You’ve been wandering through the gorgeous, Belle Époque-inspired world of Lumière for hours, thinking you finally have a handle on the Dessendre family drama. Then you meet Alicia. Or rather, the monochromatic, masked version of her that lingers in the Canvas like a bad memory. If you’ve reached the endgame of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, you know that the "Alicia" you encounter in the side quest "The Reacher" isn’t just another boss. She’s a ghost of the girl Maelle used to be.
The lore here is heavy. Honestly, it’s some of the most depressing stuff Sandfall Interactive put in the game. To understand the Clair Obscur Expedition 33 Alicia encounter, you have to peel back the layers of the Paintress’s grief. Aline, the mother and main antagonist, tried to recreate her family inside the painting after a fire destroyed their lives in the real world. But she didn't just paint them happy. She painted them with their trauma intact.
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The Tragic Identity of Alicia Dessendre
Basically, Maelle is the real Alicia. When she entered the Canvas, she was reborn or "painted over," losing her memories of the fire that scarred her. The Clair Obscur Expedition 33 Alicia you fight is the "Painted Alicia"—a version created by Aline to populate her fantasy world. This version is monochrome and wears a mask to hide the horrific burns from the fire that killed her brother, Verso.
It's a narrative mirror. You have Maelle, who is living a new life, and Painted Alicia, who is a literal embodiment of the day everything went wrong. Jennifer English, who voices Maelle, actually voiced Alicia too. She used a more distorted, haunting tone to show how the character is physically unable to speak properly due to the injuries from the fire on December 33, 1905.
Why Does She Look Like That?
- The Mask: It hides the scarring Aline couldn't bear to look at but also couldn't stop herself from painting.
- The Monochrome Palette: While the rest of the world is vibrant, Alicia is stuck in black and white, symbolizing her status as a "draft" or a stagnant memory.
- The Weaponry: She uses a sword style almost identical to Maelle’s, making the boss fight feel like you're fighting a mirror of yourself.
How to Beat the Alicia Boss Fight
This isn't an easy scrap. You find her at the end of The Reacher, an area that only unlocks in Act III after you get the Fly ability for Esquie. You also need to have Maelle’s relationship at Level 5 and talk to her at camp. Once you’re there, it’s a one-on-one duel. No party members. Just Maelle versus her past.
Alicia is weak against Fire. That's a bit of dark irony considering how she died in the real world, but you need to lean into it. Use spells like Spark or Rain of Fire to keep the Burn status on her. Once she’s burning, hit her with Swift Stride. This triggers Maelle’s Virtuose Stance, which is the only way you're going to put out enough damage to end this quickly.
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She has two main phases. When she hits 75% health, she gets the "Powerful" buff and starts using Phantom Strike, a six-hit combo that requires some pretty tight parry timing. At 25% health, she gets "Rush," making her incredibly fast. If you haven't mastered the Gradient Counter yet, this is where she’ll kill you.
Pro-Tip for the Duel
If you’ve defeated Sprong earlier in the game, equip the Cheater Picto. It lets you take two turns in a row. Combining that with the Last Chance skill (which drops you to 1 HP but gives you 9 AP and enters Virtuose Stance) is high-risk but high-reward. If you time it with the Shortcut Picto, you can basically chain three turns together and delete her health bar before she can blink.
The Choice: Alicia vs. Verso
The game really tests you at the very end. After you beat the Paintress, the story comes down to a choice between Alicia (Maelle) and Verso. Verso wants to unpaint the whole world to set everyone free, effectively ending their existence in the Canvas. Alicia wants to stay and find a way to live, even if it's in a fake world.
If you side with Alicia, she defeats Verso. She ends up reviving everyone in Lumière, including Gustave and his lover, and even repaints Verso so he can finally age like a real human. But there’s a catch. The ending reveals that staying in the Canvas is rotting her. She’s becoming the very thing she fought—a flickering image in a dying world.
Actionable Insights for Players
To get the most out of the Alicia storyline, don't rush the main quest. You’ll miss the depth of Maelle’s character if you don't complete the "Reacher" side quest.
- Relationship Leveling: Focus on Maelle's camp conversations early. You need that Level 5 status by the time you enter the endgame.
- Build for Solo Combat: Since the Alicia boss is a 1v1, don't rely on party-wide buffs. Stack Maelle with Solo Fighter and First Strike pictos.
- Watch the Flashbacks: Pay attention to the letters Alicia wrote to Maelle. They explain why she doesn't fully side with the Expedition or the Paintress—she’s trying to find a "third way" where both families can exist.
Finding Alicia is one thing; understanding why she exists is what makes Expedition 33 more than just a turn-based RPG. It’s a story about whether you’d rather be a happy lie or a painful truth. If you're looking to wrap up Maelle's arc properly, heading to the top of The Reacher is non-negotiable. Get your parry timing down, bring some fire spells, and be ready for one of the most emotional fights in the game.