Armored Core 6 S-Rank Guide (Chapter 2)

Infiltrate Grid 086

This one can be tough to handle at first, being a lengthy marathon with both an AC battle and a large boss fight similar to Attack the Watchpoint. The good news is that you can skip past nearly every enemy group and focus entirely on the bosses. Bring high-stagger weapons and a way to punish once you’ve staggered foes. I personally used dual Earshots with a Pile Bunker and a machine gun, since two Earshot blasts will instantly stagger both the AC and the end boss.

At the beginning, rush past the initial enemy groups to reach Invincible Rummy. He’s not too difficult to deal with, but watch out for his chainsaw. It deals heavy damage and traps you in an animation. Once the door opens to the next area, keep rushing through the next passages until you reach a room with flowing molten metal.

From here, you have a choice. You can either continue through the next door as normal or go down one of the pipes on the left side of the room. The one that doesn’t have flowing molten metal leads to a hidden AC. It’ll really pad your score if you defeat it, but it isn’t too difficult to S-rank this mission if you choose not to.

The next section has a group of MTs including a tetrapod. Right above them are explosive canisters. Normally, they’re dropped on you as you begin fighting the MTs, but it’s possible to fly up and shoot them down yourself with non-explosive weapons. Doing this will destroy all of the regular MTs and heavily damage the tetrapod. From here, take it down as normal, being cautious of its frontal shield and spread bazooka.

To conclude the mission, you’ll be facing off against the Smart Cleaner. There’s a resupply point right before its arena, and I recommend you use it. The Smart Cleaner is covered in thick armor and unleashes powerful melee attacks, but it has two main weak points. If you want to play it safe, fly above it and shoot down into the glowing spot on its back. The only way it can hit you from up there is with a magma spewing attack.

If you’re feeling particularly bold, it also has a weak spot on its face that takes more damage. This will expose you to its melee attacks, which also have a tendency to block shots aimed at its face. If you can manage to stagger it, though, it will be left vulnerable. With dual Earshots, you can stagger it instantly as the fight begins, then trap it in a stagger loop as it recovers. Do all this in a single run and you’re sure to get that S-rank.

Eliminate the Doser Faction

Eliminate the Doser Faction should be a breather in comparison to the missions before and after it. You’ll just be taking out a few enemy squads for this S-rank. The first squad is right outside the starting area, while the rest are marked afterwards. Keep to the skies to avoid the melee MTs in the beginning, as they’ll be the biggest threats. Otherwise, basically any build should work to get an S-rank here.

Ocean Crossing

Enjoy your breather from the last mission? Good. Time for another boss fight. The build that you brought to Infiltrate Grid 086 should also work for this mission, just be sure to bring a rifle or machine gun to clear a few basic enemies along the way.

The first part of this mission has you dodging a satellite laser across a long distance. While there is a trick to avoiding it (Quick boost to the side when you hear the laser firing), it’s much easier to go under the level. As you exit the elevator, you’ll find a few holes in the ground. Head down there where the laser can’t touch you.

Soon you’ll come across an open bridge. From there, Assault Boost underneath the bridge to remain in cover. If you need to restore energy, try landing on one of the segments hanging under the bridge. Once you’re across, head to the objective marker to be clear of the laser completely.

There will be a few weak enemies for you to destroy, then you’ll enter the arena for the Sea Spider battle. To deal with the Sea Spider, try to remain underneath it as much as possible. Its lasers will have a tougher time tracking you, while you’ll be able to attack it unimpeded. When it reaches around half of its health, it will begin to fly. Follow it into the skies to avoid a powerful ground laser and keep peppering it. Soon enough, it’ll fall back to the earth leaving you as the victor.

Don’t forget to head right to the cargo launcher afterwards to finish the mission. It’s not fun to get a D rank just because you waited around too long after destroying the Sea Spider.