[PSO2:NGS] Soloing Halvaldi Vera Really, Really is A Big Mistake ft. Bow Braver

Although the whole fight is kinda enjoyable to a degree when you got in the groove, you'll soon realize that it was all for naught.
Hey, hey, ARKS. We're back again. For this week of NGS November content, Halvadi Vera joins the hall of "Why SEGA?", taking its stage at the floating island to the northeast of Luf Maquad. With the promise of hot dank Melekh weapons and a slim chance of Flugelgard, it's time for us to login and do the dirty yet again.
However, spawning Halvaldi Vera is an absolute pain in the ass. You need to kill the only TWO existing Dread/Veteran bosses in this area: Eldi Scythe and Sand Curio at a minimum of one kill upward to FOUR kills in order to signal Halvald Vera to appear. And, travel half the map to it despite having Wapr Saucer to ease the movement. This alternate version is literally a fucking Urgent/Emergency Quest tier boss for solo, but probably another sandbag for a 32-man room due to the scaling and how annoying its added mechanics can be.
Did I also forgot to mention that bosses in this area can drop Dread Scales as a pity toward Melekh exchange? Yeah...
If you use to fight the Duel Quest version, this is one is a lot worse. As a person that kill it with and without the bow bug, I am perplexed. With higher HP pool, fragile ring bits to cuck exposed weak points, and many sudden attacks to catch you off guard, you're in for the ride.
Just... don't solo it. The reward is kinda shit and too day-dreaming. Having people blasting this lil' shit into oblivion in under 6-7 minutes is A LOT better, trust me. I guess I might not be changing my weapons soon... Adios~

[@AA-fp7md]

I take it this more aggressive than the duel version. You bow skills is always a treat to watch c: I started playing bow more now coz of your vidz

[@mongrelshadow14]

Bow is such a pretty weapon to watch. :3

[@jrcoool]

That was clean! Man... can't wait to farm this thing. Question, you think the Melik Bow potential is better than Vermelch? At least with Slayer as a sub?

[@Argus_PSO2]

Truthfully speaking, Melik should be better than Verschmelz due to not having damage penalty and provides a lot of Crit Rate as long as you keep your HP higher than 50%. A trade off between consistency and spike in the fight.
HOWEVER, to answer whether Melik is worth your investment or not, we probably have to look at a few possible scenarios that you will find yourself in. Generally:
1) Your gear setup is full damage at 163% (or so) without any huge investment in floor damage, putting it close at 50%:
- If Fixa Termina on your Verschmelz is just Level 1, using Slayer subclass with No Fixa Melik Bow is instantly better.
- If Fixa Termina on your Verschmelz is Level 2 or higher, the Fixa Termina requirement on your Melik Bow will be "one level less w/ Slayer sub class" and "equal level w/o Slayer subclass".
2) You can invest in Octos Armor variants (Red/Blue for PP+HP) and augment them with BEST augments available to hit 74%++ floor damage with resonable damage %, which can be VERY expensive depending on how you approach it:
- Slayer sub with plain Melik Bow is as good as Verchmelz w/ Termina level 3
- Not using slayer sub will instead demand at least level 1 Termina on your Melik Bow.
It sounds convoluted as well due to the relation between Crit Rate and Floor Damage in this game. Still, the core concept is that "if you didn't invest that much in Verschmelz, it's ok to grab a Melik, sub Slayer, and would do fine; better with Fixa Termina 1 or more."
There will be time that you would have to go Bouncer sub because of its Part Break bonus skill. The TL:DR to pick is "if the boss allow 3 part breaks +necessary Down timing, go Bouncer or else go Slayer". Consistent damage application often wins tbh.
Alternatives like going Abundac also work due to having better conditional damage compared to other existing Fixa, but the sheer complication in designing your gear to fulfill its condition would drive you insane... along side the cost.

[@jrcoool]

@Argus_PSO2 many thanks for the answer. Sadly I don't have a Versmelch, so... my best option would be a Fatale 1 from the shop. My max Potency with Neos Astrean Gunblade (for comparison sake) I reach 134% Potency.
As for floor potency, I'm around 68-69%, but since farming for Meliks involves Veterans, I guess I could eventually farm for Grand Dread Keeper. Well, I'll deal with the augments eventually. Many thanks Argus!

[@shadowlazers]

I lack these skills..but agree..bow has glamorous animations..the15%potency ro pa.z without agro makes it alot more viable for us mortals

[@AzariusR]

I wish i could return back to my glory days of using bow, but unfortunately the skill ceiling is just too high for me to maintain for now XD

[@natsunakusunagi9214]

ahh yes, more malding content from argus