What is the electric discharge status effect in Armored Core 6?

The yellow indicator of Electric Discharge in Armored Core 6 is intriguing when you first find it.

I learned about it when fighting the V.VII Swinburne AC at the Arena after finishing Chapter One. During the fight, it hit me with a lightning melee weapon, which triggered the effect and forced me to worry about a new meter in my HUD.

The “Elec. Discharge” meter is harmless when it’s not full, but you want to stop its buildup before it’s too late. Here’s how to handle it.

What does Elec. Discharge do in Armored Core 6?

Electric Discharge is a status effect that builds up and ends in a burst of damage to Armored Cores when it’s maxed out. Until the meter is full, it doesn’t do anything.

In my Arena fight against V.VII Swinburne—not the one in Chapter Three—it hit me with its melee attack from four to five times to max out my Elec. Discharge meter. When it exploded, it dealt around 20,000 AP damage to my Armored Core. I couldn’t find if this damage is fixed, or if it varies with the weapon used to inflict the status effect.

How to clear the Elec. Discharge status effect in AC6

You can get rid of Electric Discharge by avoiding further hits from weapons that inflict it. The Elec. Discharge meter will slowly deplete when you do so, until it reaches zero and disappears from your screen. Other than that, I have yet to find a way to clear this status effect.

Be careful. The meter depletion may last from 10 to 15 seconds, so if your opponent is playing aggressively, you probably want to save some energy for dodging or even using Assault Boost to make distance.

Weapons that apply Elec. Discharge in AC6

You can apply Electric Discharge in your opponents using the left-shoulder Stun Baton, VP-67EB, which you can purchase it in the Parts Shop for 94,000 COAM after clearing Mission 14: Ocean Crossing in Chapter Two. Four hits with it should be enough to trigger the burst damage, but you have to close the distance between you and your opponent to land the hits.

Electric Discharge is a very niche damage option in Armored Core 6, but one that can be really useful if you like close combats and the amazing melee weapons you have available.