Armored Core 6 S-Rank Guide (New Game+)

Attack the Dam Complex (Alt)

This version of Attack the Dam Complex presents a choice to you after destroying the first two generators. The Rubicon Liberation Force will contact you calling for the destruction of your two allies. Accept it to access this alternate mission. Completing the standard route here will automatically give you a D rank, so don’t try to circumvent the Redgun fight here.

After accepting, Any RLF forces will stop attacking you at this point, and you’ll be able to target Volta and Iguazu. By this point, they’ll have split apart and won’t attack until you do, so you can choose who to defeat first. I recommend starting with Iguazu, as fighting either will cause them to converge on you. Iguazu is less bulky, which when combined with Volta’s low mobility gives you ample opportunity to avoid a 2v1 fight.

Whenever you choose to fight Volta, keep in mind his high health and stability. He can easily soak up shotgun and melee attacks to counter with his own grenades and shotgun. Avoid bringing close-range weaponry unless you have a very agile build. Grenade launchers of your own prove very effective against both Volta and Iguazu.

Prisoner Rescue

The key to S-ranking this mission is to know where enemies are located beforehand. If the helicopter takes more than 20% damage to its health, S-ranking becomes very difficult if not impossible.

Helicopter landing locations are marked with red smoke signals, and enemies tend to be clustered around those. There will often be a group of parked drones sitting just ahead of each landing site. Use your radar and keep an eye out for markers to search for enemies ahead of the helicopter.

Once the helicopter is about to leave, a group of MTs led by G2 Nile will ambush you. Put a few shots into Nile to get his attention, then focus on the MTs. They’ll focus all their fire on the helicopter, potentially robbing you of your S-rank if you don’t handle them quickly. More MTs will show up over time, so prioritize them when they show up. Nile himself mainly uses missiles, so a faster build should be able to handle him with ease.

Stop the Secret Data Breach

The first part of this level has you destroy five hacking drones scattered throughout the map. Follow this route to avoid getting lost and wasting time.

You’ll find the first hacking drone behind the locked door at the beginning of the level. Go down to where it was and head to the right, through another locked door.

The second hacking drone is on the lower level behind a train car. Once it’s destroyed, fly back up to the higher level. There’s another locked door on the other side of the room that you should go through. Go down the hallway to find the third drone.

Don’t go through either of the locked doors by the third drone. Instead, go down a hallway to the left of where it was. A Tetrapod MT will show up to block your way, so blast it apart before moving on. The final two hacking drones are on each side of the hallway, one on the left and one on the right.

An objective marker will soon show up leading you outside. Iguazu is there waiting for a duel. Shortly after the fight begins, though, you’ll be ambushed by Ghosts. Iguazu will stop attacking you while the Ghosts are alive, as long as you don’t shoot him first. Focus on destroying the Ghosts first, as they present much more of a threat. Take out Iguazu afterwards and the mission will be complete.

Prevent Corporate Salvage of New Tech

You’ll be taking out an HC and a pair of LCs in this mission. Bring your usual loadout for fighting ACs and you’ll be just fine. You’re given the option of tackling them in any order you wish with two objective markers at the start. Head to the left first, where the HC is undergoing maintenance. Staying very close to the cliff face will prevent it from reactivating right away, letting you get close for free damage. It’s got a strong lance attack but is otherwise not too threatening.

The LCs will usually be waiting by the other objective marked once you’ve cleaned up. Taking them on first would cause the HC to pursue you, turning the fight into a 3v1. The LCs can be hard to hit with their aerial mobility, but they aren’t particularly durable.

Defend the Dam Complex

This mission is a test of how quickly you can take out ACs, as you’ll be fighting up to 3 at the same time. Bring something that staggers quickly, like dual Zimmermans, dual Vientos, or similar high-impact guns, and a melee like the Pulse Blade, Pile Bunker, or Laser Slicer to punish.

Ideally, one of the first two ACs should be defeated, and the other should be well-damaged by this point. If not, don’t panic and keep focusing on one AC at a time. You’ve got a little bit of time before Nightfall catches up to you, so use this time to mop up the others. Nightfall themselves acts the same as they did in “Defend the Old Spaceport,” so you shouldn’t have too much trouble if you manage to bring the situation to a 1v1.

Underground Exploration – Depth 2 (Alt)

This alternate mission plays nearly identically to the standard version, except you’ll be ambushed by Coldcall instead of Iguazu after opening the first partition. His lack of a shield means that he’ll likely be easier to destroy than Iguazu since you can stagger him faster.

Unknown Territory Survey (Alt)

In this version of the mission, Middle Flatwell will join Rusty partway through the fight. He carries a machine gun and rifle, which can quickly stagger you for Rusty’s melee follow-up. Bring Pulse Armor to avoid getting overwhelmed and focus on taking out Rusty first.