Expedition 33: All endings

The story is one of the most important aspects of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The unequal battle against a mysterious paintress is a gripping and captivating story. The same goes for the story's climax. On this guide page, you will find out how many endings there are in the game, what choices affect the final sequence, and which of the epilogues can be considered the best one.

• Which decisions affect the ending?
• Verso's ending
• Maelle's ending
• Which ending is the best?
• How to see both endings?

Which decisions affect the ending?

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has two endings. They differ drastically in terms of implications and consequences for the world presented in the game.

The outcome is essentially influenced by only one decision. After the final fight with the real Renoir, Verso and Maelle will argue about the future of the canvas, the painted world, and all characters. At this point, you can decide whose side you will take - by choosing one of the characters, a duel with the other character will start. If you manage to win, you will see one of two endings. Failure won't show the second ending and is treated like a regular game over.

Verso's ending

If you choose to fight as Verso, Maelle will dissolve and return to the real world (as Alicia). Verso comforts her, encouraging her to use her painting skills in a healthier way after overcoming her trauma. The gommage reaches and kills all the remaining members of the party - Lune, Sciel, Monoco, and Esquie. The memory of the deceased Verso, living in the Canvas world, can finally find peace and move towards eternity. Unfortunately, as a result of the decision made, the entire game world ceases to exist.

In the epilogue, you will see the entire Dessendre family standing over Verso's grave. Maelle (now as Alicia) is hugging the Esquie mascot in her arms. The family is slowly beginning to work through the trauma and grief. In the background, we see all the members of Expedition 33 waving towards Alicia for the last time, even though their world has ceased to exist, they still live on in her memories.

Maelle's ending

If you choose to fight as Maelle, Verso will make a desperate plea for the last time to abandon the canvas and let him go away. However, his requests fall on deaf ears. Against his will, Maelle takes away his eternal youth, but still doesn't allow him to die, after which she restores Lumiere to its original state.

In the epilogue, we see Lumiere freed from the power of the Paintress. All the story characters meet up in the opera, including those who died earlier. Gustave, Sophie, and Sciel's husband are among the ones sitting in the audience. Verso comes onto the stage with slight reluctance, and after a short moment, he begins to play. Maelle's face suddenly starts to dissolve into paint and ink. Just like Renoir warned her, spending too much time on the canvas is slowly killing her. However, Maelle is just too absorbed in her fantasy to ever leave it.

Which ending is the best?

The endings in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 elude a simple distinction between a good and a bad one. Both endings are bitter.

1. In the Verso ending, most of the characters and the world we've come to know cease to exist. Alicia is also forced to return to the harsh reality and her burned, mute body. The Dessendre family, however, finally starts working through the trauma and grief of losing Verso, whose soul can finally find peace. The presence of Expedition 33 members at the funeral, the recurring theme of resurrection and reincarnation throughout the game, and the final words of the painted Verso to Alicia suggest the possibility that Alicia may be able to bring her painted friends back to life in the future after working through her issues.
2. In the Maelle ending, the characters theoretically achieve their goal - the gommage is stopped, and all the dead come back to life. Maelle, however, forever abandons the real world in favor of her fantasy, while Verso is deprived of freedom and agency. Lumiere exists solely as escapism, allowing Maelle to pretend for the rest of her life that Verso's death and her burns never happened. Thus, she is slowly dying inside the canvas, and we don't know what will happen to Lumiere after Maelle's inevitable death. It's very likely that Renoir will destroy the painting that took his daughter from him.

The question of which ending is the "better" one is left to the player's own interpretation. Both endings involve sacrifice - Verso sacrifices the entire painted world to force Maelle to confront her trauma, while Maelle sacrifices her life and the well-being of her real family to continue the existence of the painted world. Considering the rest of the game, it seems like the Verso ending is actually healthier and better in the eyes of the developers. Although it results in immediate pain, it also gives hope for the future. In the Maelle ending, the main protagonist wastes her only chance to heal, and the final cutscenes are displayed in a different resolution, just like the nightmares she experienced throughout the game.

How to see both endings?

If you want to see both endings, after watching one of them, quickly return to the main menu and select the option to load one of the previous saves. You have to choose the save from before the final choice.

If you choose to continue and start doing activities in the post-game, the autosave system will quickly overwrite your saves, and you won't be able to go back to the point before your last choice.

See also:

1. Game guide
2. How to respec?
3. What is the maximum character level?
4. Is there New Game Plus?

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

April 24, 2025

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