How to Break the 9,999 Damage Cap in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Tired of hitting the 9,999 damage wall in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33? Here’s how to break the cap with Painted Power and start dealing real boss-melting numbers.
🎨 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – How to Deal Over 9,999 Damage
At some point in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, your team’s going to start dropping 9,999 damage like it’s nothing. And it feels awesome… until you realize you can’t go any higher. That’s right — 9,999 is the default damage cap.
But the good news? You can totally break it.
If you’re wondering how to bust through that ceiling and start hitting big-boy numbers, here’s the full rundown. Spoiler warning: there are light story details from Act 2 ahead.
🖼️ Just a Hint (No Spoilers)
If you’re just here for a clue:
There’s a certain Pictos tied to the story that unlocks the ability to go over 9,999 damage. You’ll get it after a major boss fight at the end of Act 2.
Still here? Cool — let’s go deeper.
🧠 Step 1: Get the Painted Power Pictos
To break the cap, you need to grab a Pictos called Painted Power.
Here’s how it works:
- You’ll unlock it after beating the Paintress, a boss you face at the end of Act 2.
- The boss is hanging out at Monolith Peak, which is accessed through the Inside the Monolith map.
- After the fight, you’ll enter a short story sequence in the Manor, and boom — Painted Power is yours.
🎉 Bonus: You can’t miss it if you’re playing the main story. No side quest trickery here.
🛠️ Step 2: Equip It and Unlock the Lumina
Once you’ve got the Pictos, here’s what to do:
- Equip Painted Power to one of your characters.
- Use that character in four fights.
- That unlocks the Painted Power Lumina, which removes the 9,999 damage cap.
- Now go back and do the same for every party member — you’re gonna want that on everyone.
Seriously, if you’re planning on doing endgame stuff like the Endless Tower, having everyone capped at 9,999 is gonna feel like fighting with foam swords.
💥 How to Actually Hit Over 9,999
Once you’ve got Painted Power active, your characters can go over the limit, but not every attack is gonna do it right away. Some skills and setups make it way easier to pop off.
Some bangers that break the cap:
- Maelle’s Sword Ballet – Pure single-target carnage, especially in Virtuose Stance.
- Lune’s Tremor – A Gradient Attack that smashes through damage limits consistently.
- Augmented Counter I – Slap this on, time a perfect counter, and enjoy the numbers.
💡 Pro Tip: Stack Painted Power with Luminas like:
- Critical Burn
- Cheater (for two turns in a row!)
- At Death’s Door (bonus damage at 1 HP)
It’s a wild combo.
🧱 Why You Need This (Like, Badly)
If you’re planning to tackle the hardest content in the game — stuff like Endless Tower or postgame bosses — you need this. A ton of those enemies have huge health pools, and doing chip damage just won’t cut it.
Painted Power turns your regular skills into actual nukes. You’ll feel the difference instantly.
✅ Quick Recap
- Beat the Paintress at the end of Act 2
- Get Painted Power Pictos
- Equip it → fight 4 battles → unlock the Lumina
- Repeat for everyone
- Start melting bosses with insane damage
Related Articles:
- How to Get the ‘Peace at Last’ Achievement in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Simon Boss Guide)
- Best Maelle Builds in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – DPS, Support & Hybrid Setups
- How to Beat Lampmaster in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- How to Beat Chromatic Abbest in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
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