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Dualliste is the first main story boss you face inClair Obscur: Expedition 33after Gustave leaves the party for good. Which means you’re able to’t rely on the overpoweredOverchargeanymore.
But that’s not a big deal, because nowwe’ve got Verso, who’s stronger, more experienced, and with a deeper voice than our faux-protagonist.
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We meet Dualliste at the end of the Forgotten Battlefield. The boss can be quite a handful since his attacks are fast, making dodging and parrying tricky.
So, if you’re having trouble taking this prickly guy down, thisClair Obscur: Expedition 33guide will teach you how to beat Dualliste. You’ll want to, because once you do, you’ll get one of the flashiest and slickest cutscenes in the whole game.
As Yugi says, it’s time to duel.
Preparing for Dualliste
First, I’ll walk you through how to best prepare before facing Dualliste.My guidelines are based on the party I used to beat him, including skills and strategies.
Nothing’s stopping you from using the members you’re most used to and adopting a completely different strategy. But if you’re here, that means Dualliste is giving you a hard time.
Dualliste has two phases. In the first one, he sticks to physical attacks with his sword.Most are multi-hit combos, so I suggest dodginguntil you learn the timing.
In the second phase,the boss switchesto a dual-wield stance, increasing his combo count and adding two new skills to his arsenal.
When it comes to Pictos, equip the ones that boost AP gain. Also, if you have the Inverted Picto, I recommend putting it on Verso. Dualliste applies the Inverted debuff during the second phase, which gives him a 50% damage boost throughout the fight.
Best Party Composition
SinceDualliste is weak to Light-element attacks, Verso is a must in the party. Plus, after that badass moment where he squares up with the boss, and considering the story events that show their rivalry, it’d be criminal not to include him.
I also brought Lune along because of her healing magic,which is always welcome in any fight. Lastly, although Dualliste is resistant to Dark, I had Sciel in the party, too.
That said, I ended up using Sciel more as a debuffer and support than an attacker. If I had her strike, it was withPlentiful Harvestto build up AP for her colleagues.
Best Skills
If you’veread my Monoco Build Guide, you know I’m nuts about offensive builds. So, both my Verso and Sciel were loaded with skills designed to deal the most damage in the shortest time possible.
Still,I hadPlentiful Harveston Sciel to recharge Verso’s APand spam his Light-element skills, because I didn’t initially know Dualliste was Dark-resistant.
Since two of my characters were dedicated to offense,I set up a tank build for Lune.She had high HP, high defense, and healing skills.
Your main goal in battle is to use skills that raise Verso’s Perfectionto unleash his strongest Light-based skill as soon as possible. That’s why I suggest dodging to keep your Perfection level high instead of going for parries and tanking your rank.
Party Member
Description
Assault Zero
Low Physical damage. 5 hits. Critical Hits generate 1 additional Perfection. B: Increased damage.
Perfect Break
Very high Light damage. 1 hit. Can Break. Rank S on Break. B: Costs 5 AP.
Phantom Stars
Extreme Light damage to all enemies. 5 hits. Can Break. S: Cost 5 AP.
Healing Light
Heals the targeted ally by 30-50% Health and dispels Status effects. Consumes 2 Earth Stain: Costs 0 AP.
Revives an ally with 30-70% Health and +2 AP. Consumes 3 Lightning Stains: Costs 0 AP.
Medium Earth damage. 2 hits. Can Break. Consumes 1 Lightning/Ice/Fire Stains: Greatly increased damage.
Focused Foretell
Medium Physical damage. 1 hit. Applies 2 Fortell. If no Fortell, applies 5.
Plentiful Harvest
Medium Physical damage. 2 hits. Consumes all Foretell to give AP to party members.
Marking Card
Medium Dark damage. 2 hits. Applies 3 Foretell and Mark.
Try to raise Verso’s Perfection Rank to unleash a light-powered onslaught as soon as possible.To do that, bringAssault Zero,Perfect Break, andPhantom Stars.
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AlthoughPerfect BreakandPhantom Starshave a high AP cost, they get cheaper the higher Verso’s Perfection Rank is. That’s why your focus will be boosting Verso’s rank.
Sciel will be in charge of building the party’s AP, inflicting Mark on Dualliste, and using items if necessary. BringFocused Foretell,Plentiful Harvest, andMarking Card.
Finally, Lune will be the nurse of the fight, moonlighting as aBreaker.Healing LightandRebirthfor obvious reasons, andRockslidefor its insane Break potential. Also, the stains generated byRockslidecombo nicely withHealing Light.
I’ve suggestedthree main skillsfor each character, but feel free to equip any other three you think are needed. In my experience, you might end up only using the offensive ones.
Dualliste Attack Breakdown
Dualliste has two phases. In the first, he uses three different attacks. All of them are easily telegraphed, but the timing can be erratic.
Sometimes, he strikes fast; sometimes, he slowly builds up; other times, he’ll even sneak in a swiping attack in the middle, requiring a Jump dodge.
My recommendation is to always dodge at first until you master his skills,then start getting bold with parries. Or just keep dodging.
Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if you breeze through the first phase, especially if you go all-in with Verso’s Light-based skills. That’s whyI strongly suggest dodging in the first phase to preserve your HPand roll into the second phase with more oomph to withstand the subsequent blows.
Below, I’ve listed all of Dualliste’s attacks, describing what each does and the best way to avoid them.
First Phase
In the first phase, all of Dualliste’s attacks are sword-based, and most are multi-hit combos. Two of them are straightforward, one is a basic AoE that’s easy to dodge, and the last one has a jump dodge thrown in that might throw you off.
That said, I didn’t have much trouble in the first phase. Even when I missed dodges or parries, each of Dualliste’s attacks dealt little damage, which gave me the confidence to take more risks without fearing a quick death.
Attack Phrase Indicator
Attack Description
“Dualliste performs a combo.”
The swordsman will do a 5-hit combo with his sword. It’s crazy fast, with an off-putting last attack.
I suggest dodging but try to parry to earn AP if you can take the hit.
“Dualliste attacks swiftly.”
Dualliste will hit a single target with a 3-hit combo. Despite the prompt, every attack is slower than when he performs the combo.
Dodge first, then parry after learning its patterns.
“Dualliste attacks the Expedition.”
Dualliste plunges his sword into the ground, and after a second, a blaze hits all the party members.
Dodge or Parry.
“Dualliste performs a swiping combo.”
Dualliste performs a 4-hit combo. The first is a common slash, the second is a swiping one, and the next two are an overhead slash.
Dodge the first attack, jump in the second, and dodge the last two.
Second Phase
The second phase of the Dualliste boss fight is more critical because the guy grabs a second sword,which means even more hits with each attack.
He also applies Inverted to the whole party,which isn’t the end of the world since Lune’sHealing Lightcan cure the debuff, although it won’t apply the healing.
Your biggest challenge is the 10-hit combo attack. Avoid parrying at all costs, because landing a counter is a long shot. The best bet is to dodge every hit.
The grid below shows each attack’s indicators and actions and the best way to dodge them.
Dualliste will perform a staggering 10-hit combo that ends with a Gradient attack. The timing is really hard to grasp.
Dodge as necessary and pay attention to the last attack to counter with Gradient.
With two swords, Dualliste does a 6-hit combo. The second and third attacks are avoidable by jumping, while the others are quick slashes.
Dodge the first, jump and counter the second and third, then dodge the next three attacks.
Once again, Dualliste plunges his sword into the ground, dealing instant fire damage, and then a second burst of flames arises.
As soon as his sword hit the ground, dodge, then pay attention to the audio cue to dodge the second.
“Dualliste applies Inverted to the Expedition.”
There’s nothing you’re able to do here. Dualliste will apply the Inverted debuff in every party member, preventing characters from being healed.
Nothing. Or curse him.
“Dualliste uses Stormblood.”
The boss invokes three bloody Duallistes copies, one coming from each side intermittently, before jumping in to make a last attack. 4-hit combo in all.
Dodge. It’s a flashy attack, but easier to avoid than it looks.
How To Beat Dualliste
As discussed when choosing your skills,your main goal is to take Verso to Rank S and use his Light skills to take Duallisteout as soon as possible.
With just oneAssault Zero, you already jump to Rank C in Perfection. With two of them – assuming you didn’t take a beating from Dualliste – you reach Rank B.
At Rank B, Verso’sPerfect Breakonly costs 5 AP.If you happen to Break the boss, which is very likely considering the skill’s massive damage,you’ll automatically jump to Rank S.
At Rank S,Phantom Stars, one of Verso’s strongest skills, only costs 5 AP.At this point in the game, your max damage is 9,999, so using multi-hit skills is better.Phantom Starswill break that 9,999 damage cap and most likely wipe Dualliste off the face of the Earth before he even knows what hit him.
If by any chance you’re not managing to hit Rank B with Verso, enter Sciel withPlentiful Harvest.UseFocused Foretellto apply 5 Foretell to the boss on her first turn.
On Sciel’s next turn, you can already usePlentiful Harvestto spread AP to the party and enter Twilight. Then, repeat the process: apply 10 Foretell withFocused Foretelland dish out even more AP on the following turn.
Lune will handle support and be in charge of breaking Dualliste. UseHealing Lightfor Lune because, as Marvin Gaye states, healing is good.
Also, do bring in someEarth Rising. Lune is often overlooked since her skills don’t pack as much punch as her peers, butthe Break potential of her spells is insane.
The best part is thatEarth Risinggenerates one Earth and one Light stain, meaning the nextHealing Lightwill cost 0 AP when it consumes both.Rebirthis also good in case things go south.
Keep in mind thatEarth Risingis just to boost Dualliste’s Break gauge, not to actually Break him.Let Verso do that withPerfect Breakso he can shoot straight to Rank S.
The boss has the same resistance in both phases, so if you stick to this offensive strategy, you’ll finish him off in no time.
After defeating Dualliste, you’ll get a weapon for Verso, the Combo Attack picto, along with some crafting materials, experience, and dollars.
Being the first main boss you face after Verso joins the party,Dualliste is basically a trial boss for him.Especially when you consider his weakness to Light elemental attacks.
Even so, you might struggle if you come in unprepared or don’t keep an eye on your dodges. But with enough trial and error, you’ll eventually pull through.
