Although the impact with some bosses can be traumatic for many, the truth is that Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon It's not that difficult a game. The reason? At its core, FromSoftware's latest work is an Armored Core to the core and it is therefore possible to transform every battle into a health walk with the right configuration, as long as you understand which parts to use. Furthermore, although it is undoubtedly the most beautiful and refined chapter of the saga, it maintains many of the imbalances of its predecessors, especially regarding weapons. Today we will therefore dive into the magical ocean ofassembly, trying to select for you the most useful parts to mount on your mech (and highlighting the most powerful ones). Don't worry, after our guide you will be able to transform even the most fearsome threat of Rubicon into metal scraps.
The basics: robotic limbs for every occasion
Obviously there is no mech that can survive without limbs, so it would be appropriate to start from key parts that make up every mechanized vehicle. As in the past, also in Armored Core the various pieces belong to models with specific names with recognizable shapes, only that here the selection of some of them has become truly central to the effectiveness of certain specific configurations in battle. Before delving into the more powerful "fundamental" parts, however, we prefer to talk about the head and torso, the choice of which is often more aesthetic than functional. The reason? Their statistics do not particularly influence performance in battle and are usually related mostly to armor points (basically life points), stability, and weight. All rather automatic choices depending on what the player wants to do. However, we will list the best ones in our opinion, although there are no truly bad choices in these two categories (outside of a specific mech called "Jailbreak" which you gain possession of at the end of the game).
Let's start from the basics, the trunks: one of the best for a medium or medium-light configuration - but also suitable for builds of any other type - is the Mind Alpha. This mechanical chest has high defenses and great stats, making it a fantastic choice for pretty much the entire campaign. However, there are more solid options if you decide to use a mech that is entirely geared towards speed or endurance. Chest Firmness, for example, is a fantastic option if you want good stats that don't betray speed (but it must be said that the light chests are all very close to each other in stats), while the VE-40A he remains the top heavy option for practically the entire game due to his very high defenses. The most sublime trunk available, however, is obtained after the "liberator of Rubicon" ending, and is part of the mech called Hal. There is no medium trunk with higher specs in the game, and if you want to use a balanced mech it is almost always the most suitable choice. L'Alba, obtainable with the other ending, is aesthetically superlative (it is practically the chest of a Gundam and, in fact, Takayuki Yanase seems to have created it), but does not offer enormous advantages compared to other light chests. It remains a very solid choice, in any case. Another very good chest? L'Ephemera. He has a weird look, yet he boasts excellent stats that allow him to fit very well into a lot of builds.
the head, in our opinion, the best of the game are four: once again the Ephemera, Verril, VE-44B , Shade Eye (this can only be obtained in the second game). Even in this case, however, the choice is mainly aesthetic, and you may want to change it based on weight needs or personal preferences (including simple scanning speed, useless in PvP, but also convenient during the campaign). The options are almost all excellent.
Things get complicated, but at the same time they become much more crystalline and direct, when we move on to arms. Arms in fact, they not only have a maximum transportable weight to take into consideration (only very few carry some of the heaviest weapons in the game in pairs), but also two very important statistics: the fire specialization and the blade specialization. There are also many solid options with both high stats here, but if you want to use a build with only firearms the best arms are undoubtedly the night hunter, due to a powerful 160 in the fire specialization. It's a stat that increases aim tracking and maximizes accuracy, so any other option is inferior. If you then want to use a rare (but very strong if well thought out) melee build, the only choice is the arms basho. Aesthetically they are a bit backwards, yet their damage multiplier for short-range weapons is devastating. VP-46D e Firmness instead they are perfect balanced options. All the heavier ones, unfortunately, lack multipliers and precision, so there are no stratospheric choices if you want heavy cannons in both hands (the Tian Qiang here they do their dirty work).
legs things get even more complicated, because their choice obviously depends on your movement preference and how much weight they can carry. However, each type of leg has at least one choice that is superior to the others, and it is worth taking them into consideration... Among the light and medium legs, those with the best mix of statistics seem to be the VP-422 and basho, at least until you get the excellent ones Hal also in this field (which however are heavier and allow you to move less quickly). If you want to sacrifice a bit of defense and speed, but gain extreme mobility, the Spring Chicken they are the smartest choice for almost the entire campaign (they also carry enormous weight), but the best legs with inverted joints are the Mind Beta obtained further. With regard to and tetrapods, each choice is effective and depends on weight; to maintain decent mobility we personally recommend the VP-424, despite the inferior defense. For i tank instead it depends on the build: le Fortaleza they are literally the strongest legs in PvP according to many, due to the high transportable weight and the very high speed on the ground (you can use them in literally almost any combination, it doesn't matter if it focuses on long or short distances). The VE-42B, on the other hand, are very slow, but can stay in the air indefinitely with the right generators, so they are useful in builds that want to maintain maximum verticality for a long time. We recommend the Fortaleza without hesitation, however; they will get you out of trouble even against some of the more problematic bosses.
Sui generators you have to be careful, also because of the particular types. In fact, you should know that these have a statistic called "parameter energy weapons", which is in effect a multiplier for energy weapons and causes them to do much more damage (be careful, this does not apply to melee weapons and plasma missiles); with mechs that use instruments of death of this type , therefore, the best generator is always the VE-20C, which has this stat at 128 and a respectable energy load. The VE-20B, which even has it at 150, sadly has very little output, and is therefore only usable in melee builds that use effective laser weapons at low energy cost. Strong, but very situational, therefore. If you don't care much about energy weapons, you can use a instead VP-20C or San-Tai, both equipped with very valid statistics. The Ling-Tai It has an incredible cooldown, but its energy limitations make it only usable in very few builds. The two too Coral generators they have their dirt because, but be careful, they have practically no recharge: here the trick is to use them until the bar is consumed, because after a few seconds they immediately return almost all the energy indicator. It allows you to keep your mech in the air for a long time, and is useful for those who know how to calculate the timing of the offensive well.
As far as the FCS, instead, choose only based on the ideal attack distance of your weapons. The higher the assist value from that distance, the better your shot tracking. There are many combinations, and it's difficult to go wrong.
We close the paragraph with engines, even if here the most suitable choices are in our opinion quite clear. The alula they are generally the most mobile choice for any light or medium build, but are replaceable with i Fluegel for greater vertical thrust (not particularly useful if you have legs with reverse joints); for heavy mechs, instead, focus on Gills or BC-0600, so as not to have excessive delay when dodging. The best thrusters are generally the I AM 001 (due to their very fast dodging), however they consume a lot of energy and are obtained after a while. The Kikaku it has terrible data, but an exceptional boost with melee weapons: you can cancel the initial movement animation of some lightsabers to have a "free" dodge with this reactor, only it is not the case to use it with other strategies.
The "broken" weapons of Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon
Before moving on to the best weapons by type, it is worth talking about the most notoriously unbalanced ones. Be warned, FromSoftware rebalances its games sensitively from time to time, and it wouldn't surprise us if Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon was also tweaked for PVP in the future. Currently, however, some weapons are tremendously more effective than others, and it didn't take the community long to point them out.
The most devastating of all? A heavy shotgun called Zimmerman. Equipped with a range that is far too high for such a weapon, very high damage and the ability to stun anything with just a few hits, the Zimmer is the most unbalanced weapon because it has the efficiency of a melee weapon without any of its weaknesses (starting from the fact that it doesn't leave anyone exposed after the attack). Two Zimmers in pairs devastate everything: accompany them with shoulder weapons with good damage multipliers to a stunned enemy and you will eliminate all the opponents in the game quickly, without exceptions. Just below, then, there are the Gatling DF-GA-08 Hu-Ben: their damage is infinitely superior to any other machine gun, they stun effectively, and they crush bosses. Hopefully FromSoftware improves the other submachine guns to at least compete, because at the moment there is practically no reason to use anything other than a gatling among automatic weapons with kinetic damage (aside from bullet savings and weight).
With regard to melee weapons, the two most devastating are undoubtedly the laser lance VE-67LLA, and the Pile Bunker ASHMEAD. The former is also very strong in PvP, stuns with a charge, does excellent damage, and manages to be devastating against bosses. The second, on the other hand, is very risky against human players, but devastating due to the damage of its charged attack against bosses. Using them in combination (but you must have unlocked the shoulder hold, be careful), allows you to kill some of the most resistant enemies in the campaign in less than a minute.
For the shoulders? Don't worry, and go straight for the grenade launchers SONGBIRD. They remain the best for practically the entire title thanks to the excellent mix of damage and stun, and they are also precise. Comparable to them, in terms of damage, there are only the VE-60SNA nail launcher which are unlocked at the end of chapter 3, but are heavier on average and require more calculated builds. Even light nail launchers Thunder They're fantastic, but you'll only unlock those in the third game, so don't count them at the beginning.
Nothing of the metal is thrown away
The fact that there are absurd combinations of weapons does not mean that the rest should be thrown away. Of course, two gatlings or Zimmerman accompanied by two Songbirds finish 90% of the game almost for free, yet there is no shortage of combinations that are even more efficient in certain missions, or capable of containing these beasts in PvP. The laser weapons, for example, are extremely undervalued, primarily because many do not take the damage multiplier offered by generators. The paradox? The most effective laser weapons are the first to be unlocked simply by finishing the tutorials. The laser guns VP-66LH they do huge damage at medium range, fire in bursts, cool down quickly, and are generally a godsend both in missions and against bosses. Of course, they only really shine once you increase the laser damage multiplier in the OS system, but we assure you that they have little to envy of other weapons. Keep in mind that they are to be used by shooting in bursts and not by charging the shot: if you want to use a more considered tactic, the best laser weapons are the Nebula cannon, Or the KRSV (yes, the Karasawa of this title); their charged shots are devastating, but they have few projectiles and a certain reload time once overheated. Be careful with the Karasawa, as it is an incredibly heavy and wasteful weapon, and only certain tetrapod, heavy or tank builds can use it sensibly. Honorable mention for two early stage weapons: the pulse pistol HI-16 it is generally horrible, but very useful for beating the boss Balteus as it dissolves his energy shields in a second; The Vvc-760PR It's a fantastic plasma rifle for both that boss and the entire first game, so there's no point leaving it in the shop. The Wuerger it is another gem to consider, moreover, because loaded in the right hand it launches a sort of laser punch that can be used in combination with the VE-67LLA laser lance mentioned above (you can even load it during the attack animation of the latter); practically a must for a PvP melee build.
With regard to shoulder weapons, the basic laser cannon VP-60LCS he's another excellent underrated choice: he shoots at great speed, his charged shot hurts like hell, and it's a sharp shot that also works in online matches. Our favorite shoulder laser weapon remains the same Vvc-700LD, as this is the Armored Core equivalent of Gundam's Funnels. Sling a couple of them over your shoulder, let them go, and watch them blast lasers at even the fastest enemies with ease. Their tracking is exceptional, they apply great pressure, and in a mech that amplifies the laser damage properly is truly devastating.
On explosive weapons, apart from the SONGBIRDs, we prefer to focus on missiles, given that they are generally very efficient. The best missile launchers for hands are the APERITIF, while the shoulder ones in our opinion i SOUP, but they only unlock after a while. With an SCF with good missile tracking, however, there are many excellent alternative options. Our favorite besides the ones mentioned? The very solid ones BML-G2/P05MLT, practically always functional.
Returning to kinetic damage, nothing comes close to Zimmers and gatlings, but some valid alternatives still exist. For John Wick robotic cosplayers le Duckett they are excellent pistols with an honest ideal distance. You can even use a four-shotgun build, shouldering two Sweet Sixteen or two Haldeman; They're not on the level of the Zimmermans, but combined with them they're still delusional. For the initial stages of the campaign the Ludlow they are honest and will save you from many problems, whereas the linear rifle CURTIS it's a passable substitute for laser weapons (especially if you charge shots), at least until you get some good generators. Special mention for the flamethrower Bad-Cook: deals fire damage that does not stun, but destroys enemies very quickly; the flames also cover a considerable area, difficult to avoid even in PvP. Using a couple of them often allows you to obtain unexpected results.
And the coral weapons? Well, those are some of the most powerful in the game and without particularly high energy requirements. Be careful though, they do coral damage, not energy, so they don't earn from generators. Their use is mainly linked to your build and they do not always surpass laser weapons, although they sometimes have some of the most brutal special attacks in the game. The rifle WLT 011, for example, fires a manually controllable energy beam that can catch many players by surprise; The final sword of Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, however, (obtained by completing all the mission logs), has a charged attack that hits everything at a distance of 200 meters and is devastating in three-on-three matches. It's certainly not something to be underestimated.
That should be everything. As you can see, there is no shortage of possibilities in the game, and even without considering the most "broken" weapons it is possible to complete the campaign three times by customizing your robot down to the smallest detail. Making your life easier, however, is never a shame, especially if you consider how spectacular the best builds of FromSoftware's title are to look at. After all, the point of Armored Core is to build the mech of your dreams and use it to smash everything, right? Play however you like, and we hope that our advice has been useful to you.
