While every character in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is unique and has their own mechanics, Gustave has a very interesting one. As the first playable character, players quickly learn to understand each character’s gameplay and play within those limits. You can also try to expand those limits by building Gustave however you want to, which is the core of the game’s fun.

For example, take Lune’s build in Expedition 33, players can build her to unleash a literal Hell on enemies and Burn them for the entire combat duration. Or, you can simply build her to be an AoE machine, dealing incredible AoE damage on every turn.

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All Merchant Locations In Clair Obscur Expedition 33

Merchants serve as some of the best sources of items in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, so here is where to find them all.

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Updated on December 13, 2025, by Nahda Nabiilah: With Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 taking most of the awards and setting a new record in the Game Awards 2025, it's only fair to revisit and enjoy the breathtaking world again. Of course, another visit means having Gustave in the squad again, at least for a while. Whether restarting the game or starting a new game plus, here's an updated version of Gustave build in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Gustave Best Early Game Build In Expedition 33

gustave build in expedition 33

​​​Since Gustave’s weapons don’t have any effects, it’s better to pick a weapon that scales with stats that make Gustave extra defensive. So, go for weapons that scale with Vitality and Defense.

Best Weapons and Attributes (Gustave Early Game Build)

gustave best weapons and attributes in expedition 33

Rank

Weapon

Attributes Priority

1

Abysseram
  1. Vitality
  2. Defense
  3. Luck
  4. Agility
  5. Might

2

Lanceram
  1. Vitality
  2. Defense
  3. Luck
  4. Agility
  5. Might

3

Cruleram
  1. Defense
  2. Vitality
  3. Luck
  4. Agility
  5. Might

Best Pictos and Luminas (Gustave Early Game Build)

gustave best pictos and luminas in expedition 33

Lumina

Cost

Effect

Dodger

1

Gain 1 AP on Perfect Dodge. Once per turn.

Staggering Attack

1

50% increased Break damage on Base Attack.

Marking Shots

3

20% chance to apply Mark on Free Aim shot.

SOS Shell

5

Apply Shell when falling below 50% Health.

Critical Burn

5

25% increased Critical Chance on Burning enemies.

Energising Start I

5

+1 AP on battle start.

Exposing Attack

10

Base Attack applies Defenseless for 1 turn.

Attack Lifesteal

15

Recover 15% Health on Base Attack.

Best Skills (Gustave Early Game Build)

gustave best skills in expedition 33

Skill

Effect

From Fire
  • Deals medium single target damage. 3 hits. Uses weapon's element.
  • Heals self by 20% if the target Burns.

Lumiere Assault
  • Deals low single target damage. 5 hits. Uses weapon's element.
  • Critical Hits generate 1 Additional Charge.

Recovery
  • Recovers 50% Health and dispels Status Effects.
  • Gives 0-2 Charges.

Powerful
  • Applies Powerful to 1-3 allies, increasing the damage they deal. For 3 turns.
  • Gives 0 to 2 Charges.

Shatter
  • Deals High Lightning damage to all enemies. 1 hit.
  • Can Break. If a target is Broken by the hit, Overcharge is fully Charged.

Overcharge
  • High Lightning damage based on the amount of Charges. 1 Hit.
  • Can Break.

Strategy (Gustave Early Game Build)

gustave best strategy in expedition 33

As the first character in Expedition 33, Gustave's playstyle is rather simple. First, players need to charge his Overcharge stack to the maximum, or it’s not worth launching it. For that, delay the casting of Gustave’s Overcharge attack and keep using his Base Attacks and Lumiere Assault to get the 10 charges. It’s important to build him with as much Luck and Defense as possible to reach around 30% Critical Chance. Add the Critical Burn Lumina, and Gustave will attack with around 60 to 70% Critical Chance. That will add more charges to his Lumiere Assault hits and allow him to unleash Overcharge more often.

Strike Storm is an amazing attack and can replace Lumiere Assault, but it costs a lot of AP, which is not ideal in the early game. The broken Luminas and Pictos will not be available to passively build Gustave’s AP and make it easy to cast Strike Storm. So, it’s better to stick with Lumiere Assault to charge Overcharge.

Other than these attacks, Recovery and From Fire are good sustain skills for Gustave to help him stay alive during combat. Powerful also adds some supportive abilities to Gustave’s gameplay. Finally, Shatter expands on Gustave’s abilities and allows him to deal high AoE damage to all enemies with a chance to break them and fully charge Overcharge.

Gustave Best NG+ Build In Expedition 33

Best Gustave NG+ Build In Expedition 33

Even in New Game Plus, Gustave won't get an effect on his weapons, which will greatly affect his utility during fights. For that, when picking his best weapons, it's better to go with the ones that scale the best with his attributes. However, that’s not all for Gustave, as he can still be useful thanks to some interesting effects that you can build around.

Best Weapons and Attributes (Gustave NG+ Build)

gustave best weapons and attributes in expedition 33

Rank

Weapon

Attributes Priority

1

Tireso
  1. Vitality
  2. Defense
  3. Agility
  4. Might
  5. Luck

2

Lanceram
  1. Vitality
  2. Agility
  3. Defense
  4. Might
  5. Luck

3

Corpeso
  1. Vitality
  2. Agility
  3. Defense
  4. Might
  5. Luck

Best Pictos and Luminas (Gustave NG+ Build)

gustave best pictos and luminas in expedition 33

Lumina

Cost

Effect

Energising Rush

10

Give 2 AP on applying Rush.

Energising Shell

10

Give 2 AP on applying Shell.

Energising Powerful

10

Give 2 AP on applying Powerful.

Greater Rush

10

+25% Rush Speed increase.

Greater Shell

10

+10% to Shell damage reduction.

Greater Powerful

10

+15% to Powerful damage increase.

Longer Rush

10

On applying Rush, its duration is increased by 2.

Longer Shell

10

On applying Shell, its duration is increased by 2.

Longer Powerful

10

On applying Powerful, its duration is increased by 2.

Rush on Powerful

10

Apply Rush on applying Powerful.

Shell On Rush

10

Apply Shell on applying Rush.

Painted Power

5

Damage can exceed 9,999.

Combo Attack I

10

Base Attack has 1 extra hit.

Combo Attack II

20

Base Attack has 1 extra hit.

Combo Attack III

30

Base Attack has 1 extra hit.

Attack Lifesteal

15

Recover 15% Health on Base Attack.

Exposing Attack

10

Base Attack applies Defenseless for 1 turn.

Enfeebling Attack

10

Base Attack applies Powerless for 1 turn.

Breaking Attack

10

Base Attack can Break.

Charging Attack

7

+15% of a Gradient Charge on Base Attack.

Break Specialist

1

Break damage is increased by 50%, but base damage is reduced by 20%.

Breaking Burn

5

25% increased Break damage on Burning enemies.

Breaker

10

25% increased Break damage.

Faster Than Strong

10

Always play twice in a row, but deal 50% less damage.

Slowing Attack

10

Based Attack applies Slow for one turn.

First Strike

10

Play first.

Best Skills (Gustave NG+ Build)

Best Skills - Gustave NG+ In Expedition 33

Skill

Effect

From Fire
  • Deals medium single target damage. 3 hits. Uses weapon's element.
  • Heals self by 20% if the target Burns.

Marking Shot
  • Deals low single target Lightning damage.
  • Applies Mark.

Recovery
  • Recovers 50% Health and dispels Status Effects.
  • Gives 0-2 Charges.

Powerful
  • Applies Powerful to 1-3 allies, increasing the damage they deal. For 3 turns.
  • Gives 0 to 2 Charges.

Shatter
  • Deals High Lightning damage to all enemies. 1 hit.
  • Can Break. If a target is Broken by the hit, Overcharge is fully Charged.

Overcharge
  • High Lightning damage based on the amount of Charges. 1 Hit.
  • Can Break.

Strategy (Gustave NG+ Build)

gustave best strategy in expedition 33

Other than not having effects on his weapons, Gustave also barely has any skills that he can rely on. Players can still build him to deal damage, but it's better to run Gustave as a support in E33. Since Gustave can apply Powerful on all his allies for 3 turns, it's a good opportunity to add the Rush on Powerful and Shell On Rush Luminas. This will help Gustave put most buffs on his teammates. You can further increase the utility of those buffs by adding more turns and increasing their effects during combat.

After building Gustave's buffing abilities, you can make him a debuffer by giving his base attacks more hits and debuff effects, like Slow, Defenseless, and Powerless. You can also sacrifice his damage to give him more breaking damage, which adds a CC layer to Gustave's build in Expedition 33.

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
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Turn-Based RPG
JRPG
Fantasy
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Systems
PlayStation-1 Xbox-1 PC-1
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Top Critic Avg: 92 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
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Released
April 24, 2025
ESRB
Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
Developer(s)
Sandfall Interactive
Publisher(s)
Kepler Interactive
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WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info

Engine
Unreal Engine 5
Genre(s)
Turn-Based RPG, JRPG, Fantasy