Armored Core 6: How to beat chapter 5 boss AAP07A ARQUEBUS BALTEUS in AC6

Remember in chapter one when you spent a full day dying to BALTEUS and trying not to sob? Well buddy, I’ve got some exciting news for you. In chapter five, you do it again—but this time ARQUEBUS BALTEUS will insult you the whole time!

Armored Core 6 has three different endings, although the third requires you to have already completed the first two. Should you choose to go the route that earns the Liberator of Rubicon achievement (by choosing to do Ayre’s missions every time you can), you will face ARQUEBUS BALTEUS on the penultimate mission.

This is basically the BALTEUS from chapter one, only it’s faster, deadlier, and perhaps worst of all, piloted by V.II Snail.

All AAP07A ARQUEBUS BALTEUS attacks in Armored Core 6

The one thing that could be considered “easier” about this version of BALTEUS is that he doesn’t really have a phase two. Instead, he just amps up all of his phase one attacks, uses them more frequently, and flies around like a chicken with its head cut off. It’s just chaos mode—no new attacks.

In this fight, there are a few primary things we want to be aware of:

• The Pulse Gun: BALTEUS will fire a couple waves of pulse gun fire (danger bubbles). This is very important to dodge, as a single wave can stagger you and it is almost always followed up with a powerful Laser Cannon shot. To evade, use vertical movement. This is a very horizontal attack.

• The Laser Cannon: Just like the one your AC has, only purple. Projectiles are linear and travel very fast. You will get an audio queue of the Laser activating as well as your AC’s beeping warning that you’re being targeted. Can be dodged horizontally or vertically, just get the timing right and you’ll be fine.
• The BIG Laser Cannon: Sometimes, especially during “phase two” ARQUEBUS BALTEUS will charge his Laser Cannon up. This will be easy to spot as the massive beam that this attack launches will start as a purple blob growing on BALTEUS, and you will of course get the audio cue. This is harder to dodge than the regular shots as it has a wider area of effect, and it’s also much more important to dodge. Right as the beam fires, you must dodge in the opposite direction than whichever one you’ve been strafing in.

• The Pulse Shield: The BALTEUS classic. This time, it’s actually significantly easier to deal with. Proportionately, you’ve got much more firepower this time. You can bring a Pulse Gun for the extra shield damage, but I don’t find it necessary. The Stun Needle Launcher can easily melt this shield.

Believe it or not, if you can handle these four things, you can handle ARQUEBUS BALTEUS. He will occasionally fire eight small missiles that don’t lock on during phase two, but you honestly don’t have to do anything differently to avoid these. Just don’t stop moving, and you’re good. It isn’t all just about avoiding his attacks, though.

How to fight against AAP07A ARQUEBUS BALTEUS in Armored Core 6

Now that you know how to keep him from killing you, let’s take a look at how you can kill him. The entire trick of this fight is to stay on BALTEUS like white on rice. He excels at fighting from a distance and being allowed to easily track you.

During this entire fight, you want to be as close to ARQUEBUS BALTEUS as possible, either directly above him or directly below him. In this range, he will have a lot of trouble targeting you, and will actually waste most of his time trying to create distance so he can get his bearings. Wherever he goes for distance, go with him. Continue the assault and don’t let him take a breath.

During the transition from phase one to phase two (remember, phase two is just phase one in 1.5x speed), BALTEUS will use the patented pulse shield attack while charging a new shield. This actually does very little damage—if you’re not on death’s door it isn’t even something you need to worry about. That said, it’s very projected, and you’ll only need to dash backwards once or twice to avoid it, so there’s no reason not to.

When phase two starts, you may have to let up for just a moment or two at a time. When he dashes across the battlefield, prioritize your safety. You still want to reach him as soon as possible, but you want to do so without taking pointless damage, as this fight can slip away from you in an instant. Get sloppy, and it’s all over.

Best AC build for AAP07A ARQUEBUS BALTEUS boss fight in Armored Core 6

There are two things you want to prioritize for this fight—power and mobility. Perhaps most important is being able to burst ARQUEBUS BALTEUS down as quickly as possible. For this reason, I recommend:

• Double Gatling Guns: You can deal massive damage with these when BALTEUS is Staggered. The Gatling gun is also happiest within 50 meters of targets, and BALTEUS is least happy within 50 meters of targets. It’s a win win.

• Double Stun Needle Launchers: These will eat right through his shield like it isn’t even there. If his shield is already dealt with, they are a guaranteed Stagger. Be ready to follow up with your Gatling guns and this fight won’t take long at all.

Related: Most powerful weapons in Armored Core 6

Now that we’ve got the fire power down, our AC will have a bit more leeway. This is typically the case in Armored Core 6. While there are different AC types that might naturally excel against certain foes, the most important thing is that you’re comfortable.

Related: Best late-game builds in AC6

Remember, we want to be right above BALTEUS at all times. For this reason, I personally went with a build focused on quick movement and used reverse-jointed legs for the super jump. This allowed me to track BALTEUS quickly and immediately regain altitude whenever I lost it.

Alternatively, a tetra-leg build would work fantastically. What you sacrifice in agility, you gain back in the ability to hover and fire, making it much easier to keep your high ground position on ARQUEBUS BALTEUS.

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