Nero Fest 2019 - Exhibition V: The Last Supper (Leonardo da Vinci)

• Da Vinci-chan has prepared a devilish puzzle for Masters to solve!  As a Universal Genius, this means trolling us mere mortals with one of the more complex Challenge Quests to date.

• The crux of the fight is a balancing act between prioritizing targets based on their level of danger, their various nasty debuffs and controlling all of their NP Gauges so that the team can stay safe.  

• The goal is to clear the entire fight of all enemies, simply rushing Da Vinci will not end the fight. 

• Each of Da Vinci’s minions will enter the field with their own special gimmick, usually a debuff that is inflicted the moment they are attacked. 

• While each debuff only applies on the first attack to one of Da Vinci’s minions, these mobs can spend an action to reapply their debuff-on-being-attacked buff.

• In addition, Da Vinci herself will function like a passive NP battery to the team, in between launching her NP Uomo Universale. Each turn she will generally use her action to either charge the entire team’s NP Gauges by 1 or a target minion’s NP Gauge by 2.

• Furthermore, especially if one minion died that turn, she can cast her Pioneer of the Stars and apply a 3-turn Invincibility Pierce to herself. Considering Uomo Universale also Pierces Defense - this is extremely deadly. 

• Thankfully each successful attack will reduce any enemy’s NP Gauge by one, Masters can focus any target to clear out their NP Charging, and theoretically prevent Da Vinci from ever casting her NP.

• Yet, if Masters damage Da Vinci too much, her various support buffs are greatly strengthened granting additional powerful buffs or extra healing, in addition to the nasty full teamwide NP Charge she does on Break.

• The ideal theoretical strategy is thus to burst down the pets one at a time while keeping an eye on Da Vinci’s NP Bar, and using either basic attacks, NP drains, or hard disables like Stuns or NP seals to prevent Da Vinci from launching her NP entirely or have her launch it whenever protection is available (and her Pierce Invincibility isn’t up). 

Gameplay Tips

• Some debuffs are more damaging than others, and the frequency of debuffs is so high that debuff cleansing and Debuff Immunity come at a very high premium. Extremely dangerous debuffs can be bypassed entirely.

• Some of the debuffs can be resisted!

• Killing each minion in one hit will not prevent their debuffs from being applied, but buff removal does work (provided the mob does not die much like in the Hassan Challenge from last year).

• Teamwide Evasion/Invincibility are extremely powerful here as Da Vinci will NP very often. With this protection Masters can keep up with the incoming horde of minions without having to attack Da Vinci every 2-3 turns. 

• Masters must also sustain their team throughout the fight, a fight which can easily last 30+ minutes. Healing and additional survival skills are highly recommended.

• It's preferable to keep Da Vinci on her first Break Bar as long as possible.  Not only will Da Vinci NP on Break, but one of her buff effects it to bestow Ignore Invincible or Attack Up.  This is especially problematic on minions who deal AoE damage.

• Only try to attack(with the weakest attacks) Da Vinci when no other option is available to stall her NP (or if a Master is prepared to deal with her Instant NP). Stuns, Charms, NP Seals, NP Drains and Buff Removal are extremely useful for this. 

• Support Servants without the Event CE are ideal for dealing weak attacks to Da Vinci to lower her NP Gauge.

• When the time comes to break Da Vinci's Break Bar, try to time it for when she already has a full NP Bar; despite the drain she will automatically fill her NP gauge and NP.

• Essentially, for most composition, the key to success is sustaining the team while grinding down minions. As such, who is picked as the mains DPS isn't as important as selecting the supports who will keep the team alive. 
• BB is the one exception. She can both supply the Extra-class Damage, the healing, the Debuff Immunity/cleansing, NP charging and even the stalling that this fight is well suited for. In addition, her Arts synergy is exceptional.
• Either way, Arts teams greatly support all the defensive support options and most strong Arts Servants can work reliably as the DPS to 2 Arts supports. Vlad, Altria (Archer), Nero (Bride), Chloe, Robin Hood, but also any Servants with 3 Arts cards such as Sanzang or David. 
• Support-wise, Teamwide Invincibility/Evasion is incredibly powerful with Jeanne d'Arc being very powerful especially, only having to charge her NP versus Merlin's cooldowns. Rerun Update: Skadi and Altria Caster are new additions that also fill this role extremely well, and are very much worth bringing along if available. Altria Caster has the bonus of being able to protect the party even if Da Vinci has an Ignore Invincibility buff active.
• Supports such as Tamamo No Mae and Waver are also very powerful, helping to NP Charge the supports and stalling the fight further with their sustain. 
• Furthermore, the more stalling a Servant has, the easier it is to outlast a Da Vinci who buffed herself with Invincibility Pierce. Servants with Stuns/NP Drains/etc. such as Jeanne d'Arc, BB, Amakusa, Vlad and Sherlock.
• Debuff Immunity DPS, such as Sherlock, Arjuna and Martha (Ruler) also perform admirably, as they can bypass especially dangerous debuffs that would cripple other Servants. 
• Yet, special gimmicks aren't always necessary, Servants with high damage to most classes such as Berserkers and Extra class Servants are great as well, especially if they have some hard survival of their own.
• AoE Servants can be used, but be careful with how often they use their NP. Be prepared to break Da Vinci a bit earlier and manage her improved skills. In return, Masters can clear faster as well as clear multiple enemies much easier.
• Lastly, Taunt Servants can be used to good effect in combination with the Chaldea Combat Uniform - especially to take care of especially annoying debuffs. Chevalier d'Eon's debuff protection proving extra valuable.
• In terms of Mystic Code, the Chaldea Combat Uniform can help to stall for more time via its stun, while the Atlas Academy Uniform is more useful if a Master relies on skill-based teamwide protection. Yet, even the Chaldea Mystic Code is powerful, as it does provide a high amount of targetable sustain to protect against enemy focus fire. 

Unfortunately, not really. Technically, yes, it can be soloed. But it requires a lot of luck in the enemy activations, potential resists and on what Da Vinci does. It will require so many attempts on average that trying it is really not recommended. 

• Both Cu Chulainn (Alter) and Sherlock can "technically" do it, although with grails and/or NP Upgrades.
• Some of the mobs have to be timed exactly right, for example the buff removal on the Chimera or even the Skill Sealing on the first Old Gear (slows down rotation)
• In addition, if Da Vinci triggers her Invincibility Pierce at the wrong moment or charges the wrong enemies, the timings will no longer fit. 
• Furthermore, some damage benchmarks are extremely tight or critical required, causing further RNG.
• Basically, even new Masters are better off trying a sustain-heavy composition by relying on a (borrowed) Jeanne, Altria Caster, Merlin or BB. 

Note that these videos are not affiliated with GamePress, but showcase some lineups that are effective in clearing the final challenge. These can serve as a good reference for how to rotate skills during this quest or simply to have a look at the encounter before diving in.

• BB/Jeanne d'Arc/Merlin Set-up with the Atlas Academy Uniform - very safe and a very good look at all the mechanics involved (and how BB avoids them)
• Mash/David/Merlin Set-up with Atlas Academy Uniform - Includes at least 1 reset, but it's a safe replicable composition
• (AoE Example) - Arjuna/Jeanne d'Arc/Merlin composition with Chaldea Combat Uniform
• (Insanity) Cu Chulainn (Alter) Solo (lvl 100, NP1, 10/10/10) with Atlas Academy Uniform (Super, extremely RNG-heavy)
• (Elementary My Dear; Highly Recommended Viewing) - Sherlock Holmes Solo (lvl 100, NP5, 10/10/10) with Chaldea Mystic Code (Extremely RNG-heavy as well)
• (Non-Evasion/Invincibility Comp) Hans/Mash/BB/Medea Lily/Bedivere /Ibaraki - For a different flavour and how to avoid Da Vinci NPs without tanking an NP - not recommended.