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The Buds are Giant neurons that you come across in The Suspended Ocean, the second section of Act I of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Their key mechanic: they swallow one of your characters to make them unplayable in the middle of combat. To get them back, you must to break the bud by filling out his Fracture gauge.

Where are the Bourgeons in Clair Obscur Expedition 33?

The first Bud is located in the’Suspended Ocean, right below the flag Street of Light. He is also the one who triggers a side quest proposed by the Little Bud, posted at the’west of the area.

Location of a Bud at the bottom of the "Rue de Lumière" flag in the "Océan Suspendu de Clair Obscur" (Expedition 33) — Bourgeon at the bottom of the flag Rue de Lumière, Océan Suspendu, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ©Alexandre for Alucare.fr

The Next buds are hidden on the world map. To find them quickly, explore with Esquie and lean on the interactive map available on IGN. On this map:

Bottom left: the red markers with a skull Several Bourgeons have reported this.
Top right: a red marker with a skull on it indicates the last bud.

Map of the Buds' locations in Clair Obscur Expedition 33, with skull markers — Location of Les Bourgeons on the map IGN of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ©Alexandre for Alucare.fr

How to Beat the Bourgeons in Clair Obscur Expedition 33

The first Bud of the’Suspended Ocean serves as a learning experience. All Bourgeons share the same basic mechanics; only their basic weaknesses vary from one battle to the next. Here's what you can expect:

The first thing he does is to’swallow one of your characters, which becomes unplayable until the Fracture.
You can pick it up at filling the Fracture gauge the Bud with appropriate attacks.
Le Bourgeon is on a roll with 3- or 4-shot combos focused on a single character.
If the fight goes on too long, it may to take on a second role, so don't hang around.
The one from the’Suspended Ocean is low at’lightning element.

Your top priority is to Free the swallowed character as quickly as possible. Focus all your attacks on the Fracture gauge rather than on health points. Skills that affect several times or that target weak spots cause this gauge to rise much more quickly.

Once the Fractured bud, you get your ally back and can finish the fight without risking losing another one.

Little Bud Side Quest

By defeating the Bud of the’Suspended Ocean, you get a Bud skin. This object is used to close a side quest located at the’west of the area, in Act I.

While you're there, you run into a Little Bud who is asking you for the Bud skin to grow and become Big Bud.

A small bud to face in the western part of the Act I map in Clair Obscur Expedition 33 — Petit Bourgeon, west of the Act I map in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ©Alexandre for Alucare.fr

Once he's grown up, you can come back deal with it later to get the latest news awards useful for your progress in this role-playing game released in 2025 on PC, PlayStation and Xbox Series. For more information, check out our Guides on the boss and on Pictos and Luminas of the game.