Armored Core 6: How to beat the first boss – PCA heavy combat helicopter in AC6

Naturally, Armored Core 6 throws you straight in at the deep end. At the end of the first mission, you come face to face with a giant PCA heavy combat helicopter. This is a tricky fight as your Armored Core is weak and uncustomized, so you’ve got no choice but to use the tools at your disposal to take the bird down. Here’s how to get through unscathed.

How to beat the first boss in Armored Core 6

This is the first boss of Armored Core 6. Really, it’s a miniboss, but who cares? It’s in your way, and you want to kill it.

PCA heavy attack helicopter attack patterns

This boss will feel overwhelming when you first fight it, but that’s just because it’s got more ammunition than the MTs and drones you’ve been up against so far. This thing will strafe you with battling guns and missile barrages. The key here is to stay in the air to dodge the missile explosions. A direct hit in the air does way less damage than being caught by a salvo on the ground.

Just keep your cool, keep your boosters on to skate around the ground while your energy recharges, and then get airborne as soon as you hear a high-pitched siren go off. That’s AC6 telling you a big attack is incoming.

Best combat strategy against the PCA heavy attack helicopter in AC6

You’ve got a machine gun, missiles, and a pulse sword. Not much, but enough to get the job done. The key here is to break the helicopter’s ACS to stagger it and inflict critical damage. Once you’re in the air, use your assault boost to close the gap and hit it with a pulse sword combo. Then lay off the boosters to recover your energy, unload your missiles, and empty a magazine into the bird. This should be enough to stagger it. Get in the air again and hit it with another pulse sword combo to deal massive direct damage.

If you just rinse and repeat this, you’ll take it down in no time. Try to combine dodging its missile barrage with a counterattack of your own. Once you’re in the air, you should make the most of it by getting in a pulse sword combo.

The main thing to note is you need to be aggressive. ACS recovers over time, so if you don’t keep up the offense, it’ll all be for nothing. Hit it hard and fast, and you’ll have earned your wings, Raven. If you’re struggling, some beginner tips and tricks should help you out.