In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, you’ll unlock the Gradient Skills mechanic in Act 2. These abilities operate differently from standard skills, as they don’t require regular AP. Instead, you build up Gradient Charges by spending AP on other actions. Every character, except Gustave, has three unique Gradient Skills to choose from. When used thoughtfully, these skills can greatly influence the outcome of battles. However, since accumulating Gradient Charges takes time, it’s essential to focus on the most powerful skills and skip those with lesser impact.
Best Gradient Skills in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
1. Gommage
When you unlock the final Gradient Skills for each character near the end of the main story, you gain access to their most powerful moves. These come at a steep cost, but they pack a serious punch, especially Maelle’s Gommage. At first, it wipes out all weaker enemies instantly. That sounds great, but since it takes so long to charge, most weak enemies are usually gone by the time you use it—unless a boss happens to summon them. The real strength of Gommage, though, is the massive Void damage it dishes out to the remaining enemies, and the fact that it puts Maelle into Virtuose Stance, making her perfectly set up for her next attacks.
2. Striker
Verso has the potential to be one of the strongest characters in Clair Obscur, but a lot of that comes down to smart stat distribution—and more importantly, his Perfection rank. If you can keep him from taking damage and let him build up Perfection points, his attacks get stronger and some of his perks kick in.
Some of his Gradient Skills really shine when his Perfection rank is high. Take Striker, for example—it costs two charges and hits hard with single-target damage that can break enemies. It’s not really worth it if Verso’s rank is low, but if he’s at A or S rank, it absolutely delivers and is a great use of those charges.
3. Mighty Strike
Unlocking all of Monoco’s abilities takes more work compared to the rest of the team—you’ll need to collect feet and keep him in your party consistently. Thankfully, his Gradient Skills are much easier to get since, like the others, they’re tied to relationship progress.
His first Gradient Skill, Mighty Strike, actually stays useful even after you unlock his later ones. It only costs one Gradient Charge and dishes out solid single-target damage based on Monoco’s weapon element. If the enemy is stunned, that damage is doubled. On top of that, it switches Monoco to his Almighty Mask on the Bestial Wheel, giving you a clear edge when planning your next move.
4. Shadow Bringer
To really make the most of Sciel, you need to understand how her Fortell and sigil system works. Once you’ve got the hang of it, she can wipe out groups of enemies with her wide range of multi-target abilities. If you’re facing a bunch of enemies and want to hit them all fast, Shadow Bringer is a solid pick. It unleashes 10 hits of strong Dark damage across random targets, applying Fortell with each hit. It only costs one Gradient Charge, making it an efficient way to deal big damage while also setting up powerful follow-up attacks.
5. Tree of Life
Lune can become a powerhouse if you get the hang of her Stain system, but she’s also one of the easier characters to build as a healer since her support skills are more straightforward. As you get into the tougher boss fights, enemies start stacking all kinds of nasty status effects on your team. That’s where Tree of Life really comes in handy. It not only heals everyone on the field, but also removes all those status effects—and you get two Light Stains out of it for future attacks, making it both a strong support move and a solid setup tool.
6. Sky Break
Level three Gradient Skills are undeniably powerful, but it’s not always easy to justify spending that many charges—especially when some cheaper options can be just as effective. That said, if you’ve got three charges ready and want to go all in on damage, Sky Break is Lune’s best move. It hits every enemy on the field with massive elemental damage, using the element tied to whichever Stain Lune currently has the most of. Plus, after the attack, she gains three Light Stains, setting her up perfectly for whatever comes next.
7. Angel’s Eyes
Verso is built to be one of the strongest characters in Clair Obscur, but depending on how you develop him, he can also turn out to be pretty fragile. That’s why his final Gradient Skill is a great way to balance his high damage with a bit of survivability—and it’s definitely worth the three Gradient Charges. Angel’s Eyes unleashes eight powerful physical hits, and with each strike, Verso gains a Perfection point, boosting his rank quickly. As a bonus, it also grants him the Aureole status, which brings him back to life the next time he’s knocked out—a handy backup if things go south.
8. Doom
The thing about Gradient Skills is that, while they’re flashy and powerful, you’ll mostly end up using them during boss fights—those are usually the only battles that last long enough to actually build up the charges. That’s why the most effective Gradient Skills are the ones designed to take down a single tough enemy, and Sciel’s Doom fits that role perfectly. As a level two skill, it hits one target with three heavy Dark attacks, then applies Powerless, Defenceless, and Slow for three turns—and it can even break the enemy. If you’re looking to weaken a boss fast, this one’s a top-tier choice.
9. Phoenix Flame
Maelle’s ability to switch between Defensive, Offensive, and Virtuose strikes makes her one of the most adaptable characters in the game. With the right stance management, she can become a top-tier damage dealer. That said, she’s also pretty easy to build as a partial support thanks to a few handy skills. One standout is Phoenix Flame, which can really turn things around in a tough fight—especially if Maelle’s the last one standing. It not only inflicts ten stacks of Burn all at once, but also instantly revives all fallen allies with 50–70% of their health, giving your team a serious second wind.
10. Sanctuary
Monoco stands out as one of the most flexible characters in the party thanks to his huge range of skills, but he’s especially easy to set up as a support unit—particularly when you factor in his level two Gradient Skill, Sanctuary. This skill instantly gives the entire party two layers of shield, offering top-tier protection—especially if you’re skilled at parrying. On top of that, it applies Regen for three turns, allowing everyone to recover health each round as they work through their shield layers.
