Clair Obscur Patch Notes: Big Update Fixes Bugs, Adds Simon Rematch and Challenge Modifiers

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 isn’t just shaping up to be a contender for Game of the Year—it’s actively earning that spot with each update. Patch 1.3.0 is the biggest one yet, not just because of the sheer number of bug fixes (297 in total), but because it directly addresses gameplay balance, late-game customization, and lingering polish issues that bugged players since launch.

This patch introduces a rematch option for Simon, one of the game’s most memorable fights. For fans who felt robbed by how abruptly that boss encounter ended, this is a welcome revision. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Story Mode just got significantly easier. Parry and dodge windows are now 40% wider, and incoming damage is reduced across the board by up to 50%. For players who just want to experience the story without biting their controllers in half, this update is a game-changer—literally.

The patch also adds brand-new Challenge Modifiers that crank the difficulty up to truly absurd levels.

Starting from Act III, you can now set enemy HP to scale up to 100x. That’s not a joke—multiply a boss’s health bar by 100. You can also restrict your own damage to fixed caps like 99,999, creating a wildly punishing new way to experience the late game. This dual-layered approach to difficulty—gentler Story Mode and masochistic Challenge Mode—feels like a smart move for a game trying to appeal to both narrative explorers and tactical perfectionists.

Technically, the game has gotten smoother too. While the patch doesn’t magically solve everything (cutscenes are still locked at 30 FPS and Frame Generation is still MIA without mods), it knocks out some of the most frustrating bugs. Simoso’s lag-causing memory leak is gone, ultrawide cutscene scaling is fixed, and performance drops from repeated rests on certain maps have been smoothed out. A crash that occurred after dialogue sequences has also been squashed.

One long-standing issue still lingers: input hiccups on keyboard and mouse setups, which some players noticed at launch. It’s unclear if this update fully resolves those problems, though mouse and joystick sensitivity sliders have been improved. There’s also a new option to mute audio while the game is in the background—a small but welcome addition for multitaskers.

“Simoso weapon will no longer cause lag due to memory leaks.” — DSO Gaming

There’s something genuinely impressive about how much love Sandfall Interactive is putting into their post-launch support. Even small touches like French VO fixes and improved localization font sizes for Asian languages show that they're still fine-tuning the experience for a global audience. Manual save file renaming has even been added (with a specific required format), a niche feature that will undoubtedly be appreciated by modders or speedrunners.

It is worth noting the progress of the updates for comparison. See also the previous patch for Clair Obscure: Expedition 33. And below is the exact list of current updates.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Patch 1.3.0 Full Notes:

Simon Rematch

• Players can now rematch Simon after defeating him.

Story Mode Balancing

• Parry and dodge windows increased by 40%.
• Incoming damage reduced by 10% to 50%.

Challenge Modifiers (Act III onward)

• Limit max player damage to 99,999 or 999,999.
• Multiply enemy HP by x2, x5, x10, x20, x50, or x100.

Bug Fixes (297 total, highlights)

• Verso now gains Perfection correctly when in reserve.
• Simoso weapon lag from memory leaks resolved.
• Cutscenes scale properly on ultrawide and non-standard resolutions.
• Fixed performance drops from repeated resting.
• Resolved crash after dialogue sequences.
• Placeholder textures removed near Chromatic Boucheclier arena.
• Fixed bug causing player to spawn at coordinate zero.
• French VO now plays correctly.

System & Settings

• Audio can now be muted/unmuted in the background.
• Mouse and joystick sensitivity improved.
• Manual save file renaming supported (EXPEDITION_XX format).

Localization

• Updated rolling credits.
• Adjusted font sizes for Chinese, Japanese, Korean.
• Minor text corrections and new strings added.

If you've been waiting for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to reach a more polished state before diving in, this might be your sign. The bones of something great were already there at launch. Now, with Patch 1.3.0, the foundation feels solid, the combat more refined, and the player experience more customizable. It's hard to ask for more without slipping into GOTY territory—and maybe it's already there.