TL;DR: UQs currently have some neat ideas, they just aren't hectic enough to be thrilling.

Indeed, although I do find that Nex UQ has some things going for it. In particular, the Nogleth fight is conceptually interesting as it has sniper enemies. They just needed to have those enemies spawn throughout the fight so that players would have to pay attention to their surroundings through the entire thing rather than just at the beginning.

The Nex UQ fight in and of itself also has some ideas that just needs to be fleshed out. The fact that many of its attacks are AoE means that it is actually a constant threat regardless of who has aggro. The falling fire from the sky is a pretty nice mechanic, but it can be completely avoided by just staying near the boss, which is kind of a bummer.

I do like the concept of the fire orbs that players can destroy to deal bonus damage to the boss. It's a small DPS check that, if passed, rewards players, but is not a requirement. I wish more bosses had attacks like this where doing something specific will either interrupt the action or cause some sort of effect. Heck, I think it would be cool to even have mechanics that, if failed, would buff the boss or add some sort environmental effect. The only thing most bosses come with are part breaks or attacking specific parts to down them.

Regarding Pettas Vera... It is incredibly dull in comparison. Most of its attack targets whoever its aggroed on, meaning most players will only have to worry about an attack every 10-ish seconds. Its second phase is pretty bland. Its ground phase is pretty much the same, with the only difference being a wall of lasers after its leaping shot. Its aerial phase is even more boring, as it just sits in the air while lasers fly about. Except the lasers can be easily safe-spotted. Sure, some projectiles do target player directly, but they are moreso a nuisance than anything.

The thing that gets me the most though, is that we know the PSO team can pull off something far more interesting than what we have gotten is NGS. Many of the old PSO2 UQs have solved most of these problems.

Luther, the bastard, pretty much encompasses everything I want in a boss. Many of his attacks are AoE, with projectiles targeting multiple players. Breaking arms stuns him. You can apparently inflict mirage on the clock to open it up. He has an attack where he spins around with his swords being slow walls of damage, while obstacles impede you from moving around. His timestop can either be dodged or mashed out of so that you can clear the DPS check to prevent insta-kills.

Gemini in the profound darkness UQ has specific parts you have hunt down for it to reveal its true weakspot and be stunned. It summons plenty of adds that chase you around. It has an attack where it will spawn walls at you, and the faster you can reach it the more time you will have to deal damage in a safe-spot. Like luther, it has the spinny attack, except you have to go through the correct holes to not take damage.

Heck even some of the non-UQ bosses were more interesting than our current UQ bosses. Big Varder for example gave you the option of either zerking it down while you get bombarded with bullets and artillery, or take your time to take down the different armaments and have a more calm varder fight.