Maelle’s Medalum Weapon in Clair Obscur Expedition 33: How to Get It and Why It Matters

TL;DR

• The Medalum is one of Maelle’s best weapons in Clair Obscur Expedition 33.
• It is a physical weapon that scales with Defense and Agility.
• Its key passive at Level 4 makes Maelle start every battle already in Virtuose Stance.
• You can get it early in Act 1 by choosing Maelle for the final fight in the Gestral Village Arena.
• If you miss that window, you can still get it by defeating Golgra in a duel — but that fight is very tough.
• The Level 10 and Level 20 passives double Burn stacks and Burn damage respectively, making it excellent for Burn builds.
• It is easy to miss, so always send Maelle into the arena final round on your first visit.

What Is the Medalum in Clair Obscur Expedition 33?

The Medalum is a weapon exclusive to Maelle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. It deals Physical damage and scales with Defense and Agility. At Level 5 it has 165 Power, and its scaling improves significantly as you upgrade it — reaching S scaling in Defense and A scaling in Agility at the maximum Level 33.

What makes the Medalum special is not just its stats. It is the passives. This weapon lets Maelle skip one of the most annoying parts of her kit — the setup required to enter Virtuose Stance at the start of a fight. With the Medalum equipped, she starts every single battle already in Virtuose Stance, which means she can go straight into her hardest-hitting skills from turn one. That alone makes it one of the strongest weapons available to her throughout Acts 1, 2, and into Act 3.

Medalum Passive Effects at Each Level

The Medalum unlocks new passives at three key upgrade thresholds. Here is what each one does:

• Level 4 — Start in Virtuose Stance: Maelle begins every battle in Virtuose Stance automatically. No setup required. This is the most important passive on the weapon and the main reason to get it early.
• Level 10 — Double Burn Applied (in Virtuose Stance): While in Virtuose Stance, every Burn you apply to an enemy is doubled. Skills like Rain of Fire, Pyrolyse, Spark, Burning Canvas, and Phoenix Flame all benefit from this. It also stacks with Luminas like Double Burn.
• Level 20 — Double Burn Damage (in Virtuose Stance): While in Virtuose Stance, Burn deals double damage as it ticks on enemies. This combines with the Level 10 passive to create a massive Burn damage loop that can carry you through some of the toughest fights in the game.

The scaling for these passives also improves further at Level 33. Upgrading the Medalum to at least Level 20 is strongly recommended if you plan to use it for a Burn-focused build in Act 2 or Act 3.

How to Get the Medalum in Clair Obscur Expedition 33

There are two ways to get the Medalum. The first is easy and available in Act 1. The second is very difficult and is really only practical later in the game.

Method 1 — Win the Gestral Village Arena Tournament as Maelle (Act 1)

This is the recommended method and the one most players should aim for. The Gestral Village becomes accessible in Act 1 after you pass through the Ancient Sanctuary area. When you arrive, speak to the village chief Golgra inside the Chief’s House to learn about the Arena Tournament. She will direct you to speak with Limonsol, the pineapple-looking Gestral standing outside the Arena entrance, to enter.

The tournament has four rounds. The first three rounds are one-on-one duels against Gestral opponents — the character you choose for these does not affect the weapon reward. Only the fourth and final round matters. In that final fight, a mystery champion called The Stranger is revealed to be Sciel, a member of Expedition 33 who had been separated from the group.

When you are asked to choose your fighter for this final round, select Maelle. Winning with Maelle earns you the Medalum as your tournament reward. If you choose Gustave or Lune instead, you only get upgrades to weapons you likely already have — the Sakaram and Trebuchim — making those choices far less valuable.

Important: This choice is one-time only. You cannot replay the tournament. If you pick the wrong character, the only remaining option is Method 2 below.

Method 2 — Defeat Golgra in a Duel as Maelle

If you missed the arena, you can still get the Medalum by fighting Golgra directly. After the tournament ends, return to the Chief’s House in the Gestral Village and speak to Golgra to initiate an optional duel. You must fight as Maelle. Win, and you receive the Medalum as the reward.

This sounds simple, but Golgra is a superboss-tier enemy. She hits extremely hard, has a large HP pool, and enters a second phase at 50% health. She can one-shot characters with low HP. The recommended approach is to be at least Level 50 to 60 with strong Pictos before attempting this fight. Most players tackle this in Act 3 when they have access to Maelle’s most powerful skills like Stendhal and Payback.

The duel against Golgra in the village is infinitely repeatable, so once you can beat her, you can also farm higher-level versions of the Medalum and use her as a Chroma Catalyst source. Golgra also appears at other locations — the Sacred River and the Dark Gestral Arena — but the village duel is the most accessible repeatable version.

If you attempt the Golgra duel early and struggle, keep these tips in mind: use Defensive Stance to generate AP through parries and dodges, learn her three to four main attack strings, do not try to parry everything on your first attempt, and make sure you can deal more than 9,999 damage per turn to move the fight along quickly.

Why Is the Medalum So Good for Maelle?

Maelle’s combat system is built around three stances: Offensive, Defensive, and Virtuose. Virtuose Stance is by far the strongest — it increases her damage output significantly with no downside, unlike Offensive Stance which also raises incoming damage. Without the Medalum, getting into Virtuose Stance requires burning the enemy first and then using Swift Stride, or going through Defensive Stance first to set things up. That takes at least one or two turns of preparation before Maelle can start dealing real damage.

The Medalum removes that entirely. From turn one, Maelle is already in Virtuose Stance. She can open with Percée, Stendhal, or any other high-damage skill immediately without any setup. This is what makes the weapon so impactful from the moment you pick it up in Act 1 — it changes how the character fundamentally plays.

On top of that, the Level 10 and Level 20 passives add a powerful Burn damage layer. Any skill that applies Burn — Rain of Fire, Pyrolyse, Burning Canvas, Spark, Phoenix Flame — benefits from doubled Burn stacks and doubled Burn tick damage while Maelle stays in Virtuose Stance. This makes the Medalum strong for both burst damage builds and sustained Burn builds across the whole game.

Best Skills to Use with the Medalum

Since the Medalum rewards staying in Virtuose Stance and stacking Burn, the following skills pair with it especially well:

• Percée: Maelle’s primary high-damage skill. Starting in Virtuose Stance means this can hit for massive damage on turn one, even reaching 9,999 damage in the early game with proper support from teammates.
• Stendhal: Unlocked in Act 3. Combined with Virtuose Stance from the Medalum, this skill alone can defeat many enemies before they take a second action.
• Rain of Fire: Applies multiple Burn stacks at once. With the Level 10 passive active, each Burn application is doubled, making Rain of Fire exceptionally efficient for Burn buildup.
• Pyrolyse: Another strong Burn-applying skill that benefits directly from the Level 10 and Level 20 passives.
• Mezzo Forte: Helps maintain Virtuose Stance while generating AP, keeping the Burn passives active between turns.
• Last Chance: In Act 3, this skill lets Maelle return to Virtuose Stance if she ever loses it, giving you a reliable way to recover and continue the damage chain.

Best Pictos and Luminas to Pair with the Medalum

The Medalum works best when your Pictos and Luminas support the Burn loop or amplify first-turn burst damage. Here are the strongest options for each act:

Early Game (Act 1)

• Critical Burn: Applies Burn on critical hits, which feeds directly into the Medalum’s Burn passives once you reach Level 10.
• Augmented First Strike: Increases damage on Maelle’s first action, stacking with Virtuose Stance to make that opening Percée hit even harder.
• Roulette: Found in the Gestral Village Casino. Adds RNG-based bonus effects but can produce massive damage numbers when it procs favorably on Percée.

Mid Game (Act 2)

• Energising Start IV: Gives Maelle additional AP on her first turn, letting her chain more skills before the enemy acts.
• Burning Shots: Adds Burn to Free Aim shots, generating Burn stacks without spending Maelle’s main turn.
• SOS Power: Increases damage when HP is low, which can be combined with Maelle’s healing mechanics for a risk-reward damage spike.

Late Game (Act 3)

• Immaculate: Provides a significant damage boost as long as Maelle avoids taking hits — easy to maintain with good parry and dodge timing.
• Glass Canon: Massively increases damage at the cost of HP. Pairs well with Stendhal and Virtuose Stance for one-shot potential on most non-boss enemies.
• Inverted Affinity: Converts some form of damage scaling into further attack bonuses, complementing the Medalum’s Defense and Agility scaling.
• Double Burn and Longer Burn: Stack directly with the Level 10 Medalum passive to make Burn applications even more extreme.

Medalum Stat Scaling and Upgrade Priority

The Medalum scales with Defense (B at base, S at Level 33) and Agility (C at base, A at Level 33). This means investing stat points into Defense and Agility will significantly increase its damage output as you upgrade the weapon. Agility also increases how often Maelle gets turns, which is an added bonus since more turns means more chances to apply and trigger Burn stacks.

Here is the upgrade priority to keep in mind:

• Level 4 first: This unlocks the Virtuose Stance passive and is the most important threshold. Reach this as soon as possible after getting the weapon.
• Level 10 next: Unlocks doubled Burn application. Strongly recommended for any Burn-oriented build from Act 2 onward.
• Level 20 for endgame: Doubles Burn damage. At this point the weapon becomes one of the strongest options in the game for sustained and burst damage combined.

Upgrading requires Chroma Catalysts. Normal Catalysts work up to Level 3, Polished to Level 9, Resplendent to Level 19, and Grandiose all the way to Level 32. You can also upgrade weapons by defeating specific enemies or bosses who drop higher-level versions — including Golgra herself, who can drop upgraded versions of the Medalum through her repeatable village duel.

Is the Medalum Still Good in Act 3?

Yes, the Medalum remains a strong and viable option into Act 3. The instant Virtuose Stance passive is always valuable, and the doubled Burn passives at Level 10 and Level 20 continue to scale well with late-game skills like Stendhal. Many experienced players consider it one of the best weapons for Maelle throughout the entire game.

That said, some players prefer switching to other weapons later. The Lithum, for example, lets Maelle enter Virtuose Stance on any successful counterattack and has stronger attribute scaling at max level. The debate between Medalum and Lithum comes down to playstyle — if you rely heavily on Burn and want to start in Virtuose Stance without any parry input, Medalum remains excellent. If you are confident in your parry timing and want better raw scaling, Lithum becomes an alternative worth considering in the late game.

For most players, especially on a first playthrough, the Medalum is a safe and powerful choice all the way to the end. Do not leave the Gestral Village without securing it for Maelle.

Do Not Miss the Medalum — Key Reminder

The Medalum is one of the most commonly missed weapons in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Many players complete the Gestral Village Arena with Gustave or Lune without realizing the choice is permanent, and then find themselves locked out of the easy route to the weapon. If you have not done the tournament yet, always choose Maelle for the final round against The Stranger.

For more collectibles and weapons you might miss during your run, see our Visages 100 Collectibles Guide covering weapons, Pictos, and more. If you want the game running at its best on PC before you tackle the Gestral Village, check out our best PC settings guide for Clair Obscur Expedition 33. And if you are working through side content in the area, our Hexga quest guide in Clair Obscur Expedition 33 covers everything you need to complete that questline without missing a step.