If you’re diving into the chaotic, bullet-saturated world of Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, prepare for a steep learning curve—but also one of the most rewarding mech combat experiences in recent memory. This FromSoftware title doesn’t hold your hand, and for newcomers, its high-speed, three-dimensional combat, dense HUD, and overwhelming customization options can feel like piloting a jet engine with a toaster manual.

But fear not. Whether you’re face-first into a barrage of missiles or just figuring out how to dodge, this guide compiles 20 essential tips for getting your bearings and launching yourself into top-tier mechanized mayhem.

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1. Embrace the Skies
The ground is your enemy. In Armored Core 6, mobility is king, and verticality is the secret weapon. Staying grounded halves your evasion potential and makes you an easy target. Train yourself to think in full 3D—hover, strafe mid-air, and make the skies your hunting ground. Use the ESC test arena to practice free-flying and spatial dodging until movement feels natural.

2. Boost Your Camera Responsiveness
By default, the camera turns like a tank in molasses. Dive into settings and crank up the camera movement speed. You’ll notice an instant improvement in threat awareness and reaction time. This single change can transform how fluidly you adapt to battle chaos.

3. Shields Aren’t Optional
Early on, shields may seem like an afterthought—but by Chapter 2, they become a game-changer. Blocking negates huge chunks of health and stagger damage, especially when timed precisely. If dodging fails, a good block might be your saving grace. Get used to toggling between the two.

4. Learn Your HUD
At first glance, the HUD resembles a cockpit mid-meltdown. But don’t be intimidated. Key info clusters around the targeting reticle: enemy health, stagger (ACS) gauge, ammo counts, reload statuses, and missile lock indicators. Learn where to glance and what to look for—situational awareness is often the edge between survival and defeat.

5. Unlock Arena and Weapon Bay OS Upgrades
The arena opens the path to OST chips—used to unlock powerful OS upgrades. One of the most versatile early upgrades is the weapon bay, letting you equip arm weapons in shoulder slots. This opens up fast weapon swapping mid-fight, which can be the key to adapting on the fly.

6. Go Melee or Go Home (Sometimes)
When ranged attacks feel underwhelming, try getting up close. Melee weapons like the pulse blade can devastate enemies with a few well-timed swings—especially when you break their stagger. It’s high risk, high reward, and immensely satisfying when you pull it off.

7. Master the Stagger Game
The ACS gauge (stagger bar) is your golden ticket. All weapons contribute to stagger, but nothing does it better than explosives—grenades, missiles, you name it. Stagger an enemy, then pile on your highest DPS weapons during the window of vulnerability. That’s how you dismantle even the bulkiest bosses.

8. Surprise Attacks Matter
If the targeting HUD tells you an enemy is unaware of you, it’s your chance to deliver a surprise strike. These attacks deal enormous stagger damage and can start boss fights or ambushes heavily in your favor. Use this to tilt the balance before a single shot is fired back.

9. Reload Smarter, Not Harder
Manual reload is your friend. It’s easy to forget, but reloading outside combat ensures you’re always locked and loaded. Hold Y + fire (Xbox), Triangle + fire (PlayStation), or F on PC to manually reload. It’s a tiny tactic with major tactical payoff.

10. Build for the Mission, Not Just the Style
Rigid builds die fast. Adaptation is essential. Ask: what’s hurting me? Do I need more speed? More stagger potential? Better energy capacity? Build for each challenge—not just what looks cool. Use checkpoints to swap out parts when needed without restarting.

11. Understand Damage Types
Three major damage types rule Rubicon: kinetic (bullets), explosive (missiles), and energy (beams). Kinetic balances health and stagger; explosive prioritizes stagger; energy melts health bars but demands high EN load. Match your loadout to enemy weaknesses and armor types.

12. Learn from Soulsborne Logic
FromSoftware DNA lives here. Watch patterns. Counter after dodging. Exploit boss weak spots. Just like in Dark Souls, smart observation can trump brute force. Use verticality and terrain to your advantage.

13. Assault Boost Isn’t Just for Travel
That high-speed dash? It’s more than a gap closer. Use Assault Boost to leap over attacks, reposition mid-combat, or initiate an ambush from above. It’s an evasive and aggressive tool—practice using it fluidly.

14. Don’t Skip Scanning
Later missions hide valuable loot and enemy ambushes. Your scanner lets you spot enemies through walls and reveal hidden data caches. Make scanning a habit, especially if you’re combing areas for that last battle log.

15. Customize Beyond Weapons
Weapons are flashy, but body parts carry weight too—literally. Tweak your head, arms, legs, core, boosters, FCS, and generator for massive performance changes. Sometimes, swapping legs does more than a new weapon ever could.

16. Try Every Leg Type
Each leg style changes your playstyle. Bipedal is standard, reverse-joint is aerial and agile, tetrapod offers hover and durability, and tank treads offer unstoppable firepower with low mobility. Test them all—they radically shift your combat rhythm.

17. Mind Your Range
Every kinetic weapon has an ideal range. Fire too far, and you’ll see “Ricochet”—your bullets are bouncing off. This means almost no damage is dealt. Check a weapon’s ideal range in the expanded stats menu and keep within that zone during combat.

18. Sell Without Regret
You can resell any mech part for full price. This means you’re free to experiment without fear of wasting money. The only caveat is that if you sell mid-mission, you won’t have access to that part unless you quit. So plan accordingly.

19. Save Your Builds
Use the AC data screen to save and name your favorite builds. This makes swapping between mission-specific loadouts a breeze. Trust us—this will save you hours over the course of the campaign.

20. Use Nest as a Learning Tool
Multiplayer (Nest mode) unlocks late in Chapter 2. While intimidating, it’s a crash course in mech meta. Study how other players structure their builds, what works in PvP, and how to counter common threats. The lessons carry over into the campaign.