Verso is the secret weapon of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, transforming from a fragile fighter into a blazing inferno of damage with the right build. Master his unique Perfection Rank mechanic, wield the fiery Corpeso sword, and unleash a relentless barrage of Burn stacks that can incinerate even the toughest foes before they know what hit them. Ready to turn Verso into your unstoppable damage machine? Here’s the ultimate guide to his best build, skills, and gear to dominate every battle.
His playstyle is reminiscent of Capcom’s Devil May Cry series, since you must rack up damage and dodges across multiple turns to increase your rank (called Perfection in Expedition 33) from D to S – though if you get hit, Verso’s rank will drop. The higher his rank, the better he performs in battle. As a result, he’s a high-risk, high-reward party member.
If you’re interested in the best for your mysterious well-maned swordsman, this Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 guide will break down the best Verso build, including his best weapons, attributes, Pictos, and skills to quickly achieve S rank.
Best Verso build in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
The best Verso build in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 focuses on maximizing his Burn damage potential through Base Attacks, leveraging his Perfection Rank to apply massive Burn stacks on enemies. The key weapon for this build is the Corpeso sword, which applies Burn based on Verso’s Perfection Rank and scales with Vitality and Agility attributes, complemented by Luck to increase speed and critical rate. Essential skills include Perfect Break to quickly elevate Verso to S Rank, and From Fire or Perfect Recovery for healing. For Pictos and Luminas, prioritize Combo Attack Luminas to increase the number of Base Attacks per turn, Double Burn and Longer Burn to amplify and extend Burn effects, and Cheater and Second Chance for survivability and additional turns. This build allows Verso to inflict hundreds of Burn stacks, synergizing well with party members like Maelle to deal devastating damage over time.
Verso is meant to play second fiddle to one of your stronger DPS characters in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Whether you prefer Sciel or Maelle, Verso perfectly accompanies them by buffing their high damage output. He’s at his best when paired with a strong DPS unit.
Verso demands mastery of Expedition 33’s defensive mechanics, though. As you build him up to his peak strength, you must rely on well-timed parries and dodges to increase and maintain your Perfection rank. Once you unlock Verso’s best weapon, which allows you to start battles in S Rank, you must still be able to dodge and parry to maintain that rank.
The best Verso build in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is:
- Attributes: Agility and Luck
- Weapon: Chevalam
- Skills: Blitz, Phantom Stars, Follow Up, Paradigm Shift, Defiant Strike, and Ascending Assault
- Pictos: Augmented Counter I, Perilous Parry, and Confident Fighter
Verso’s best attributes are Agility and Luck, similar to other DPS units. He’s best used when you can maximize how frequently he plays. From the moment you Verso joins your party in Act 2, you’ll want to prioritize Agility. In Act 2, his best weapon is the Gaulteram, for its potent level 4 passive ability, which prevents you from dropping down in Perfection rank when getting hit. This weapon is so good for those learning Verso’s playstyle, but in Act 3 gets overshadowed by Chevalam, which starts you out at max Perfection Rank.
Below, we’ll explain in more detail why this is the best Verso build in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Best attributes for Verso
Verso’s best attributes in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 focus primarily on Agility and Luck, which enhance his speed, critical rate, and overall damage output. Agility is crucial as it allows Verso to act more frequently in combat, maximizing his ability to build and maintain his Perfection Rank, which directly increases his damage. Luck complements this by slightly boosting his speed and critical hit chances. For a powerful burn damage build, Vitality is also important to scale with his weapon Corpeso, which applies Burn based on Perfection Rank. Prioritizing these attributes ensures Verso can effectively apply damage over time while maintaining high combat effectiveness through dodging and parrying.
No matter where you are in the game, the main attribute you should prioritize for Verso is Agility. Agility grants him more turns in combat as well as provides extra damage, as both of his best weapons scale with it.
Verso offers a ton of flexibility with leveling because, once you’ve maxed out his Agility, you’re more or less free to allocate his points however you see fit. We’d recommend Luck as the best choice, though, because of boost to your critical hit chance and that fact that it scales with the Chevalam, but you can also opt for more Vitality for survivability.
Best weapon for Verso
The best weapon for Verso in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the Chevalam, which allows him to start battles at the maximum Perfection Rank (S Rank), significantly boosting his damage potential. While the Gaulteram is a strong alternative in Act 2 due to its passive ability that prevents Perfection rank loss on damage, the Chevalam surpasses it in Act 3 by enabling immediate max rank and higher damage output. Additionally, weapons like Corpeso are excellent for a Burn-focused build, as they apply Burn stacks based on Verso’s Perfection Rank, amplifying damage over time and synergizing well with other party members’ abilities. Verso’s effectiveness is maximized by focusing on Agility and Luck attributes to increase his action frequency and critical hits, making these weapons ideal for his playstyle centered on maintaining high Perfection Ranks through dodging and parrying.
The best weapon for Verso is, without a doubt, the Chevalam. However, you won’t get the full benefit of the weapon unless you have a solid handle on parrying and dodging. Verso’s best weapon in Act 2, the Gaulteram, is a good substitute if you don’t have the timing down.
You can find the Chevalam by defeating the Chromatic Gold Chevaliere boss. You can only access this boss by completing the sword puzzles in the Crimson Forest, making it missable.
You can find the Gaulteram in the overworld too as the enemy that drops it is right next to the Stone Wave Cliffs entrance. (Technically, the Gaulteram is missable too, but if you fight everything you see, you’ve probably stumbled upon it.)
The Chevalam offering S rank at the start of combat is invaluable, but the downside is that you can’t be healed or defended with shields. This is why you must be great at parrying – mess up your defense moves and you could die pretty quickly. The weapon’s highest-level passive ability also applies Rush on reaching S rank, allowing for a boost to Verso’s Agility as soon as battle starts.
Managing Perfection rank is key here, and while the Gaulteram is suitable for practice once you’ve mastered Verso, it’s best to graduate to the Chevalam when you’re comfortable.
Best Pictos and Luminas for Verso
For the best Pictos and Luminas for Verso in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, focus on those that enhance his key attributes of Agility and Luck while supporting his playstyle centered around expert parrying and critical hits. The top Pictos include Augmented Counter, which boosts health and critical rate and increases counterattack damage by 25%; Perilous Parry, which grants +1 AP on parry and boosts speed and crit rate but doubles damage taken; and Confident Fighter, which raises health and crit rate and increases damage by 30% but prevents healing. These Pictos synergize well with Verso’s preferred weapons and skills, turning him into a glass cannon that excels at maintaining high Perfection ranks through skillful dodging and parrying. For Luminas, consider ones that complement this aggressive and precise style, such as Augmented First Strike, Energising Start, Empowering Parry, and Painted Power, which removes the damage cap and significantly boosts damage output. This combination maximizes Verso’s critical hit potential and sustain in battle, making him a formidable support and damage dealer alongside your main characters.
Verso thrives with Pictos that work in tandem with his best attributes, Agility and Luck. It is also preferred that his chosen Pictos offer strong Passives to help set up himself and the rest of his team. The best Pictos in his case are Augmented Counter I, Perilous Parry, and Confident Fighter. Below are the detailed descriptions of what these Pictos do and the stats they grant bonuses to.
- Augmented Counter I – Health and Crit Rate. 25% increased Counterattack damage.
- Perilous Parry – Speed and Crit Rate. 1 AP on Parry, but damage received is doubled.
- Confident Fighter – Health and Crit Rate. 30% increased damage, but can’t be Healed.
These Pictos, along with Verso’s best weapon, the Chevalam, set up a playstyle that rewards masterful parries. This turns Verso into a glass cannon who that is meant to support your primary attacker, but with the right Luminas, you can get Verso dealing high damage himself.
We’d recommend using the following Luminas, depending on how many Lumina Points you have.
- Augmented First Strike
- Auto Rush
- Breaking Counter
- Charging Tint
- Confident
- Critical Burn
- Dead Energy II
- Marking Shots
- Double Mark
- Powerful on Shell
- Empowering Parry
- Energising Jump
- Energising Start II
- Glass Canon
- Inverted Affinity
- Painted Power
- Solidifying
- Shell On Rush
- Energising Shots
Best skills for Verso
Verso’s best skills in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 focus on maximizing his Perfection rank and critical hit potential to deliver high burst damage. Key skills include Phantom Stars for powerful area-of-effect light damage, Defiant Strike which marks enemies to amplify subsequent damage, and Ascending Assault for strong single-target attacks that scale with the weapon’s element. Skills like Follow Up increase damage with consecutive Free Aim shots, making Verso a versatile damage dealer. Complementing these are utility skills such as Paradigm Shift for AP restoration and Perfect Recovery for healing and dispelling negative effects. Building Verso with high Agility and Luck attributes enhances his ability to maintain S Rank through precise dodging and parrying, while weapons like the Chevalam and Gaulteram optimize his damage output and Perfection rank management. This combination of skills and stats makes Verso a formidable DPS character, especially when paired with strong damage dealers in the party.
The best skills for Verso are the following:
- Blitz: Deals low single target Physical damage. 1 hit. Plays a second time. Kills non-boss enemies with less than 10% Health. B Rank: Increased damage.
- Phantom Stars: Deals extreme Light damage to all enemies. 5 hits. Can Break. S Rank: Costs 5 AP.
- Follow Up: Deals medium single target Light damage. 1 hit. Damage increased for each Free Aim shot this turn, up to 10 times. S Rank: Costs 2 AP.
- Paradigm Shift: Deals low Physical single target damage and gives 1-3 AP back. 3 hits. C Rank: 1 AP.
- Defiant Strike: Deals high single target Physical damage that applies Mark. 2 Hits. Costs 30% of current Health. B Rank: Increased damage.
- Ascending Assault: Deals low single target damage. 1 hit. Uses weapon’s element. Increased damage at each cast. S Rank: Costs 2 AP.
Verso’s skills revolve around reaching S rank as quickly as possible. If you’re using the Chevalam, you can already max out Verso’s damage output. Phantom Stars is an excellent move against multiple enemies, but against bosses or a single strong enemy unit, Ascending Assault is the way to go. Defiant Strike is suitable for applying marks – which can then help the rest of your party deal extra damage – and Follow Up is a great skill, as it deals more damage if you spam your free aim shots before using it. This skill, partnered with Luminas like Marking Shots, can be used to additionally set up party members who come after, turning it into a valuable, damaging, and supportive tool.
How does the Chevalam weapon maximize Verso’s damage potential in Expedition 33
The Chevalam weapon maximizes Verso’s damage potential in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 by leveraging an aggressive, flawless combat style that rewards consecutive turns without taking damage. At level 10, Chevalam grants a 20% damage bonus for each uninterrupted turn, stacking up to five times for a massive 100% damage increase. Starting battles at Rank S from level 4, it disables healing and shields, pushing players to master perfect dodges and parries to maintain this rank and maximize damage output. At level 20, it further enhances Verso’s utility by automatically applying Rush at Rank S, increasing his action flexibility and speed. This weapon scales with Agility and Luck, boosting critical hit rate and speed, making it ideal for players aiming to push Verso’s offensive ceiling to its highest level.
How does Chevalam’s damage bonus scale with Verso’s turns without damage
Chevalam’s damage bonus for Verso in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 scales by granting a 20% increased damage for each consecutive turn Verso takes without receiving damage. This bonus stacks up to five times, allowing for a maximum of 100% increased damage when Verso maintains a perfect streak of turns without being hit.
