The first encounter with Renoir in Paintress Land is notoriously brutal, as he swiftly decimates most of your team. Facing him again offers a chance to retaliate, but this fight demands careful preparation since Renoir lacks an obvious weakness. The key strategy revolves around applying the Burn status effect consistently throughout the battle. Building a team that can exploit Burn will be essential.
Maelle is a crucial character for this fight, ideally initiating attacks with abilities like Spark or Rain of Fire to inflict Burn early. Alternatively, Lune can handle some offensive duties and provide healing support, especially if she has the Revive skill. However, her powerful attack, Mayhem, requires buildup time, which may be risky given the fight’s intensity. Sciel offers a good balance by using Dark Harvest to sustain the party’s health while supporting Burn application. Verso is also a strong choice, capable of marking Renoir effectively and, with the right skills absorbed, delivering high damage when Renoir is vulnerable.
If any team member has low Agility, consider using a Recoat to boost it, as Renoir attacking twice in a row can be devastating.
Key Tactics to Defeat Renoir
Renoir’s most dangerous move involves making a character disappear permanently, which can disrupt your team’s strategy significantly. This attack is Chromatic, meaning it can be countered effectively by timing a parry just before Renoir lands his jump, followed by a Gradient Counter triggered by the audio cue.
Most of Renoir’s other attacks are straightforward but hit hard, requiring precise timing to dodge. He frequently unleashes waves of Chroma energy that can wipe out the whole team. Watch for visual signals and wait for Chroma to condense before dodging or parrying. His larger airborne Chroma attack involves multiple blasts; the first two can be dodged normally, but the third is Chromatic and demands careful timing.
His melee combo is tricky due to unusual timing, but it’s safer to dodge through it rather than attempt a risky parry.
When Renoir’s health drops to about half, he summons two “petals” that restore his health after a few turns. If your damage output is strong, especially with Sciel on your team, try to destroy both petals. Otherwise, focus on taking out one to reduce the healing Renoir receives.
If the fight extends further, Renoir will call forth three giant masks that shoot energy beams at your party. Their attack pattern involves tilting twice before firing, with each mask firing twice individually and then all together as a final blast. The dodge timing is manageable, but ideally, the battle should end before this phase.
Rewards and Aftermath
Defeating Renoir rewards you with a substantial amount of Chroma, experience points, and the Melarum sword for Maelle. This victory marks a significant milestone in your journey through Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.