Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon puts a plethora of weapons at your disposal, but which ones should you bother getting? Here’s a list of the best weapons in the game, and how to get your hands on them!
Armored Core 6 Best Weapons and How To Unlock
Best Arm Weapons
SG-027 ZIMMERMAN (Shotgun)
This shotgun is so powerful that using it feels like cheating. The Zimmerman is a devastating weapon in the right hands, dishing out not only high HP damage but Impact damage as well. Wield two of these, fly close to your opponent, and let off a barrage of buckshot right in their faces. If your shots connect, your enemy’s Impact meter should be close to full, leaving them vulnerable to critical hits from your other weapons.
How To Unlock the SG-027 ZIMMERMAN
There’s no need to hunt this weapon down in any of Armored Core 6’s stages because it appears in the Shop after you finish Chapter 2, Mission 14 (Ocean Crossing). Once you’ve finished that mission, you can buy a Zimmerman shotgun for 115,000 COAM.
DF-GA-08 HU-BEN (Gatling Gun)
When you’re angry, very angry, so angry that you want to cover your enemy in lead, then this Hu-Ben Gatling Gun by Dafeng Core Industries will do just that. With decent damage and enough bullets to fill your enemy’s Impact meter several times over, toting two of these will keep your enemy stunned long enough for you to follow up with a devastating barrage from your shoulder-mounted weapons.
How to Unlock the DF-GA-08 HU-BEN
Just like the Zimmerman, you don’t need to do anything special to get the Hu-Ben. Just finish Chapter 1, Mission 11 (Attack The Watchpoint), and you can buy the weapon for 170,000 COAM.
Vvc-760PR (Plasma Rifle)
The Vvc-760PR is a handy plasma rifle that all energy weapon lovers will want to get their hands on. Though it fires slower than a normal rifle, it’s much more powerful and proves very deadly in long-range encounters. If your shot makes its mark, it’ll unleash a ball of plasma that deals both projectile and AoE damage. If you want to strike with a bit more oomph, you can charge the rifle to make a very powerful plasma shot.
How to Unlock the Vvc-760PR
You can buy the Vvc-760PR from the Shop for 202,000 COAM after completing Chapter 1, Mission 7 (Destroy the Weaponized Mining Ship).
VP-66LH (Laser Handgun)
If you like being a gunslinger that shoots dangerous blue rays of light, then the VP-66LH is the perfect weapon for you. With this weapon’s high fire rate, you’ll be able to punch holes in your enemies with a relentless barrage of rays before closing in to finish it off with a melee weapon. If you want to fire off twice as many beams, why not go guns akimbo and equip two VP-66LHs? Once you’ve made the enemy stagger with your relentless flurry of shots, deal critical damage with your other weapons.
How to Unlock the VP-66LH
To get your hands on this laser pistol, you’ll need to finish the Tutorial missions. Specifically, you’ll need to finishTraining Mission Intermediate Support 2, which teaches you how to use ACs with reverse-joint legs. After that, you can buy the weapon for 92,000 COAM.
MG-014 LUDLOW (Machine Gun)
The Ludlow is one of the first machine guns you can get your hands on, and definitely one of the most useful even up to the late game. Though it has a small magazine, firing off a salvo from this gun will go a long way in staggering your opponents. Dual-wielding two Ludlows extends your barrage - once you’ve emptied the clip of one Ludlow, start firing off the other. It’s the perfect weapon to use if you’re up against light to medium ACs. Just don’t expect stellar performance against heavy ACs, or enemies with shields.
How to Unlock the MG-014 LUDLOW
Just like the VP-66LH, you can get your hands on the Ludlow by finishing tutorial missions, specifically Beginner Training 1: Basic Controls. After that, you can buy Ludlow machine guns from the Shop for 45,000 COAM.
Best Shoulder Weapons
VE-60SNA (Stun Needle Launcher)
Don’t be fooled by the harmless-sounding designation. The VE-60SNA Stun Needle Launcher is the deadliest shoulder weapon in Armored Core 6 for many reasons.
First, it deals major Impact damage. Just one hit from this already makes your opponent’s Impact meter shoot up to almost full, making them vulnerable to a follow-up attack. Second, this launcher’s "needles" deal great damage despite the fact that the VE-60SNA is supposed to be a support weapon. It’s almost broken, really. Third and last, when the stun needle explodes, it has an AoE effect, which means there’s no escape for your enemy even if the needle itself didn’t hit them.
In the hands of a capable AC pilot, having two VE-60SNAs on your shoulders while dual-wielding Zimmermans will almost certainly guarantee you’ll win in a fight.
How to Unlock the VE-60SNA
The VE-60SNA is unlocked after completing Chapter 3, Mission 27 (Destroy the Ice Worm). Once you’ve finished that mission, you can buy the stun needle launcher for 303,000 COAM from the Shop.
SONGBIRDS (Grenade Cannon)
If it wasn’t for the VE-60SNA, the SONGBIRDS Grenade Cannon would’ve been Armored Core 6’s most broken weapon. It has high explosive damage, high Impact damage, and a relatively fast reload, all while looking real damn cool. With the right Fire Control System (FCS), like the FC-006 ABBOT, you can close in on your enemy, fly up, and unleash a barrage of grenades at close to medium range. Once your enemy is inevitably staggered, rip them apart with your melee weapons.
How to Unlock the SONGBIRDS
Conveniently, you get the Songbirds the same way you get the Hu-Ben, one of the best Arm weapons in the game. Just like that Gatling gun, you unlock the Songbirds after finishing Chapter 1, Mission 11 (Attack The Watchpoint). You can then buy it for 182,000 COAM a piece from the Shop.
Vvc-70VPM (Plasma Missile Launcher)
Another armament that is especially deadly in the hands of a skilled pilot, Vvc-70VPM fires its plasma missiles in the air before crashing down on your enemies. This lets them bypass any sort of frontal defense your enemy may have. Just like the plasma rifle, once a missile from a Vvc-70VPM hits its target, it has an AoE effect that also deals damage.
Be careful with using this in tight closed spaces, though. These missiles fly up before hitting their target, so they might end up hitting a ceiling instead if it’s low enough. If you still want to use plasma missiles in these levels, we recommend you use the Vvc-703PM instead (which fires missiles directly at the target rather than in an arc).
How to Unlock the Vvc-70VPM
Just like the Vvc-760PR Plasma Rifle, you unlock the Vvc-70VPM after completing Chapter 1, Mission 7 (Destroy the Weaponized Mining Ship). You can then buy it for 96,000 COAM from the Shop.
FASAN/60E (Plasma Cannon)
One of the most powerful energy weapons in the game, with a good fire rate and large blast radius if you charge your shots, the FASAN is a late, but welcome addition to your arsenal. If your shots make their mark, expect your enemy to take massive HP and Impact damage, forcing them to keep busy dodging your shots while you fly up to them and pull off a surprise with one of your other weapons.
How to Unlock the FASAN/60E
You can get the FASAN/60E very late in the game. After beating Chapter 5, Mission 35 (Escape), you can buy one of these bad boys from the Shop for 217,000 COAM.
BML-G2/P05MLT-10 (Missile Launcher)
Don’t underestimate this launcher just because it fires ordinary missiles. The BML-G2/P05MLT-10 may look basic compared to more exotic shoulder weapons, but it makes up for its lack of pizazz with the sheer number of missiles it can fire off, along with its high Impact damage. It’s the epitome of form over function in this game. Dodging these missiles is no easy feat, and if your opponent gets hit by all of them, then they're a good way toward getting staggered. You can then exploit this by landing critical hits with your other weapons.
How to Unlock the BML-G2/P05MLT-10
Like some of the other great weapons on this list, the BML-G2/P05MLT-10 is unlocked after finishing Chapter 1, Mission 11 (Attack The Watchpoint). You can then buy one of these launchers for 165,000 COAM.
Best Melee Weapons
VE-67LLA (Laser Lance)
Some would say the PB-033M ASHMEAD Pile Bunker is a better melee weapon, and I would’ve agreed if the VE-67LLA didn't exist. But it does. Not only does it have a slightly better range, but its charged piercing attack can leave your enemy overwhelmed. Though it’s a bit on the heavy side, you can never really go wrong with using a weaponized laser jet printer to destroy your opponents.
How to Unlock the VE-67LLA
The VE-67LLA is unlocked after finishing Chapter 3, Mission 27 (Destroy the Ice Worm). You can then buy it from the Shop for 270,000 COAM.
PB-033M ASHMEAD (Pile Bunker)
The PB-033M ASHMEAD is a very powerful weapon. Much more powerful than even the VE-67LLA, but it takes some time to master using it. You need to be very close to your enemy before lunging at them with this thing because one mistake will have you missing your target which leaves you open to a counter-attack.
But once you’ve mastered using the Ashmead, you are guaranteed to be the deadliest melee fighter on the battlefield, with its devastating HP and Impact damage.
How to Unlock the PB-033M
You unlock the Ashmead fairly early on in the game. Just finish Chapter 1, Mission 11 (Attack The Watchpoint) and you can buy your own pile bunker for 185,000 COAM.
VB-67EB (Stun Baton)
The VB-67EB may look and sound harmless, but as stun weapons in this game will show you, that is hardly the case. The VB-67EB is deadly in that not only does it deal high-impact damage, you can also make up to three consecutive hits with your target. It has a fairly fast cooldown as well, so you can keep chasing your enemy and hitting them with the stun baton without any trouble. This will force your enemy to stay on their toes and avoid getting into close contact with you.
How to Unlock the VB-67EB
The VB-67EB becomes available at the shop for 94,000 COAM after you finish Chapter 2, Mission 14 (Ocean Crossing).
VP-67LD (Laser Dagger)
If you feel that the stun baton is still lacking in the damage department, then you might want to trade it in for a VP-67LD instead. This laser dagger by Arquebus features higher HP and Impact damage per strike in exchange for a slightly shorter range (it’s a dagger, after all). But if you really want to hit an enemy, charge it up so you can make one wide swing that has a longer range.
How to Unlock the VP-67LD
Like the Fasan plasma cannon, you unlock the VP-67LD after finishing Chapter 5, Mission 35 (Escape). It's priced at 135,000 COAM at the Shop.
HI-32: BU-TT/A (Pulse Blade)
The very first melee weapon you’ll get in Armored Core 6, the HI-32: BU-TT/A pulse blade is what I call "Ol’ Reliable" with how… well, reliable it is in combat. It has decent HP and Impact damage, and you can swing it twice before it needs to cool down. If you can't decide which melee weapon to use, the HI-32: BU-TT/A has you covered.
How to Unlock the HI-32: BU-TT/A
The HI-32: BU-TT/A is unlocked from the very start of the game, and it might even be the only melee weapon you’ll ever need for the rest of it.
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