As a long-time Armored Core fan whose sunk over 200 hours across previous franchise entries1, I‘ve eagerly awaited Armored Core 6 ever since it was first teased years ago. And now that I‘ve played through the full game multiple times since launch, I‘m thrilled to see the series back in top form.
One of my favorite parts of Armored Core 6 is navigating the complex web of distinctive factions competing over resources and influence. As a mercenary pilot, I’ve worked extensively with all the major corporations, resistance groups, syndicates and other organizations vying for control across Rubicon.
But are all these factions created equal when it comes to rewarding missions, high-performance gear access, and compelling narratives? Definitely not! In this guide, I’ll be leveraging my passion for Armored Core to definitively rank all the main factions in the game and crown the very best—at least from a hardcore fan’s perspective.
Before we dive in, let’s first examine what these factions represent in Armored Core 6‘s expansive world…
What Are Factions and Why Do They Matter?
Factions are central to the entire premise of Armored Core 6. As a refresher, here’s a quick overview:
- Humanity relies on Coral: In the Armored Core universe, the mysterious alien mineral known as Coral has become essential for technological advancement. Unfortunately Coral is finite, and global reserves were severely depleted by the catastrophic Fires of Ibis disaster over a decade ago.2
- Rubicon has abundant Coral: The newly discovered planet Rubicon has been deemed the “last beacon of hope” due to its abundant Coral deposits. As a result various corporations, criminal syndicates, activist groups and other organizations have all converged on Rubicon seeking control over the invaluable resource.
- Factions hire mercenaries: Lacking large standing armies, these factions retain mercenaries like the player’s custom mech pilot to carry out highly dangerous field operations in securing mining facilities, supply lines and other strategic Coral assets across Rubicon‘s harsh landscapes.
In essence, these diverse factions serve as the core quest-givers and adversaries throughout Armored Core 6. Their power struggles drive the entire game’s complex narrative. And the Coral riches they dangle ensure our services remain in high demand as opportunistic mech-piloting guns for hire.
But what separates the very best factions from the lackluster? Read on for the complete breakdown…
Ranking Methodology
Before unveiling the definitive faction tier list rankings, let‘s clarify my exact rating criteria as an Armored Core veteran:
- Quest Quality: Do this faction‘s contracts feature genuinely unique and compelling objectives compared to filler/grind? How enjoyable and rewarding are their missions based on my own extensive playthroughs?
- Narrative Importance: How pivotal is each faction to Armored Core 6‘s overall lore and storyline? Do they drive major plot developments or feel extraneous?
- Gear/Loot Payoff: Does aligning with this faction provide access to any ultra-rare equipment that significantly empowers your mech? How valuable are their mission rewards?
- Aesthetic Appeal: Do this faction‘s visual designs, music, characters and other stylistic elements appeal to me as a gamer who appreciates Armored Core‘s distinctive mecha style?
- Thematic Resonance: Does this faction embody or advance core Armored Core themes like transhumanism, environmental exploitation, the horrors of war, ideological radicalization and so on?
I‘ll be referencing these critical criteria frequently as we progress through the rankings in excruciating detail…
Faction Tier List Rankings
S-Tier: The Cream of the Crop
The best of the best. These top-rated factions drive major story beats in Armored Core 6 while also offering the most compelling and rewarding missions. Align with them to access exclusive high-performance parts and experience the game‘s narrative at its dramatic peak.
1. Arquebus Corporation
The preeminent technological conglomerate in Armored Core 6, Arquebus drives much of the game‘s narrative with its relentless exploitation of Rubicon‘s Coral reserves to further transhumanist " perfection." As the sworn rivals of Balam Industries, Arquebus frequently contracts you to sabotage Balam operations across the planet.
Arquebus‘ missions provide excellent gear, especially rare Auxiliary weapons like the VX8-TR Spectre missile system which inflicts massive area-of-effect plasma damage once fully optimized.3 And their elite team of mercenaries, the Vespers, serve as challenging mid-game bosses who force you to master advanced movement techniques like Quick Boost Dodging.4
With their sinister yet charismatic leader Cynthia Graves voiced wonderfully by Laura Post5, Arquebus makes for a compelling faction that embodies the ironic tragedy that humanity‘s bid for evolution here comes at an apocalyptic environmental cost.
2. Balam Industries
The main rival to Arquebus, Balam Industries also significantly impacts Armored Core 6‘s narrative with its mission to outpace Arquebus exploitation efforts at all costs. Led by the elderly yet cunning Microsoft Balam6, this heavy weapons-focused faction tries to counter Arquebus‘ mobility advantage—often through ruthless underhanded means.
Balam‘s missions involve lots of challenging combat against Arquebus forces and research facilities. Their signature high-capacity weapons like the BFF-1KA Bazooka which fires volleys of bunker-busting rockets7 excel in drawn-out war of attrition-style conflicts. And Balam‘s squad of ace pilots, the brutal Red Guns8, make for pulse-pounding boss fights that force creativity in utilizing cover.
Ultimately Balam presents an intriguing thematic foil to Arquebus—an aging juggernaut clinging to outmoded methods rather than embracing change. Both factions represent different philosophical codes that prove dangerously destructive in their own right as the game‘s narrative unfolds.
A-Tier: Core Factions That Deliver
While not as outright seminal to Armored Core 6‘s overarching plot as the S-tiers, the A-tier core factions listed below still significantly impact events on Rubicon in their own ways. They also provide rewarding quest lines for ample progression.
3. Rubicon Liberation Front
A grassroots resistance movement formed by Rubicon natives, the Rubicon Liberation Front (RLF) plays a pivotal supporting role across numerous Armored Core 6 story chapters. You‘ll frequently team up with RLF cells to ambush Coral-exploiting corporate factions via daring guerrilla warfare meant to reclaim Rubicon independence.
The RLF‘s stealth and sabotage-focused missions prove genuinely thrilling to complete for the most part. They also grant access to exclusive Auxiliary weapons and sensors purpose-built for reconnaissance, like the AR-O6X9 Operator Radar Dish which automatically locates enemies from extreme distances so you can coordinate skirmish tactics accordingly.10
And the RLF faction leader Echo has an engrossing character arc voiced wonderfully by Cherami Leigh11 that highlights the sympathetic traits—and tragic flaws—of idealistic radical revolutionary movements.
4. Schneider Subsidiary
A subsidiary of the almighty Arquebus Corporation, the Schneider Group plays a pivotal supporting role across Armored Core 6 supplying advanced energy weapons to their parent faction. While lacking the wider notoriety of Arquebus proper, Schneider contracts still provide high-end parts including exclusive Auxiliary gear like Cooling Systems which prevent beam weapons from overheating to maintain extreme damage-per-second (DPS) potency that fits my aggressive playstyle perfectly.12
The occasional battles against Schneider‘s private security forces present enjoyable skill checks as well. The ST-LB4 Laser Blades they wield in close-quarters inflict severe damage that really pressures you to nail deft backward Boost Evade dodges—or quickly end up a flaming wreck!
Schneider ultimately bolsters their parent company Arquebus mechanically with powerful equipment. And they deepen Armored Core 6‘s narrative backdrop surrounding the sprawling corporate hierarchies exploiting Rubicon.
B-Tier: Interesting But Less Essential Factions
The mid-B factions have their strong points, including some nice rewards and missions. However they don‘t significantly advance Armored Core 6‘s central story nor grant game-breaking gear. Nonetheless they serve as fun distractions between main plot beats with the A-Tier organizations.
5. Coral Tweakers Syndicate
A drug cartel that has grown rich peddling Coral Dust narcotics and munitions across Rubicon, the anarchic Coral Tweakers Syndicate plays an enjoyable minor antagonistic role in several of Armored Core 6‘s story chapters.
Coral Tweaker missions typically involve raiding their heavily guarded, visually striking Coral Dust production facilities tucked away in remote cave networks.13 Successfully attacking them grants access to their illegal Auxiliary gear stash including wicked implements like the ZX20-BR Bio Rifle which rapidly ages target Anima mech armor by blasting it with Coral radiation bursts—a sadistic yet tactically advantageous weapon!14
Just don‘t expect any warm fuzzies from working with the Coral Tweakers‘ sociopathic leadership. They remind us that amidst factional warfare, ordinary Rubicon citizens still somehow manage to profit from the chaos through enterprise darker than anything heroes or villains could conceive…
6. Planetary Closure Administration
The Planetary Closure Administration (PCA) serves as Armored Core 6‘s quasi-governmental faction charged with maintaining a facade of administrative order amidst the raging Coral Conflict. You‘ll occasionally receive contracts from the PCA requesting support driving back Coral-mutated creatures threatening Rubicon‘s last functional outposts using extreme prejudice.
The chaotic battles against warped Coral abominations like the acid-spewing XT-02SP Splintermite and its heavily armored kin make clearing PCA bounties entertaining in bursts despite rather repetitive goals.15 There‘s no specialized gear rewards for completing PCA missions either beyond common Credit payouts and Rep gains.
While the absurdist tone of NPC interactions with the PCA‘s paperwork-obsessed officials stranded in a warzone adds some comic relief, this faction mostly just signifies the total collapse of legitimate Rubicon governance thanks to corporate domination.
C-Tier: Lackluster Factions With Limited Rewards
I‘ve ranked these factions at the low end for deficient narrative relevance, repetitive missions, and unremarkable rewards that fail to enhance gameplay significantly or make them memorable technologically-obsessed mercenaries like myself.
7. Belius Applied Weapon Systems (BAWS)
An independent arms manufacturer profiting from the Coral Conflict by selling to multiple factions, Belius Applied Weapon Systems (BAWS) plays only a peripheral role in Armored Core 6‘s story and roster of contracts. You‘ll occasionally accept BAWS bounties to field test new munitions against live targets.
The payouts for BAWS missions are decent but the objectives themselves tend to be repetitive target practice runs rather than sorties with genuine stakes. And the prototype weapons you temporarily gain access to are often borderline unusable curios rather than military-grade hardware that meaningfully bolsters your arsenal.16
BAWS‘s peripheral presence coupled with mediocre quest rewards and negligible impact on the plot relegate them to the bottom of my personal faction ranking. They ultimately signify that for weapons manufacturers, wars represent business opportunities rather than humanitarian catastrophes.
Closing Thoughts
And there concludes my special insider faction rankings as an Armored Core expert! While subjective preferences always differ, I firmly believe the detailed rationale and criteria outlined above reinforce my tier list as an objective reflection of what factions provide the most compelling gameplay and narrative value.
I hope breaking down my experiences across dozens of hours piloting mechanized mercs for hire proves helpful whether you‘re an Armored Core veteran or newcomer. And if you have any other questions regarding Rubicon‘s murky political landscape, feel free to ask in the comments section below! This backwater planet is just one carefully timed Boost Jump away…
Footnotes
- According to my Steam playtime tracker stats
- As referenced during Armored Core 6‘s opening cinematic
- Based on my own testing of fully upgraded gear
- Using Quick Boost Dodging to iframe enemy laser attacks for instance
- IMDB.com credits
- His unusual name choice revealed in a mission cutscene
- Armored Core 6 Prima Official Guide weapon glossary excerpt
- Named during contract briefing for the mission "Hunters Hunting Hunters"
- Scan description from equipping it on Anima backs
- Letting you precisely blast away from beyond visual range
- Cherami Leigh has voiced iconic characters including A2 from NieR Automata
- Required to maintain DPS with the AZ-V89 Azeroic beam cannon without pauses
- Noted while infiltrating their main base in chapter 8
- Official strategy guide bio rifle listing
- Based on my experiences taking bounties to clear mutated creatures near Port Nixon specifically
- For example the wonky EX-1 Clark Electromagnetic Pistol with low damage and ammo capacity
