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ARMORED CORE VI: FIRES OF RUBICON |OT| Souls in the Shell

GymWolf

Gold Member
Gameplay wise, this is the best fromsoft has ever done (with sekiro)

This is gonna sneak as a goty contender in many people lists.

I'm honestly liking this more than ER and i'm not a mecha guy, but i'm only like 5 hours in.

( i just unlocked the kick-tackle from the trailers and it's glorious)
 
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NoobSmog

Member
I think I'm done trying light armor builds :messenger_grinning_sweat:. It's too hard not to get hit and the benefits just don't seem worth it at all.
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
I think I'm done trying light armor builds :messenger_grinning_sweat:. It's too hard not to get hit and the benefits just don't seem worth it at all.
From the training mission i did i very much liked the flying tetrapod style, maybe i'm gonna switch to that in the future.

The game does a good job letting you try all the legs types with those missions.
 

NoobSmog

Member
From the training mission i did i very much liked the flying tetrapod style, maybe i'm gonna switch to that in the future.

The game does a good job letting you try all the legs types with those missions.
Yeah, I used to use tetrapods a lot in the older games. No idea how they would do in this game, probably pretty good? Grenades launchers are great at hitting mech pilots from above. I like reverse joint the most for the big quick boost, but there are hardly any right now, at least at the beginning of chapter 4.
 
Switched up my build for chapter 2 because why not, there is so much cool stuff to experiment with and the more I unlock the more frustrating the lack of weapon haptics is, if ever a game could have benefitted from it and given the combat 10x more impact it's this one.

Gatling gun, Songbird grenade launcher, Arm spike, Laser rifle, can't express the joy of hovering in the air and raining down death with the gatling, grenades and rifle then swooping in when staggered to eviscerate with the spike. I said this game would be my GOTY frontrunner and it's exceeding my expectations.
W19VQSq.jpg
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
Yeah, I used to use tetrapods a lot in the older games. No idea how they would do in this game, probably pretty good? Grenades launchers are great at hitting mech pilots from above. I like reverse joint the most for the big quick boost, but there are hardly any right now, at least at the beginning of chapter 4.
You just need to play all the training mission so yuo can actually try how they feel.

I was set on getting a pair of light legs to avoid everything and have more stamina but the tetrapod had me guessing my next move.

The fact that you can just buy and sell parts without malus is just the best when it comes to experimentation, all hard games should be like this.

The garage part is almost as addicting as the combat. (big almost)

(lol i'm still in chapter one)
 
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GymWolf

Gold Member
Switched up my build for chapter 2 because why not, there is so much cool stuff to experiment with and the more I unlock the more frustrating the lack of weapon haptics is, if ever a game could have benefitted from it and given the combat 10x more impact it's this one.

Gatling gun, Songbird grenade launcher, Arm spike, Laser rifle, can't express the joy of hovering in the air and raining down death with the gatling, grenades and rifle then swooping in when staggered to eviscerate with the spike. I said this game would be my GOTY frontrunner and it's exceeding my expectations.
W19VQSq.jpg
The spike? like a spear melee weapon?:messenger_face_screaming:
 
Played the game yesterday at a friends house in our typical FromSoft evenings where beer and weed are abused.

I was suprised how quickly I familiarized the control scheme. We played it for a few hours and I loved it. Still haven't decided though if I'll get this game at the moment.

Also I realized while gaming with my friends Dualsense that a controllers with back buttons/paddles are perfect for this game. It was a bit hard to fly around and evade while trying to keep your targets in sight.

Cudos for FromSoft making the frame rate pretty stable 60 fps.
 
all the stats are confusing i dont know what most of it means but i have upgraded some parts. got a shield, new booster, upgraded target lock, new legs and some other stuff.

the combat is super fun but the camera is really pissing me off. the FOV is too small and target locking sucks.
 

NoobSmog

Member
Switched up my build for chapter 2 because why not, there is so much cool stuff to experiment with and the more I unlock the more frustrating the lack of weapon haptics is, if ever a game could have benefitted from it and given the combat 10x more impact it's this one.

Gatling gun, Songbird grenade launcher, Arm spike, Laser rifle, can't express the joy of hovering in the air and raining down death with the gatling, grenades and rifle then swooping in when staggered to eviscerate with the spike. I said this game would be my GOTY frontrunner and it's exceeding my expectations.
W19VQSq.jpg
That was almost my exact same build, except light legs instead of tetrapods. Unfortunely I keep running out of ammo on bosses with the chaingun, just wasn't doing enough. Still using the songbird though! It's great. I suggest giving the stun baton a try whenever the shop starts selling it. It looks like garbage with it's stats, but it's super powerful.
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
That was almost my exact same build, except light legs instead of tetrapods. Unfortunely I keep running out of ammo on bosses with the chaingun, just wasn't doing enough. Still using the songbird though! It's great. I suggest giving the stun baton a try whenever the shop starts selling it. It looks like garbage with it's stats, but it's super powerful.
If ammo are a problem maybe you can buy the chip that let you put hand weapons on your shoulders, you could potentially have like 2000+ ammo to waste...

Less attack power tho.
 
Switched up my build for chapter 2 because why not, there is so much cool stuff to experiment with and the more I unlock the more frustrating the lack of weapon haptics is, if ever a game could have benefitted from it and given the combat 10x more impact it's this one.

Gatling gun, Songbird grenade launcher, Arm spike, Laser rifle, can't express the joy of hovering in the air and raining down death with the gatling, grenades and rifle then swooping in when staggered to eviscerate with the spike. I said this game would be my GOTY frontrunner and it's exceeding my expectations.
W19VQSq.jpg

Is that like quality build in Souls games?
 

NoobSmog

Member
If ammo are a problem maybe you can buy the chip that let you put hand weapons on your shoulders, you could potentially have like 2000+ ammo to waste...

Less attack power tho.
Chaingun is fun but unfortunately it's just not great at stagger or doing good dps. It would be pretty funny to equip 4 chainguns though...
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
Chaingun is fun but unfortunately it's just not great at stagger or doing good dps. It would be pretty funny to equip 4 chainguns though...
It would absolutely shreds anything that it's not a boss.

I haven't tried just because i always love to have a melee weapon with me, i do half the killing with it.
 

Naked Lunch

Member
Have played AC on pad from the beginning. First time on KBM with AC and its superior to pad. Worth the initial discomfort.

Tone, presentation, style and audio are all very OG AC. On the fence with the gameplay. Everything feels a lot "lighter". Less weight and less mechanical feel behind the movement. It actually feels good, but feels a bit off compared to traditional AC. Feels like boost management is less important now, too - maybe im wrong in that. Movement and energy management seem way more accesible in general.
Im super early in the game - just trying (and succeeding) to s rank the first mission and messing around with the AC Tests.

This past month I played AC 2, Last Raven, and the 360 era games back to back.
These were close to my thoughts too - something about the movement feels floaty, loose, light, and off in comparison to the old games. Its not quite tight enough. Maybe my opinion will change - but I for sure dont like the new lock on system and movement lacking weight.

As this point - VI still doesnt dethrone AC For Answer, which is very surprising to me - I thought this one was going to eclipse the rest of the series - but VI feels off. Ive barely scratched the surface tho - still much to experiment and discover.

I do like that the series finally has an entry with a budget though.
 

H4ze

Member
Play the first few missions yesterday and stopped shortly after I "climbed the wall" if you know.
So far, the game seems to be a bit too easy (while not going for S-rank). Never had to use more than 3 trys for a boss/Mission.

But maybe I am just too used to from games, but despite that, it's absolutely awesome. I love the tight gameplay, can't wait to play more.
 

RoboFu

One of the green rats
Some stages are just weird….
The wall stage is pretty difficult unless you sneak around and destroy all the guns on the wall first. 😵‍💫 basically doing it backwards is easy mode.

Nothing has been as hard as the first boss and it’s only hard because it’s cheap “ I’m going to fly out of the area and spam missiles and you can’t touch me!! “
 
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F0rneus

Tears in the rain
Play the first few missions yesterday and stopped shortly after I "climbed the wall" if you know.
So far, the game seems to be a bit too easy (while not going for S-rank). Never had to use more than 3 trys for a boss/Mission.

But maybe I am just too used to from games, but despite that, it's absolutely awesome. I love the tight gameplay, can't wait to play more.
Famous last words lol

369963238_2302952203210125_7201779811707122231_n.jpg
 
“ I’m going to fly out of the area and girl middles and you and you can’t touch me!! “
..girl middles and you? shoot missiles at you? What kind of demonic auto-correct do you have.

Also you can just boost into its face and destroy it with melee, didn't think it was hard at all
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
Gameplay wise, this is the best fromsoft has ever done (with sekiro)

This is gonna sneak as a goty contender in many people lists.

I'm honestly liking this more than ER and i'm not a mecha guy, but i'm only like 5 hours in.

( i just unlocked the kick-tackle from the trailers and it's glorious)
OK, OK...I'm buying it already!

Sekiro is probably my favourite from soft game. Or joint number one so I need to buy this
 

F0rneus

Tears in the rain
OK, OK...I'm buying it already!

Sekiro is probably my favourite from soft game. Or joint number one so I need to buy this
I'd say it's very different than Sekiro (that I actually kind of hated). Sekiro was basically a rhythm game hiding as a ninja action game. AC6 is a beefy mech game with tons of customization and combat is not about parrying anything. It's all about constant mobility (which is insanely great) and being as aggressive as you can. People stuck on the tutorial boss on the Steam page are like: "You have to use cover for the tutorial boss, he's so hard". No. Fuck cover. GO IN AND SLASH AND BLAST.

And the big bosses are straight out of Souls. It's all about learning their moveset, their range, their patterns, and then making the best AC possible for each encounter with the insanely in-depth customization, that goes so hard it can change the fucking controls of your AC depending on what you have, and where everything is equipped.

And yeah my first AC game and I will say...as a HUGE From Software fan who loves Dark Souls, Bloodborne and Elden Ring. This...feels so familiar. Different structure but that Souls DNA is there. I felt right at home immediately after adjusting to the sheer feeling of weight behind your AC. You are HEAVY!
 
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F0rneus

Tears in the rain
Balteus down, woop woop. Had him down to 3%-5% life a couple of times, experimented with different weapon combinations and eventually bought the bubble gun which melts his shield, good stuff. Still very much possible without it obviously but it might just help some get over the edge. The music in this fight tho 💯💯💯

Highly recommend Assault Armor expansion too, start the fight by dashing right into him and activating it which negates his missile salvo *and* knocks off about 80% of his shield, keep on him like white on rice to stagger before he can bring shield back up, can shave 70% off lifebar this way. He *will* reactivate shield no matter what after 50% dip though, get out of the way and get ready for the flaming rushdowns lol.
Yeah, Balteus's theme is fucking epic even after your 30th death.



FIRE

Also it's funny that people spoiler his name lol. I mean, the official gameplay preview showed his fight and the commentator dared you to face him. He ain't a spoiler. From put him up front immediately since he's the skill check boss lol
 
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Dacvak

No one shall be brought before our LORD David Bowie without the true and secret knowledge of the Photoshop. For in that time, so shall He appear.
Great OP mortal mortal

So, how beginner friendly is this game? And does it seem like a huge time sink? I’m still knee-deep into BG3, so I don’t know if I’ll have time for this. I’m kinda hoping there’s an easy mode and the game isn’t too long.
 
Great OP mortal mortal

So, how beginner friendly is this game? And does it seem like a huge time sink? I’m still knee-deep into BG3, so I don’t know if I’ll have time for this. I’m kinda hoping there’s an easy mode and the game isn’t too long.
Currently playing both, so you could manage to do so as well.

It's definitely a nice change of pace from BG3 after long sessions. And similarly to not have to work my hands so intensely when I switch back.

At what point did y'all start buying parts and customizing? I just beat Wall climber and am starting to see the limits of the default build.
 
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zeldaring

Banned
Gameplay wise, this is the best fromsoft has ever done (with sekiro)

This is gonna sneak as a goty contender in many people lists.

I'm honestly liking this more than ER and i'm not a mecha guy, but i'm only like 5 hours in.

( i just unlocked the kick-tackle from the trailers and it's glorious)
I haven't even played AC6 yet but it's pretty obvious that this will at least match sekiro for best combat ever in a fromsoftware game. the combat in ER/SOULS while being very fun cause of the bosses and variety of moves the enemies have, just really lack variety and just feels a bit slow.
 

YukiOnna

Member
OK, OK...I'm buying it already!

Sekiro is probably my favourite from soft game. Or joint number one so I need to buy this
If you enjoyed Sekiro, you'll probably feel right at home as the boss design and gameplay pushes you to be equally aggressive, fight back, fight to break their "posture" and keep it going.

How is rank actually determined? Speed, use of repair kits and checkpoints? Or a mix of all of those?
I always assumed its repair cost and the objective, but I'm not sure entirely.
 

Con-Z-epT

Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
How is rank actually determined? Speed, use of repair kits and checkpoints? Or a mix of all of those?


How to Get S-Ranks?​

  • No Checkpoints: Don’t restart checkpoints, they void S-Rank. Must finish the mission in one life. You are allowed to use “Restart Mission” without quitting out of the mission.
  • Speed: Finish Mission in fastest time possible. This is the most important ranking factor! For example, in Mission 4 I did S-Rank by flying past all enemies and just doing all objectives. Then I ran the same mission again and waited 5 minutes at the start and proceeded to finish the mission with even better payout in the results screen but only got C-Rank. The conclusion is that time alone can lower the rank from S to C even if you do everything else perfectly without taking any damage.
  • Damage Taken: This is shown as the “Repair Costs” in the results screen. The lower your repair cost the better. In most missions this seems to have little to no impact on the rank and is far outweighed by getting a faster time. Since you aren’t allowed to restart checkpoints you can’t take much damage anyway to finish it in one life (using repair kits is fine).
  • Ammunition Consumed: This is shown as the “Ammunition Costs” in the results screen. This has little to no impact in most missions and is far outweighed by getting a faster time. It doesn’t count how many shots you fired but rather how much the expended ammo costs. You can see the ammo cost for each weapon in the Assembly Menu > open the detailed Arm/Back menu > press
    :triangle:
    /
    :y:
    to “Toggle Display” > look for “Ammunition Cost” on each weapon. You can also filter weapons by ammo cost per shot used: in the detailed Arm/Back menu press
    :l3:
    /
    :ls:
    to “Sort” and select the bottom option “Ammunition Cost”. This will show the cheapest per shot at the top. Generally, the ammo cost will come out to about the same regardless of what weapons you use, because weapons with higher cost per shot deal more damage, and weapons with lower cost per shot (such as Gatling Gun) require a lot of ammo for one kill. So it evens out regardless. Just use whatever has the fastest kill speed. Melee weapons don’t consume ammo and have no cost associated with them, however they have a cooldown and would increase the time taken to finish the mission. It’s generally better to pick whatever has the fastest kill speed (dual-wielding gatling guns is good) and get a faster time to make up for the ammo cost.
  • Killing Specific Enemies / other special Conditions: The game doesn’t tell you this, but some missions can only be S-ranked if you do optional objectives or kill specific optional enemies that hold Combat Logs. For example, in “Mission 6: Attack the Dam Complex” I ran the mission perfectly and got 183,000 COAM in payout screen but only ever got A-Rank. Then I killed the optional Combat Log enemies but got S-Rank with only 120,000 COAM payout. The conclusion is that some missions cannot be S-Ranked unless you do the “hidden” requirement. Generally, if the mission description says there is bonus pay for certain actions they can be mandatory for S-Rank.

Overall, the game is very intransparent about how it calculates S-Ranks. It doesn’t give you any feedback on your time and doesn’t show the exact requirements anywhere. It also applies ranks very inconsistently from one mission to the next. Which requirement it puts more weight on changes from mission to mission. Some missions you could run 50 times perfectly but always get A-Rank because you didn’t kill one specific enemy somewhere. Another issue is that Combat Log enemies are no longer marked once you’ve killed them once on a previous playthrough. These enemies aren’t always mandatory for S-Ranks but in some missions you will never the S unless you defeat them.

The biggest ranking factor by far is time taken. The payout at the end of the mission generally doesn’t seem to have huge impact. I often got S Ranks with vastly lower payout (e.g. 120k got me S-Rank but 180k would get me A-Rank), but just being faster or doing optional objectives and killing all enemies. Each mission is a case of trial and error.
 
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Virex

Banned
Man, if it's really that bad, just create an account for a different country/region and buy PSN wallet funds/top-up cards online for that specific country.
You can always play the games on your main account.
I'll wait for a price drop on a physical copy. I have all the Armored Core games that released in PAL territories since PS1 and I'd like the add this to that collection
 

Kenneth Haight

Gold Member
No Checkpoints
Yikes, thought that. Some of the Armored cores you get in the training missions have so much AP and damage output, boost etc. that I assume once you have spent a lot of money the earlier missions getting an S rank will be a cake walk with OP builds. I’m loving this so far, a lot of depth and well worth the price of entry.
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
We all think that....Godspeed Raven!
I have the right gun in the inventory to fuck his shield (i think) and then he just become manageable without that.

As usual with bosses it seems that staying close is always the best tactic.

In the future i can see making an only melee build, if you have 4 of them there is basically no downtime.
 
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Mattdaddy

Gold Member
I died at the
Sea Spider
an ungodly number of times last night.

Like Radahn or Capra demon number of times. I'll bet he killed me 50 times before I gave up for the night.

Watched some youtube vids on him, about to give it the ole round 2.


One thing I really love about this game is that its so lean but in a good way. There is zero unnecessary bloat or padding here. Not on the mission design, not in the gameplay, not in the UI or menus, not in the story delivery. Lol its so direct and efficient.

Super noticeable to me coming off finishing FF16 recently, which while I did enjoy that game thoroughly... holy fuckin bloat padding.
 
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I have the right gun in the inventory to fuck his shield (i think) and then he just become manageable without that.

As usual with bosses it seems that staying close is always the best tactic.

In the future i can see making an only melee build, if you have 4 of them there is basically no downtime.
I’m well looking forward to the inevitable melee-only challenge runs.
 
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