You're wandering through The Reacher, Esquie is flying you across gaps you couldn't touch an hour ago, and then you see her. Most players stumble into the Alicia fight Expedition 33 provides without realizing they’ve just walked into a buzzsaw. It’s personal. It’s fast. Honestly, it’s probably the most emotional encounter Sandfall Interactive tucked away in the game.
If you’ve been following Maelle’s journey, you know something is off. The relationship levels have been climbing, the dialogue in camp has gotten heavier, and then the truth drops like a lead weight. Maelle isn't just Maelle. She’s a "palimpsest"—a real person, the original Alicia Dessendre, who was painted over and reborn inside the Canvas. The masked, monochromatic Alicia you face isn't some random monster; she’s the version of her daughter that the Paintress, Aline, created to fill the void of the child she blamed for Verso’s death.
Finding Alicia in The Reacher
Don't expect the game to hold your hand here. You can't even reach this area until Act III. You need Esquie’s Fly ability first, which is a late-game unlock. But the real gatekeeper is Maelle herself.
You have to hit Relationship Level 5 with her. Talk to her at camp. If you haven't been keeping up with your camp conversations, you’re going to be stuck wondering why the map is empty. Once that dialogue triggers, The Reacher opens up. It’s a haunting zone, and Alicia is waiting right at the end, painting in the middle of a platform like she hasn't a care in the world.
Why This Fight is a Nightmare
This is a one-on-one duel. No Gustave to tank hits, no Lune to bail you out with magic. It’s just Maelle versus her own shadow.
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Alicia moves like a caffeinated ninja. She uses Maelle’s own kit against you, but she’s tuned to be significantly more aggressive. If your Maelle isn't built for solo combat, you're going to see the "Game Over" screen before you even get a turn. She has high speed, often taking multiple turns in a row if you aren't careful with your initiative.
Breaking Down the Phases
Alicia doesn't just have one trick. She evolves as her health drops.
- The Opening Dance: She starts with 5-hit combos like Virtuose Strike and Sword Ballet. These have weird pauses. You’ll think she’s done, try to counter, and get smacked by the follow-up.
- The 75% Health Shift: She applies "Powerful" to herself. Now she’s hitting harder. She adds Phantom Strike, a 6-hit zigzag combo. The rhythm here is brutal—long pause between hits one and two, then four hits that come out almost instantly.
- The Final Desperation (25% Health): She gets "Rush." She’s faster now. She starts using Void Strike, which demands a Gradient Counter. If you miss that parry, it’s basically lights out.
The Strategy That Actually Works
Most people try to out-grind her. Don't do that. You want to exploit her weakness: Fire.
Bring Spark or Rain of Fire. Burn is your best friend because it ticks damage while you’re busy trying not to die during her 8-hit Fluent Fury combo. Honestly, the easiest way to cheese this—or let’s call it "optimized play"—is the Stendhal one-shot build.
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The One-Shot Setup:
If you equip the Shortcut or Cheater Picto and have the skills Last Stand and Stendhal, you can end this in two turns. Use Last Stand to enter Virtuose Stance and max your AP. Because Last Stand drops your health, you'll often get an immediate extra turn. Then, just delete her with Stendhal.
If you want to fight her "fairly" (good luck with that), you need to master the Gradient Counter. Dodging the first few hits of her long combos is usually safer than trying to parry every single one. Save your parry for the final hit of the chain to trigger the counter-attack.
The Story Behind the Mask
Why does Alicia look like that? Why the mask? Why the scars?
The lore suggests the Paintress couldn't stand to look at her daughter's real face because it reminded her of the fire that killed Verso. So, Aline painted this version of Alicia as a punishment—scarred, masked, and silent. When you defeat her, it isn't just a boss kill. It's Maelle reclaiming her identity.
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Jennifer English, who voices Maelle, actually voiced Alicia too. They layered effects over her voice to make it sound hollow and distant, but the performance is incredible once you realize it's the same person talking to herself.
Rewards and Next Steps
Beating her nets you the "Alicia" Achievement and the Painted Me haircut for Maelle. It also lets you hit Relationship Level 6, the absolute max.
After the fight, head back to camp. There is a final cutscene that ties Maelle’s arc together. If you’re looking for more challenges after this, check your map for the other "Painted Family" members. Renoir and Verso have their own trials, though Alicia’s is widely considered the most mechanically demanding because of the solo requirement.
Make sure you’ve upgraded Maelle’s Barrier Breaker weapon to at least level 15 before attempting this on Expert difficulty. The damage check in the final phase is no joke, and you don't want to get her down to 5% health just to get wiped by a stray Void Strike.
Check your Pictos one last time. If you aren't using the Augmented Counter Lumina, go find it. It turns those successful parries into massive chunks of damage, which is the only way to keep up with her speed. Once you’ve finished the camp dialogue, you’re officially ready for the endgame push toward the Paintress.
Next Steps for Players:
- Check Maelle's Pictos: Ensure you have "Cheater" or "Shortcut" equipped to handle Alicia's speed.
- Visit the Expedition Flag: Fast travel to The Reacher only after reaching Relationship Level 5 with Maelle.
- Upgrade Fire Skills: Focus on "Burn" status effects to bypass her high defense in the second phase.