Armored Core 6 Balteus boss guide - Best build, weapons, OS tuning, and more 

One of the early game bosses that are bound to give players trouble in Armored Core 6 Fires of Rubicon is Balteus. Although the game starts fairly easy, barring the boss fights, the difficulty of Armored Core 6 ramps up once you get past the initial onboarding missions. While there are a few minibosses that do pose a challenge in the first few missions of the game, nothing compares to Balteus when it comes to sheer difficulty.

Balteus is the final boss of the first chapter of the game, and as the final test of your understanding of the game's combat basics, the boss does not hold back on anything. Being a PCA (Planetary Closure Administration) craft, Balteus is equipped with some of the most powerful weaponry the commission has access to.

While the boss fight can be very intimidating, especially for newcomers to the Armored Core franchise, he can be defeated if you can exploit his weaknesses. You must also know when to strike to maximize your chances of dealing damage to the boss. Here's a comprehensive guide on how to easily defeat Balteus in Armored Core 6.

Note: This article contains mild story spoilers for Armored Core 6.

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Best build for the Balteus boss fight in Armored Core 6 Fires of Rubicon

Although every single build that you can come up with for your Armored Core (AC) is viable against the boss, there is one specific early-game build that can give you a slight advantage over others. The biggest advantage Balteus has over other bosses that you've faced so far in the game is his Pulse Shield and the ability to use Assault Armor.

The first thing you need to do before dealing any damage to the boss is to deplete the Pulse Shield, but doing so with regular weapons can take a long time. However, using Plasma weapons can help deplete the Pulse Shield fairly easily. As such, your build should be focused around those weapons.

The Plasma-Cannon build that you can use against Balteus in Armored Core 6 (Image via FromSoftware, Sportskeeda)

Here's a build that we recommend using for the Balteus boss fight. This build, named the "Plasma-Cannon Tenderfoot" build, is very effective against Balteus' Pulse Shield and also deals a ton of stagger damage.

• Right-arm unit: Vvc - 760PR
• Left-arm unit: Vvc - 760PR
• Right-back unit: Vvc - 70VPM
• Left-back unit: Vvc - 70VPM
• Head: HD-011 Melander
• Core: BD-011 Melander
• Arms: AR-011 Melander
• Legs: LG-011 Melander
• Booster: BST-G2/P04
• FCS: FCS-G2/P05
• Generator: VP-20D

The Plasma-Cannon Tenderfoot build is very effective against many of the AC boss fights in Armored Core 6, including the one against Sulla, the rogue AC you will need to fight before reaching Balteus. As for the OST expansion, we recommend using Pulse Protection.

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Tips & tricks to easily defeat Balteus in Armored Core 6 Fires of Rubicon

There are two attacks that you need to look out for during the Balteus boss fight. The first is the missile barrage with which the boss starts the battle, and the second is the close-range shogun attack. Once you deplete the boss' health past 50%, he transitions to his second phase, gaining new attacks, such as the Assault Armor and the Flamethrower.

Here are a few tips that should help you easily defeat Balteus in Armored Core 6 Fires of Rubicon:

• Start the boss fight by hard-locking into the boss and Assault Boosting into hi missile barrage attack. Assault Boosting, if done at the right time, can help you basically cancel out any possible damage that you could take from the missile barrage attack.
• Keep your aggression on the boss by continuously firing your Pulse weapons, which should help you easily deplete the boss' shield and stagger him.
• Once the boss is staggered, use your Vvc-760PR Plasma Rifles to deal massive damage to the boss.
• Once the boss' health drops close to 50%, get away from him to prevent getting hit by the Assault Armor. During this phase, Balteus will also gain the ability to use the Flamethrower, which you can easily dodge by boosting into midair.
• Keep attacking the boss with your Pulse weapons to deplete his shield and stagger him. If you time the stagger right, you should be able to defeat Balteus before you re-engage his shields.

Defeating Balteus will mark the end of Armored Core 6's first chapter, leaving you with a mesmerizing cutscene that shows a glimpse of the "Flames of Ibis" that engulfed Rubicon.