Armored Core 6: How to get overpowered early

FromSoftware's latest title, Armored Core 6 Fires of Rubicon, is not an easy game by any stretch of the imagination, and it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. From a rather complex combat system to some really challenging boss fights, there's plenty that can overwhelm you fairly early in the game's main story progression.

Naturally, the sheer difficulty of encounters in Armored Core 6 only increases past the first few chapters. However, if you take your time to understand the game's systems, including not only the combat mechanics but also how to better approach each mission with the correct loadout, you'll find the game's difficulty fleeting.

With the game's rather robust customization system, you can come up with some really unique builds that can easily melt bosses without you having to break a sweat. Having played the game for nearly 60 hours now, I've found some really cool and powerful builds that work really great against not only mobs but also bosses.

Here's a look at one of the best builds that I created, which can easily get you overpowered fairly early in Armored Core 6 Fires of Rubicon.

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The best build that can get you easily overpowered fairly early in Armored Core 6 Fires of Rubicon

Although every build in Armored Core 6 Fires of Rubicon is equally as viable as others against most boss encounters, there are some weapon and frame assemblies that are just a tad bit more powerful.

During my time playing the game, I found four such build combinations, with the first tone being highly efficient against most early-game encounters.

Here's a breakdown of one of the most overpowered builds in Armored Core 6:

• Right-arm unit: Vvc - 760PR
• Left-arm unit: Vvc - 760PR
• Right-back unit: Vvc - 70VPM
• Left-back unit: Vvc - 70VPM
• Head: VP-44S
• Core: VP-40S
• Arms: VP-46S
• Legs: VP-422
• Booster: BST-G2/P04/ ALULA/21E
• FCS: FCS-G2/P05
• Generator: VP-20C
• OST Expansion: Pulse Protection

The "Plasma-Cannon Tenderfoot" build (Image via FromSoftware, Sportskeeda)

I call this build the "Plasma-Cannon Tenderfoot" because it mostly relies on plasma-based weapons, which deal absurd amounts of impact damage, and the VP-44 frame, granting an impressive amount of agility and EN capacity. This build has carried me through most of the early to mid-game missions and can easily be made viable for end-game with slight frame adjustments.

Armored Core 6 is all about experimentation and testing out which build works most efficiently against certain bosses and missions. While it might be really tempting to settle down with just one build that you're most comfortable with, there's no positive side to doing that. Armored Core 6 does not follow the linear level-based progression of the "Souls" games.

As such, there's no point in sticking with just a single AC build and artificially restricting yourself from becoming stronger and skilled with other playstyles. For instance, the final boss of Chapter 1 - Balteus, who arguably is the toughest early-game boss in Armored Core 6, is highly resilient against explosive and kinetic weapons.

However, if you're a newcomer to the Armored Core series, it's very likely you'd have a single AC build with mostly explosive weapons that work well up until Balteus.

However, if you take your time here to try out different weapons that you've unlocked throughout the course of the game's main missions, you'll find weapons that are very effective against Balteus.

I was in the same camp as most players, who got very comfortable with their starter AC build and didn't take the initiative to test out new weapons. However, reaching Balteus and facing defeat at his volley of missiles and flamethrower attacks made me realize the true potential of Armored Core 6's customization and mech-building systems.

While the build I mentioned will undoubtedly work for most of the early to mid-game missions, it's not the one-size-fits-all solution to every enemy and boss encounter in the game.

There are some really challenging fights in Chapter 4 and 5, which will require you to switch up your build. And I highly recommend trying out every weapon that you unlock as progression rewards before selling them for COAM credits.