Looking for the best Maelle build in Expedition 33? You're in the right spot! Maelle's Stance system makes her one of the most flexible damage dealers in the game, but only if you build her correctly.
Most players struggle with her at first because they don't understand how her Stances work together. Once you nail the right skill combinations and attribute priorities, she becomes an absolute monster that can adapt to any fight.
This guide covers the top Maelle builds, essential skills, and Stance strategies that'll transform her from confusing to completely overpowered. Let's dive deeper!
Solo Fire Build
The build specializes in fight independence with continued use of Burn effects for maximum offensive potential in Virtuose Stance, providing pulverizing offensive capability.
Weapon
During early gameplay, utilize Free Aim to place Burn status on enemies, then activate Swift Stride so that you enter Virtuose Stance instantly, dealing 200% multiplied damage. If you possess a Medalum, you can disregard this initial step.
Medalum can be obtained in numerous forms, including as a reward for using Maelle during the final fight of the Gestral Village Arena.
Weapon | Medalum |
Skills | Percee, Mezzo Forte, Swift Stride |
Pictos | Burning Shots, Marking Shots, Solo Fighter |
Lumina | Protecting Last Stand, Empowering Last Stand, Last Stand Critical, Accelerating Last Stand |
Abilities
Percee execution while remaining in Virtuose Stance is Maelle's best offense technique, especially during the early game. Mezzo Forte is a practical secondary technique in which you can remain in Virtuose Stance until your time is next up again, where you can attempt again to Mark enemies and follow with another attack once you've saved enough Action Points.
Characteristics
Because Medalum gets stronger the higher her Agility and Defense stats, these are the clear choices for attribute points. This spend also ensures that Maelle will be able to use her Virtuose Stance more frequently and withstand more hits—significant factors considering this build peaks in performance when she's soloing without any backing.
Pictos/Lumina
With the completion of the Hidden Gestral Arena, you'll unlock several Pictos like Protecting Last Stand, Last Stand Critical, Accelerating Last Stand, Empowering Last Stand, and—most importantly—Solo Fighter. Equip these buffs and then all of them to Lumina after unlocking their passive abilities. Then, you can utilize Maelle as the only active combatant in your party (by deactivating others using the pause menu), making her a formidable fighting machine.
Counter Build
By assigning some of the Abilities and Pictos to Maelle, in addition to using sound skill with timing your defensive counters, you can enable Virtuose Stance at the beginning of every fight and use it consistently with perfect success throughout the whole battle, thereby maximizing your damage output with every cycle of actions.
Weapon
This top-level method maximizes Maelle's native Counter abilities and is a very strong strategy that potentially dominates the majority of in-game character build combinations. With access to Jarum, you can automatically change into Virtuose Stance after any Counterattack, saving up skill slots that were previously occupied by stance-switching skills.
Jarum is obtainable by defeating the Chromatic Jar foe found on the world map, which is located on an island to the west of Gestral Village.
Weapon | Jarum |
Skills | Payback, Fleuret Fury, Momentum Strike, Phantom Strike |
Pictos | Augmented Counter, Perilous Parry, Charging Counter |
Lumina | Roulette, Painted Power, Healing Counter, Energising Turn, Breaking Counter |
Abilities
Fleuret Fury is a defensive net ability that keeps your Virtuose Stance on even when your foes fail to attack Maelle from turn to turn.
With this nearly unexhausted Virtuose Stance sustain, you'll be dealing steady maximum damage output and can use an incursion such as Phantom Strike to inflict massive damage while rapidly recharging Gradient energy, which enables execution of harmful Gradient Attacks from within Virtuose Stance capable of finishing most fights with excellent haste.
Characteristics
Jarum's effectiveness is modded with Luck and Defense statistics, which makes for perfect synergy as your use of Counters and Parries under this build makes the increased defensive strength of much value, and increased Luck results in a higher possibility of Critical Hits on Counterattack, which also increases this build setup's overall strength.
Pictos/Lumina
When available Lumina permits, enabling all three Augmented Counter upgrades (I, II, III) can cumulatively stack a very nice bonus to Counterattack damage output. If you are confident enough in your defensive timing, throwing in Perilous Parry will keep your Action Points continually replenished with each successful Parry performed.
Including Painted Power lets you surpass the 9,999 damage cap (required for end-game battles), and Roulette almost always merits inclusion despite the percentage chance of reduced damage on certain attacks. Healing/Breaking Counter allows simultaneous healing effect and Break damage build-up during Counterattacks, with Energising Turn providing a synergistic benefit by generating additional Action Points as a back-up plan when you are unable to accrue sufficient resources through parries and prefer not to use Perilous Parry as outlined above.
Maelle Build FAQ
Q1: What are Maelle's main Stances and which one is considered the best for damage output? Maelle utilizes various Stances in combat, with Virtuose Stance being the most powerful for damage output. Virtuose Stance allows for 200% multiplied damage, making it essential for both the Solo Fire Build and Counter Build strategies. Maintaining this stance consistently is key to maximizing Maelle's offensive potential.
Q2: How do I obtain Medalum and Jarum weapons, and what benefits do they provide? Medalum can be obtained as a reward for using Maelle during the final fight of the Gestral Village Arena. It grows stronger with higher Agility and Defense stats. Jarum is obtainable by defeating the Chromatic Jar foe found on an island west of Gestral Village. Jarum's key benefit is automatically changing into Virtuose Stance after any Counterattack, and its effectiveness is modified by Luck and Defense statistics.
Q3: What abilities should I prioritize for a Solo Fire Build? For the Solo Fire Build, prioritize Percee execution while in Virtuose Stance for best offensive capability, especially in early gameplay. Mezzo Forte serves as a practical secondary technique where you can maintain Virtuose Stance until your next turn, allowing you to Mark enemies and follow with another attack once you've accumulated sufficient Action Points.
Q4: How can I effectively utilize the Counter Build strategy? The Counter Build maximizes Maelle's Counter abilities by using Jarum to automatically enter Virtuose Stance after Counterattacks. Fleuret Fury serves as a defensive ability that maintains your Virtuose Stance even when enemies don't attack Maelle from turn to turn. With sustained Virtuose Stance, you can use Phantom Strike to deal massive damage while rapidly recharging Gradient energy for executing harmful Gradient Attacks.
Q5: Which Pictos/Lumina should I equip for optimal performance with Maelle? For the Solo Fire Build, complete the Hidden Gestral Arena to unlock Pictos like Protecting Last Stand, Last Stand Critical, Accelerating Last Stand, Empowering Last Stand, and Solo Fighter. For the Counter Build, enable all three Augmented Counter upgrades (I, II, III) for increased Counterattack damage. Consider adding Painted Power to surpass the 9,999 damage cap, Roulette for chance-based damage bonuses, Healing/Breaking Counter for simultaneous healing and Break damage, and Energising Turn for generating additional Action Points.
Q6: What characteristics should I focus on developing for each build? For the Solo Fire Build, focus on Agility and Defense as these enhance Medalum's strength and ensure Maelle can use Virtuose Stance more frequently while withstanding more hits. For the Counter Build, prioritize Luck and Defense as these improve Jarum's effectiveness, increase Critical Hit chances on Counterattack, and provide valuable defensive strength when using Counters and Parries.
Q7: How can I maximize Swift Stride and Free Aim during early gameplay? During early gameplay without Medalum, utilize Free Aim to place Burn status on enemies, then activate Swift Stride to enter Virtuose Stance instantly, dealing 200% multiplied damage. This technique is particularly effective for the Solo Fire Build until you acquire Medalum, at which point you can disregard this initial step.
Q8: What is the benefit of the Solo Fighter Picto and how can I best utilize it? The Solo Fighter Picto significantly enhances Maelle's combat capabilities when she's the only active combatant. To utilize this effectively, equip the Picto and then deactivate other party members using the pause menu. This makes Maelle a formidable fighting machine, especially when combined with other Last Stand Pictos (Protecting, Critical, Accelerating, and Empowering).
Q9: How does Perilous Parry fit into the Counter Build strategy? Perilous Parry keeps your Action Points continually replenished with each successful Parry performed. If you're confident in your defensive timing abilities, this Picto can be extremely valuable for maintaining resource generation. When combined with Energising Turn, it provides a synergistic benefit by generating additional Action Points as a backup plan when parries aren't sufficient.
Q10: How can I break the damage cap for end-game battles? Including the Painted Power Picto in your Lumina setup allows you to surpass the 9,999 damage cap, which becomes necessary for end-game battles. This is particularly important when facing powerful opponents where maximizing damage output is crucial for victory.
