Armored Core VI - Walter's Theme - Phase II Extended

[@Typhoon.703_]

"It's a Mech Action game! There is no way Fromsoft is gonna make an emotionally taxing fight with against a broken old man this time!" From Software:

[@saitamaonepunchman8176]

just got AC6 on my PC after going through NG++ (got allminds ending) and this shit still hurt, I didn't cry, nor have I cried at anything let alone a game in YEARS, but I could feel a tear coming. the music, the story, walter.....these are the kinds of moments I want to keep with me for the rest of my life just to spite my normally terrible memory

[@ThiagoCRocha-fh6lg]

It's tradition; We must have it

[@kevinlewis7250]

Never underestimate From to always somehow give us the broken old man fight.

[@Randomdude28499]

I didnt cry at all but this game made me actually feel sadness so theres that Ngl i kinda wish we got a option where we teamed up with walter

[@pancakewafflez]

@@Randomdude28499 There is an option

[@kurdtcoben]

A bad father: Get in the EVA, Shinji! This absolute unit: Get out of the AC, 621!

[@smovex9]

"Undo the surgery - be normal again"

[@altabdo1541]

Handler Walter: "get some rest 621, it's an order"

[@JIMT412]

Gendo would make 621 overwork his life out, Walter would give Shinji the choice to get in the Eva.

[@banansa4778]

Walter: "shinji... her voice... i can see her next to you..... yes..." : "your rentering earths atmosphere....Walter!!! Shinji!!! THIS HAS TO STOP!!!" Walter: "take the Spear, stop the impact, you've earned your freedom..." After the battle: Walter: "look at you shinji ikari.... you're.... finally... free....."

[@JIMT412]

@@banansa4778 Maybe that someone is Shinji's mom.

[@incap6038]

"Earn the credits... Undo the surgeries... Become normal again..." He always cared about us. Like a strict father doing his best with what he had.

[@DerekCooper_]

I never got to hear all his dialogue because he was too easy, I didn’t even know he HAD a phase 2 😭😭

[@thesilverwind6922]

⁠@@DerekCooper_yeah lol, an optimized pile bunker build can straight up one shot him, poor waltuh

[@monkeyr2910]

“Burn the coral….and our job will be over…you’ve earned all the credits…undo the surgery…become normal again.”

[@monkeyr2910]

“Look at you…621…you’ve found…a friend…”

[@PBart7]

That line is even more heartbreaking in Japanese "Earn the credits. Undo the surgeries. *Live a normal life..."*

[@kevinlewis7250]

“Look at you 621, you found a friend”. The line that made me cry.

[@MrDibara]

You know what really *sucks?* Had he not gone through this horrific Arquebus re-education and somehow were able to hear the Corals, I do think that despite all his tremendous fear, Walter would've eventually come to like Ayre too. 😢 One of my favourite passtimes recently is just trying to picture their interactions and what usually comes up as their relationship is a father and daughter sort of dynamic. A slightly mischievious "good girl" daughter, who likes to go off and do her thing occasionally but would instantly jump back to help with anything, and a usually calm, stern, no-nosense father who is usually duty focused, but isn't exactly harsh on her disobeying orders and can oddly be caring in his own way.

[@cyrundas6448]

Especially when you realize he could have kept on fighting. He was talking about himself...

[@kchunguus9805]

I agree with you. 😭😭😭

[@paulgibbon5991]

"I found two."

[@wither5673]

*INCOHERENT SOBBING*

[@IsacBaustad]

“I have one last mission for you 621… find your freedom”

[@XiasIV]

"Walter! Raven! This has to stop!." *Tear duct ACS compromised*

[@amidalaprin4846]

I did SO good most of the fight... But I had to finish it through tears

[@amidalaprin4846]

I did SO good most of the fight... But I had to finish it through tears

[@amidalaprin4846]

I did SO good most of the fight... But I had to finish it through tears

[@amidalaprin4846]

I did SO good most of the fight... But I had to finish it through tears

[@gaAssault34]

God she practically is begging almost screaming that line.....hurts the soul.

[@newmethados5817]

621... you managed to... find a friend 😭

[@wither5673]

*INCOHERENT SOBBING INTENSIFIES*

[@Nogard-Nys]

All I could do in that moment after hearing that was whisper "I always had one"

[@kchunguus9805]

Damn that one hits home 😢

[@OCMOOO]

The fact they never specify what they do in "Re-education" Camps is terrifying. And Walter had to experience it.

[@isaiahwoodward5831]

Its even worse than that. He resisted re-education and was sent to the next level. Its likely that the walter we fight is just a torso and head in an ac. Even worse than 621

[@OCMOOO]

@@isaiahwoodward5831 I bloody love/hate FROMsoft expertise in telling heartbreaking tales

[@RashFever26]

I like the idea that most of the Vesper emblems/AC names represent what is done in re-education. Body part replacement, lobotomy, infection/medical tests, sterilization maybe (O'Keefe's Barren Flower?), and general experiments, see Snail's OPEN FAITH (which is pronounced the same as OPEN FACE in japanese, hence why his emblem is, well, an open face).

[@KNYAZ15]

@@RashFever26 this theory sounds really creepy... and realistic

[@pizzaparker9464]

@@isaiahwoodward5831 Just when I think I've run out of reasons to enjoy killing Snail, the little bastard comes up with more

[@MarsMann6754]

This wasn't a betrayal. Walter always wanted us to live free. Yes, he had his mission, but it was his mission, not ours. Walter needed to use us and we needed Walter at the start. Now at the end our paths have to separate. Walter died proud of us, proud we found our freedom, proud we found a friend.

[@therandomlaniusedward2140]

He wanted us to live free after we do his mission, so he respected our choice even if it's going against his mission, and he let go of his mission that he was trying to do for his entire life, seeing the reason why us chose to separate and went "Guess you were right and I was wrong after all." Walter is a badass.

[@happycheese8006]

​@@therandomlaniusedward2140 I believe the reason walter did this mission was out of fear of coral and guilt (either for his fallen comrades or his mad father, either way) but when he sees that 621 has found a "friend" and freedom, his worries were unfounded and died peaceful. I love this writing, where their whole character doesnt just revolve around a single sided goal but also individual thoughts, though it was very well put here.

[@Staladus]

Man, this makes me so sad

[@fauxgodling]

also, from his dialogue in the mission, it sounds like the corporations fucked his head up something proper

[@samgames2096]

​@@fauxgodlingcorrect. He was re-educated, by Snail no less. However, as V.II mentioned, he was recalcitrant, he didn't entirely fall in. He still believed in the Overseers goals. But he was essentially made a shell of the former man by Arquebus.. 😢

[@SnthwaveSunset]

Waltah, put your tears away waltah, im not crying i promise

[@hakageryu-hz7jz]

an arm weapon named MG-FINGER

[@ChewyAC]

No more cry Waltuh

[@josearancibia8502]

fighting with Walter on a ship that is falling to the planet while it is on fire is simply epic!

[@bigyiggaming]

Yeah, definitely one of the best fromsoftware boss arenas!

[@bombomos]

So damn cool

[@anatoliasmercenary.]

@@bigyiggaming THE best boss arena dare I say..

[@stefanbraidwood2007]

I wish this fight had lasted longer for me because it is SO beautiful and dramatic at the same time

[@xoersummoner1336]

@@bigyiggamingexcept if you use coral generators, since the ground has a slight curve you end up most of the time like a cm from the ground and they are a hassle to recharge if you are not touching the ground

[@wither5673]

was expecting funny robot game, what i got was a vice grip around my heart......

[@theguiltyplayer9207]

you too huh?

[@fauxgodling]

i wasnt expecting a funny robot game, i was just expecting to have fun blowin stuff up but then. The Horrors.

[@alphalightning00frost67]

Such is the way of life of ravens

[@raghav1026]

I was expecting funni mech explosion game, instead i felt the most emotions i’ve ever felt over a game.

[@gamerpigeon4513]

If you think this is bad, you should see Armored Core: For Answer... This franchise is so dark, this entry actually has something positive to say though.

[@exzyyd392]

The worst part is Ayre desperately begging both of you to stop during the fight. At this point she's 100% aware Walter wants to burn all the Coral but she still doesn't want 621 to kill him.

[@f687sNFM]

And that fighting now is pointless

[@MrDibara]

_"Raven...! WALTER...! This HAS to stop...!"_ 😫😭

[@hideous_taco_michael_zacki]

*"That voice... 621! I see it next to you! Yes, kindling for the fire..."*

[@Darkrift]

The first line made me feel hope...the last shattered that hope...and more...

[@ghostreporting3769]

"Earn all the credits." Voice actor at 110%

[@R-XI_Sulla]

Thanks to his va I immagine him cursing like hell when no one is in earshot Why Look up Ragna the bloodedge Same Va Their design is simmlar Both have red green eyes Red main body Big ass sword Bullshit attacks (carnage scissor/coral oscillator) Both are harasses with an soft heart for an low number

[@chaosgreyblood]

Well, what else did you expect from Patrick Seitz? :3

[@IcarusMundi]

“Use the credits to reverse the surgery… be normal again… look at you, 621… you found a friend…” Walter, against what Snail had done to him, is still looking at our well-being, looking at us not as Raven, Liberator of Rubicon, or His Hound. He looks at us and calls us by the name he knows us by. 621, the *independant* mercenary. He wants us to live on, not to retain his status, or his mission. At heart, he wants us to be free. It may have been a rouse in the beginning, but I think that as he grows with us, it becomes a genuine hope for him.

[@greynium7794]

FromSoft always had a talent for giving bosses an attack none of us can dodge or block: EMOTIONAL DAMAGE

[@CharlieFillmore]

Screaming at the screen "WALTER STOP IT PLEASE LET ME SAVE YOU!" knowing it's already too late for both of us

[@GUTSO10]

Damn bro “Undo the Surgeries, Be normal again” 😭

[@stygiandragon3865]

@@GUTSO10 Honestly, even if 621 undo the surgeries. At this point, there's no way 621 can ever be *normal* again with everything they have done by then...

[@PietroXFlash]

i thought titanfall 2 was the only robot game that would make me cry...

[@Klaracbarack]

Same. If I had a nickel every time a goofy robot game made me cry, I would have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

[@PietroXFlash]

@@Klaracbarack i know how it feels friend.... 😔

[@PietroXFlash]

​​@@Klaracbarackyo i'm doing the other ending and i must confess... I have 3 nickels now... Rest.In.Power chatty and ayre

[@alphalightning00frost67]

Like that one video says my fellow ravens *"DEPRESSION CORE 6"*

[@PietroXFlash]

​​@@alphalightning00frost67exactly! 😂😂😂.

[@ultraleitor]

Walter and Michigan are the two characters that I'll miss the most in the next games.

[@darkdreams9447]

Michigan was the shit.. Hit me in the feels doing that Destroy the Redguns mission.

[@Void_Drip]

Rusty was a good character he acted like a protagonist for me

[@kurdtcoben]

Heard the good news from Walter, did you? WE'RE GOING ON A FIELD TRIP, KIDDO!

[@cjthenarhwalking1378]

Ayre, Walter, Michigan, Rusty and Carla, really the only major characters who treated you as more than a tool or weapon.

[@anatoliasmercenary.]

Best fight in the game, I’m still depressed from the fact that we couldn’t save Walter, he deserved so much better than what he got, even if he was cold to us in the beginning. All he wanted was to honor his fallen friends’ wishes and burn the coral, making your betrayal hurt even more.

[@Vallen619]

I wouldn't say we betrayed Walter, he wanted us to be free. Free to choose, the freedom to choose what we fight for. I think while it did go against his wishes and goals, and his dreams...he was proud of us in his final moments. The last line hits home and drives that point hard. "Look at you...621....you found...a friend..."

[@therandomlaniusedward2140]

@@Vallen619 Basically he went "I see why you made this choice, maybe I was wrong and you were right after all... I respect your choice.... Thank you."

[@R-XI_Sulla]

More a reason why I kick more snail ass He was responsible for walters re-education

[@gr33nmachine3000]

What hurts the most about that that makes the wound fester is that you already took out Snail, making avenging Walter feel impossible. It's like in the end, Snail's one last plan ended up and death scream may as well been his final laugh to you. Too add salt to that festering wound, he also used Walter to kill V4 Rusty. V2 Snail was truly the worst of the worst in Rubicon 3@@R-XI_Sulla

[@SolaScientia]

@@R-XI_Sulla I was okay with Arquebus until Snail started talking shit about 621 and Walter was quick to jump to 621's defense. The farther I went in my second run, the more furious I got with Snail. What he had done to Walter absolutely broke me. Michigan might be more coarse than Snail, but he's still a somewhat honest sort and I honestly didn't like having to betray the Redguns; though I did like kicking Iguazu's ass.

[@nickbowling9383]

I think it’s really interesting how Walter’s whole goal is to try to undo the mistakes of the past. He wants to burn the coral and eradicate all of the evil that came from it. He knows that human augmentation surgery is evil which is why he wants to help 621 undo it. But this ending is so hopeful because it accepts the past and it looks to a brighter future. In the end, Walter sees it too. He passes the torch to us so that we can illuminate tomorrow rather than burn yesterday.

[@Nitrougen]

Even in the Alea Lacta Est ending he wasn't exactly mad at us, he accepted the fact that we made our choice. I truly believe Walter in the end just wanted 621 to find happiness and freedom.

[@laillahilaallah001]

Throughout the theme. Theres a repeating signal beeplike sound that plays in 3 separate but equal beats albeit diffent tunes to match the music. And I'm no expert in music or morse code, but it sounds like an SOS signal to me. Which is fking genius. Almost like Walter is pleading for help.

[@kurdtcoben]

When listening to it with headphones I can hear it too. It's not morse code tho (at least not SOS, which is . . . _ _ _ . . .) which would have been an incredible detail to be honest.

[@laillahilaallah001]

@@kurdtcoben i assume the 3 beeps represent the (...) of the SOS. And the 3 beats that are silent to represent the (_ _ _) of the code.

[@kurdtcoben]

@@laillahilaallah001 Honestly I couldn't tell, I'm very tone deaf when it comes to specifics. I tried figuring it out earlier but to me it sounds like it would be repeating "i i o o". If thats the case then you could argue that it's I/O as in 1 and 0 which would make sense considering the machine theme of a mech game. But again, I'm not very good when it comes to musical details like that.

[@laillahilaallah001]

@@kurdtcoben huh I haven't thought about that. Interesting prospective bro!

[@kurdtcoben]

@@laillahilaallah001 I mean, it's all just speculation and most likely we're both just reading too much into it. But then again, I wouldn't put it past FromSoft to put these tiny hidden details into their soundtracks. They already did it with Gwyn's Theme from Dark Souls 1 where all the notes were played on the white keys only for example. So it's kinda nice to speculate about these what-if's. ;)

[@stoicghost4313]

I’m no hardened man But it is very very hard for anything fiction to make me emotional. This theme along with the context of your relationship with Walter stirred me and my eyes were close to watering up.

[@sgtflamingo6532]

I actually had to put the controller down and walk away on my 1st death to him cause I was tearing up so bad

[@theguiltyplayer9207]

It's enough to make a grown man cry... and that's okay😢

[@jamesmatthews9807]

How dare you have emotions!!!😂

[@dahandsomeguywithcoolglass8949]

We didn't see any human only robot and pic profile. But damn they manage to deliver the story to us 😢

[@Zelisius]

You want a final mission that'll make your eyes burst? Try ghost of Tsushima. My eyes were watering hard during that

[@DayXDay27]

Walter and Michigan were real muthafuckin G's

[@silversnow-]

When the "aaaaaaah" Part came in and intensefied and Ayre shouting "Raven, Walter, this has to stop!" I got tears in my eyes. It was a betrayal worth making. But it was hard cause I liked Walter (and learned to like Carla). And SPOILER FOR BAD ENDING it wont get easier cause i already know that now in NG+ I have to betray Ayre😢😢😢

[@Razgriz_01]

I went with the Fires of Raven on my first playthrough. Doing the Liberator feels like a sort of "redemption", still felt bad because of happens with Carla and Walter. Even with NG++ they all still die.

[@Rayfireful]

​@@Razgriz_01the fact that they all die in every route killed me a bit inside

[@keroro407]

@@Rayfireful I still think than Walter survived in Fire of Raven ending. Carla, not so much. She died in every ending.

[@JF-vz1ju]

​@@keroro407i'm pretty sure chatty and rusty do too :(

[@cataccountant]

@@JF-vz1ju When did Rusty die in NG++? Last I remember fighting him was when I was doubled teamed by him and the Rebel leader.

[@karhu7581]

God, this fight. I betrayed his trust, his legacy. Even though I objected to what he wanted to do I still understood why he wanted to do it. He placed his trust in 621, and we let him down. And he truly cared about 621 too. He always did. But it's too late to say it now. All that remains is a meaningless fight to the death between a husk who was once a person, and a person who was once a husk.

[@titssnitchtzeentch649]

And yet, he cheers us, encourages us. To keep his legacy was never the point, it was to make a choice.

[@CharlieFillmore]

"between a husk who was once a person, and a person who was once a husk" Beautiful words there man, and it hurts as fuck

[@tombombadil7714]

this is what fucks me up the most. he wasnt even himself enough to be mad that we betrayed him. he should have been angry. he should have resented us. but he died without ever even knowing why we did it. he died with love in his heart for us. fuck!

[@titssnitchtzeentch649]

@@tombombadil7714 I like to think that, at this moment, he sort of knew 621 wasn't on his side anymore. Not just from the brainwashing, Walter always wanted 621 to make his choice, and that included that it could mean the two of them would have to fight... Walter always knew his hound could choose another path, and was ready for it...does that mean he hates him for it ? I don't think so. I think that, in the end, Walter was driven by his strongest emotions for us, not hate for choosing our own way according to his will, not angry at us for taking our wings and fly higher. But love, care and happyess we found our own way... He died with love in his heart, and joy we found a friend...what better death ?

[@TheSuperRatt]

@@tombombadil7714 God, I hope y'all never meet a manipulative partner in real life.

[@bombomos]

Walter is definitely one of my favorite characters. He is one of the only people who truely cares about you. He even is about to spill the beans to you just so you can have the choice to keep following him. But he stops. And in his "death" he gives you the choice. He tells you the plan. He lets you decide for yourself if you want to burn the planet and end the coral scourge or find your own way

[@Faftha]

I found my freedom, Walter...

[@glint3924]

I purposely went straight to my normal build to fight him and ditched the stun needle that I used on snail since I wanted to kill him on my terms, the honorable way.

[@KansaiCool]

Like a noble warrior that' s awesome.

[@Q-Vu]

Thank u for this, fellow hound

[@R-XI_Sulla]

I was to fast I litterly ran most of the game simmlar to rusty After I got his weapons I made an rusty run

[@alastor8091]

I did the exact opposite because i kept dying.

[@TheBLT883]

ha!! i did the same thing i used a cheesy heavy build to match snails balteus but went back to my normal AC for the final fight.

[@GhostlyPancakeTheOddMancake]

I wasnt okay for this fight. Walter was in pain the entire time. He had an attachment to his pilots it seems, and hated using them the way he did. He knew he had to be cold to his victims to get by. Seeing what little humanity he had left torn from him and replaced with autonomous violence was incredibly heart breaking.

[@cinderluna]

He always cared about us Fight made me cry

[@wither5673]

''look at you...621....you found....a friend'' *INCOHERENT SOBBING*

[@darkhellspartan975]

@@wither5673 God that line really got to me.

[@crusaderfigures7851]

No matter what ending i pick i end up sad, thank you From Software for making a truly magnificent game full of amazing characters.

[@cjthenarhwalking1378]

What really broke me was Ayre begging us too stop. Despite walter's motive it shows that she still grew fond of him and probably also cause she cared about raven and didn't want him going through this.

[@thedezzastator6997]

Me at start of game: damn it Walter you're just using me as a tool Me at this ending: damn it Walter... Not like this... Don't make me do this 😞

[@excalibur2596]

621 was never his slave. He only followed orders because of the credits. He is a mercenary.

[@glatykoffi6672]

​@@excalibur2596 Getting paid doesn't disqualify from being a slave

[@excalibur2596]

@@glatykoffi6672 if you are forced to work a job and take orders, it is slavery but if you are free to leave whenever you want, it is not called slavery. So 621 was never a slave. He only worked the job to reverse his surgery. He made that choice himself.

[@cionm7077]

@@glatykoffi6672 ok so you didnt play the game.

[@naveenlata2103]

​@@glatykoffi6672 getting paid literally by definition disqualifies you from being a slave an indentured servant may be more accurate but 621 is not anywhere near a slave, as he is more than free to choose what job he does on rubicon whether for money or for ideological reasons just as long as he does the big jobs Walter wants/needs him to do as his handler (not to mention Walter compensating you every time you goof up)

[@Smeltz247]

When you saw that he powed off his AC.

[@cbt7commender980]

Out of the three end bosses this one is the best by far. Maybe not mechanically, but the setting, the music, the drama…. It’s just perfect

[@mahzuzakmal5180]

Agreed

[@metalgearexcelsus]

It's not _the hardest,_ but it _hits_ the hardest.

[@rakshar6299]

Up until the fight against the Ibis Series,I didn't think of the OST to be anything noteworthy, at least compared to past AC tracks like Remember and Mechanised Memories. But Ibis, the whole xylem ship mission and the fight vs Walter had me admiring the tracks

[@Erick-tv8oq]

Contact with You, Rough and Decent, Unbreakable, the second garage theme, the rank evaluation arena fight OSTs, were all chapter 1-3 tracks that marked my playthrough. IBIS' theme is incredible though, the first time I heard that chorus I got chills all over my body. Fun fact, "coral" in my language can mean the same thing as "chorus" in English: a group of voices singing the same thing. In fact, "Coral" has double meaning in AC6, as it refers to both the deep red color the substance has, and the fact that Coral itself is a collection of minds that can only communicate through their voice. It's clever foreshadowing on From's part.

[@R-XI_Sulla]

​@@Erick-tv8oqthe one played by the juggernaut

[@alphalightning00frost67]

Never forget rusted pride

[@MariaShiranui]

The Liberator ending had all the bangers in the soundtrack towards the end anyways. (Ayre's Theme, Rusty's Theme, and Walter's Theme.)

[@brendananderson6465]

"Look at you 621...you finaly found... a friend"

[@davidnavarro4821]

I just learned the song is called « The Man Who Passed The Torch ». it really strikes at the heart of the listener with those haunting violins and chorals! You really feel the bitterness that surrounds this fight!

[@SICKSINCE]

That part

[@lucasdelmicon1685]

God, I'd love to see this game get a nice DLC

[@amharbinger]

When you choose Horde but your best friend picked Alliance

[@loko78100]

Beginning : this Walter dude is an Ass End: Dad 😢

[@Big_Al4344]

I always thought he was using us until that final fight

[@Kazuhira2249]

i liked him since the start, sure he is very stoic and might come off as uncaring but in the world of armored core thats how you pretty much NEED to be to survive every ac game is very bleak

[@alert2]

stockholm syndrome at it's finest

[@TheBLT883]

@@Big_Al4344 i figured it out after chapter 3 ended

[@veggeto9937]

As i reached the a point in the Story where i slowly new i will have to Fight him, i was saying to me i dont wanna. Then this moment came and this song came and i feelt sad that i Had betrayed him i didnt want to but had to.

[@ilikegiantrobots1775]

For anyone that thinks this is a betrayal: It isn’t. This is the product of the reeducation camps used by Arquebus. After Snail uses the stun needle on you after the CEL 240 fight he says he’ll be sending you for reeducation, and Walter will be dealt with. When the fight officially starts, Walter says something along the lines of, “The corporations…no, my friend’s dreams…” This is the result of the reeducation, and him believing that this is what his friends want from him. Of course, this could very easily be a betrayal, but he sounds very conflicted throughout the entire fight. He takes large pauses between sentences or phrases so this got me thinking about that

[@Alaadassa]

This is spot on, he was 100% brain washed through Arquebus's reeducation, his intention for us was always for us to be set free from our surgeries and reverse them when we got the credits we needed, its even said in the middle of the fight when you get to the second phase.

[@R-XI_Sulla]

​@@Alaadassa yeah The coral model augmentations were an result of his father who he hates

[@forcommentpurposes]

Doesn't the betrayal come from us?

[@Feedbackfile]

He was re-educated. If you find the combat log near the Tetra Pod during the MIA mission, it contains some information about re-reducation. The image shows the HAL AC and snail saying that next time you should leave a torso so im guessing they're already experimenting how to use it and walter is the final product.

[@Delwin_reis]

We are the traitors, since we betrayed him and did not complete his objective, whether we like it or not, the coral is still a volatile danger.

[@TimidSylveon]

Fun observation: Walter’s theme has the same piano key used in *all* fights related to the RRI. Definitely due to being truly the *last* cinder burning from the past.

[@thewelshexperience6294]

If Fromsoft ever finds some kind of kindness in their null kelvin hearts and gives us a "everyone lives" ending that we've so been begging for, the one exception should be Walter. A much more difficult fight against whatever's left of Walter crammed into the IB-01, with our comrades counting on us to complete our final mission, Walter stringing together the few words he can to wish that we follow our own will from here on. Just as the final blow is struck, I imagine Walter reaching out to 621 as a father to son, and with tears in his throat and a hole in his heart, he says: "Look at you, 621... ...you found... *...a family."*

[@danielj7725]

6...21 you earned all the credits...... You can undo the surgery.... Be normal again

[@Forgetthereality]

Anyone notice how all the boss fight themes are all remixes of the main theme? As if its their own perspective of the events of rubicon given voice. They all view think and feel differently about all the things happening to them. The same event inciting different emotions in all it effects. Yet it is all Rubicon. Coral abide with Rubicon...

[@medianinja85]

. . . HOLY SHIT!

[@zeehero7280]

But we do cast the die.

[@daltonbalusek]

Out of the three bosses I found Walter the most difficult. I think part of the reason is becuase I felt the most connected to him for some reason. It was like killing a dear friend. While I do like Ayre, I had more of a connection with Walter. He took upon the sins of his father and tried to ensure what happened never could again.

[@TheBreadedCatt]

For me he was difficult because of all the red. The lower health he was, the more aggressive it felt he became. With your screen being covered in orange and red, it was hard to keep track of him. Sucks that they brainwashed him. :/ Never a happy ending in AC.

[@SolaScientia]

Yeah, Ayre was fine, but I've never been as attached to her. The Fires of Raven, while technically the bad ending, really didn't bother me that much. Liberator of Rubicon was the one that had me crying. It hurt so much. As for Alea Iacta Est, I was so pissed at Allmind and Iguazu that I was ready to tear through them. I'm pretty sure I was swearing at Iguazu the whole time. I already knew what was up with Allmind, but by that point I was even more angry because she'd killed Walter and Carla off-screen. I'm glad I didn't have to fight them again, but I was pissed with how Allmind talked about them.

[@MannSijl]

I beat him in first try lol

[@shaym.9737]

"Whatever they did... You're in danger. We have to defend ourselves!" Walter planned an escape for you, not for him. "Raven...! Walter! This has to stop!" Ayre just wanted to live, to save her family. She didn't want this. She can't stand seeing you kill each other like this.

[@enzoTHEferrari]

I can’t believe that during my first play through, I thought that Walter was acting for himself, trying to punish us for stopping Overseers plan. The idea of him getting caught and “educated” by Arquebus completely flew over my head. When I finally realised what happened on NG++, I was so disappointed in myself. Forgive me, daddy Walter.

[@ohthatswild1755]

I made the same mistake, but it made it even more emotional for me lol. When he first appears and seems almost hesitant, distraught by the idea of killing 621 but has to for some unknown reason, it made me feel as if the two were the same- in the vast majority of missions you the player cannot choose if you fight to the death with the person you are there to eliminate or spare them. Now, with 621, the player, and now even Walter forced to fight to the death, no one wins.

[@carsontodd2443]

Walter fought to the end, not against you, but himself. I think he resisted long enough for you to destroy both engines and after that the reeducation forced him to fight, and just before he died he managed to stop himself from killing you. He'd rather have gone down fighting you than be a slave, he knew you could beat him.

[@KansaiCool]

Rest easy, old timer. We'll take it from here.

[@SolaScientia]

This was the fight that absolutely broke me. I'm used to sad moments in video games, particularly FromSoftware games, but while Fires of Raven is the bad ending, Liberator of Rubicon is the ending that had me sobbing. I was in tears the whole fight, especially when he would talk and when Ayre started pleading with us to stop fighting. I was fully sobbing after the fight was over. Hell, even when going for the S-rank it was still upsetting. Knowing what Arquebus had done to him is horrifying. While I was glad I didn't have to fight him directly when I was going for the Alea Iacta Est ending, I was still pissed at Allmind for killing him offscreen all the same.

[@FatalisCataclysm]

This was the most underrated game of 2023

[@Felix-ic1fc]

"Waltuh put your coral AC away waltuh" -Raven

[@careydaniels310]

While I still think Ayre’s battle in the Fires of Raven ending is more emotional, this is still incredible

[@Ritz190]

621...it's time to cook...

[@nicolascurra4254]

"You've earned all the credits. Undo the surgeries... and become normal again." Pretty much all of his lines, muttered in brainwashing and in despair, hit like a truck; but this one hit me like a quadruple ashmead on stagger. He was a slave to arquebus, just like we, at the beginning, are slave to the mission. When he put his coral rifle down, and told us we found a friend (referring to ayre), i truly realized the uselessness of the fight, and how he really didn't want to fight. Anyway, ACs moving when destroyed are always cool af.

[@Scottishcyclops228]

waltuh, put your coral laser rifle beam of death away waltuh, I don't want to be oneshot waltuh

[@raz522]

The hardest battles are the ones that we don't want

[@winxies1502]

This is where all the good boys cry...never played it but the music made me cry just hearing alittle.

[@Ephenium]

Walter, I am finally free... but to what cost?

[@shokmusic_AC]

This track has so much emotional weight. It truly is a thing of absolute beauty.

[@rieJW]

By the end of the game, Walter definitely saw more than just a means to an end in 621. As you progress deeper into the game, he will more often speak out for 621 and even tells you to get rest if he knows 621 pushed themselves too hard on a job. Its more heartbreaking that in the final fight, he can't hold back his inner thoughts as a result of extreme torture and reconditioning. All his hopes, his dreams and wishes are laid bare to us. You realize that he grew to care for you like a son. And though you are in his way at the very end, he is glad that you found a friend after he is gone. My favorite fight in the game. I'm always partial to boss fights with emotional punches.

[@shelter42Ayre]

I've done countless modded playthroughs, this fight... Still gives me chills and chokes me up. Especially knowing the other two endings.

[@justagamethrower]

Waltuh, Put the gun down Waltuh, I'm not burning the coral right now Waltuh

[@Void_Drip]

Walter always cared about us even he didn t want to fight and that’s when we separate paths sadly we found ourselves freedom, a friend… Even he said “Burn the Coral and our job will be over.. You earn all the credits.. Undo the surgeries be normal again” it’s just so sad and this wasn’t a betrayal. We had our mission and so he did. He wanted us to be free and live a happy time. It’s just so sad that it doesn’t even feel like a normal ending. Al thougt it was too late to save Walter from death..may rest in peace Walter beyond this skies.

[@DearsA1]

Walter. Put your AC away Walter. I'm not having an AC battle with you right now Walter.

[@adriendejean1915]

I just beat him ,perfct conclusion . Thanks for sharing

[@hellkite6892]

Easily the best fight in the whole game, totally made fighting that bullshit in the lake worth it

[@user-nd7ad3hta]

コーラルを焼き尽くす為に俺達621と先輩達を利用しながらも、俺達のことを心の底から気にかけてくれた最高の男。

[@dannyboi5887]

Killing Ayre in the Fires Of Raven ending didn't make me bat an eye. This? this fucking BROKE me. It's one thing for a game to make me teary-eyed, but no other game has managed to reduce me to a sobbing mess like this fight did.

[@waspoptic]

I felt horrible after finishing the fight. It just didn’t feel right killing Walter or Rusty, yet their fate is always the same regardless

[@SolaScientia]

Exactly the same. I did Fires of Raven first, with my in-game reasoning being that 621 really hadn't spent too long with Ayre. Fighting her was tough from a gameplay view but not tough emotionally. Fighting Walter was easier since I was a better player at that point and had even better parts and weapons that really worked for my preferred build, but I was in tears the whole time and was sobbing when the fight finished. I thought I was used to upsetting situations in FromSoftware games, but none have actually made me cry like fighting Walter did. Even when I went to S-rank the mission it was still very tough.

[@Xenmaru00]

@@SolaScientia I did Liberator ending as my first (and so far only) ending. Because Walter gave too much of the impression right away that i was a tool, he was my wielder. and then comes Ayre. and i'm sorry but you give me a kind, female voice coming out of nowhere and immediately showing care and worry for me and you have my immediate loyalty. Then Walter started...evolving. changing. showing a different side. and i started to like him. but i'd already thrown in my lot with Ayre, especially once we learn what she is. It was a tough call, betraying Carla, and i wish there was some kind of way we could have communicated "I'm not doing this for the Corpos, i'm doing this for Rubicon" so she at least knew the *truth* of the choice we were making. And i'm not gonna lie, hearing her scream out for Chatty, _hurt_ me a lot. She was an ass, but she was a funny ass. Clever, hilarious, the type of girl you'd wanna just sit and chill with and listen to her craft and code. But this fight against Walter, my mouth, *DROPPED* when i heard his voice. Stupidly powerful AC, faltering, halting speech patterns, this man was broken, possibly being puppeted by something beyond him, and he *acknowledged* us as People. Every word out of his mouth felt like an apology he wasnt allowed to speak. an acknowledgement beyond what he'd allowed himself to display. We were no longer a dog following orders. as Carla had said, we made a *choice* we'd picked a side, and that's something *People* do. We made enemies, but to Walter, who was doing _everything_ he was doing for the memory of the ones lost before, we did something more important. we made a *friend* during all this. And to have seen an image of the Voice of the Coral...to have acknowledged now, something, someone, had not attached itself to us as a parasite but as an ally...he *had* to fight, he couldnt not, he wasnt in full control. but he didnt have to leave us believing we were a Problem. that he Hated us. That said, i've seen someone else's run of this, and the Dialogue Walter speaks is a lot more controlled. focused. less reluctant, less conflicted. That Walter saw us as an obstacle. i'm wondering what choices were made, that lead to that...

[@SolaScientia]

@@Xenmaru00 I'm not sure who/what you watched, but the dialogue and actions should have been the same. The only mission decision that decides which of the first 2 endings we get is in Chapter 5 when you have to choose between eliminating Carla (Liberator ending) or intercepting the corporate forces (Fires of Raven ending). Alea Iacta Est is dependent on choosing to escort the weaponized mining ship rather than destroying it and no other decisions made impact that ending, iirc. General rule to get all missions and alternates unlocked in just 3 runs is to make a different decision each time so that all missions are unlocked after your 3rd run and then you can play them however you want for rankings. For me, I did the Fires ending first, because from my view Ayre turned up out of nowhere and I'd known Walter longer. Walter jumps to our defense pretty quickly, so it wasn't really hard to sort of ignore Ayre, at least for me. Fighting her for that ending was difficult in terms of combat (she's a ramped up Cel 240 with some different moves; she does a few that are basically the stuff Placidusax does in Elden Ring, lol), but not too difficult emotionally. Energy weapons are excellent against her, btw. Betraying Carla and Chatty was far more painful and fighting Walter was horrible, but that's in terms of emotions. By that point I'd gotten more parts and weapons and had a lot more experience in the game. Alea Iacta Est is satisfying, but it's also not too difficult because of the parts and experience I had by that point.

[@ThePraetorianOfTerra]

I'm NOT crying! You are...

[@AlwaysAstral]

I'm tearing up even just remembering the ending AC6 goated.

[@spoopyghosti6961]

I found my friend Walter. If only you could’ve see them under better circumstances..

[@doppie1677]

Stopping in here less than a day before Shadow of the Erdtree. Make sure to find a friend along the way.

[@darkdreams9447]

Everything about this boss fight was great. THE best boss fight in gaming i dare say.

[@denilsonvicente27]

-6...2.1.....🤨 -WALTER!?😥

[@tellmeninetails5819]

Undo the surgury... Be normal again..

[@fine_ol_chap]

"You earned all the-" **Gets Pile Bunkered** 621: Oh crap! What was he gonna say!?

[@NotZealot]

I'm so pissed the I accidently pile bunkered him with my max melee stat on my first try, he literally died so fast I could medal clip the entire fight

[@shade0636]

Beautiful.

[@Brute_Studios]

Took me 5 attempts, but MAN was this such a great final boss. (Edit) got all three endings, so this fight IS less difficult for me, i still love it though. 9/10 game!

[@Brute_Studios]

There was one part of the game that was an irritating roadblock for me. It's that one level where the PCA show up to take over, the last area of the level in particular.

[@R-XI_Sulla]

Me who killed walter while he has 80% of his Ap left with an Basho Pilebunker

[@Brute_Studios]

​@@R-XI_Sulla s ranked the tester ac mission, because I used that beast in a melee build.

[@deltharramorghal8130]

I destroyed Walter in my first try. It was an underwhelming last boss, especially considering how difficult all the previous bosses were. The scenery and the context though. Oh boy!! That was marvelously epic. Now I need to play it again to unlock the other endings. And the coral weapons.

[@Brute_Studios]

@@deltharramorghal8130 well, have fun with that!

[@Eltnum_JAV]

Waltuh Put the gun down, Waltuh I don't want to kill you Waltuh

[@Voc_spooksauce]

I am so proud of Fromsoftware for managing to make me feel REALLY well how fighting Rusty and, specially, Walter hurts. While Rusty was more of a friend in a way, he was very open about how he didn't like having to fight us, there was an understanding about that. But Walter was very closed off, even if you could tell he started caring. So him finally saying nice things (even when he is being forced to go againt his feelings) hurts more. We finally found a friend It also makes sense we only get this fight in the good ending. An evil Raven (or at least one that didn't care to lose it all) wouldn't feel as bad about having to kill Walter than a Raven who has been trying to save as many people as possible would.

[@purplekrakenyut]

RIP Walter. You were one of a kind and looked after us as best as you could.

[@_AKVN3_]

Best fight of the game beautiful arena and music kinda like the gherman fight

[@Thereisnogreatersword]

Turns out walter wasn't so different from BT after all. Protocol 3, protect the pilot...

[@LynTheKnight]

i made many friends walter i wish i could had told you that you were our first friend in this journey

[@leonclark2312]

never forgive aquebus for re-educating walter

[@raghav1026]

1 more reason to fucking HATE snail

[@Schinak]

@@raghav1026 He sure sounded slimy like a snail from the get go

[@dustnoiseplays]

You finally found a friend...

[@ryoma5391]

トレーラー映像か何かで流れたときに聞いてめちゃくちゃ好きな曲なんだけどまさかウォルター戦で使われるBGMだったとは...俺このルートに行くつもりなんですけど...

[@justaguy2060]

this was the fight that made me realize my mech isnt just a symbol of power and its a symbol of grief too

[@WhatTheHeckIsAHandle]

I knew I was going to fight Walter eventually… But I didn’t think It’d be like this…

[@TaigaNine]

"621..." "Save your breath, I don't know who that is."

[@SICKSINCE]

Thanks for uploading this.

[@Prodigygaming24]

This song broke me and so did the boss fight

[@JimmySentence]

That's it....for this job...621

[@alastor8091]

Wish we could get to see him in a sequel. Rest easy, Walter. Rest easy.

[@maohemu262]

my dude, if we ever had a sequel we would have to fight 621 and Ayre, possibly killing them as well, Walter on the other hand...he's deader than dead regardless the result.

[@alastor8091]

@@maohemu262 that's why I said I WISH we could see him in a sequel. No endings where he could have survived.

[@therandomlaniusedward2140]

​@@alastor8091Prequel: The Jupiter wars. The person who raised Walter could be G1 Michigan, and since he is a hero of the Jupiter wars... Walter might also be the veteran of the Jupiter war.

[@MrAnt-sf2sk]

In the 3rd ending, it’s possible both Walter and Carla are still alive. The pilot is inside the core, not the head. Both ACs aren’t burning. Either they’re immobilized or died of blunt force

[@alastor8091]

@@MrAnt-sf2sk C'mon now. You think Allmind or Iguazu would let them live? Sulla is in there too, and he _hates_ Walter and by extension, Overseer.