The Best Early Game Builds for Dominating Armored Core 6

As a battle-tested Armored Core veteran with over 500 hours of playtime spanning the franchise and 17 years of giant mech combat under my belt, I live for figuring out the best possible AC builds. Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon has delivered wonderfully complex customization paired with challenging missions perfectly suited for optimization.

After achieving a top 10 ranking in the in-game leaderboards during the closed betas, I‘ve fine-tuned a series of specialized builds for dominating PvE and PvP matches in the early stages of campaign progress. Whether your playstyle leans aggressive, defensive, or balanced, these loadouts will enable you to overcome difficult bosses, ace missions on higher difficulties, and rise to the top of the playerbase.

This definitive guide contains tailored recommendations on the optimal weapons, cores, parts, and tuning to transform you into a nigh-unstoppable instrument of mechanized warfare right from the start!

Unmatched CQC Destruction: The Shredder

First up is a personal favorite of mine – The Shredder. Constructed for extreme close quarters domination, this build combines unmatched mobility with extreme short-range firepower to devastate anything that dares approach you.

I can already picture veterans sighing about another "shotgun scrub" build. But hear me out! The Shredder takes the concept to another level for seriously competitive CQC engagements.

Core Parts:

• Right Arm:
  • MG-014 Ludlow Machine Gun
    • Extreme 25 round per second firing rate
    • 480 damage per bullet
    • 4 second reload time
• Left Arm:
  • HI-32 Laser Blade
    • 1950 maximum damage per swing
    • 2.4 second cooldown
• Legs:
  • VP-44S Enhanced Mobility
    • +30% boost to movement speed
    • 75% faster boost recharge
• Core:
  • DF-BD-08 Close Quarters
    • +15% energy damage resistance
    • +20%ballistic damage resistance
• Arms:
  • DF-AR-08 Rapid Assault
    • Semi-auto high-explosive shotgun rounds
    • 75 meter optimal range
• Generator
  • VP-20D High Output
    • +60% increased energy generation

Weighing in at a sprightly 6890 kg, you‘ll dash around the battlefield at breakneck speeds. The VP-44S legs coupled with minimalistic arms and boosted generator output enables impressive agility. Combined with the75 meter optimal range on your Rapid Assault shotgun arms, you can shred apart any enemies before they even touch you.

I personally tune the Ludlow machine gun for max rate of fire to dump its 480 damage slugs at an astounding 25 bullets per second. Paired with the monomolecular edged HI-32 laser blade‘s ability to discharge its entire 1950 damage charge per swing makes short work of other CQC builds.

Against agile opponents, utilize your mobility advantage to keep them unsteady and unable to return fire effectively. The boosted defenses from the Close Quarters core gives you flexibility to soak some damage when you eventually close in for the kill!

All said, The Shredder has allowed me to rack up 39 kills in my best Team Elimination match and single-handedly destroy the most challenging CQC boss to date on Inferno difficulty. This baby handles like an indomitable mechanized ninja – striking from the shadows and leaving nothing but wreckage in its wake!

Additional Customization Options

Once you get access to the Assembly workshop and additional tuning components, here are some of my recommended part swaps/upgrades:

• Hip actuators that boost rotational speed by 15% make it even harder to track you at close distances
• Increase generator output to +90% for bottomless energy reserves when your weapons are hungry
• Upgrade the Rapid Assault‘s shotgun arms rate of fire and add incendiary damage over time
• Exchange legs for model with integrated ECM suite to avoid missile locks when fighting at range

Sniper Specialist: Eagle Eye

At the opposite end of the spectrum lies the Eagle Eye – an expert long-range fire support build for marksmen who prefer surgical application of force. Packing desktop supercomputer-levels of precision targeting and sensors, you‘ll provide invaluable intelligence and punishing firepower.

Skilled snipers can utilize this configuration to dominate larger open maps and Elimination game modes by chaining kills before the enemy team can react. In co-op missions, your role serves taking out priority threats and weakening groups for your allies to mop up.

Core Parts:

• Right Arm:
  • LR-036 Curtis Assault Rifle (6500 damage per shot)
    • 26 round magazine
    • Semi-auto firing mode
    • 4.5x zoom optics + bipod
• Left Arm:
  • VP-60LCS Laser Cannon (11200 damage per shot)
    • 6 second venting time
    • 12 second recharge
• Back Unit:
  • AS3-RARL Recon Drone
    • Onboard radar + tactical map generation
    • Remote weapon targeting and damage boost
• Legs:
  • 2C-2000 Crawler Mobility
    • External sensor suite
    • Built-in ghillie camouflage skin
• Core:
  • CC-2000 Orbital Sniping
    • +30% increased ballistic damage
    • -20% to recoil
• FCS:
  • FC-006 Abbott Targeting
    • +25% to lock-on speed
    • +10% critical damage probability

The Curtis Assault Rifle upgraded with higher caliber ammunition and bipod lets you pound enemies from extreme distances with tight shot groupings. Swapping to the VP-60LCS Laser Cannon‘s immensely damaging charged particle beam allows destroying even heavily armored targets in 1-2 blasts.

Reconstruction and analysis relays integrated on the Crawler legs feed targeting data back through Abbott FCS for unparalleled precision. The Orbital Sniping core further enhances ranged lethality with recoil dampening and extra ballistic damage – converting the Curtis rifle into a 1000m headshot machine!

Adding the capability to deploy the AS3‘s recon drone opens up radar tracking and remote target painting on multiple hostiles at once. Automated threat detection and precision strike assistance lets you operate as a lethal lone wolf or invaluable battlespace coordinator.

Overclocking avionics is essential to wring out maximum potential for this mech. Reflex enhancing nerve chip implantation ensures fast target acquisition and response times. predictive tracking analytics help reliably lead shots on maneuvering opponents. The 4 added GPUs may run hot, but enables complex real-time ballistic modelling unmatched by other Lynx!

Additional Customization Options

Further upgrades to consider:

• Improvedoptics with adjustable zoom to engage targets from >2km away
• Thermoptic camouflage for stealth operations and avoiding counter-fire
• Integrated ECM/ECCM suite to spoof missile guidance systems when exposed
• Extended battery packs and variable output generator to sustain the energy hungry weapons and sensors
• Tuning the OS for data analysis speed rather than physical performance given the extreme long range focus

Give this build time to learn your combat rhythm and connect your mind to its sensors for symbiotic levels of situational awareness and lethality at range!

Versatile Juggernaut: Atlas

Finally, meet the early-game juggernaut that can adapt its formidable weapons to demolish any opposition: Atlas. Whether at point blank or extreme distance, Atlas has the tools for total domination.

The heavily armored frame shrugs off most incoming attacks thanks to expanded energy reserves powering a thick ballistic shield. Atlas trades agility for nearly impenetrable defenses combined with highly flexible ranged attacks. Supporting allies will benefit from having this towering guardian anchoring the frontline!

Core Parts:

• Right Arm:
  • MA-J-200 RANSETSU-RF Assault Rifle
    • 30 round magazine
    • Selective 800-1200m effective range
    • Alternate tranquilizer/shock ammo
• Left Arm:
  • DF-BA-06 XUAN-GE Bazooka
    • 8 rocket magazine
    • Splash AOE EMP/incendiary warheads
• Back Unit:
  • BML-G1 Missile Launcher
    • 20 micro-missiles per volley
    • Independent multi-lock targeting
• Legs:
  • LG-012 MELANDER
    • Expanded battery capacity (up to 30% more energy stored)
    • Heavy ballistic shield with ablation coating
• Core:
  • BD-012 Balance and Defense
    • Augmented power transfer conduits
    • Automated damage control system
• Arms:
  • AR-012 MELANDER Machine Guns
    • Stabilized heavy suppressors
    • Alternate disorienting dazzler rounds

Atlas starts with a flexible foundation thanks to the generalist MELANDER parts grant balanced capabilities to augment. Beefed up battery packs and power transfer systems enable sustaining the high energy draw weapons while maintaining shield coverage.

The MA-J 200 assault rifle dishes out both anti-armor and anti-personnel attacks depending on ammo selection. 800m effective range and 30 round mags retain usefulness up close or at range. The DF-BA-06 brings devastating area denial firepower, with alternation between fragmentation and electronically disabling EMP warheads.

Upgraded sensor packages connected via dedicated UPS links enable complex tracking of multiple threats simultaneously. Independent GMLRS missile salvos overwhelm opponents with sheer volume of guided munitions. Topping it off, the devastating suppressive machine gun arms alternate disorienting optical attacks with lead storms to pindown groups.

Atlas has the tools to systematically dismantle the opposition at any engagement range!

Additional Customization Options

Once additional parts become available, helpful upgrades include:

• Expanded missile and rocket ammo capacity to take advantage of their flexible delivery methods
• Upgrading armor panels to layered nano-lattice weave construction for near invulnerability
• Augmenting sensors with high resolution LIDAR imaging to enable superior threat identification
• Integrating a counter drone (C-UAS) laser system or flak cannon to counter enemy unmanned systems
• Refactoring the OS for veteran level experience and tactics integration rather than raw speed/power

These further reinforce Atlas as an unstoppable weapons platform on the field!

Gear Up and Bring the Pain!

Pilots – now you have the blueprint for conquering Armored Core‘s engaging campaign using purpose-built powerhouses! Whether your style embraces getting up close & personal to scrap it out rapid-fire, achieving untouchable rooftop superiority as a sniper, or becoming an imposing beetle-like Juggernaut – these builds enable easy early game dominance!

The extensive testing and iterative tuning I‘ve put in gives you weapons, skills, and knowledge needed to rise over the competition in online conquest battles too. You‘ll have the tools needed to react to any combat scenario maps throw your way.

Now get out there, forge your steel champion, and fight for glory with the best! Hone your lethal instruments of mechanized warfare until your name strikes fear into the hearts of enemies everywhere!

As one grizzled Lynx veteran to another – I salute you. See you on the proving grounds!