Updated October 15, 2026: Hibernian Workshop's free Astral Ascent collaboration with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 went live October 8. The useful question is not simply which characters appear, but when a run offers the detour and what you give up to take it.
How to reach the crossover
First, clear a run on Destiny Level 0. In later runs, the developer's October 11 notes say the crossover can appear once per run at the ninth room of a random world, as an alternative to Andromeda's Bar. Choose the crossover route there; the earlier launch post described its timing differently, so the newer notes are the better guide if you are looking for the entrance.
That branch leads to one of three Expedition 33 boss encounters: a pair of Mimes that can recover when one is left standing, Pétank with changing offensive and defensive patterns, or Golgra, whose fight grows more aggressive after she loses half her health. The draw is a new decision inside an existing run, not a separate campaign or a replacement for the base game's progression.
One ally, three choices, six possible recruits
Win the crossover fight and you can visit the Campfire. Three of the six possible Expedition 33 companions are offered on that run, and you pick one. You can also buy Healing Shards and upgrade an Aura there, according to the developer's notes. This makes the detour a build choice: the boss is the price of reaching a new support option.
The six allies do not work alike. Gustave offers healing and attacks alongside you; Maelle changes stance with your health; Verso rewards landing hits but loses rank when you take damage. Lune's spells respond to elemental affinity, while Sciel and Monoco use different card-based effects. Because only three appear in a given run, there is no guaranteed menu of all six at the Campfire.
For players deciding whether to take the branch, the practical question is what their current build needs. A run short on staying power may value Gustave's healing more than another damage option; a clean, aggressive run may make Verso's rising rank tempting. Those are build judgments, not promises that any ally will trivialize a boss.
What is free, and what remains separate
Hibernian Workshop says the crossover is free and unlocks after that first Destiny Level 0 clear. Its October 8 announcement also mentions a new menu showing unlocked DLC and additional content; that menu is a way to check access, not a requirement to buy this collaboration. The studio separately teased a future Boss Rush mode, but that is not part of the live crossover and has no firm release date in the announcement.
We have not treated the update as a review or claimed to have played it. The details above come from the developer's October 8 announcement and October 11 follow-up notes. For more XP takes on action games built around learning a system, see our looks at Streets of Rage 4's recoverable health and Shovel Knight's changing jump.
