Once you reach Act 2 of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and leave Old Lumiere, you'll have to decide which Axon enemy you want to fight first before going on to try to destroy the Paintress. Players will have the option to fight either Visages or Sirene, two main Axon bosses located on different islands accessible in Act 2. You'll have to fight both of them eventually if you want to advance the main story, and while both bosses pose a unique challenge, there's a recommended order to take them on in of difficulty level.

WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR ACT 2 OF CLAIR OBSCUR: EXPEDITION 33!Sirene and Visages are two Act 2 main bosses in Clair Obscur that you'll have no choice but to defeat if you want to continue forward with the story. If you're paying attention to the party banter between characters after leaving Old Lumiere, Verso will recommend taking down the "easier" Axon, Visages, while Sciel will advise the party to take down the more difficult Axon, Sirene. However, this is up for debate as both enemies pose their own unique challenges, and will require the same level of preparation either way.

What Happens If You Fight Visages First In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Visages Can Be Weakened By Defeating The Masks In Each Vale

While supposedly Visages is the "easier" Axon, the boss will still be a challenge if you are under-prepared or haven't upgraded your weapons and/or set up your characters with adequate Lumina ives. It's highly recommended that you explore each side path and defeat the masks in all three Vales before taking on Visages. There are three side areas that will make the fight against Visages easier: the Sadness Vale, Joyous Vale, and Anger Vale. Each of these areas has a unique "mask" mini-boss: the Sorrowful Chapelier, Jovial Moissonneuse, and Seething Boucheclier, respectively.

Defeating each of these masks has an effect on Visages' second phase, the Mask Keeper. Beating each Vale boss will limit the Mask Keeper's ability to summon the masks, which would otherwise provide it with buffs that make the encounter much more difficult. If you take on Visages first, and you're at a relatively low level still, it's a good idea to take out these side bosses first. You'll benefit from the additional XP and loot from each mini-boss on top of having an easier go against Visages.

The order in which you fight Sirene and Visages has no major impact on the narrative outcome and is strictly a matter of preference that should be based on your playstyle and/or skill-level.

Going to Visages first also means you won't have access to the loot from Sirene, which will be useful against Visages, but there isn't anything that is absolutely essential for the fight. On the flip side of this, fighting Visages first gives you some excellent weapons in Clair Obscur that will come in handy against Sirene, such as Confuso and Chapelim. You can also get some amazing offensive Pictos, including Double Burn, Confident Fighter, Glass Cannon, and Immaculate.

What Happens If You Fight Sirene First In Clair Obscur

Sirene Drops Both Tisseron & Energising Turn

Sirene might be considered the tougher enemy of the two, but this largely depends on your level of preparedness and party strategy. Sirene is more than manageable if you have a decent kill the Tisseur before entering the final boss fight. Similar to Visages, this will limit Sirene's available attacks during the later stages of the fight, and she will not be able to summon the Tisseur for .

Further, defeating the Tisseur will give you the Anti-CharmPictos that has an essential ive effect for the fight against Sirene. She will attempt to Charm your party often, and this Pictos will prevent that entirely, nullifying her most dangerous moves. Defeating Sirene first means you will have the Tisseron for Sciel, which is arguably her best mid-to-late-game weapon option. You'll also get the Energising Turn Pictos, which I'd recommend slotting as a Lumina ive on all your characters.

The Sirene area itself might pose more of a challenge than Visages because of the enemy and side-boss difficulty levels. There is one required mini-boss, Glissando, who is preventing you from entering the boss arena. Glissando can be tough if you don't defeat the Tisseur and equip Anti-Charm on your party, and its Enchant skill can be extremely annoying without the ive to prevent Charm effects. And while Tisseur is technically an optional boss, you really need the Anti-Charm Pictos if you're under-leveled against both Glissando and Sirene.

You Should Fight Visages First In Clair Obscur

Both Enemies Pose Challenges, But Visages Will Prepare You For Sirene If Under-Leveled

Ultimately, you can go either way when it comes to fighting Visages or Sirene first, and the order you do so should largely depend on your skill level. If you haven't been exploring side areas and have been sticking to the main questline, I highly recommend doing Visages first because the area enemies are slightly easier and you'll be able to earn a ton of XP, pick up some great loot, and pump up your Lumina numbers so you're properly prepared for the Visages fight and then the Sirene area afterward.

While the Burn-related gear from the Visages area will make the fight against Tisseur in Sirene much easier, the two required bosses (Glissando and Sirene) are not particularly weak to Fire damage. However, Burn is typically an effective damage dealer against enemies regardless of their resistances or weaknesses, primarily because you can deal massive amounts of damage based on the number of Burn stacks accumulated on an enemy.

If you're confident in your party build and have a good grasp on the combat mechanics (i.e., you can parry and dodge pretty well), Sirene is probably a better bet to take down first. There's a larger amount of loot in Sirene that is useful in a wider range of situations, and overall you'll benefit more from the ive effects from the Pictos in the Sirene area than you will from Visages, depending on your strategy, of course. Visages and the Mask Keeper will also be considerably easier with all the extra gear from the Sirene area.

Overall, there is no right or wrong choice when it comes to fighting Visages or Sirene first, but it should be based on whether you've been exploring the side content or simply following the main quest. Sirene will be considerably harder than Visages if you haven't leveled up your weapons or unlocked and equipped a decent number of Lumina ives. Visages is typically the best bet for anyone strictly following the main path in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, while both bosses and areas will be manageable if you've fully explored the side content along the way.