Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Guide | How To Beat GOLGRA Boss

This build is tailored specifically for the GOLGRA boss fight. You're going to be fighting solo in this one, so your survivability and stamina are going to matter a lot. In the second stage, GOLGRA starts to mix in longer combos and an attack that forces you to jump, but don't worry—you have your shield to protect you if you make mistakes.

During the first stage, the boss only uses a limited set of moves, so it's a great opportunity to practice and build confidence. You're going to notice that just hanging on during the fight is essential.

These stages are long, and that means you're more likely to make mistakes if you start to lose focus. The most important part of the build is reducing the damage you take, just in case you get exposed at the wrong time.

Managing Shield Stacks

In this build, you're stacking shields because it's all about lasting longer. You don't get exposed that often, thanks to those shields, but once they're stripped away, you need to perform at least one successful parry to get them back. One clean parry is usually all it takes to refresh your defensive stance and regain protection.

This setup is also great for practicing if you're still learning GOLGRA's attack patterns. As the fight goes on, the longer you survive, the more familiar you become with his combos, timings, and tricks. Fatigue might cause you to miss a few, but that's normal, given how long the battle stretches out.

What to Expect in Phase Two

When the second phase begins, GOLGRA adds longer combo strings and a jump attack that needs to be countered properly. The key is to recognize the jump—wait for the leg to come over the top, then activate your parry and hold it. With proper timing, you'll block it cleanly.

The added combos usually come fast, one-two-three, back-to-back. You need to be ready to parry each one to mitigate incoming damage. That's critical because this build relies entirely on parry damage, not on any other offensive methods.

Core Build and Weapon

The core principle of this build focuses on defensive stance, parry chaining, and shield uptime. The weapon you want is located in the Sinister Cave. That's where you can find the Chalium-based weapon used in this setup.

You want to fully upgrade the Chalium to get the most out of it. There's a cap on its effectiveness anyway, but test and see if you're dealing enough damage. If not, boosting damage slightly can help.

The shield mechanic on this weapon grants you one shield per parry, but you lose all shields at the start of your turn. This doesn't matter too much since the build revolves around restoring shields repeatedly and quickly. You want to be at a higher level anyway, especially if you're looking to finish the fight at a reasonable pace.

Skill Usage

You don't need to use many skills in this setup. The most important one is the skill that re-applies your defensive stance. Whenever it's your turn, just spam that skill to refresh your shield uptime. That way, you'll maintain consistent protection throughout the fight.

Spark is another essential skill. It's used to switch to defense stance, which you can identify by the blue icon beneath your action bar. You only need to use Spark once to enter defense stance—after that, just keep refreshing it with your shield skill.

Picto and Buff Setup

If you're just starting out, you can run a basic Picto at first, but you'll want to swap it out later. The three shields on start might sound good, but they'll be erased immediately at the beginning of your turn due to the way your weapon works. That mechanic makes starting shields useless for this fight, even though they're great for other bosses.

Use the Confident buff, which makes you take 50% less damage but prevents healing. That's ideal because if you're taking damage, you're probably going to die anyway. You don't care about healing in this build—the whole idea is not to get hit at all.

Also, prioritize counterattack damage buffs. Since your only source of damage is parrying, increasing the effectiveness of counter damage is critical to actually wearing the boss down.

Avoid things like AP from perfect dodges or other bonuses related to standard attacks—they won't help much here. Focus all your passives on parrying, defense, and counter damage. As for any other synergies, if you discover setups that suit your style better, feel free to adjust accordingly.

How the Fight Opens

When the fight starts, even though you begin with three shields, they'll be removed as soon as your first turn starts. This is the moment when you're most vulnerable. That's why it's essential to land your first parry cleanly. Once you do that, you're good to go.

Everything hinges on getting those first few parries right. After that, the rhythm of the fight settles in, and you can maintain shields consistently. From there, it becomes a matter of repeating your rotation and staying alert to GOLGRA's attack strings.

Finally…

If you're struggling with the longer combos or the jump attack, don't worry—it takes time to get used to. Once you've seen each pattern a few times, your parry timing will improve. Focus on surviving long enough to learn those patterns. This build is designed for that exact purpose: letting you stay in the fight long enough to master the boss.

If you have better synergies or setups for this fight, experiment and adapt the build to suit your style. The important part is to find a rhythm that keeps you alive, blocks incoming damage, and deals steady parry-based damage back to GOLGRA.

Also, check our Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Review and other guides below:

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