Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Relationship Levels: All Rewards, Romance, and Gradient Attacks

The relationship system is arguably the most rewarding side activity in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and one of the least well explained by the game itself. Behind the camp conversations lie seven relationship levels per character, around ten exclusive Gradient attacks, cosmetics, Esquie's underwater diving, an optional romance, and five trophies. None of this is essential to see the credits roll, but there's no way to aim for the end-game or the Platinum without engaging with it.

The principle boils down to one sentence: starting from Act 2, every visit to the camp lets you talk to the members of the expedition and, once the story has progressed enough, spend time with them to gain a relationship level. The catch is that progression is gated by the story: there's no point resting repeatedly at the same flag, as new scenes only appear after certain narrative milestones, and the final tiers require short dedicated quests in Act 3.

This guide sums up how the system works, all the rewards level by level with their official English names, the Act 3 relationship quests, the romance, and the pitfalls to avoid — including a dialogue choice that can cost you a trophy. Warning: light spoilers regarding the team's composition after Act 1.

How relationship levels work

The system activates at the start of Act 2, once the camp becomes accessible with the team gathered around Verso. At each stop, approach a character: a short conversation starts, and the game sometimes offers to spend time with them. Accept, play out the scene, and the relationship level goes up by one. Each companion — Maelle, Lune, Sciel, Monoco, and Esquie — has their own gauge, capped at level 7.

Three rules help avoid going in circles:

• Progression is tied to the story. Scenes unlock in waves, after major story milestones (arriving in a new region, defeating a major boss, moving into Act 3). If no one has anything new to say, push forward in the main storyline and come back.
• Reaching level 6 doesn't happen at the camp. For most characters, you need to complete a short personal quest in Act 3, often in a brand-new area (see below).
• Get into the habit of talking to everyone at every rest. Some optional scenes don't raise the level but count towards the "Curious" trophy, and when two characters reach level 7, bonus conversations between them unlock at the camp.

All the rewards, character by character

The pattern is the same for everyone: a first Gradient attack at level 3, a second at level 5, a bonus reward at level 6 (music track, cosmetic, or exploration ability), then the third Gradient attack at level 7, along with a trophy named after the character. Special case: raising the relationship with Esquie unlocks Verso's Gradient attacks.

All of these attacks draw from the Gradient gauge shared by the team, with higher tiers costing more charges. Level 3 attacks like Erasure — which simply wipes out standard enemies — rank among the most powerful tools in the game, and the first use of a Level 3 Gradient attack also unlocks the "Chroma Mastery" trophy. In other words: neglecting your relationships means depriving yourself of a third of the team's ultimate arsenal.

Act 3 relationship quests

Four companions require a detour off the beaten path to reach their final tiers. All of these quests assume you've triggered the corresponding conversation at camp: if you rush into the areas without having spoken to the character, nothing will happen there.

Lune — the Sirène Dunes

Lune asks Verso to help her find traces of her parents, members of a vanished expedition. Head to the Sirène Dunes, an island accessible by flying with Esquie. On site, a large stone door opens by playing music, and the area ends with a battle against the Chromatic Glissando, a fearsome Nevron. Behind it await the bodies of Lune's parents and the journal of Expedition 46, which closes out her personal arc.

Monoco — the Sacred River

Monoco wishes to bring Noco back to life. His quest leads to the Sacred River, the place where Gestrals are reborn, an area only accessible by flying. At its center stands an enormous, gleaming pink Gestral: choose to bring Noco back, and you'll have to earn it in a battle against Golgra with a mandatory duo of Verso and Monoco. The area also hides a Gestral merchant who only deigns to trade after you've fought him — true to local diplomacy.

Esquie — finding François

Esquie's Level 6 is the most useful of the bunch: you need to find his friend François to recover the stone that restores his underwater diving ability. Once the ability is acquired, Esquie can dive from the world map and reach submerged objects and areas — a mandatory step for fully clearing the map, and a prerequisite for several end-game finds.

Maelle — her personal quest and the "Truth" choice

After completing Maelle's personal quest in Act 3 and reaching relationship level 6, her final conversation at camp poses a decisive question. You must answer "Truth": it's the only answer that pushes the relationship to level 7, unlocking the Erase attack and the "Maelle" trophy. Lying permanently blocks progression for that playthrough — it's the only truly missable relationship trophy in the game.

Romance: Sciel or Lune, you have to choose

The game offers a discreet romance, limited to a single partner per playthrough. Sciel becomes forward starting in Act 2, around relationship levels 4 and 5: accepting her advances rules out any romance with Lune. Conversely, to grow closer to Lune, you need to politely decline Sciel, then complete the Sirene Dunes quest in Act 3 before the relationship takes a more intimate turn.

Good news for completionists: this choice is purely narrative. No gameplay reward, no trophy, and no ending variation are tied to it — the recordings, attacks, and achievements listed above unlock regardless of your love life. So choose based on how you feel, or ignore the question entirely: the Expedition will survive your single status.

Trophies, New Game Plus, and pitfalls to avoid

• Five relationship trophies (bronze) are named after your companions: "Maelle", "Lune", "Sciel", "Monoco", and "Esquie", each earned at relationship level 7. Gustave has no relationship gauge.
• "Curious" simply requires watching an optional scene at camp — impossible to miss if you talk to everyone regularly.
• "Chroma Mastery" pops the first time you use a level 3 Gradient attack in combat.
• Maelle's "Truth" choice is the only point of no return: save before her final conversation if you have any doubts.
• New Game Plus resets all relationship levels to zero, along with side quests and Esquie's abilities. If you're planning to start a new loop in NG+, max out all five relationships and grab the trophies before confirming the save overwrite.

Where to start

If your save is already in Act 3, the approach is simple: make the rounds of the camp after every major story beat, exhaust all conversations, then tackle the personal quests in this order of priority — Esquie first for the dive that opens up exploration, then Monoco and Lune for their exclusive areas, and Maelle last with a safety save before her final dialogue. Expect a short evening to wrap it all up from an average relationship level, less if you've already made a habit of chatting at every rest. You'll come away with fifteen Gradient attacks, five trophies, and some of the finest writing in the game — scenes that, even more than the battles, explain why Expedition 33 cares so much about its members.