Armored Core 6 Tips: 9 Things I Wish I Knew Before Playing

Looking for some Armored Core 6 tips? Given this is FromSoftware's first game in the Armored Core series since 2012, a lot of Dark Souls and Elden Ring fans will be experiencing the franchise for the first time. As such, we have some tips to share to help you get started with the mech-based game. As part of our Armored Core 6 guide, we're going to share some Armored Core 6 tips — 9 things I wish I knew before playing.

Armored Core 6 Tips: 9 Things I Wish I Knew Before Playing

Below you'll find a selection of general Armored Core 6 tips to help you get more out of the game. We've covered ways to get the upper hand just before boss fights, how to get more mech Parts, and other things to look out for.

Replay Missions Regularly

Earning money (named COAM in-game) is incredibly important as it'll allow you to buy new Weapons and Armor for your mech. You'll receive a standard payout after completing a Mission as part of the story, but you can earn the same amount over again if you choose the Replay Missions option in the Sortie menu. Run through as many Missions as you like to boost your bank balance considerably.

Melee Attacks Are Very Powerful

When you think of a mech, your mind probably jumps immediately to rockets and missiles. It's true that some of the guns you can place on the arms and back of your mech are boasting huge damage numbers, but so too do the melee weapons. Equippable on your L-Arm Unit, these weapons are incredibly powerful at close range, and also rapidly fill the stagger bar above a boss' health. More often than not, you'll want one of these as part of your build for when you get up close and personal. They'll deal more damage in a short space of time than anything else on the Parts roster.

Reset Checkpoints at Boss Fights

Sometimes, you'll be given the option to Supply just before a boss fight. Doing so refills all your AP and restores your Repair Kit supply to three. If you don't spot a Supply station, though, we recommend starting the boss fight and then immediately restarting the game from a checkpoint. This will do the same thing as a Supply station; your health and Repair Kits will be restored to maximum. From there, you can take on a boss with the best possible chance of beating it.

Don't Always Sell Spare Parts

Selling the Weapons and Armor you're not using anymore is a great source of COAM (you can sell Parts for the exact same price you bought them for), but you won't want to get rid of absolutely everything. If you found something particularly useful — especially Weapons — then keep it in your Garage for later. Since your options for permanent mech upgrades are quite limited, it's these Parts that function as your primary method of making your mech better. The thing is, some Weapons work better on bosses than others. For example, a Vertical Missile Launcher is going to work much better on an enemy with a front-facing Shield than a normal one. As such, some Weapons still have their uses much later on, so don't sell them.

Look Out for Part Containers from Chapter 2

Once you reach Chapter 2, some Missions will have a new type of collectible in them: Part Containers. These are chests you can find in the environment with an orange light on top of them that reward new Weapons and Armor. They may not necessarily improve your build there and then, but it's a new Part to consider for use later on.

Take Part in the Arena

If you want a change from the campaign, you can compete in the Arena for some extra COAM and OST Chips. These are 1v1 battles against mechs you've fought in Missions that are back for a bit of revenge. You'll find the Arena option on the main menu in the Garage.

Keep Your ACS Load Limit in Mind

Staggering an enemy mech is one of the best ways to start dealing significant damage to them, but keep in mind they can do the exact same thing to you. This is denoted in the user interface as the ACS Load Limit, which is the bar on the bottom of the screen that'll fill up as you take damage. It starts off white, then turns to yellow and orange, before flashing red when you're about to be staggered. If it fills completely, your mech will be stuck in place for a few seconds, giving the enemy a great chance to finish you off. Always keep this in mind as you don't want to get caught out when going in for the kill.

Training Missions Reward Parts

You might disregard the Training tab in the Sortie menu as you've already gone through the tutorial in Illegal Entry, but its Missions are actually pretty worthwhile as they reward Parts for your mech. Each of them is over inside two minutes and there's a Trophy for finishing them all, so why not?

Experiment with Different Weapons and Armor

The permanent upgrades you can make on your mech are quite limited, so the best way to improve your build is through equipping new Weapons and Armor. Not every gun will work for every situation, though, so you need to open to experimenting. If you feel like you've hit a brick wall with a boss fight and you don't feel your own skills can get any better, you've probably got the wrong Weapons equipped. Buy some new ones and see if they work any better. After switching Weapons, we were able to take down bosses after just one try after a full afternoon of failure. This really is the way to better some of the tougher mechs.

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