🚨 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – What Everybody Gets WRONG About the Ending 🚨
🧐 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 left fans divided after its shocking ending. But here’s the twist: most people have misinterpreted it! What’s the REAL meaning behind the conclusion, and why does it change everything you thought you knew about the story?

If you’re still trying to figure it all out, you’re not alone—but the truth might surprise you.

The two different endings in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 have become a topic of great debate among players who argue which ending is the “good” vs. “bad,” and it’s an argument that ultimately comes down to your opinions about the characters in the game. It’s easy to say that Verso’s ending is better than Maelle’s if you think about what’s best for the Dessendre family, but on the other hand, Maelle’s ending is arguably better if you’re thinking about what’s best for the characters inside the Canvas. However, these platitudes miss the point of the game entirely.

WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR CLAIR OBSCUR: EXPEDITION 33!Ultimately, I would argue there is no objectively “good” or “bad” ending because of how deeply invested players are in all of Clair Obscur’s characters. Both endings are intended to force players to question themselves about which characters are “real” in Clair Obscur, and to make players think deeply about what it means to find closure, deal with grief and trauma, and ultimately come to terms with loss. No matter how you spin it, there is no “good” outcome because there is no easy or “right” way of dealing with the level of loss that Maelle is facing.

Clair Obscur’s Characters Make A “Good” Ending Impossible

Every Character In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Is Complex & Easy To Love

Each character in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is very well-rounded and complex, and by the end of the game, players are going to empathize with all of them, even the “villain,” Renoir. This is what makes the game so compelling, and why players are deeply affected and passionate about the decision they have to make at the end between Maelle and Verso. Maelle’s ending preserves the lives of each character inside the Canvas, but perpetuates the same cycle of grief for Maelle/Alicia that their mother Aline was stuck in.

Verso’s ending offers more of a sense of closure, it’s definitely not a “good” ending in any sense of the word for those who existed inside the Canvas.

Verso’s ending offers a sense of closure for the Dessendre family, but at the cost of every beloved character inside the Canvas. These characters inside the Canvas may not be “real” in the sense that they are constructs of a Painted world, but they are very much real to the players who’ve just spent the entire game getting to know them, which parallels how Maelle/Alicia felt about them as well. While Verso’s ending offers more of a sense of closure, it’s definitely not a “good” ending in any sense of the word for those who existed inside the Canvas.

Arguing Over Which Clair Obscur Ending Is Better Misses The Point

Both Endings Are Necessary To Establish The Stakes

Blurry apparitions of Expedition 33 appear at Verso's grave at the ending of Clair Obscur. The ghostly Verso inside the Canvas at the ending of Clair Obscur. Clair obscur maelle black and white with sciel in background

Ultimately, neither ending in Clair Obscur is “better” than the other, and both have objectively tragic and devastating outcomes for all the characters involved. Both endings are necessary to give players a sense of what is at stake at the end of the game, which I would argue makes both of them equally important, regardless of which one you think is better or worse for the characters. Whether you choose Verso or Maelle’s ending, you’re left with questions about whether you made the right choice.

At the end of the day, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a story about grief, loss, death, and coming to terms with tragedy. There is no simple or straightforward way to do this for any human being, which is exemplified by how dynamic the characters are in this game and how deeply invested players are in each of their individual journeys. Every character deals with loss and pain in different ways throughout the narrative, and it all culminates in a decision that forces players to think hard about their own understanding of loss.