Armored Core 6 Final Thoughts After 100% Completion

Hey guys, I finally got the Stargazer achievement for AC6, and well...I think its the best way to experience AC6. But I want to go in depth into what I think of it after seeing everything in the game, and how I think that can affect different players
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Asset Credits: A big thanks to the artists that create such amazing media;
Music (Royalty Free) from tunetank.com and incompetech.com
Other assets (Video and Images) from gamersyde.com
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:32 Overall Gameplay
2:30 Replayability
3:50 AC and Parts Management
4:30 It Feels Like Hitman!?
5:36 Story and Endings (Spoilers)
#armoredcore6 #armoredcore #ac6 #fromsoftware

[@1KBestK]

Spoilers for those who haven't beaten everything! So the thing Walter feared was the Coral spilling out into space, where it would be in a vacuum - the ideal environment for it to grow. In the minds of the Observers, this could potentially result in more than just the solar system of Rubicon-3 being torched, but possibly all of humanity. While it's clear from some dialogue that Walter and Carla know the Coral is alive (Carla tells you she learned about Ayre from Walter in the Liberator ending), they believe the Coral is too much of a danger to humanity to let spread. However, I think it's somewhat clear that even if you do go through with their plan and have the Xylem hit the Vascular Plant that the coral will survive, as if you fail to stop the Xylum when working for ALLMIND, they will remark that their chance will come again. This, in addition to how many people you're killing, definitely makes the Fires ending a bad end, as you've killed all of those people for nothing in the grand scheme of things. Plus, it literally tells you you're a monster for doing it, not very subtle that you've made a mistake. It's definitely the least subjective ending. There definitely is uncertainty in the Liberator ending though, as in addition to the possibility of the corps returning, it's possible ALLMIND enacts their plan as they intended it after the credits roll. To talk about ALLMIND's plan and the final ending, I honestly do not find it that confusing. Obviously there's a lot of ambiguity in what exactly happened, but if you're paying attention to the talk from both Ayre and ALLMIND about evolution it makes a lot of sense. When you fight Ayre in the final Arena battle, she talks to you about finally understanding how ACs are the key to understanding humanity's' "biological evolution." In the Integration Program arena descriptions, ALLMIND focuses on the relation between a pilot and their AC, and how the ACs of each of the factions are built as a reflection of their pilots. For a more clear in-game example, look at Rusty's STEEL HAZE and STEEL HAZE ORTUS. STEEL HAZE ORTUS differs from STEEL HAZE in that it's specifically designed for aerial combat, which ties in to Rusty's whole thing about flying high above all the obstacles between him and his dream - he's always had his head in the clouds, but being a spy (and being in STEEL HAZE) forced him to stay more grounded until he's had enough and leaves Arquebus to fight with or against you to chase his lofty dreams. Iguazu is another great example, as he starts hiding behind a shield and sniping at you with his linear rifle with his original HEADBRINGER, representing his insecure and defensive nature. Later on, he exchanges that shield for an ALLMIND laser orbit, and completely eschews defense in his bid to kill you in either the Depths or when you go to kill Snail. In the final fight, we see him undergo an even more obvious progression, starting out as a defensive shield build once again, before getting continually more aggressive as each phase passes. This is why you're in your original AC in the final cutscene - it's what best represents 621/Raven. You have been put into an idealized form that represents YOU, and instead of just piloting it, you have fully become it. The issue people like O'Keefe take with Coral Release isn't that it will kill people, it's that people will stop being human - "Shovel down your bland rations... slurp your coffee flavored sludge. Sure, it sucks, but that's being human." Humanity as we know it has assumed a new form, scattered across the stars, and there's probably no going back. Whether or not you think doing that without people's consent or knowledge is the moral dilemma of that ending. There's definitely a lot of people who wouldn't want that, but you could probably also argue that it's likely that at least the source of most conflicts would no longer be relevant to the new human-Coral symbiotes. You've ended war and conflict as we know it, but who's to say there won't be new reasons for people to fight each other? It seems like ALLMIND's plan was probably to hijack this whole process to do exactly what their name implies, and subsume all minds into themself - a recurring element of AC games is AIs being created to try and control humanity "for their own good," and it still fits their character even if you don't take that history into account. Their exact plan is obviously still ambiguous, though. Sorry for the essay lol, I just love this game's story

[@Altaz-Review]

As far as the AllMind ending goes; youve definitely helped get a better perspective on what the implications were. I guess I didnt realize how far the “Symbiosis” would affect humanity physically and mentally. Obviously, I could only learn more about it from a fellow Lore Junkie But as for the Fires of Raven ending; ill admit that its simply my personal favorite ending die to the characters that we support and how pragmatic it feels. I think Fires of Raven felt like the more clear route to take due to the limited information given to 621 and the kind of life 621 has lived. His mutual trust of Walter; the reasoning abd history of the Fires of Ibis; and the fact that all alternate options would mean that, if things go badly, then you stood by and let a terrible fate take over humanity even though you were 5 feet away from preventing it. As a player, I can think about which dialogue is more effective, but as a role player, I feel 621 might lean towards the Fires of Raven route. But thats just how I see it, given how I played

[@1KBestK]

@@Altaz-Review I can definitely see that perspective! I actually think Fires is the most fitting first ending in part for those reasons, and also because you start getting involved with the RLF more in NG+.

[@beefueater4586]

props to some mad lads who 100% the game in loader 4

[@yushion5804]

My 8 yrs old son and I love this game, the only low point of it, is..... IT S TOO SHORT!

[@Altaz-Review]

Thats why I felt like three play-throughs must be the minimum! By the way, youve got a family of warriors 🤯

[@yushion5804]

@@Altaz-Review I just purchased a re-education package from EHAAArquabus.

[@lovisericachii4503]

There is no good or bad ending here... Just shets dropping on u and make u feel bad :(

[@yamato1420]

This game was controversial. Some people think it's 'fine', some hated it, and I had a friend who absolutely despised it. For reference, I've played all the DS games and Sekiro and love Sekiro in a gameplay sense. I haven't played AC6, but I did play AC1 on an emulator recently. I think the problem is one of misunderstanding. Every game with some difficulty pretty much has pressure points (or optimal way to play, ig), where you have to press to do your best to beat and do better in the game. In Dark Souls it's pretty obvious: hit the enemy and get out of the way when they attack (or roll, same difference). Sekiro is more complicated, and it goes further with this idea. Anyone who's beaten it knows that the combat clicks properly about half way in, with Ashina Castle's boss. That's when you really internalize that the 'pressure points' are deflecting and getting adjusting your playstyle, positiong and timings around deflecting. With AC, the pressure points are mainly builds, positioning and knowledge about the bosses and levels. You can guess where this is going. A lot of people do not have the patience to gain knowledge or are not used to and skilled at making builds, and they just crash and then dislike the game. And this is even if they loved and were very skilled at other FromSoft games! Hence the small-ish community who really like the game and a good chunk of people who don't. I know this might seem outta nowhere, but just some thoughts.

[@Altaz-Review]

I totally agree; and even though I love AC6, I can see how learning builds and tactics in AC6 is different from getting better at Dark Souls. Its a game that cant really be overcome by skill alone, or at least, it cant be trivialized by just skill. You’re almost forced to build Mechs that suit the mission, and the Boss fight. Other games balance their weapons and skills to allow for a kind of freedom. I suppose AC6 ended up losing the players that prefer the freedom of the “Depraved” playstyle; where a big club and quick reflexes can work like a challenge run. But even still, AC6 may as well be part 1 of the revival of Armored Core, so lets see how players react to future titles. Also, thank you so much for your in depth opinions. Im glad to hear different opinions from fans, and Id like my videos to spark discussions like this

[@njmontano1625]

It's less about the builds and more about proper understanding of the combat system: movement(and dodging), the lock-on system, how weapons work, etc... The builds are there for diversity and fun, whether for fashion or for optimization. The game is actually very lenient in providing multiple builds that can clear every single mission without ever changing a single thing. To further prove my point, someone uploaded a video of beating Balteus with the default AC. And another showcased beating the whole game with it. Also, any Ace Combat vet would already have an advantage in understanding some of the movement intricacies, i.e. knowing how to properly dodge missiles. And that's already half the battle, probably.

[@Altaz-Review]

Thats true, but I suppose its different from Souls Likes in the way that you can switch builds without any effort (aside from money, but you can get a good amount). Souls games require you to level weapons and stats to try a build that might work better. AC6 lets you keep retrying with all kinds of different builds. But yes, other players might have faced the same thing that I faced, that is; even with a “cheese” build, I had to figure out the simpler systems, like aiming and turning and such, to actually make my build worth using

[@RyanLBC]

Funny you mentioned Sekiro, since one of its directors Yamamura, was handed the keys from Miyazaki to finish off the development of AC6. So i think you may enjoy that aspect of AC6 where like Sekiro, you can rely on being more aggressive toward the enemy, focusing on stagger to defeat the much more difficult ac's and bosses in the game.

[@Albatrox]

goty