Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 offers a total of six playable characters for you to get your teeth stuck into, and each one of them offers a unique playstyle with many skills and weapons for you to get to grips with. Gustave is the protagonist, and who you first have control of, using his Lumina gauntlet, you can deal some heavy damage to any Nevron that stands in your way. Keep reading to learn how to play Gustave and what the best skills and weapons are for him.

Table of Contents¶

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Gustave’s Playstyle - Overcharge¶

As the protagonist of the game, Gustave will naturally spend a lot of time in your party, so learning how to play him effectively is key. Fortunately, Gustave is relatively simple when it comes to how his unique Overcharge mechanic works. If you look to the right of your screen, you’ll notice that you can store up to 10 Charges, and although you can use the attack associated with it, aptly named Overcharge, at any time, it’s always in your best interest to fully charge it. This will ensure it does maximum damage, which packs a punch and can even Break, all for as little as 4 AP!

So, Gustave’s playstyle then revolves all around building his charges as quickly as possible, and if you pay attention to the skills he has available to him, you’ll notice all of them have a chance of building charges. In the early game, the skill that Gustave starts with Lumière Assault is your best bet, not only does it generate Charges for only 3 AP, but every time you Critical one of the five hits, you’ll gain an additional Charge. Spec Gustave for Crit Rate by equipping Pictos with high Crit Rate along with spending Attribute Points in the Luck stat.

As you reach the later stages of Act I, you should have access to all of the Energising Start series of Pictos that each generate an additional 1 AP at the start of battle. Couple that with the Strike Storm skill that generates an additional two Charges per Critical, and you’ll find yourself able to perform Overcharge with increasing frequency.

Gustave’s Best Skills¶

Gustave has eight skills available to him, and he enjoys a nice balanced playstyle to them. He has access to high damage attacks, multi-hit barrages, and support skills in the form of the ever-useful Powerful buff. Below are our top three skills for Gustave.

Overcharge¶

Of course, if you’re playing as Gustave, you need to have the skill that makes use of his entire mechanic. Overcharge, at max Charge, hits like a truck and can also break the enemy; this will most likely be your most powerful skill from any character for Act 1, so get used to having it on your bar. This skill also makes Gustave perfect for any solo battles, as you can quickly charge it and then unleash it to win most of those encounters. Still, unless an enemy only has low Health left, never use it without max Charge.

Strike Storm¶

How useful Strike Storm is will depend on your ability to build AP (or start with AP), as it comes in at a heavy 7 to use it in battle. Still, if you have at least the first three Energising Start Lumina equipped, you’ll have at least 7 to start a battle and can use this. Not only does this skill hit very hard, but you’ll deliver six hits while also seeing that any Critical will deliver two additional Charges, this almost certainly ensures you have Overcharge ready to go on his second or third turn.

Powerful¶

The Powerful skill should be one of the earliest purchases you make for Gustave, it’s instantly useful and remains very useful for the majority of Act 1 until you start getting access to Powerful from other sources. This is always a good skill to start a battle off with and if you nail the easy timing for it, you’ll cast it on the entire party and generate two Charges in the process. This skill is Gustave at his supporting best and should be a mainstay as one of his skills.

All of Gustave’s Skills¶

Gustave’s Best Weapons¶

Gustave is probably the easiest character in the game when it comes to what weapons you should use with him, as it’s all about the stats (unlike the other playable characters). There are many weapons that come with elements, and if you’re going to go for any elemental weapon, going for one that is Fire-attuned is the one to go for, as there are more enemies weaker to that element than there are the others, at least in the first 10 hours of the adventure.

Still, our pick for Gustave’s Best Weapon is the Lanceram, a Physical Blade that scales with both the Vitality and Agility stat and offers the highest Power stat out of any of the other choices, so long as you keep it upgraded. Fortunately, you’ll get your hands on this rather early, there’s an optional encounter against a Chromatic Lancelier in the Grand Meadows section of Spring Meadows, the very first dungeon.

Who is Gustave’s Voice Actor and is he Robert Pattinson?¶

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has spared no expense when it comes to the voice talent on store, and the leading man, Gustave’s, voice is delivered by Charlie Cox, of Marvel fame. Most recently, he is responsible for the role of Daredevil, but he’s also been featured in some other prestige drama such as BBC’s Kin and had a role on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire.

Additionally, while Gustave does share a striking resemblance to current Batman star, Robert Pattinson, he is in fact not the likeness for Gustave. The motion capture for Gustave is performed by Maxence Cazorla.