Clair Obscur Just Made Boss Fights Less Controller-Throwy (Thank Goodness)
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Sandfall Interactive added a much-requested retry button to *Clair Obscur: Expedition 33*, making boss fights less of a rage-inducing affair, alongside other quality-of-life improvements that show they're listening to the community.
Right, listen up, adventurers! Sandfall Interactive, those clever clogs behind the beautifully brutal turn-based RPG *Clair Obscur: Expedition 33*, just dropped a patch that might save your controller from an untimely meeting with the wall. Patch 1.3.0 is here, and it's packing a feature so simple, yet so desperately needed, you'll wonder why it wasn't there from day one: a battle retry button.
Yep, you read that right. No more rage-quitting back to the main menu after a particularly nasty boss curb-stomps your meticulously planned strategy. Now, when you inevitably eat dirt (and let's be honest, it *will* happen), a friendly little pop-up will grace your screen, offering you a second chance. A chance to redeem yourself. A chance to finally show that smug boss who's *really* in charge.
And apparently, Sandfall took a page straight out of Atlus's book, who included a similar feature in *Metaphor: ReFantazio* that players went absolutely bonkers for. Smart move, Sandfall, smart move. Give the people what they want, eh?
But wait, there's more! (I always wanted to say that). Beyond the battle retry button (which, let's be honest, is the headline act), this patch is also bringing some other quality-of-life improvements to the table. The Pictos menu (that's the ability menu, for those not in the know) now clearly displays the Lumina cost of each ability. Finally! No more guessing how much magical juice you need to unleash that devastating spell. This is gonna be massive for strategizing and not accidentally going bankrupt mid-battle.
And for those of us who like to tweak every last setting (guilty!), Sandfall has also added separate volume sliders for exploration and combat phases. So you can crank up the epic battle music without deafening yourself during the quieter moments. A subtle change, sure, but one that shows the devs are actually listening to their player base.
The full patch notes are quite extensive (see below for the laundry list), but here are some of the other highlights:
* DLSS & XeSS Enhancements: Smoother gameplay, lower input lag. Sounds good to me! * Autoplay Dialogue: For when you just want to chill and let the story unfold. * Accessibility Icons: Making the game more accessible for colorblind players. * Various bug fixes and environmental polish: Because nobody likes glitches.
*Clair Obscur: Expedition 33* has apparently sold over 3.3 million copies since its release back in April (according to Eurogamer), which is a pretty bloody impressive feat. And with these quality-of-life improvements, it's clear that Sandfall is committed to making the game even better. So, if you've been on the fence about jumping into this turn-based adventure, now might be the perfect time. Just remember to breathe, strategize, and don't be afraid to hit that retry button. We've all been there, mate.
**Full Patch Notes (in case you're a details fiend):**
**Performance and Visuals** * DLSS & XeSS Enhancements: Added Frame Generation and Low Latency Mode support for both DLSS and XeSS (compatible GPUs only). Enjoy smoother gameplay and lower input lag!
**Quality of Life Improvements** * Battle Retry Prompt: A new pop-up window appears after defeat, giving you the option to quickly retry the battle. * Lumina Cost Display: The Pictos menu now clearly displays the Lumina cost of each ability for better planning. * Autoplay Dialogue: Added an optional autoplay feature for dialogues outside cutscenes. You can toggle it in the settings and during dialogues. * Separate Volume Sliders: Audio settings now lets you independently adjust the volume for exploration and combat phases.
**Accessibility** * Added icons to Lune’s Stains to improve readability and accessibility for colorblind players.
**Combat** * Lune's "Thermal Transfer" skill will no longer grant an extra turn without meeting the Stain consumption requirements * Characters will no longer gain immortality when using the Second Chance pictos combined with Healing Boon and Protecting Death
**Miscellaneous** * Fixed the Rocher holding a crystal occasionally despawning after reentering the Stone Wave Cliffs * Fixed some players being teleported behind the Monolith upon loading a save * Fixed Gameplay modifiers being applied to a New Game save when enabled on other saves * Fixed landing as Esquie without the party spawning, leading to input loss * Fixed the Fog on Flying Manor covering the screen and blocking the view on Steam Deck
**Achievements** * Fixed journals vanishing after loading a Save File that was created at the exact moment of picking up that journal * The following two trophies should now pop for you when you load your save if you were affected by these bugs: * Fixed "Expeditioner" and "Trailbreaker" achievements not unlocking if the characters reach a level higher than 33 or 66 after a battle * Fixed 'Connoisseur' and 'Follow The Trail' achievements not unlocking after collecting all required items on some savefiles
**Environmental Polish** * Various environmental bugfixes, tweaks and visual polish across multiple levels for a more immersive experience.
Tags: Clair Obscur, RPG, Patch Notes, Turn-Based Combat, Gaming News
Original article: Eurogamer