Master of Lamps Clair Obscur Expedition 33: defeating him in 2026

Phase 1 Strategies

At the start of the fight, the Master of Lamps strikes with several attacks that you absolutely need to know in order to counter properly:

• Jumping attack: this isn't a classic jump counter. To parry it correctly, wait until he's almost touching the ground before pressing.
• Lights out: the boss plunges the cave into darkness before launching four magic projectiles. Parry just before the light reaches your characters, not before.
• Lamp effect: four lamps light up in purple and, about 4 seconds later, each party member takes damage. To counter, parry just before the explosion.

Note

At the start of the fight, don't waste time targeting the Master of Lamps' lamps. It's tempting, we know, but you'll only waste AP for an insignificant result. Focus instead on applying powerful status effects from the very first turns.

The best approach is to make the boss Defenseless with Maelle, while farming charges with Sciel. Once the Master of Lamps reaches 10 charges, unleash Twilight Slash with Sciel. If Roulette is kind to you - and it's often kinder than you'd think - its health bar can outright collapse in a single turn, dealing damage sometimes exceeding 9000 points. If you've built up Overload charges on Gustave, use his Overload skill to close out this first phase. The cutscene that follows leads directly into the second phase, which is noticeably tougher.

Phase 2 Tactics

In the second phase, new requirements and far more fearsome attacks come into play:

• Two-armed attacks: a series of four slow arcing strikes, capable of inflicting the Exhausted status, which prevents the affected character from gaining AP. A particularly crippling status if it lands on your main attacker.
• Lamp ritual: observe the order in which the lamps light up, then shoot them in that same order. Miss the sequence and you'll directly suffer a failure penalty.
• Dangerous attack windup: the boss announces that he's charging a dangerous attack for the following turn. This is your cue to prepare a parry or dodge.
• The great sword of light: after four seconds, he attacks to the left. Parry at the exact moment his sword comes down to trigger a team counter-attack.
• Ball of light: the Master of Lamps launches a sphere of light at your team. As soon as a symbol appears, jump to counter - the timing is tight, don't dawdle.

Note

In our experience, the boss starts Phase 2 stunned, having suffered a Break at the end of the first phase. If you succeed at the Lamp ritual, you avoid the violent attack that follows - a detail that changes everything for most players.

Fortunately, this attack can be countered: parry just before it hits your team to trigger a collective counter-attack. At this point, if Sciel still benefits from the Twilight effect carried over from Phase 1, her Burning Bond can grant her up to 20 Foretell charges.

You may get a chance to attempt the Lamp ritual a second time. If so, pay particular attention to the lighting order, as even the smallest mistake costs dearly. If Sciel has Twilight active (+75% damage) and especially her 20 charges, her Burning Bond technique will generally leave the Master of Lamps with mere scraps of health. And if the boss is Defenseless, Maelle follows up with Broken Rules followed by two consecutive attacks - enough to cleanly finish the fight.

Rewards and progression

Once the Master of Lamps is defeated, you'll receive:

• 15,750 experience points
• 3,160 Chroma
• At Death's Door Pictos
• 1 Lifeform
• 3 Chroma Polis Catalysts

Once you've pocketed these rewards, let the cutscenes play out and continue your adventure in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. You're now equipped to take on this fearsome boss, armed with the strategies detailed throughout this guide. Good luck, and remember: patience with parry timings makes all the difference between a clean victory and a frustrating wipe.