Now that you’ve gotten through Armored Core 6‘s first chapter or two, you’ll have built up a solid arsenal of weapons and a garage full of varied parts. Unfortunately, your early-game build just won’t cut it anymore. It’s time to upgrade for the mid-game.
Best mid-game build in Armored Core 6
Now you’ve got a lot more choice than you did for your early-game build, but you may be a little overwhelmed. I know I was. Now is the perfect chance to experiment and branch out a little. Tetrapod legs will give you the best bang for your buck right now. You need to be able to survive and hit back, hard, so the extra load and air maneuverability they offer is perfect for this stage of the game. I also painted mine a menacingly evil red and black color. Striking fear into the hearts of your enemies is just as important as firepower.
Weapons, parts, components, and stats
Weapons:
- LR-036 CURTIS linear rifle – right arm
- 44-141 JVLN ALPHA detonating bazooka – left arm
- BML-G2/P03MLT-06 – right shoulder
- Vvc-70VPM plasma vertical missile launchers – left shoulder
Parts:
- HD-012 MELANDER C3 – head
- BD-012 MELANDER C3 – body
- AR-012 MELANDER C3 – arms
- VP-424 – tetrapod legs
Components:
- ALULA/21E – booster
- FCS-G2/P05 – FCS
- VP-20S – generator
- Terminal Armor
Build stats:
- AP – 11,410
- Defensive Performance – 1,190
- Attitude Stability – 2,215
- Boost Speed – 293
Mid-game build strategy for AC6
This build is all about air superiority, and it got me through all the middle chapters. The tetrapod legs allow you to hover for an absurdly long time and rain death from above. They also mean you can fire heavy weapons without stopping, which helps keep you mobile. It also has a weapon for all types of damage, which makes it good for any encounter.
The main idea is using the plasma missiles to engage at range, then flying up into the air and using the linear rifle and regular missiles to get at foes hiding behind cover and soften them up. Once staggered, hit them with the bazooka. This one in particular does the highest direct damage in the game, so it’s perfect for staggered enemies.
Unfortunately, this build is slow. It doesn’t do great on the ground, but it has very high stagger resistance and decent AP, so you can take a fair few hits. You want to take advantage of the tetrapod legs; get it in the air and keep it there for as long as possible so you avoid all the carnage below. Stay high to avoid missile barrages and melee enemies. You’ll also be able to keep flying foes in your sights this way and knock them out the sky with a boost kick or the bazooka.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- Unbeatable versatility and customization potential
- Weapons of all damage types
- Phenomenal airborne performance
Weaknesses
- Slow on the ground
- Requires thoughtful positioning
- Relatively slow weapons
Mid-game build customization potential
Once you get a more powerful generator, this becomes the most versatile build possible. As it is, it’s at maximum energy output, but once that limit goes up you can really add anything, and should. The key to Armored Core 6 is to improvise and tune your AC to each mission’s needs. This build is designed for the start of the mid game; you need to adjust it to suit your preferred playstyle as you progress.
This is the build I used, but it doesn’t take advantage of your heavy load capacity and ability to fire big weapons while moving. So, if you find yourself needing more firepower, swap out the linear rifle for a grenade launcher or bazooka, and swap the regular missiles for a shoulder-mounted cannon. You can swap this from a mid-range build to a long-range build once you get more FCS modules, and this will help keep you out of harm’s way, too. If it’s not working out for you, make sure you’ve mastered the basics of the game before tackling the harder missions.
