Armored Core 6‘s deep customization system grants players immense creative freedom in crafting their battle mech. But variety can also lead to choice paralysis – new ravens piloting the cutting-edge Lynx models may find themselves lost wandering the impossibly vast build labyrinth.
Don‘t despair! After hot-dropping across hundreds of missions packing editor-approved loadouts, I‘m here to share the wisdom gleaned from bloody trial-and-error. These S-Rank specialized designs will carry you to end game glory. Now let‘s crack open the hanger and talk AC shop!
Surviving Armored Core 6‘s Baptism by Fire
Before we dive into individual builds, let‘s quickly review Armored Core 6‘s core combat mechanics that influence mech design…
Impact Meters – Your Key to Victories
The impact meter governs both your mech‘s stability and your enemies‘. It fills by blocking attacks, taking damage, collisions, and certain weapon effects. Maxing the bar stuns your AC, temporarily immobilizing you while flashing "Warning" signs across cockpit monitors. This also applies to enemies – triggering max impact meters leaves foes vulnerable to heavy damage during the several second lockdown. Expert ravens intentionally build impact meters then leverage the openings for massive spike damage.
Managing Heat Across Multiple Systems
Balancing offense and defense requires juggling multiple heat meters – primary weapon overheat, IR (Infra-Red) search system heat for missiles, and optional abilities like temporary defense boosts also produce heat. Allow any system to overheat completely and face crippling cooldown penalties, some lasting up to a minute! Manage heat across weapons, gear, and abilities carefully to avoid being caught overheated in dangerous engagements.
The Critical Part Break System
Unlike battles against grunts where whittling down armor points gets the job done, proper boss strategy requires utilizing the part break system. Dealing damage to specific components like torsos, back weapons, and legs can completely destroy them. For example, blasting off enemy missile racks removes ranged threat while breaking thruster packs cripples speed and evasion. Learning to surgically strike critical hardpoints wins the day against the biggest and baddest!
Now that we‘ve covered the basics guiding all mech design, let‘s get into the fun stuff – the builds! I‘ll be sharing custom creations specialized for tackling Armored Core 6‘s end game challenges like ranked PvP, ultra hard story missions, and the vicious post-campaign boss fights…
Juggernaut – The Ultra Heavy Brawler
[INSERT IMAGE]This rolling fortress forms the cornerstone of your push force, serving as the tip of the assault spear during intense sorties. The Juggernaut specializes in directly confronting high value enemy assets like operation bosses. It shrugs off incoming fire while functioning as a damage-multiplier for the rest of your squad, creating openings for blitz skirmisher attacks.
The Juggernaut‘s design philosophy focuses on…
Loadout Breakdown
Core: Heavy tank core with boosted frontal armor plates to resist impact meter buildup from attacks outside optimal damage arc. Assists in preventing full immobilizations.
Legs: Quadpedal legs reinforced with front-facing ablative plates for additional protection while closing distance or pinning targets in melee range. High ground pressure rating enables charging through rough terrain.
Arms: Short range ultra-high RPM mini guns siphon ammunition from a generous on-board supply. Limited effective range ensures engagement happens inside armor sweet spot while negating need for precision aiming against fast, erratically moving targets.
Shoulders: Small missile pods provide medium range support fire for initial approach and finishing dangerous weakened hostiles. Lock down mode unleashes a savage barrage making escape impossible for AC‘s lacking ECM countermeasures.
Strategy: This juggernaut functions as the tip of the spear during assaults, attracting and weathering the worst enemy attacks while team skirmishers whittle targets down. We patiently advance behind a wall of missiles, closing to melee for resource-free damage once inside the minimum arm weapon range. The extreme fire rate builds target impact meters rapidly even through partial damage resistance effects, enabling spike damage from allied units.
Recommended Tactics
- Ambush enemies after allies score immobilizing impact meter knockdowns for big damage
- Pin dangerous ranged enemies in CQC, using minor quick boosts to negate flanking when possible
- Retain at least 33% heat capacity for emergency boost evasion if facing immobilization
- Break line of sight before venting dangerous overheat levels when engaged
Wraith – Special Ops Infiltrator
[INSERT IMAGE]Whereas Juggernauts represent irresistible force, Wraiths epitomize precision lethality. Aressive stealth defines this design – blindside vulnerable targets then vanish before effective retaliation. Wraiths manipulate the battlefield‘s chaos to sow confusion and destruction. Unique equipment corrupts sensor accuracy while enhancing evasion and mobility to avoid overwhelming return fire. These are true commandos purpose built to exploit opportunities produced by front line friendly units.
Loadout Breakdown
Core: Lightweight hexapedal design trading durability for extreme speed and horizontal thrust vectoring from additional leg mounts.
Legs: High torque designs with focus on acceleration and vectoring rather than raw top speed to enable rapid repositioning. Includes propulsion plates along spine to augment lateral evasion.
Arms: Right arm mounts medium duration laser cannon allowing conservative burst damage at long ranges before closing to knife fight spectrum. Left arm equips scattershot style shotgun for extreme close quarters stopping power.
Shoulders: Small pod design housing electronics warfare suite tailored for surgical strikes. EM field reduces lock speed/efficiency on targeting systems while refrain boosts sensors, enablingidentification of compromised enemies.
Strategy: This Wraith prioritizes misdirection and deception to enable ambushes on disabled, slowed, or distracted targets. The EW pod Selectively filters sensor data from wider battle to identify both vulnerable points and emerging threats to avoid. Conservative burst damage at range softens foes for execution once inside the shotgun‘s effective envelope.
Recommended Tactics
- Isolate and corner solitary opponents whenever possible
- Time weapon discharge for hard-to-trace flight paths – firing while quick-boosting laterally, from low hover mode, exiting smoke clouds etc
- Remain constantly aware of vulnerable back armor and the locations of allied units
- Flee uneven engagements before taking health critical damage
Seraph – Angel of Death
[INSERT IMAGE]Finally let‘s examine the ultimate ranged assassin – the dreaded Seraph. Where other designs allow compromise balancing offense, defense, and mobility, Seraphs embrace a "glass cannon" philosophy furnishing only equipment enabling target destruction and little else. These ASFs (Aerial Superiority Fighters) reach tremendous speeds only limited by pilot blackout thresholds while mounting long rifle barrels guaranteeing lethal applications of force. Lacking redundant systems or armor slows them down leaving negligible margins for error. But contest control of these angels‘ native sky at your own peril – many elite enemies have been eulogized underestimating Seraphs.
Loadout Breakdown
Core: Singleton core maximizes weight savings while sufficiently streamlined to limit air resistance even at ludicrous velocities.
Legs: Exceedingly low profile biped arrangement retaining jump capability and little else. Auxiliary thrusters redirect stabilizing efforts to focus on flight systems.
Arms: High caliber long barrel rifles designed specifically to convert prodigious kinetic energy into devastating terminal ballistic effects. Fully automatic with venting to mitigate overheat from sustained fire.
Shoulders: Mission specific hardpoints balancing minimal mass against situationally appropriate adaptability. Typical config includes a mix of small missile pods, light countermeasures, and mine layers.
Strategy: Seraphs play an uncompromising game prioritizing target destruction over all else. Nearly no considerations exist for contingencies like survivability or sustainability. The builds exhibitvelocity as both sword and shield – such tremendous speed allows outmaneuvering all but the most agile of airborne opponents while closing distance to enemy formations in the blink of an eye. Truly a terrifying display of undiluted lethality.
Recommended Tactics
- Remain in afterburner near continuously besides venting overheat warnings
- Use wide arcing attack runs to make targeting lock acquisition difficult
- When engaging groups, focus fire to destroy the most dangerous target first
- Retreat and reassess if encountering an unknown opponent exhibiting superior energy and equipment
Evaluating Expert Builds
While other designs exist, these three represent what I consider the most survival, team utility, and dominance potential for AC pilots with mastery over sixth generation Lynx models. By specializing attributes to extreme degrees through compromises, all serve as top tier solutions once you learn their nuances. While you probably already have preferences, I encourage ravens branch out mastering a variety of configurations like these specialized builds depending on mission needs. The coming Operation Zappa and associated high challenge content will require this level of flexibility and optimization!
I hope these tips help guide your descent down the practically endless path of Armored Core customization. Tighten bolts and say three Hail Marys before dropping. Things are going to get hairy out there for any sane person facing down the Raven‘s Nest on anything below expert difficulty!
