BEST Armored Core 6 Best Builds: Tank, Heavy, & Light

Armored Core 6 features a large part shop with the possibility for players to make ludicrous builds, from light bipeds that can jump to insane heights and have great evasive ability to unkillable tanks.

There is no one good build in this game, as each build is unique and great in its own right. Different situations can require different builds. Let’s take a look at best builds, each of which is really strong when used in the correct situation.

Instant Stagger Tank Build

Best Build Against Bosses

Armored core 6 has a new mechanic where enemies have an impact meter. When an enemy’s impact meter has been filled they are staggered and are left to take a lot more damage as compared to when they aren’t staggered.

This Impact meter exists for the players as well and is an essential mechanic in the game. Once it’s full you’ll be still for a short duration where you’ll take significantly more damage.

This build makes use of this mechanic a lot. Bosses in the story missions don’t stand a chance usually as the build is a constant barrage of damage and explosions. Additionally, PvP is fairly simple with the build. All you need to do is close in the distance with the enemy and shoot.

Let’s take a look at the components that make the build.

Arm Weapons

In this build, two DF – GA – 08 HU – BEN miniguns are the primary weapons of choice, one mounted on each arm. These miniguns deal tremendous damage but come with specific characteristics and limitations:

• Short Range and High Damage: These miniguns are devastating in terms of damage output but are most effective at very short range.

• Continuous Fire: Unlike weapons with magazines, these miniguns can fire continuously. The only interruption to firing is caused by the heat generated by the weapons.

• Overheating: If these weapons are fired to the point of overheating, a significant cooldown period is observed before they can be used again.

• Ranged Limitations: At range, these weapons have two drawbacks. Firstly, they have a normal travel time, making it easier for targets to evade the shots. Secondly, the bullets ricochet at range and deal no damage to enemies, necessitating close combat.

• Weight and Overburden: These weapons are heavy and can overburden builds that aren’t tanky enough.

• Healing Limitation: The player’s AC cannot heal while firing these weapons, requiring a more strategic and considered approach to combat.

Shoulder Weapons

In this build, the shoulder weapons include the Songbirds, which are grenade cannons firing two pellets that deal massive damage. Here’s why these weapons are valuable in both story and PvP situations:

• Stagger Damage: Songbirds are effective at inflicting substantial stagger damage to enemies, making it difficult for them to maintain their composure.

• Impact Meter: These weapons excel at filling up the impact meters of opponents, almost completely depleting them in both story and PvP scenarios.

• Boss Control: Against challenging bosses like the Sea Spider, the combination of these shoulder weapons with the other weapons in the build can immobilize them, preventing them from executing their attacks.

• Exceptional Damage: The Songbirds also deal exceptional damage, allowing for swift eliminations in arena battles.

• Close Quarters: This build thrives in close-quarters combat, and the Songbirds are a gamechanger in such situations.

However, it’s important to consider the drawbacks and weaknesses of these weapons. They are most effective at close ranges, and the tank build lacks high mobility. Mobile and flying mechs can pose a significant challenge, although they can be swiftly taken down once hit.

Parts Used

The armor for this build needs to be heavy but also fairly efficient so the player can use assault boost to close distances. Here’s a table describing what I used in this build.

Part	type
HD-012 MELANDER C3	Head
DF-BD-08 TIAN-QIANG	Core
DF-AR-08 TIAN-QIANG	Arms
LG-022T BORNEMISSZA	Legs
null	Booster
FC-006 ABBOT	FCS
VP-20D	Generator
Assault Armor	Expansion

Most of the armor is just customized to better fit the parts so they’re all compatible. The main point of focus are the legs for this build. We’re using the heavy tank legs which are fast on the ground and have decent forward thrust. Where they suffer is the upward thrust making assault boost the only reliable means to gain altitude.

With this build you’ll have a decent amount of energy and can use it to either assault boost or hover fairly well. The quick dash refresh time is huge so players won’t be evading with crazy mobility. However, with this build evading is not necessary.

The playstyle for this build is being up close and personal with assault boost and pressing every attack button all together. Being above the enemy is highly helpful as the songbirds deal AOE damage and evasion is harder when the enemy is on the floor.

The build suffers against flying targets but the miniguns along with the assault boost is there to counter highly mobile enemies. Once their guard breaks, songbirds can be used to make quick work of them.

Heavy AOE Build

Best Build For NG+

AOE weapons are a great way to deal significant damage whilst not needing to be super close and accurate. For enemies that like to remain on the ground these builds are super useful as even when the shots miss, the AOE damage from the ground hurts them.

AOE weapons however, are mostly heavy and for that reason this build will be for a heavier built that still maintains mobility. Additionally, flight and combat from above will be a primary focus in this build.

Arm Weapons

This build relies on the Vvc – 760PR Plasma rifles as the primary arm weapons. These rifles fire energy projectiles that cause energy explosions in an area of effect (AOE) upon impact. Here are the key features of these weapons:

• Ammo and No Magazine Size: These rifles have ammo but no magazine size. They operate on a heating system where the weapon cools down when not in use.

• One Shot from Each Arm: Players can fire one shot from each arm, minimizing downtime on the weapons.

• Effective Against Normal Enemies: In the base game, these Plasma Rifles can one-shot most normal enemies, and the AOE can take out multiple enemies simultaneously. They also deal decent damage to the enemy’s impact meter, especially with direct hits.

• Boss Specialization: Against bosses, this build excels in aerial combat, dealing massive damage from above.

• Travel Time: These weapons have a travel time, so players need to account for it when aiming and shooting.

This build’s primary strategy is to utilize the Plasma Rifles to swiftly eliminate enemies, with a specialization for aerial boss battles while considering the weapons’ travel time.

Shoulder Weapons

We’re focusing on plasma weapons for the shoulder-mounted weapons, specifically the Plasma Missile Launcher Vvc – 70VPM. These launch projectiles that track and strike enemies from above, creating an area-of-effect energy explosion upon impact.

These shoulder weapons excel in both PvP and story missions due to their wide coverage, making evasion difficult. Their AOE capability is effective for clearing multiple foes in confined spaces.

When combined with the arm weapons, these projectiles continuously create AOE explosions, preventing enemies from getting any respite.

Parts Used

Part	Type
HD-012 MELANDER C3	Head
VE-40A	Core
DF-AR-08 TIAN-QIANG	Arms
LG-033M VERRILL	Legs
FLUEGEL/21Z	Booster
FCS-G2/P05	FCS
DF-GN-08 SAN-TAI	Generator
ASSAULT ARMOR	Expansion

The armor build prioritizes high armor points (AP) for mid-air combat, making it resilient to attacks. Boosters enhance upward thrust, emphasizing vertical mobility.

The unique feature lies in the quadpedal legs, which allow the armored core to hover in the air like gliding when ascending, consuming minimal energy. This offers safety while attacking bosses, as they struggle to target directly above. Using Assault Boost can achieve impressive altitude.

Additionally, Assault Armor is chosen for its effectiveness against bosses, negating their projectiles and dealing substantial close-range damage.

Light High Mobility Build

Best Early Game Build

Armored Core was always known for it’s movement. Even to this day videos of people moving at mach 3 speeds can be seen from Armored Core 4. High speed just unlocks this different style of playing the game that is super fun and satisfying.

If the parrying of Sekiro made you feel like an anime character, movement is the equivalent in armored core 6. Nothing beats the elegance of good movement. This build will cover a super fast, high boost speed build.

Suitable for both PvP and story missions this build is sure to make you appreciate the mechanics of Armored Core 6.

Arm Weapons

First let’s star of with the right arm weapon. We’re going to be using the MG-014 LUDLOW machine gun. This weapon deals a decent amount damage and has a pretty good fire rate as well.

This weapon is super lightweight and does very decent damage in both PvP and story missions. Moreover this weapon is a lot better in closer ranges. This shouldn’t be a problem however as the build is a super fast movement build.

The negatives of this weapon are also present however. This weapon does have a magazine and due to the high rate of fire players will find themselves reloading a fair bit. The weapon can also be mediocre at medium ranges as the bullets can be evaded.

The Pile Bunker is a short-range melee weapon suitable for high damage in PvE situations. For PvP, options like the lance might be more effective.

In story missions, the Pile Bunker excels, often one-shotting most enemies. Against bosses, it deals a substantial blow to their AP. Players have achieved some of the fastest kills against bosses, like Balteus in the first chapter, using this weapon.

To maximize its potential, players should focus on depleting the boss’s impact meter before executing a rush and utilizing the Pile Bunker’s hold attack.

Shoulder Weapons

Once again, I recommend the Plasma Missile Launcher for this build. The AOE damage the projectiles do are just to good to pass up when paired with the fact that they don’t usually miss. They also have a very short cooldown and can be spammed multiple times during fights.

The main positive about this is the impact meter damage it deals as that’s my main objective. Once the enemy is staggers the Pile Bunker will do all the work.

Parts Used

Part	Type
DF-HD08 TIAN QIANG	Head
EL-TC-10-FIRMEZA	Core
IA-CO1A: EPHEMERA	Arms
EL-TL-10 FRMEZA	Legs
BST-G2/P06SPD	Booster
FC-006 ABBOT	FCS
DF-GN-08 SAN-TAI	Generator
ASSAULT ARMOR	Expansion

This build prioritizes low-weight parts to achieve a high boost speed of 357. The legs are chosen for quick boosting during combat.

The booster is selected for its high thrust and boost speed. A high-energy generator enables frequent boosting compared to other options.

For defensive choices, Assault Armor enhances aggression and is ideal for story boss runs. In PvP, Pulse Shield, given the lower AP of the build, can be a viable alternative for added protection.

Best Armored Core 6 Builds Stat Comparison

The 3 builds we’ve provided are all very different and have varying stats. Here’s a stat table for a quick comparison.

Specs	Build 1	Build 2	Build 3
AP	17590	14620	8800
Defensive Performance	1282	1271	1062
Attitude Stability	2675	2350	1244
Boost Speed	244	273	357

Why Others Were Not Chosen?

1. Double Zimmerman: This build requires you to be very close to enemies to eliminate them. Many bosses in AC6 may need you to be at a significant distance from the boss itself, where this build will fail to be efficient. It also offers limited mobility, which will restrict your ability to move and I do not prefer it.
2. Death From Above: This is not a beginner-friendly build, as it has a steep learning curve and you need to be highly skillful. It heavily relies on ammo and you only get a refill towards the end of a mission, which is not sufficient for this build.
3. Double Gatling Guns: This is an energy-intensive build that requires constant management so you don’t get run out of energy. It has Gatling guns on both arms which have medium range at best, so the bosses that prefer long range combat will defeat you in combat, so it has more drawbacks than benefits.

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My Verdict On The Best Builds

Today I covered 3 builds that I consider to be the Best Armored Core 6 Builds. These builds cover all aspects of Armored Core 6, including how to tackle boss fights, how to survive early and late game, and the need of AOE builds. Moreover, I kept it to the point so you can directly pick up the required build parts.

In my opinion, the Instant Stagger Build is one of my favorites, as it easily tackles through difficult bosses, such as Balteus. I hope this guide was of help to you ravens. Please let us know how you’ve been enjoying the game so far.

If you want more information about Armored Core 6 please check out our other guides:

• Armored Core 6 Decisions Endings
• Armored Core 6 Melee Weapons