdest party members I’ve ever experienced in an RPG. He loves Nevron feet to the point of collecting them, and he can use these feet to turn into Nevrons in battle. It was like playing as a Pokémon trainer with a foot fetish.

He didn’t speak often, but whenever he did he always came out with a hilarious line or argument. On top of that, his long-standing relationship with Verso was both funny and endearing.

The only thing holding Monoco back is his lack of plot relevance. He grows awfully quiet in the second half, and all of his emotional moments are a direct result of Verso.

4 – Esquie

I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t trust Esquie at first. It’s implied he killed a previous team of Expeditioners (which he kinda did with a poisoned stew … but I’ll let him off) and his general aloof attitude and hidden power was shady as hell.

The more I got to know this eclectic pillow, however, the more I loved him. He’s the epitome of childhood innocence and kindness – something that makes way more sense once you find out his origin.

3 – Renoir

Was Renoir a villain at all? Not really, but I still consider him one of the greatest videogame “villains” of recent memory.

Other than Maelle, I never felt the pain of loss within the Dessendre family as much as Renoir. He just wanted what was best for his family – and he looked bloody cool doing it.

And being voiced by the great Andy Serkis helps, too.

All-Time Great

2 – Verso

For the longest time, Verso is the most distant and least truth-worthy character in the game. It never feels like he’s telling the whole truth … and, as it turned out, he never truly did.

His sorrowful brevado made him such a compelling character from the moment he was introduced, and he’s quite literally the reason all of the plot happens.

1 – Maelle

Gustave is framed as the main character in Act 1, but we learn pretty quickly that Maelle is the real star of the show – which made her shift into the spotlight during Acts 2 and 3 work seamlessly.

She’s the focal point of grief both for Gustave and later Verso, and her earnest attitude in every situation was inspiring. When she gains confidence, memories and new powers, her transition from inexperienced child to saviour of the world is complete.

Aaaaand that’s my list! You can check out some of my latest blog posts below: