The Halikar - Time For A Revisit

[FelisImpurrator]

So I'm pretty sure most people who have picked this weapon up and used it for any serious length of time knows that it feels weak and underwhelming, and even by throwing melee standards is just not great... which is strange, isn't it? It has higher base stats than the Kestrel and its effect is a(n explosive) pocket Loki that scales with status chance. Free Disarm anywhere, with some homing to help track pesky fast enemies, and decent damage should by all rights make this a great weapon.

 

Unfortunately, as I've mentioned in another thread - and I'll probably just be pasting the laundry list from there - well, the problem with the Halikar is that it's one of the most insanely buggy weapons I've ever seen in the game, in every way that actually matters for its viability.

 

(From my previous post)

The important ones:

It deals half damage on throw.

Its explosion is completely broken and only cosmetic - manual detonation, Power Throw, you name it.

Homing is broken, generally prioritizing the weakest target (instead of, say, the strongest, or simply the closest to your reticle - the thing will often either not correct its aim at all, or turn almost 90 degrees away from a bombard to punch out the lancer a few meters to the left. Also, you know, a jet powered mace seeking targets by their strength makes absolutely no sense. That, and it goes after sentinels and cryopods, and ruins headshots.)

 

On paper, Halikar is a great weapon and potentially immensely fun. In practice, it's a hot mess of glitches with an almost uniformly counterproductive homing mechanism. Apparently, these haven't been addressed... possibly since the weapon's release. Cerata, the Puncture Glaive, is coming one day, and if things stay like this it's going to make the Halikar even more obsolete - but its existence means the throwing melee class is absolutely not meant to be forgotten, and in light of that, they really should get around to making this weapon shine... and the best way to start is by making sure it actually works as intended. Come on, DE, show us a proper Halikar. I'm itching to open up this particular can of maces.

[Nira]

Agreed. I don't usually sell weapons once I've crafted them, but I actually couldn't find a single reason to keep the Halikar.

 

Just seems another one of those weapons that DE releases, tweaks a bit in the following few days, and then forgets about indefinitely.

[MagPrime]

I agree.  I liked the concept of the Halikar when I built it but lost interest quickly when I realized how much help this weapon needed.

[R34LM]

Agreed. I don't usually sell weapons once I've crafted them, but I actually couldn't find a single reason to keep the Halikar.

 

Just seems another one of those weapons that DE releases, tweaks a bit in the following few days, and then forgets about indefinitely.

 

Because it's the "on to the next new thing" mentality.

[FelisImpurrator]

Agreed. I don't usually sell weapons once I've crafted them, but I actually couldn't find a single reason to keep the Halikar.

I agree.  I liked the concept of the Halikar when I built it but lost interest quickly when I realized how much help this weapon needed.

I still kept mine... and potatoed it, because I had the slot and still refuse to give up on this thing. (Besides, it's a really awesome cosplay prop.)

 

Honestly, I'm hoping the constant clamor for new shinies all day every day calms down at some point so older weapons like this can finally get the fixes they need. Especially in this case, where the thing isn't even weak on paper - wiki says its disarm chance scales with status, I can get it to 42% with minimal building effort, this weapon should be excellent and as fun to use in practice as it is on theory. I can't imagine what would be hard to fix, either, besides the homing code... since the other bugs pertain to things that work perfectly well on other thrown melee.

[(PSN)MrNishi]

Halikur has a wf# in-line for getting a fix.

Was a PS4 Council Chat topic, when I was trying to get a response for diminished melee hitbox range.

The Explosion and reduced throw damage was what was mentioned as needing to be fixed for the Halikur.

(As for the homing issue, I considered it to be a quick of the weapon.....but aforementioned bugs made it a bad 'thrown' weapon aside from the occasional disarm. I'll ask to see if Homing will receive an adjustment.)

I'll see if someone can get a more official 'Chime in' with regards to Halikur fix.

[FelisImpurrator]

Halikur has a wf# in-line for getting a fix.

Was a PS4 Council Chat topic, when I was trying to get a response for diminished melee hitbox range.

The Explosion and reduced throw damage was what was mentioned as needing to be fixed for the Halikur.

(As for the homing issue, I considered it to be a quick of the weapon.....but aforementioned bugs made it a bad 'thrown' weapon aside from the occasional disarm. I'll ask to see if Homing will receive an adjustment.)

I'll see if someone can get a more official 'Chime in' with regards to Halikur fix.

PRAISE THE LOTUS, MY FAVORITE TERRIBLE WEAPON LIVES.

[HAYABU5A]

halikar is the only weapon i have ever regretted putting a catalyst on..

 

its suppose to be a rocket powered mace 

 

u know what would make it awesome ? if it homed to a enemy on every 'bounce'

so basically a multi hit thrown melee that ping pongs (like how slash dash multi hits) with 100% impact proc on hit

so youd build it the opposite of glaive to increase the bounces and no explosion 

[Insizer]

The saddest part of the Halikar's issue is that the fix is really simple... get rid of homing.

[FelisImpurrator]

halikar is the only weapon i have ever regretted putting a catalyst on..

 

its suppose to be a rocket powered mace 

 

u know what would make it awesome ? if it homed to a enemy on every 'bounce'

so basically a multi hit thrown melee that ping pongs (like how slash dash multi hits) with 100% impact proc on hit

so youd build it the opposite of glaive to increase the bounces and no explosion 

Oh, hell yes. THAT would be fun. Except instead of the impact (it's a puncture weapon), it still just has a chance to proc disarm. On every hit.

 

[50% disarm chance Rebound Halikar]

 

Then again, it would probably be OP at that point, even if it does give Rebound a reason to exist.

The saddest part of the Halikar's issue is that the fix is really simple... get rid of homing.

See, I don't like "fixes" that remove flavor. Making it like all the others but with disarm would do exactly that.

 

I don't see why the homing couldn't work. It just has to seek out heads like Deconstructor... and hit what you aim it at, not veer off 90 degrees just to hit the weakest enemy in the pack. If I want to disarm a Corrupted Bombard it had damned well better disarm the bombard, not hit a random butcher. If it can do that, homing is no issue.

[Insizer]

See, I don't like "fixes" that remove flavor. Making it like all the others but with disarm would do exactly that.

 

I don't see why the homing couldn't work. It just has to seek out heads like Deconstructor... and hit what you aim it at, not veer off 90 degrees just to hit the weakest enemy in the pack. If I want to disarm a Corrupted Bombard it had damned well better disarm the bombard, not hit a random butcher. If it can do that, homing is no issue.

I was just saying that the simplest and least buggy way to fix it would just be to scrap the feature all together. The weapon already has potential and flavor, but it is ruined by the fact that it won't hit what you want. Homing could work, but I think DE has other things they would like to focus on developing.

[FelisImpurrator]

I was just saying that the simplest and least buggy way to fix it would just be to scrap the feature all together. The weapon already has potential and flavor, but it is ruined by the fact that it won't hit what you want. Homing could work, but I think DE has other things they would like to focus on developing.

True, although why can't we get the Deconstructor effect of scoring a bunch of accurate headshots if that weapon can do it?

 

I wouldn't mind a TEMPORARY removal, though. Just until they had time to fix it.

[S0V3REiGN]

I tried it the other day got the status to 51% IIRC and tried it with mirage in Draco. It was interesting but ultimately not very good.

[(PSN)Snowbluff]

You're right.

 

Buff Glaive Prime.

[FelisImpurrator]

I tried it the other day got the status to 51% IIRC and tried it with mirage in Draco. It was interesting but ultimately not very good.

That's probably because it's horribly broken. A Wiki commenter mentioned that it felt as though the disarm wasn't proccing as often... so there is at LEAST a chance that even the disarm is not working as intended anymore, and that it got bugged even harder somehow.

You're right.

 

Buff Glaive Prime.

wat

[Paradoxbomb]

I haven't built the Halikar myself but what I hear about it I strongly doubt there's any reason to do so at present. Although it sounds like all they need to do is fix the home-in so that it's based on proximity rather than health, and press out the bugs.

[FelisImpurrator]

I haven't built the Halikar myself but what I hear about it I strongly doubt there's any reason to do so at present. Although it sounds like all they need to do is fix the home-in so that it's based on proximity rather than health, and press out the bugs.

Exactly. On paper, it's amazing. Who doesn't like the idea of having Disarm wherever, whenever you need it, on specific targets you need disarmed, plus an explosion for annihilating Nullifiers straight through their bubbles? Possibly an explosion that can proc disarm, too, but I have NO idea what's supposed to be intended there. Although it would be OP if it did that.

[Rorgal_Sina]

I used the Halikar as master fodder, and it performed better than I expected...

 

But it still needs help.

 

I like the overall speed (though bye bye coptering), the homing "sometimes" helped, can still blow up like Glaive Prime, Astral Twilight is still amazing, but its damage just doesn't cut it. This applies to all glaivish weapons.

 

Since I knew it didn't always disarm, I rarely used that. It somehow helped though when doing it randomly.

[FelisImpurrator]

I like the overall speed (though bye bye coptering), the homing "sometimes" helped, can still blow up like Glaive Prime, Astral Twilight is still amazing, but its damage just doesn't cut it. This applies to all glaivish weapons.

 

Since I knew it didn't always disarm, I rarely used that. It somehow helped though when doing it randomly.

Actually, the explosion is one of the things that flat out doesn't work. Which is sad.

 

I also don't have Astral Twilight because it's expensive. Honestly, I agree with one aspect of the damage issue - namely, that throwing melee is crap as actual melee, and only really great when used as reusable bouncy grenades. Same goes for Redeemer, its blade is apparently too blunt to cut anything.

 

Disarm chance should scale with status, according to wiki. In theory, it should disarm half the time with a full rainbow build. If it doesn't, that's one more for the unholy bugtrain that is its existence.

[RahuHordika]

To be completely honest I think the Halikar would be better off as being a fully functional support tool rather than a straight-up killing tool, that means that to me the damage is fine but is in dire need of some utility buffs.

On top of my head the changes would be:

Fixing the interaction bugs (punchtrough, hitting targets and whatnot).

Make it guarantee an impact proc everytime it hits a target.

Make the disarm guaranteed (or raise it to a very high chance, with possible 100% achievable through mods).

In the end it won't even be close to being as effective as RD when disarming enemies, but at least it puts it to good use rather than being just another damage dealer with a bit of extra flair on it or being half and half and essentially bad overall. That's just how I see it.

[FelisImpurrator]

To be completely honest I think the Halikar would be better off as being a fully functional support tool rather than a straight-up killing tool, that means that to me the damage is fine but is in dire need of some utility buffs.

On top of my head the changes would be:

Fixing the interaction bugs (punchtrough, hitting targets and whatnot).

Make it guarantee an impact proc everytime it hits a target.

Make the disarm guaranteed (or raise it to a very high chance, with possible 100% achievable through mods).

In the end it won't even be close to being as effective as RD when disarming enemies, but at least it puts it to good use rather than being just another damage dealer with a bit of extra flair on it or being half and half and essentially bad overall. That's just how I see it.

Interesting, except for one thing - the Halikar is still a puncture weapon. Impact proc wouldn't make sense. DE already designated the Kestrel as the impact throwing melee, so that would be strange. Although I do want to see a disarm proc chance that can reach 100% with the right mods, because putting that on a Rebound build would be absolutely hilarious.

Edited July 22, 2015 by FelisImpurrator

[yles9056]

I own Halikar for a long time, and I really hope it can at least deal full damage on throw.

[RahuHordika]

Interesting, except for one thing - the Halikar is still a puncture weapon. Impact proc wouldn't make sense. DE already designated the Kestrel as the impact throwing melee, so that would be strange.

Well to be fair it's a jet hammer you're throwing hard enough to knock people's guns off their hands, the Kestrel ragdolls foes so it really wouldn't compete with the Halikar that would just stagger them at best, it isn't really from the damage type standpoint but from the effect one.

[Insizer]

True, although why can't we get the Deconstructor effect of scoring a bunch of accurate headshots if that weapon can do it?

 

I wouldn't mind a TEMPORARY removal, though. Just until they had time to fix it.

It is not that simple. The Deconstructor's AI actually targets an enemy, then shoots at it. We however do not actually target anything when shooting or throwing really. Normally we just throw a thrown melee in a direction, "hoping" that it hits an enemy. To the game, we are effectively shooting blind. The Halikar is different because it tries to target an enemy without our input and fails miserably.

Edited July 22, 2015 by Insizer

[FelisImpurrator]

It is not that simple. The Deconstructor's AI actually targets an enemy, then shoots at it. We however do not actually target anything when shooting or throwing really. Normally we just throw a thrown melee in a direction, "hoping" that it hits an enemy. To the game, we are effectively shooting blind. The Halikar is different because it tries to target an enemy without our input and fails miserably.

Point. Although, the principle of 'aiming' at an enemy and throwing something at its head should at least be translatable in the most basic sense, shouldn't it? The Halikar seems to be coded to aim for center mass, but in a weird way that causes it to seek weaker targets. It should at least be possible to make it so that the part the Halikar locks onto is the head.. but the more important part is still getting it to hit the enemy closest to the reticle.

 

I have heard that some abilities like Rip Line have some tracking capacity like that. Shuriken definitely has homing, and while it's buggy, it's not quite as buggy as Halikar - those might be decent places to start on a QoL.