As an Armored Core fan and not Sekiro, Elden Ring or Souls fan. I'm really struggling

[OTAKU WARKITTEN]

I've played nearly every Armored Core and yet I'm absolutely struggling with AC6. It really seems like they nerfed long range weapons and force you to have a melee weapon to do any good damage. Which I never did in other Armored Core games. Fights are really close range now with guns having a steep dieoff in power after 100 feet. Armored Core always allowed you to have your own play style and not forced you into close range melee combat.

While I haven't played Sekiro, Elden Ring or Souls. The boss fights seem quite reminiscent of youtube vids I have seen of those games. Them forcing the stagger mechanic really makes it feel like you're playing a sword game rather than a gun game. It actually reminds me of Ace Combat Assault Horizon forcing Dogfight mode. Now we HAVE to use this new mechanic and not just spam guns and missiles anymore, like the good old days. Now the boss fights are more about learning patterns, dodge, get in close, break guard and attack when they're staggered. This was never a stable of Armored Core. I constantly hear "haven't you played Souls?" or "welcome to Fromsoftware bosses" No, I haven't, I play Armored Core and this plays nothing like the Armored Cores I've played for decades. These boss fights are nothing like previous boss fights from other AC games.

As for the Helicopter first boss. People come in from Elden Ring stating "it's super easy just boost in and sword spam, don't focus on using missile and guns" But that isn't how Armored Core is meant to be played. Every other Armored Core I usually focus on long ranged attacks so "just boosting in and sword spaming" is not something that comes natural to me as if I was playing a sword game.

I dare say this game is made more for non Armored Core fans like Elden Ring, Sekiro and Souls fans rather than Armored Core fans.

[Kashra Fall]

You're getting older, you're not as fast as you use to be, you got them creaky gears that need oiling and reflexes that need tuning. Kidding, it's just a new game you gotta get use to.

[FleshyBB]

I thought the same, that it favors close range over far. I beat Balteus and then put the game down. I don't think I like it as a long time AC fan.

[Electric Kills]

Swords got buffed (needed, in my opinion) and the starting sword just so happens to be the strongest weapon you start off with. Replay the mission later on and blow that helicopter up with a grenade launcher or something. It's still Armored Core.

[FaceMcGee]

Stop using lock on. It nerfs accuracy. Manual aiming is way more effective. People fall back on melee because their aim sucks - and it makes it feel like melee is op.

[No]

I am enjoying the game but it is feeling so far like this is accurate. That short and medium range is preferred and long range anything took a hit because of it.

[Riftwalker]

when you're fighting other ACs melee is less viable as the tracking on melee isn't amazing, close-range weapons are great though.

also eventually you gain the ability to kick from a boost so you can melee whenever if you think it's needed.

[Gannibal Kujoe]

The more people admit what the op is saying the better it will before for Fromsoftware. They are resting on their laurels and making everything Souls. When BG3 has 465k people playing it was released on August 6.

Does anybody believe on September 1st anybody will be playing AC6, that are die hard niche souls fans? The game is kind of a disappointment to me. I wanted to see what Fromsoftware could do. And it seems they are one dimensional.

[Tentacule Un Seigneur]

To each their own. I played every AC game since the first, and I am personally greatly enjoying it. I run a pure ranged AC, it is loaded out with twin plasma rifles and twin plasma missiles, used it to take out the Juggernaut without dying once. You just have to make sure you have at least one ranged weapon that has high impact, then punish them with a weapon that has high damage.

And now I am off to earn more credits to get more parts!

[Krazy Wallet]

I'm not an armored core veteran, but I am very much a souls veteran. I think it's a Fromsoft direction. In DS1 and DS2, staggering for a critical wasn't a thing. I'm not sure if that got introduced in Bloodborne (PC slave here), or if DS3 was the first to introduce it and it carried into Elden Ring. I don't mind the direction from a souls perspective, but it seems that Fromsoft enjoys taking ideas and creating a theme across their franchise.

What I'm saying is this may be the natural evolution of the company, rather than having the souls game bleed into Armored Core and vice versa. Just my two cents, but I'm excited to potentially pick this game up and try it.

[DCyfr]

Long range can be strong, but you're pretty limited in selection early on. Explosives seem to do consistent damage at range as long as you can hit, but otherwise the linear rifle seems to be the only hand weapon in chapter 1 that is viable at a distance, and mostly only the charge shot.

The game is definitely pushing pushing players towards close in, if nothing more than for bullet travel time. Even without bouncing shots, ACs will just dodge at longer distances if you don't make your shots more complicated than point and shoot.

[Blackmage]

I'm kinda in the same boat. I play Armored Core, not Dark Souls. Swords are fun, sometimes, but you play Armored Core to use guns. But From Software made AC6 with the intention of onboarding their Souls/Ring players. They said so.

The whole "spam-sword-stagger" thing doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me because of the cooldown. Your best weapon is your energy sword. It has both high damage and high stagger. But your target recovers from the stagger faster than your sword cools down. So you waste your whole opening to deal excess damage with your pea-shooter trash rifle.

Right now I'm stuck on Balteus. I've gotten him down to about 1/4 health, and by then I'm pretty much tapped and die. I know the pulse gun eats his primal armor. The issue for me is whenever he sends out a missile swarm. I assault boost to dodge, like I'm supposed to. But I still either take missiles to the face, or take missiles up the ass. Then when I get close I get staggered before I can even do anything. And when I do stagger Belarus, it's the same problem. I got nothing else that deals enough damage to make the stagger worth while.

[Sleepy]

The whining about melee makes me legitimately think you've never played an AC game before.

[Rena Ichigawa]

As a fan of both, its just as easy to take out the chopper with only the missiles, and gun. Its slower by a lot, but still very doable. Jut takes patience, and timing to attackn between missile volleys. Im not even using a melee at this point. A charge laser rifle, and a cannon. Its so much fun.

[Jezza129]

Balteus kicked my ass for 3 hours. What legs are you using? I find the quad legs are WAY OP in this game (at-least in single player). What I ended up doing is going full offence, 1 pulse, the charge sword and 2 shoulder grenade launchers (I think?). Basically the pulse just spams, the sword has range, tank the damage, rush down and stagger.

[so007]

Originally posted by OTAKU WARKITTEN:

I've played nearly every Armored Core and yet I'm absolutely struggling with AC6. It really seems like they nerfed long range weapons and force you to have a melee weapon to do any good damage. Which I never did in other Armored Core games. Fights are really close range now with guns having a steep dieoff in power after 100 feet. Armored Core always allowed you to have your own play style and not forced you into close range melee combat.

While I haven't played Sekiro, Elden Ring or Souls. The boss fights seem quite reminiscent of youtube vids I have seen of those games. Them forcing the stagger mechanic really makes it feel like you're playing a sword game rather than a gun game. It actually reminds me of Ace Combat Assault Horizon forcing Dogfight mode. Now we HAVE to use this new mechanic and not just spam guns and missiles anymore, like the good old days. Now the boss fights are more about learning patterns, dodge, get in close, break guard and attack when they're staggered. This was never a stable of Armored Core. I constantly hear "haven't you played Souls?" or "welcome to Fromsoftware bosses" No, I haven't, I play Armored Core and this plays nothing like the Armored Cores I've played for decades. These boss fights are nothing like previous boss fights from other AC games.

As for the Helicopter first boss. People come in from Elden Ring stating "it's super easy just boost in and sword spam, don't focus on using missile and guns" But that isn't how Armored Core is meant to be played. Every other Armored Core I usually focus on long ranged attacks so "just boosting in and sword spaming" is not something that comes natural to me as if I was playing a sword game.

I dare say this game is made more for non Armored Core fans like Elden Ring, Sekiro and Souls fans rather than Armored Core fans.

I'm baffled over the fact that you're not a Sekiro fan. Just insane.