Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Grosse Tete Boss Guide

 

Introduction

Facing off against Grosse Tete in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33? Whether you're in Act 2 or nearing the game's final stretch, this guide will walk you through multiple strategies to help you conquer this challenging optional boss. Grosse Tete isn't just a test of endurance—it's also a great opportunity to make use of the game's flexible builds and layered combat system. From early-game methods to powerful late-game tactics, we’ve got everything you need to walk away with the win—and some useful rewards too.

Just a heads-up: we’ll start with a spoiler-free approach. Further down, there’s a second method that requires some endgame abilities and unlocks. We’ll clearly mark where spoilers begin, so feel free to stop there if you’re playing fresh.

Let’s break it down step-by-step.

Finding Grosse Tete and Preparing Your Party

You’ll run into Grosse Tete just outside Coastal Cave after Esa gains the swimming ability and you pass through the Forgotten Battlefield. While it's possible to try the fight right away, we recommend holding off until you've added Manoko to your party. He’s essential if you want to learn the boss’s unique ability after the fight.

Because Clair Obscur supports a wide range of party setups and combat styles, there's more than one way to win. This guide will cover two major approaches—one accessible mid-game, and another that leverages endgame tools for a faster, more aggressive takedown.

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Spoiler-Free Strategy: Survive to Win

This first method lets you take down Grosse Tete without needing endgame items or abilities. The core idea? Survive 12 turns. That's it. After 12 turns, the boss self-destructs.

Sounds easy? It’s not. Grosse Tete has only one attack, but it stacks more hits with every turn—adding two additional bounces each round. By turn 12, you're dodging or parrying 24 consecutive hits. Miss too many, and it’s game over.

Key Defensive Tools:

To boost your odds, equip skills and gear focused on survival:

• Lumininas / Pictos:

  • Auto Shell

  • Greater Shell

  • SOS Shell

  • Defensive Mode

  • Second Chance (if available)

  • Healing Share, Healing Parry, Effective Heal (synergize well if teammates parry successfully)

• Weapons:

  • Myel’s Shauninom (Level 20): Generates shield

  • Seiel’s Sadon (Level 4): Additional shield generation

  • Manoko’s Crew Barrier: Applies shield to your party every turn

• Support Skills:

  • Apply powerless debuffs like Clare and Feeble if you’ve unlocked them

  • Use Shell buffs consistently to mitigate incoming damage

You can also simplify things by skipping your own turns. This keeps the rhythm of Grosse Tete’s attacks consistent and helps with timing your defenses. Pay attention to the “whoosh” sound cues before each bounce—they help time your parries or dodges better.

Spoiler Strategy: Max Damage Approach (Endgame Tools Required)

Spoiler Warning: The following strategy includes content and mechanics unlocked near the final objective of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. While it doesn’t discuss plot details, it assumes access to late-game characters, weapons, and Luminina.

If you'd rather take down Grosse Tete before it blows itself up, you’ll need to deal with its massive HP pool:

• ~2.9 million HP on Expeditioner difficulty

• ~3.9 million HP on Expert difficulty

To break through that, you need to remove the damage cap (9,999 damage per hit). This requires unlocking and equipping the Painted Power Pictos and the related Luminina.

Recommended Party Setup:

The trio used in this strategy:

• CL (damage dealer)

• Myel (damage/support hybrid)

• Manoko (support and utility)

Manoko must be in your team to learn Grosse Tete’s ability after the fight.

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Character Builds and Equipment

Manoko (Support/Control):

• Focus on applying Greater Slow using Lancelier Impale (Ice-type skill)

• Apply First Strike to start the debuff from turn one

• Equip Luminina that:

  • Boost counterattack effectiveness

  • Increase AP generation

  • Enable reliable reapplication of slow effects

CL (DPS/Twilight Engine):

• Weapon: Shottyon or Lucesson with dark buffs

• Element: Prioritize Dark (boss is weak to it)

• Luminina:

  • Painted Power (mandatory)

  • Glass Cannon

  • Inverted Affinity

  • Confident Fighter

  • Immaculate

  • Energizing Parry (max AP gain)

  • Second Chance (if available)

CL should enter Twilight to maximize damage output. If you're hitting every parry, she becomes an unstoppable force.

Myel (Tank/DPS Hybrid):

• Weapon: Lithium+20 to maintain Virtuous stance and auto-Shell

• Luminina:

  • Longer Shell

  • Powerful Shell

  • SOS Shell

  • Painted Power

  • Counterattack and Damage buffs

• If you’re not using the Shell-based setup, mirror CL’s offensive build

Combat Tactics: Executing the High-Damage Plan

Now that your party is properly equipped, it’s time to step into the fight. With Grosse Tete’s sheer health and scaling attack pressure, your main goal is to balance damage output, turn control, and survivability.

Turn Priorities:

Manoko (Support Role)

• Always begin the battle with Lancelier Impale to apply Greater Slow

• Reapply Slow every turn—it keeps Grosse Tete from taking extra turns, buying your team time

• Rotate support skills as needed:

  • Buff your team with Powerful

  • Apply Crew Barrier to grant team-wide Shell

  • Debuff Grosse Tete if you're safe to do so

CL (Damage Engine)

• If Grosse Tete isn’t marked, open with Focused Fortell

• Alternate between:

  • Marking Cards

  • Sealed Fate (to spend marks for burst damage)

  • Our Sacrifice if you can afford the health trade-off

  • Twilight Dance (during Twilight, gives another turn + bonus damage)

• Aim to keep Twilight active and AP management tight

Myel (Counter Engine)

• Maintain Virtuous Stance via Flu Fury

• Use Stendall when AP is high to deal heavy damage

• Keep Shell buffs active (Lithium+20 helps automate this)

• If not using Shell mechanics, mirror CL's strategy with damage-dealing moves

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Winning the Fight and Post-Battle Rewards

Once you bring down Grosse Tete with either the survival or damage method, you’ll receive:

• “Warming Up” Pictos – boosts your stats each turn, ironically helpful for this very fight

• Grosse Tete Wax (if Manoko is present) – a powerful skill that:

  • Hits five times

  • Applies Defenseless for three turns (increasing all damage dealt to the target)

These rewards can be a serious advantage in other endgame encounters, so this fight is well worth your time.

Conclusion

Whether you prefer to endure Grosse Tete’s punishing attack cycle or take it down with endgame firepower, this boss fight is a great showcase of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s tactical depth. With the right timing, gear, and character roles, even one of the game’s toughest optional encounters becomes manageable.

If you're mid-game, the survival method is the safest path—just dodge, parry, and maintain your shields until the boss self-destructs. If you're fully geared and in the late game, the damage strategy is more efficient and lets you grab a strong offensive skill for your roster.

Remember: the real power in Expedition 33 comes from understanding your party’s strengths, syncing their builds, and reacting to the timing of each threat. Grosse Tete is tough, but with the right prep, you’ve got this.

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