Astral Ascent x Expedition 33: What’s New
A free crossover update adds three bosses, six character summons, three special rooms and more Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 content to Astral Ascent.
Astral Ascent’s new crossover with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 brings characters, foes and locations from the turn-based RPG into its fast-moving, side-scrolling roguelite. Released on October 8, 2026, the update offers more than familiar characters. Players can take on bosses with distinct mechanics, use summons to shape their runs and visit new rooms that offer extra choices before the final battle.
The update is free, but its content is locked until you complete Astral Ascent on its standard difficulty, Destiny Level 0.
The crossover gives longtime players fresh ways to revisit the Prison and try different builds. Those still working toward their first win have another goal to aim for.
Here’s a closer look at everything in the Astral Ascent x Expedition 33 crossover, how it works and what to know before you begin.
The patch is rolling out via the supported storefronts for the game. Players should verify the update status of their platform in case the new content isn’t immediately available.
One distinction to be aware of is that this is a crossover update for Astral Ascent, not a completely separate Expedition 33 game mode or an entirely new standalone expansion that needs to be purchased. Its new bosses, rooms and summons are layered upon Astral Ascent’s existing run-based system.
How to Unlock the Expedition 33 Content
The cross-over is free, but new players cannot access it immediately.
You have to beat the final boss of the game on the base difficulty, named Destiny Level 0. Should you have already completed that challenge, then you will be able to access the cross-over content without having to make another purchase.
If you haven’t completed a run yet, play through the main game first instead of looking for a separate Crossover Quest or paid DLC.
That need also provides a natural place for the update in Astral Ascent’s flow. The game assumes players already know how to play its combat system, spells, upgrades, and bosses, by the time they meet these new fights. Once you’ve unlocked the content, go to DLC & Additional Content Download Content to see what you have/haven’t unlocked & how to access anything you haven’t. The developers included this menu as part of the update, thus you can more easily see unlock conditions without having to guess.
All Three New Expedition 33 Bosses
Three new bosses have been added to the game: Golgra, the Mime and Pétank. Each of them has mechanics that require a different strategy, so players shouldn’t approach these fights like they would regular enemies with predictable attack patterns.
1. Golgra: Be Wary of the Second Phase
While Golgra starts out placid, the second phase of the fight is where things get really hairy. Her kicks become more lethal and Gestral allies enter the fray.
The key is the shift in pressure between the two phases. Someone who gets comfortable during the first part of the fight might suddenly find themselves with more things to dodge and less time to react.
Traveler’s tip: Don’t assume that the first phase of a fight is the hardest part of the fight. Focus on Golgra’s movements, leave yourself room to respond to incoming attacks, and be ready to change your positioning once the Gestrals arrive.
Players who favor aggressive close-quarters combat should be especially wary of committing to long attack sequences without considering their escape routes.
The official announcement highlights the second phase as the part of the fight where the kicks and the Gestrals become particularly dangerous. The announcement doesn’t give specific damage values or timings, so it’s probably safer to learn the fight from its visual cues than to trust unconfirmed numbers.
2. The Mime Two Enemies, One Priority
The The Mime fight One of this crossover’s most interesting mechanics is presented in the Mime encounter.
Hammers, nails and walls are involved in the battle, but the key tactical fact is that you need to kill the two Mimes nearly simultaneously.
The surviving Mime can Resurrect its partner if the other Mime is killed and the remaining Mime lives for too long.
That means gaming the usual single multi-enemy fight. Killing one as fast as possible may actually prolong the fight, because the other one can still bring it back to life.
For a practical tip: Monitor both Mimes’ health throughout the fight. Don’t focus your damage on just one, instead try to get them both down and finish ’em up in a couple of minutes.
Area attacks or abilities that can hit both enemies are useful for this, if you have them. You may have to be more selective if your dps is heavily focused on one target.
The important part of the lesson is just this: Maintain the health disparity between the two foes. This is a fight where target management is as important as dodge.
3. Pétank – Warm Up For Some Movement, Projectiles And Explosions
Pétank is rather different. The boss initially flees, then starts attacking with projectiles, clones and massive explosions.
It’s not a question of simply chasing the prey. You also have to know when the fight transitions from moving and chasing to a more dangerous attacking routine.
Charging blindly forward without observing the area, it also means you can end up under-damped by projectiles or explosions. Conversely, too much bonding time spent in reactive mode may tend to make it difficult to keep up the damage pressure.
Pro tip: Focus on staying alive as you’re learning Pétank’s attack patterns. Track the path of projectiles, don’t stand in harmful areas with explosives in motion, and take advantage of opportunities to inflict damage instead of constantly chasing.
If a clone somehow makes the fight more difficult to understand, step back and figure out what you’re facing before you try and kill something.
You will be tested in different ways by the three bosses: Golgra is concerned with surviving indeed a phase change, the Mime rewards coordinated use of damage and Pétank is about moving and reacting to movement and area of effect attacks.
Why the Room Choice is Important
Astral Ascent is a game about repeated runs, evolving builds, and choices that matter. The new room selection system fits this structure, integrating the crossover into the run itself instead of being a separate menu-based activity.
For those primarily focused on experiencing the collaboration, the Expedition 33 option should be selected whenever it appears. The other option, which allows players to pursue their normal path or return to the Andromeda Bar, will still be available.
Since the room is randomly generated, players can’t expect that one restart will automatically show them all locations in the same order.
The three locations also provide a change of scenery for players who are used to Astral Ascent’s current environments. Lumière and Gestral Village add recognisable elements of Expedition 33 to the Prison, while the Campfire is where players can summon one of the unique characters from the crossover.
A Guide to All Six Expedition 33 Summons
The six new summons are some of the most exciting parts of the update, as they are not just appearances of familiar characters. Each of the summons has a unique mechanic that can influence how a run plays out.
Gustave: Support and Damage Together
Gustave has multiple uses. He can heal or amp your DPS, lay a down strike with you, and then dash… So you need to wait Gustave to spring, attack and jump back, and again.
That combination makes him at least worthy of a look if you’re craving a summon that can help both survival and offensive pressure. His allure doesn’t end in a single point in a battle: the above skills give him a few choices of support.
However, the official description doesn’t provide specific statistics for the amount of healing, cooldowns, or the damage. Consider Gustave as a need to have jack of all trades support and damage option rather than he strongest summon no matter what is your build.
Maelle: Manage Your Stance
Maelle’s gameplay revolves around the amount of life you have left. She shifts stance based on your HP, and taking a stance for long enough grants you a bonus Strike.
That’s why your health status plays a part in the evolution her ability. People who get hammered a lot may find their pace shifting in the middle of a fight, and people whose health curve is a bit smoother may find it easier to build around a particular stance.
The real question was can you use her stance mechanic during your run. See the stance react to your health and don’t just think of the summon as flat/auto damage.
Lune: Elemental Attacks That Work With Your Build Lune: Elemental Attacks That Work With Your Build
Lune will also inflict elemental spells depending on your build and set up for an elemental explosion.
Her prototyping is design-focused, and so her builds matter. Do not judge her by a single attack’s look, think about if her elemental perks work well with the spells and upgrades you already own.
Lune is the natural summon to test out if you are experimenting with a particular elemental combo. The official statement does not include an exhaustive damage list per every different build, so it’s too early to say she’ll be better overall than other picks.
Verso: Good Incentives for High-Precision, High-Risk Play Rewarding high precision risk play in Verso
The Verso gauge increases as you hit enemies, and decreases whenever you get hit. He comes with a predefined attack malus, but high ranks provide a huge attack bonus.
This establishes a simple risk-reward system. His rank is built up by your constant offence, and can be torn down by your blunders.
People who are good at learning boss patterns might find caring for Verso challenging as it requires more than just dps to maintain your rank. You also need to Manage getting hit enough that you aren’t. If you are having trouble with a specific boss, going for Verso can make you focus more on your defensive movement. The Potential Reward for him depends on your performance for the fight.
Monoco: The Less Predictable Option
Monoco also chooses a random card in the range of six. Each card a different type of summon monster.
Rather than a summon that revolves on one plainly-defined effect Monoco creates its variation through the card draw This may entertain people that like playing in the moment given they’ll need to keep changing plans around the random; still less easy to plan for a particular outcome.
If you want to prioritize consistency, you should ask yourself if this kind of uncertainty is really compatible with your style. If you love tinkering and watching how different effects play with your build, Monoco will give you another kind of trip.
What Summon Should You Pick?
Does not exist a certain and universal ranking for the six summons. Their gameplay mechanics imply different motivations to try them out, and therefore, the best summon depends on your play style, your build and your ability to effectively use each effect.
A reasonable first pass is to select according to the mechanic you wish to play with:
- Choose Gustave for a blend of healing and offense.
- Play Maelle if you want to handle a stance attached to health.
- Pick Sciel to play around with card effects.
- Lune can even be used to reinforce an elemental build.
Verso sounds like a good choice—if you can avoid taking damage while attacking. Choose Monoco for variable summon results.
Since you may take only one Expedition ally per run, you’ll have to make several trips to play all six to their fullest.
Two New Music Tracks and an Esquie Hug
The two music tracks are also added in the crossover. These are admittedly smaller additions than the boss and summons, but they were enough to help flesh out the collab and incorporate a little more of Expedition 33’s identity into Astral Ascent.
There is also a very simple interaction to the fans: players can give Esquie a hug.
It’s a minor-system in the game and not a major gameplay system, but it imparts a well known character moment to update that is otherwise focused on combat and the run progression.
Keep Track of Unlocks with the New Menu
The update adds a new DLC & Additional Content submenu. It reveals the content you have unlocked and what you need to unlock for more content.
This is a quality-of-life fix for a game that’s been steadily patched and updated with content over the years. Rather than having to completely rely on their memory or go to an external guide, players will have somewhere in the game to track their progress.
If a crossover feature does not appear, ensure that you have met its criteria in the menu before assuming that the update did not install.
For people who are familiar with the game, this menu is also helpful beyond the Expedition 33 collab, since it hints at making additional content unlocks more transparent.
Is the Astral Ascent x Expedition 33 Update Hughable to Play?
Returning Astral Ascent players are the ones who have the greatest incentive to return with new boss mechanics and six different summons. The bosses create unique combat encounters, while the summons incentivize players to try different playstyles through multiple runs.
The new rooms also diversify the path leading to the final boss, but they too are random with a one-per-run rule that means players won’t be able to see everything in just one try.
The free price also makes the update a no-brainer for owners who have already played through the base game.
There’s no separate crossover purchase to factor in against the sheer quantity of content.
New players will want to bear the unlock requirement in mind. If you have not done Destiny Level 0, you need to complete the main marathon to get started with the collaboration.
The update is most enticing in case you really like reloading Astral Ascent to learn encounters, polish builds and play content that changes from run to run. It’s not as helpful to treat it as a short, linear story expansion with all locations available upfront.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Astral Ascent x Expedition 33 update is free?
Yes, the crossover update released on the 8th of October, 2026 and is available for free for those who owned Astral Ascent.
How can I unlock the Expedition 33 content?
In Astral Ascent, you need to beat it in standard mode, Destiny Level 0. Then, the crossover content unlocks.
How many new bosses?
golgra, the mimes, pétank (three exclusive crossover bosses). Each has different mechanics.
How many new summons can I get?
Six Expedition 33 characters to choose from for special summons: Gustave, Maelle, Sciel, Lune, Verso and Monoco. You can pick only one of these per run, or something like that.
Can I play all three new rooms in a single run?
Not really. One of two new rooms will randomly appear before the final boss (you go for either the Expedition 33 content or the Andromeda Bar) You don’t get to make the choice of upgrade, or take the other one will come back later in that run.
What platforms are available for the update?
The announced platforms are PC (via Steam, Humble, Epic Games Store and GOG), PS4, PS5, and Switch (original).
Is Boss Rush coming with the crossover update?
No, Boss Rush is a standalone upcoming feature. Boss Rush, however, is an upcoming separate feature. The developers have shared early mockups, but the final mode and release date remain to be determined.