Versos drafts walkthrough: how to clear the new end-game playground
Verso’s Drafts is the headline addition to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s Thank You Update, and it drops you into a single handcrafted playground that packs a lot of content into a short loop. The zone mixes a small funfair, a woodland combat arena, and a few memory puzzles, and almost every collectible ties back to a side scene from the main campaign. A focused run that grabs the named rewards takes roughly an hour, though a careful sweep runs longer because several pickups sit behind platforming, free-aim shots, and a hopscotch run that is easy to mis-sequence on a first pass.
The walkthrough below treats the area as one connected zone, ordered the way most players will naturally explore it. Each section lists the rewards in that pocket of the map, the trickiest movement or combat detail, and a quick note on what to do if you miss something.
Getting oriented inside the playground
After the entrance cutscene, the path slopes upward and crests into the playground. Your first anchor is the Open Playground Expedition Flag, which sits on a slight rise looking back down the slope. From the flag you can see two useful landmarks: a pair of cliff-edge encounters with new enemy types behind you, and the wooden signposts pointing toward the Gestral Baths off to the right.
Before chasing side activities, deal with the cliff-edge encounters directly behind the flag. Two new enemy types live here and both are worth learning because they return through the rest of the zone. Their mechanics also tie into a new status effect, Barbapapa, which reshapes how your party trades damage in this area.
New enemies and the Barbapapa status effect
Verso’s Drafts adds two enemy types and a stacking debuff that can drag fights out if you ignore it. The debuff is more important than either enemy on its own, because a single bad turn can stack it on multiple characters at once.
- Machinapieds: wooden mechanical beings on large wheels that swing boxing-glove style charged punches. They hit hard in a straight line and are easy to side-step once you learn the wind-up.
- Barbasucette: large bearded bipeds that wield oversized lollipops as clubs. They start defensive, summoning candy shields and buffs for allies, and only go fully offensive after you break the lollipop.
- Barbapapa: a stacking debuff that reduces the next instance of spell or attack damage by 1 per stack. With 4 stacks on a character, that character has to land 4 separate hits just to clear the debuff before dealing normal damage again.
Barbapapa is the reason random encounters here feel longer than they look. A single Barbasucette can stack it on several party members while a Machinapieds lines up a charged punch, so the working rule is to focus the lollipop-wielders first. Once the lollipop breaks, the Barbasucette switches to stomp and slam attacks, and you can manage the debuff by spreading your hits across the enemy team rather than single-targeting.
Gestral Baths: rings, hairstyles, and the Esquie statues
Heading down the slope to the right of the Open Playground flag drops you into the Gestral Baths, the most densely packed pocket in Verso’s Drafts. The area is built around tiered pools, a diving board over the water, a hopscotch court, and three Esquie statues that need to be balanced. Plan to spend most of your first visit here.
The diving board and the three rings
The diving board sits next to the larger pool with two Esquie statues. A small Gestral blocks the board and refuses to move, so the cleanest solution is a single attack that knocks the Gestral off the side into the water. With the path clear, walk to the end of the board to pick up the Esquiaro weapon for Monoco from the tip.
The real prize of the diving board is the three rings floating on the water below. Each ring rewards a unique item if you land cleanly in its center, and there is a vertical zipline against the rockface beneath the board to reset attempts quickly. The jump angles are specific, so it is not worth freestyling them.
| Ring | Best jump | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Blue ring | Drop off the right edge of the diving board | Easy |
| Yellow ring | Jump off the left edge of the board | Medium |
| Red ring | Running jump straight off the end, very slightly angled left | Hard |
After each successful landing, swim to the Gestral standing by the water’s edge near the yellow ring and talk to them to claim the reward. The zipline lets you reset and try the next ring without re-climbing the slope.
Hopscotch and the Chic Hairstyle
Just past the larger pool is the Gestral Baths Expedition Flag, with a hopscotch court drawn on the ground beside it. The mechanic mirrors a real hopscotch board: walk the tiles in ascending order from 1 to the far end, and an item spawns on the ground when you finish. For the first court that item is the Chic Hairstyle for Verso. If you step on a tile out of order, the sequence resets and you start over, so take it slowly.
Balancing the Whees and Whoos
Before you leave the baths, talk to the large Gestral wearing a lifeguard ring near the two Esquie statues in the water. He explains that the Esquie statues have changed color and need to be balanced again, a callback to the “Whee Whoo” cutscene you unlock while bonding with Esquie in the main story. Five statues are spread across the area and they need to be set to specific colors. The confirmed setup is:
- The left-most of the two statues near the lifeguard: orange.
- The other statue next to the lifeguard (closest to him): blue.
- The statue with arms in the air beneath a small waterfall up the slope: blue.
- The two statues clasping hands at the highest pool: left one blue, right one orange.
Once the colors match, return to the lifeguard Gestral to receive a Piece of Cake and the Double Bun Hairstyle for Monoco. If a statue refuses to take the color you expect, walk away and re-approach it. Some statues only register a color change after you leave their interaction range and come back.
Woodland area: hopscotch tiles, Paint Cage, and the treehouse
From the Gestral Baths flag, the slope drops into a wooded area with a fork. The left path is a gentle slope, while the right path is a precarious run across wooden planks. You can technically jump plank to plank, but sprinting straight across is faster and works reliably. The Empowered Healer Pictos sits on the ledge at the far end of the planks, so do not miss the pickup before you drop down.
Wandering enemies and their Pictos drops
For players who are still working through the main campaign and only popping into the update briefly, the most efficient short visit is the diving board plus the first hopscotch court. That route alone yields the Esquiaro, the three ring rewards, and the Chic Hairstyle in roughly ten minutes, and it is a good way to decide whether to commit to a full clear. The full list of named pickups in the playground is documented in the IGN walkthrough for the update, which matches what is in the update.
The slope below the planks is patrolled by Machinapieds, Franctale, and Licorne. Defeating specific wandering enemies in specific spots drops unique Pictos, and these are easy to miss because the enemies look like the regular mobs. The confirmed drops in this section are:
- Defeat the lone Machinapieds on the slope to receive the Longer Break Pictos.
- Defeat the wandering Franctale in the central clearing near the large gingerbread door with googly eyes to receive the SOS Healing Tint Pictos.
- Defeat the two Licorne on the raised section overlooking the large pool of water to receive the Damage Share Pictos and unlock hopscotch tile 8.
Franctale are worth a quick note: they are bipedal enemies that behave like a Gestral with a Licorne for a head. They can fire projectiles and even kick the Licorne head at your party as a separate attack, so spread your characters and focus the body. Licorne, by contrast, are turtle-like enemies that barely move until you close in, then spin, slam, and arc rainbow projectiles. They are slow, but their rainbow arcs have long range, so kite them into the open rather than fighting next to the raised section.
The broken hopscotch court
With the immediate area clear of wandering enemies, look for the second hopscotch court in the central clearing. Unlike the one at the Gestral Baths, every tile is broken and scattered, so you have to find them in the right order across the whole area. The number 1 tile sits on the steps in front of the gingerbread door, and the sequence continues around the clearing, the giant tree, and the slopes around it.
| Tile | Location |
|---|---|
| 1 | On the steps in front of the gingerbread door with googly eyes |
| 2 | Up the slope to the right of the door, first right turn |
| 3 | Across the clearing from the googly eye door, beside a tree |
| 4 | Right side of the giant white and purple tree |
| 5 | In the small alcove to the right of tile 4, with the Gradient Parry Pictos |
| 6 | Behind the giant tree |
| 7 | Down the slope behind the tree, to the right of the path |
| 8 | Hidden, revealed after defeating the two Licorne on the raised section |
| 9 | On the slope toward the Reverie Path Flag, against the first set of rocks |
Tile 5 sits in the same alcove as the Gradient Parry Pictos, so pick that up while you are there, and tile 8 is the one the public walkthrough explicitly calls hidden. After all nine tiles are stepped on in order, the Esquie tile directly beneath the giant purple tree spawns the Double Bun Hairstyle for Sciel.
Paint Cage, zipline, and treehouse
With the hairstyle collected, head left of the giant tree and up the slope where you can crouch beneath a fallen tree to reach the Paint Cage. The cage has three free-aim targets, all visible from the starting position. The first is up in the leaves of the trees behind the cage, the second is tucked in an alcove by the rocks to the left of the cage, and the third is floating high in the air between the two yellow-leaved trees to the right. Destroy all three to collect a Chroma Elixir Shard from the ground.
Crouch back under the tree and ride the vertical zipline ahead of you to a raised walkway. At the end of the walkway, use the grapple to swing across the gap into a treehouse. Inside, loop around to the right side and climb onto the raised platform with the piano. The Sucreso weapon for Verso sits behind the piano, and the roof of the house has handholds that lead to a balcony with around 42,000 Chroma. The balcony is easy to over-jump on a first attempt, so drop down to the lower roof and climb up the back of the house rather than trying to land directly on the balcony from the walkway.
Lower pool, lost toy boat, and the Reverie Path
Drop back down to the pool one level below the rings and the diving board at the Gestral Baths. Three Gestrals are huddled together on the water’s edge and will tell you that one of their toy boats was lost over the nearby waterfall. The boat itself is a small scene rather than a combat encounter, so treat it as a quiet breather between combat-heavy sections.
From the pool, the path reconnects with the Reverie Path Flag and the slope where you picked up hopscotch tile 9. By this point you should have every Pictos, weapon, hairstyle, and Paint Cage reward that the update ties to the playground, which is the natural stopping point for a first visit.
Reward checklist for Verso’s Drafts
It is easy to miss a single reward and have no idea where to backtrack, so it helps to track the full pool of pickups against what you have actually collected. The table below covers the named rewards tied to specific activities in the zone.
| Reward | Type | Where you earn it |
|---|---|---|
| Esquiaro | Weapon for Monoco | Tip of the diving board at the Gestral Baths |
| Sucreso | Weapon for Verso | Behind the piano in the treehouse |
| Slowing Attack Pictos | Pictos | On the rock behind the waterfall in the larger pool |
| Empowered Healer Pictos | Pictos | On the ledge at the end of the wooden planks |
| Longer Break Pictos | Pictos | Defeat the lone Machinapieds on the slope |
| SOS Healing Tint Pictos | Pictos | Defeat the Franctale near the gingerbread door |
| Damage Share Pictos | Pictos | Defeat the two Licorne on the raised section |
| Gradient Parry Pictos | Pictos | Alcove near hopscotch tile 5 |
| Chic Hairstyle | Hairstyle for Verso | First hopscotch court by the Gestral Baths flag |
| Double Bun Hairstyle (Monoco) | Hairstyle for Monoco | Return to the lifeguard after balancing the statues |
| Double Bun Hairstyle (Sciel) | Hairstyle for Sciel | Esquie tile under the giant purple tree after tile 9 |
| Piece of Cake | Item | Reward from the lifeguard after balancing the statues |
| Chroma Elixir Shard | Item | Inside the Paint Cage after all three targets are destroyed |
| 3 Colour of Lumina | Item | Break the large glass jar near the Licorne fight |
| ~42,000 Chroma | Currency | Balcony on the roof of the treehouse |
Common mistakes when clearing Verso’s Drafts
Most of the friction in the area comes from a small set of predictable mistakes. If something feels wrong, it is usually one of the patterns below rather than a hidden bug.
- Ignoring Barbapapa stacks. The debuff is easy to miss on the party health bar at a glance, but it is the reason a “normal” mob fight drags on. Spread damage and reset stacks by switching targets instead of single-targeting.
- Jumping freestyle at the diving board. The three ring angles are specific. The blue ring is essentially a drop, the yellow ring is a left-edge jump, and the red ring only rewards a straight running jump with a slight left lean.
- Stepping on the broken hopscotch out of order. Tile 8 only appears after the two Licorne are dead, and tile 5 sits in a small alcove that is easy to walk past on the way to tile 6. If the sequence keeps resetting, the missed tile is almost always 5 or 8.
- Forgetting to talk to the Gestral after each ring. Landing in a ring is not the reward. The reward is the dialogue with the Gestral near the yellow ring after each successful jump.
- Skipping the roof of the treehouse. The Sucreso is easy to find, but the Chroma on the balcony is not, and the handholds on the back of the house are the only reliable way up.
How long Verso’s Drafts takes to clear
A focused first run that grabs every named reward sits in the 45 to 75 minute range, with most of the variance coming from the diving board rings and the broken hopscotch sequence. The combat encounters themselves are short once you learn to handle Barbapapa, and the platforming sections are quick. The longest single task is tracking down all nine broken hopscotch tiles on a first visit, simply because the route is not obvious and tile 8 is gated behind a Licorne fight that is easy to walk past.
If you have already seen the “Whee Whoo” Esquie cutscene in the main story, the statue-color puzzle takes only a few minutes because you can match the colors from memory. If you have not, the lifeguard Gestral will explain the goal but not the specific colors, so plan to spend a few extra minutes experimenting at the two-statue pool, the waterfall statue, and the highest pool.
What to do after Verso’s Drafts
Once you have collected the last Pictos, hairstyle, and weapon, the natural next step is to revisit earlier zones with the new Barbapapa-aware tactics. Several Pictos you pick up here are best tested against the original late-game bosses, because the longer fights give Barbapapa more chances to stack. The Reverie Path Flag connects back into the broader Expedition 33 overworld, and from there you can push into any content you had not finished before the Thank You Update.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I start in Verso’s Drafts?
After the entrance cutscene, follow the linear path up the slope and crest into the playground. Your first objective marker is the Open Playground Expedition Flag, which sits on a small rise looking back down the hill. From there, the area splits into the Gestral Baths to the right and the woodland combat arena behind and below the flag.
How do I clear the Barbapapa debuff quickly?
Barbapapa reduces the next instance of spell or attack damage by 1 per stack, so the fastest way to clear it is to land many small hits on enemies rather than spending a single big skill on one target. Switch characters between turns and rotate your damage sources to keep the debuff moving instead of stacking up on a single party member.
What is the easiest way to hit the red diving ring?
Run straight off the end of the diving board and angle very slightly to the left as you leave the edge. Do not try to add extra jump inputs; the red ring only rewards a clean running jump with a tiny directional lean. Use the zipline under the board to reset without re-climbing the slope.
Where is the hidden hopscotch tile?
Tile 8 is the hidden one. It only appears after you defeat the two Licorne on the raised section of the clearing overlooking the large pool of water. Once the Licorne are dead, the tile is on the ground where they were standing and you can step on it like the rest of the sequence.
Do I have to balance the Esquie statues in a specific order?
No, the statues can be set in any order. The lifeguard Gestral only checks the final color combination when you return to him. The confirmed setup is orange and blue at the two-statue pool near him, blue at the waterfall statue up the slope, and blue on the left, orange on the right at the highest pool.
Can I miss any rewards in Verso’s Drafts?
Yes. The ring rewards only trigger if you talk to the Gestral by the yellow ring after each successful jump, the hidden hopscotch tile is gated behind the Licorne fight, the Paint Cage shard requires all three free-aim targets, and the Chroma on the treehouse roof is easy to skip if you do not climb the back of the building. Everything else stays in the world if you backtrack, so the only true miss conditions are tied to those four activities.
What level should I be to clear Verso’s Drafts?
The zone is designed as end-game content released with the Thank You Update, so a late-campaign party with current gear is the intended level. If you can clear the late-game bosses comfortably, the new enemy types in Verso’s Drafts are manageable. If you are still under-leveled, the Barbapapa stacks will compound quickly, so it is worth finishing main story progression first.
Is the Sucreso weapon worth picking up?
If you are building Verso around piano-themed flavor or you want to round out his weapon roster, yes. The Sucreso is a named weapon with its own stats and a unique appearance, and it sits in a quiet corner of the treehouse that is easy to walk past on a first visit. The Chroma on the balcony above the piano is also worth the extra climb if you are saving for upgrades.
Do the new Pictos from Verso’s Drafts stack with existing ones?
Yes. The Empowered Healer, Longer Break, SOS Healing Tint, Damage Share, Gradient Parry, and Slowing Attack Pictos all use the standard Pictos system, so they can be equipped alongside your existing setup. The most useful ones for tough fights are usually the Damage Share and Gradient Parry, because both reward precise play rather than raw stat boosts.
Can I replay the activities in Verso’s Drafts after one full clear?
The playground is a fixed end-game zone, so the activities do not reset the way some open-world collectibles do. Once you have spent the ring rewards, completed the hopscotch sequences, and balanced the statues, those pickups are gone. The enemies do respawn on a return visit, so the Pictos drops from Machinapieds, Franctale, and Licorne can be farmed if you are looking for a specific one.
