Beginner's Guide to Armored Core 6

New to AC6? Learn the fundamentals of AC building, movement, combat, and progression.

Understanding AC Assembly

1Your AC (Armored Core) is fully customizable -- head, core, arms, legs, generator, booster, FCS, and expansion slots all affect performance.
2Weight is the most critical stat to manage -- exceeding your leg's weight capacity dramatically reduces speed and boost efficiency.
3Energy load must stay within your generator's output -- exceeding it prevents energy weapons from functioning and cripples boost recovery.
4Start with a balanced mid-weight build before experimenting with extremes -- it forgives mistakes while you learn combat mechanics.
5The Assembly screen shows real-time stat changes when swapping parts -- pay attention to AP (health), weight, and energy load numbers.

1Quick Boost (dodge) is your primary defensive tool -- it grants brief invincibility frames and costs minimal energy when timed correctly.
2Assault Boost charges you forward at high speed and can be combined with melee attacks for devastating gap-closing strikes.
3Vertical boost lets you take fights to the air -- many enemies struggle against aerial opponents, giving you a significant advantage.
4Energy management is essential -- boosting drains your EN gauge, and running empty leaves you grounded and vulnerable for several seconds.
5Different booster parts dramatically change movement feel -- lightweight boosters favor speed, heavy boosters favor sustained flight stability.

1You can equip four weapons simultaneously -- one in each hand and one on each shoulder -- allowing diverse combat loadout combinations.
2Kinetic weapons (bullets) deal high stagger damage, while energy weapons (lasers) deal high direct damage -- combine both for effectiveness.
3Stagger is the key combat mechanic -- filling an enemy's stagger bar briefly stuns them and causes all attacks to deal increased damage.
4Missiles and shoulder weapons fire independently from arm weapons -- use them simultaneously to maximize damage output during openings.
5Ammunition is limited per mission -- bring weapons with different ammo pools to avoid running dry during extended encounters.

1The pulse shield expansion can block incoming attacks and, when timed perfectly, parries melee strikes for a counter-attack window.
2Assault Armor is an expansion that releases an energy burst around your AC, destroying incoming missiles and staggering nearby enemies.
3Positioning matters more than raw defense stats -- staying mobile and at optimal range for your weapons reduces damage taken significantly.
4Learn enemy attack patterns -- most bosses telegraph their heavy attacks with distinct visual and audio cues before striking.
5Repair kits are limited (usually 3 per mission) -- save them for boss phases rather than using them on regular enemy encounters.

1Credits earned from missions are your primary currency for purchasing new parts from the shop -- harder missions pay more.
2OS Tuning upgrades provide permanent passive bonuses like extra repair kits, improved lock-on range, and reduced boost energy cost.
3Prioritize OS upgrades that match your playstyle -- missile lock speed for ranged builds, melee damage for close-combat builds.
4Failed missions refund all part purchases and ammunition costs -- don't hesitate to retry with different builds at no financial penalty.
5The training mode in the garage lets you test any build configuration against target dummies before committing to a mission loadout.