You might’ve noticed among all the giant hammer-wielding, blade-swinging, death-dealing hate-puppets out there in the Paintress’ domain that there’s one enemy that absolutely, positively, categorically does not want the smoke from you at any point. And that’s these little cracked orbs on legs that take off like they’re trying to win the Boston marathon when you get within striking range.
They’re called Petanks, undoubtedly named after the classic French game where you try to get your balls as close as possible to get the best score.
Read More: Should You Attack Jar In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33?
You might be wondering if and how exactly to catch and compromise these little bastards to a permanent end, and we’re here to tell you that you can and you will, long as you know what you’re up against.
1. The chase
2. The battle
The chase
So, obviously, the main problem is actually getting the damn things to stop moving long enough to actually catch, since they take off when you’re just inside attack range. Clair Obscur ain’t Plague Tale, though; there’s no stealthy way to get this done. What you’re actually trying to do with these guys is herd them onto a very specific metal plate nearby glowing the same color as the Petank.
Read More: A Beginner’s Guide To Mastering Lune In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
That metal spot will freeze them in place long enough to attack. However, that plate can be further away than you think, so if you see a Petank, before you even think of getting this show on the road, clear out every enemy wandering the immediate area. They’ll never put the plate outside of one of the cramped connective doors/spaces/hallways/corridors in the world, so you just need to clean up in proximity. You’ll likely discover the plate while wandering around, just keep its location in mind.
When the coast is clear, you’re not so much trying to chase the Petank onto the plate as herd it there. Petanks have a fixed route/grid they’ll run in, with specific stopping points. Your job is to simply run them down those lines towards the plate. Once they’re on there, get all healed up, and get ready for a fight.
The battle
When a battle starts with these guys, your first instinct might be to Free Aim at the big glowy weakspot in the center of the orb. That would be a waste of AP; it’s not a weakspot. And you definitely don’t have AP to waste: With only two exceptions, you have three turns total to beat this thing, after which it’ll flee and you’ll need to either rest at a flag or reload a save to bring it back.
Read MOre: A Beginner’s Guide To Mastering Gustave In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
In addition, each Petank you find has its own specific gimmick/strategy involved. And sure, you can go ahead and try and suss that out with some trial and error. Or, you can just go through this handy list we made for you right here because, idk, we love you or something.
- Ancient Sanctuary Petank (Act I): Starts shielded, gains 6 shields each turn, 9 on turn 3
- Esquie’s Nest Petank (Act I): High defense; must be broken to do real damage
- Stone Wave Cliffs Petank (Act I): Summons Nevrons each turn; only takes damage when no other enemies are on the field
- Forgotten Battlefield Petank (Act II): Applies Exhaust (no AP gained)
- Sirene Petank (Act II): Must be killed within 2 turns
- Monolith Petank (Act II): Extremely slow, but extremely high defense, cannot Break.
In addition, there’s a secret Chromatic Petank on the eastern part of the Overworld/Continent maps that you can only get to once Esquie learns how to fly. His gimmick is that he summons other Petanks, and if they’re allowed to escape, they heal the Chromatic one. That fight is rough, ngl.
Still, once you know the gimmick, it’s just a matter of doing the damage, which you have a lot of leeway to figure out with your current loadout.
Read More: 8 Things To Know Before Starting Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
The reward for all your hard work is typically a nice combo pack of Colours of Lumina or Chroma Catalysts, the stuff the Curator needs to upgrade your weaponry and give your team more Lumina points. Considering how tough it is to come by that stuff out in the world, especially at higher levels, yeah, this little detour is almost always worth it.
.