Armored Core 6: Best OS Tunings in AC6

Armored Core 6 was released on Aug. 25, and it is already generating tons of talk. The FromSoftware game focuses entirely on mech combat, with exciting, high-octane battles and endless customization as its main selling points. This is one of those games where you can easily find yourself spending hours in the Assembly Menu, meticulously perusing options for your AC. One area of customization that actually has its own Menu is OS Tunings.

If you read OS and immediately thought “operating system”, you’d be correct. You can upgrade your AC’s OS to enhance its aptitude for certain areas of combat. Put simply, Armored Core 6 found the coolest possible way to justify having perks in a game.

Armored Core 6: OS Tunings explained

So, you’ve booted up Armored Core 6, played through the tutorial mission and thought to yourself, “this game seems pretty fun.” Suddenly, it’s seven hours later, and you’ve FINALLY defeated BALTEUS after an eternity of deep breathing and trying not to cry. Now, you’re completely hooked and ready to nerd out on AC upgrades to prepare for the next boss fight.

I’ve been there. I’m here for you.

Of course, weapons and AC parts will be crucial for your continued success, but the most important things (if you ask me) are OS Tunings, which can pretty much just be thought of as perks. The reason I say these are the most important is because you’re going to be using OS Tunings no matter what build you go for. A super lightweight AC might not use missiles, but it will still use OS Tunings. A creeping death Tank AC might need 30 seconds to recharge its generator, but OS Tunings will help with that, too.

Virtually every build can and must reap the added benefits of OS Tunings to reach its full potential. They do exactly what you would expect perks to do—improve your damage slightly, add some durability, help prevent deaths, increase your movement speed, etc. Like any Perk system, you’ll have to choose how you want to allot your perk points, which are called OS Tuning Chips in Armored Core 6.

You earn OS Tuning Chips by completing Arena Challenges—nice and simple. What isn’t QUITE as simple is defeating the opponents you’ll face in those Arena matches…but hey, you beat BALTEUS. You can do anything.

Once you’ve earned some chips, you can head down to OS Tunings in the main menu and start deciding how you want to spend them. This is the hard part. The decision-making. That’s where we come in.

The Best OS Tunings in Armored Core 6

Part of the magic in this game is the versatility—there isn’t just one “correct” build in Armored Core 6. OS Tunings work the same way—I’ll be presenting those that I found the most success with. If, for some reason, you decide you hate them after trying them out, fine. Rock whatever works for you! Just like how you can sell parts back for the exact amount you purchased them for, OS Tunings can be refunded—so there is virtually no harm in trying different Tunings out.

Best OS Tunings in AC6: Direct Hit Modifier—Damage Tuning

This Tuning has three levels. When you first purchase this Tuning for two OS Tuning Chips, it increases Direct Hit Damage, or the damage dealt to Staggered foes, by 5 percent. The first update increases this amount to 10 percent, and the second update grants 15 percent. Here’s what makes this such an awesome Tuning.

In Armored Core 6, almost every boss fight relies on staggering to some extent. You’ll have to weave your way through barrages of attacks, all while carefully building up the boss’s Stagger Meter. It’s only once that meter is filled and the Boss is Staggered that you really get to unload your AC’s full potential on it.

When all three stages of this Tuning are purchased, it might as well just say “15 percent increased damage to bosses.” This is a huge upgrade and will make your life significantly easier when facing any boss in Armored Core 6.

Best OS Tunings in AC6: Repair Kits—Optimization

This Tuning increases the effectiveness of your Repair Kits. Unlike most games, you do not have to find health packs—you automatically have three at the start of each mission or when restarting from Checkpoints. Sounds great, right? There’s a catch. You can ONLY have three. You are limited to three Repair Kits for any boss fight; you cannot stock up in preparation.

As such, the only way to increase your healing potential is by purchasing this OS Tuning. The Tuning can be purchased four times, granting +500 AP to Repair Kits at the first tier and +2000 at the fourth tier. This will make a huge difference in boss fights and general survival during missions.

Related: Which OS Tunings should you get first in AC6?

Without this Tuning, Repair Kits really don’t heal a whole lot. If you’re under 50 percent health, chances are you won’t get back to full with one kit alone. Because so many bosses have attacks that can nearly one-shot you, it’s very risky to cruise on 70 percent health. At the same time, you don’t want to waste a second Repair Kit since you only get three. This Tuning resolves that dilemma completely.

Best OS Tunings in AC6: Terminal Armor

This Tuning is sort of a get-out-of-jail-for-free card. Terminal Armor automatically triggers when your AC reaches zero AP—that is, when you were supposed to die. Terminal Armor grants an additional 20,000 AP for two seconds upon falling to zero AP.

During those two seconds, you can go all out in the hopes of ending a fight. There’s no worse feeling than when you have a boss on under 5 percent health and end up getting a little too cocky and letting your defenses slip, only to end up losing when the boss is one hit from being defeated. Terminal Armor solves that.

What I absolutely LOVE about this Tuning comes back to Repair Kits, however. As I mentioned above, Repair Kits are so finite that ou want to conserve them and avoid overhealing. At the same time, you don’t want to remain on AP amounts that leave you vulnerable to getting one-shot. With Terminal Armor, you can hang out for as long as you’d like on whatever health percentage you’d like. If you get “killed,” just pop a Repair Kit within two seconds of when the would-be fatal blow was dealt. This Tuning really allows you to be daring and conserve your resources.