Key Takeaway
If you want to put together one of the best builds possible in Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, focus on one specific goal out of these three: speed, defense, or power.
When prioritizing speed, make sure you’re always on the move and in the air as much as possible.
For builds focusing on defense, do your best to stagger your opponents frequently.
Last, but not least, for those aiming for all-out power, rush your opponents and unload as much damage as quickly as you can.
To put together one of the best early game builds in Armored Core 6, you’ll want to pick an area on which to focus. Do you want to be a speedy slayer, a defensive tank, or an outright powerhouse? After deciding, try one of the loadouts below.
Table Of Contents
Before we get into the details, we want to define “early game” as you can get all of the parts and weapons in the below builds in Chapter 1. Specifically, they’ll all become available after you complete the Training sessions following the Destroy the Weaponized Mining Ship mission (and have obtained all the Battle Logs up to this point).
Best Early Game Speed Build
To be fast and furious, you want to equip parts that are light in weight. Furthermore, due to using a generator with a high Energy Firearm Specialization, you’ll want to equip laser and plasma weapons on this speedy armored core.
Best Speed Build Parts
| Type of Part | Part Name | Reason to Equip It |
|---|---|---|
| Right Arm Unit | VP-66LR | This laser rifle hits hard and fast. You can also charge it for greater single-shot damage. |
| Left Arm Unit | VP-66LH | As a laser handgun, it's ideal for unloading tons of shots into your enemies quickly. When charged, it has a spread shot—which makes it a bit like a laser shotgun. |
| Right Back Unit | Vvc-70VPM | Vertical plasma missiles like these create devastating explosions, and, since they launch vertically, they can help you hit enemies behind cover. On top of that, the plasma explosions have a generous radius, which makes them hard to evade. |
| Left Back Unit | Vvc-70VPM | Having two of these lets you double their effectiveness and trap enemies in never-ending plasma explosions. |
| Head | HD-011 Melander | By far the best early-game head part, it has decent overall stats and has no deficiencies like the other head parts available at this point in the game. |
| Core | CC-2000 Orbiter | Despite being the core part you start the game with, it's the only one at this point in your adventure that has the EN Supply Efficiency and EN Output to support a fast-moving build like this. |
| Arms | Nachtreiher/46E | This arm part is lightweight and grants high Firearm Specialization—which, in turn, gives you great Target Tracking. When moving at breakneck speeds, you need high Target Tracking to follow and land hits on your enemies. |
| Legs | Kasuar/42Z | As a reverse joint leg part, it grants exceptionally high Jump Distance and Jump Height. This allows you to stay in the air for a long time, which enhances your evasion by a great deal. |
| Booster | Alula/21E | With incredible Thrust stats in every area except Upward Thrust, this booster was made to move your armored core around swiftly while being EN efficient. The Quick-Boost Reload Time is also very low, enabling you to Quick Boost almost non-stop. |
| FCS | FCS-G2/P10SLT | This is the only good option for an FCS part if you plan to use mid-range or long-range weapons. Due to this build's low defensive stats, you'll want to keep some distance between you and your foes. |
| Generator | VP-20S | Due to this generator's high (at this point in the game) Energy Firearm Specialization, you can equip laser and plasma weapons without tanking your Total EN Load and making your EN Output skyrocket. Since energy weapons are better on this build than kinetic ones, this is the best choice for a generator. Also, the higher EN Capacity allows you to equip a full loadout. |
Tips for Using This Build
When using one of the best early game builds in Armored Core 6 meant for speed, you always want to be on the move and in the air. While this is true for most builds, it’s especially important for this one, as it has proportionally lower AP and Defensive Performance due to focusing on evasion.
As you’re completing missions, stay in the air during combat as much as possible. This greatly limits how many explosions can reach you and also allows you to make use of your superior aerial maneuverability. Due to the efficient Alula/21E booster, you’ll be able to stay in the air and use Quick Boosts consistently.
In terms of weapon usage, you want to constantly rain down plasma missiles from your two Vvc-70VPM back units. The great deal of energy explosions you can unleash with two of them will decimate lesser enemies and cripple greater ones.
While creating plasma showers, unload shots from your VP-66LH to build up damage and impact on your foes. Its charged spread shot can also be handy on bigger and slower opponents. On occasion, let loose a shot (or a charged shot) from your VP-66LR to land big hits at precise moments. Specifically, this can reduce an enemy’s AP by a large amount if used on them when they’re staggered.
Best Early Game Defense Build
If you need to take more hits, be sure to use a build that has higher AP and better Defensive Performance. In the process, you’ll sacrifice Boost Speed and aerial maneuverability, but sometimes that’s needed in certain missions. Equip high Attack Power weapons to destroy foes before they destroy you.
Best Defense Build Parts
| Type of Part | Part Name | Reason to Equip It |
|---|---|---|
| Right Arm Unit | RF-024 Turner | You'll need a weapon on this build that can consistently apply impact to your enemies—and this assault rifle is perfect for that. With a nice balance between Rapid Fire, Attack Power, and Impact, you'll be able to efficiently damage and stagger opponents with little help from other weapons. |
| Left Arm Unit | DF-BA-06 Xuan-GE | This bazooka is the heaviest-hitting kinetic weapon you have access to in the early parts of the game. While its projectile speed is low (and can miss a moving target as a result), if used when the enemy is staggered, this weapon will take huge chunks out of your adversary's AP bar. |
| Right Back Unit | BML-G1/P03VTC-08 | As the best kinetic missile launchers you can buy at this point, you can use these to quickly and consistently destroy lesser foes. If you're dueling an enemy armored core, the barrage of missiles you can unload will be sure to keep them on the ropes and land a few hits once in a while. |
| Left Back Unit | BML-G1/P03VTC-08 | Doubling up on these kinetic missile launchers is a great way to constantly assault your enemy with lots of incoming damage. They'll be so busy dodging your missiles that they won't have the EN to spare for avoiding your assault rifle and bazooka. |
| Head | HD-011 Melander | By far the best early-game head part, it has decent overall stats and has no deficiencies like the other head parts available at this point in the game. |
| Core | DF-BD-08 Tian Qiang | This hefty core has high defensive stats and grants the most AP out of the available cores at this part in the game. |
| Arms | DF-AR-08 Tian Qiang | Like its core counterpart, these arms have high defensive stats and grant a lot of AP—more so than other arms in the early-game. |
| Legs | DF-LG-08 Tian Qiang | As you can guess, these legs of the same brand as the core and arms mentioned above have high defensive stats and grant a sizeable AP boost. No other leg parts in the game at this point give you this much survivability. |
| Booster | BST-G1/P10 | Although this booster is inferior to the Alula/21E in terms of maneuverability, it doesn't raise your Total Load and Total EN Load as much. You need to leave room for the heavy Tian Qiang parts for better defensive stats and AP. As such, this booster is the best choice for a defense-oriented build in the early-game. |
| FCS | FCS-G2/P10SLT | This is the only good option for an FCS part if you plan to use mid-range or long-range weapons. Due to this build's relatively low Target Tracking, you'll want to maintain some distance between you and your foes so that you can keep your weapons trained on them. |
| Generator | VP-20S | Although you're not using energy weapons on this build, this generator grants the highest EN Capacity out of all the generators available at this point in the game. As such, you'll need this one to equip a full loadout. |
Tips for Using This Build
If you plan on using one of the best early game builds in Armored Core 6 meant for defense, focus on staggering your opponents. Dodging their attacks is still important; however, with the powerful kinetic weapons you have equipped, you can momentarily stun them consistently. What’s more, due to your high defensive stats, you’ll resist getting staggered for long periods of time.
When entering combat, unleash your missiles from your two BML-G1/P03VTC-08 back units. This frequently destroys weaker enemies and keeps stronger ones on the ropes. While doing so, spray rounds from your RF-024 Turner to apply impact to enemies that you want to stagger. By staying at mid-range, you’ll be able to do so efficiently.
At key moments—such as when a foe is staggered or standing still—blast them with shots from your DF-BA-06 Xuan-GE! It’ll only take a few hits from this behemoth of a gun to take down most enemies.
Best Early Game Power Build
For those of you who want all power, all the time, this is the build for you. With unparalleled destructive capabilities, this powerhouse build is meant to take out any enemy by using overwhelming damage output.
Best Power Build Parts
| Type of Part | Part Name | Reason to Equip It |
|---|---|---|
| Right Arm Unit | SG-026 Haldeman | Since this is a close-range build, there's no better arm weapon at this point in the game than this shotgun. Bazookas and melee weapons are hard to aim at close-range and have long reload/recharge times, so this shotgun is a better choice for consistently landing big hits. |
| Left Arm Unit | RF-024 Turner | This assault rifle pairs nicely with high-damage single-shot weapons like a shotgun. While waiting for your shotgun to reload, pepper your foe with rounds from this gun to keep applying impact and dealing damage. |
| Right Back Unit | VP-60LCS | When choosing a shoulder weapon for up-close combat, this laser cannon is your best early-game choice. Unlike missile launchers, laser cannons shoot directly in front of you, making them perfect for devastating point-blank attacks—especially on staggered and stationary foes. On top of that, you can charge this laser cannon for an even more powerful energy blast. |
| Left Back Unit | VP-60LCS | Why not have two of these? Since you've got the EN Capacity to do so, blasting your adversary in the face with two charged laser cannons is a fun and effective way to destroy them in no time. |
| Head | HD-011 Melander | By far the best early-game head part, it has decent overall stats and has no deficiencies like the other head parts available at this point in the game. |
| Core | VP-40S | Although the DF-BD-08 Tian Qiang is better in terms of stats for a close-range build, the VP-40S is needed due to being lighter and having a lower EN Load. This makes room for your two laser cannons. The greater speed you have as a result is also helpful for getting up in your enemy's face more quickly. |
| Arms | DF-AR-08 Tian Qiang | You want high AP and defensive stats if you're going into close-range, so the Tian Qiang arms are a solid choice for this. |
| Legs | DF-LG-08 Tian Qiang | Like with the arms, you want to give yourself more AP and higher defensive stats to shrug off the inevitable damage you take while in close range. |
| Booster | BST-G1/P10 | Although this booster is inferior to the Alula/21E in terms of maneuverability, it doesn't raise your Total Load and Total EN Load as much. You need to leave room for the heavy Tian Qiang parts for better defensive stats and AP. Also, since your laser cannons are quite heavy, you'll need to make room for them as well. Swapping to a less capacity-intensive booster is ideal for a power-oriented build. |
| FCS | FC-006 Abbot | Since you're going into close range, this FCS that's specialized in this regard is the best choice. It lets you stay on target while tracking nearby enemies better than other FCS options at this point in the game. |
| Generator | VP-20S | As a result of granting higher EN Capacity, you'll need this generator to equip a full loadout. Furthermore, since you've got energy weapons on your back, this generator reduces how much of a strain such energy weapons put on your Total EN Load and EN Output thanks to the VP-20S's high Energy Firearm Specialization. |
Tips for Using This Build
When setting out on a mission with one of the best early game builds in Armored Core 6 meant for power, focus on rushing your foes and dealing damage quickly. This build has enough speed that you can close the distance between yourself and your targets in very little time.
Once you’re at the ideal range (basically standing on your foe’s metallic toes), use your RF-024 Turner to consistently deal damage and apply impact. Your main goal is to whittle down your enemy’s AP bar, but staggering them through organic means is also great. On occasion, let off a blast from your SG-026 Haldeman to land a big hit and potentially impact your target enough to stagger them.
While in combat, alternate firing your two VP-60LCS laser cannons while being careful not to overheat them. If you see an opening coming up for a guaranteed hit, charge and fire both laser cannons at once for an insane amount of damage. Nothing can take a beating from this build for long.
Just remember to stay on the move and don’t get greedy with your attacks—lest you leave yourself vulnerable. Although this build has a decent amount of AP and high defensive stats, it’s not invulnerable.
Now that you’ve learned about some of the best early game builds in Armored Core 6, you’re even more prepared to attain S-Rank in missions. Whether you choose an evasive method, or defensive tactics, or opt for an all-out assault, you’ll shred the opposition in no time if you play to your strengths. Give ’em hell, mercs!
