Rusty is the REAL Hero in Armored Core 6 - Story & Lore

I discuss the story and lore of everyone's favorite character in Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon.
Thanks to ‪@armoredcorelore‬ for help with pieces of the lore puzzle. Check out his content!
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Chapters:
0:00 Foreword
2:29 Lore
MUSIC:
Armored Core VI: FIRES OF RUBICON OST
- Contact With You
- STEEL HAZE
- The Man Who Burned It All
- Fight or Flight
- STEEL HAZE (Rusted Pride)

[@absurd.gaming]

If you want to see more content like this, be sure to subscribe: kzbin.info/door/b6lCXskmVbgMN1nrH4mt0A

[@diegeticfridge9167]

I neeeed more, I neeeed more armored core

[@abyss_waker1276]

The Ziyi fight be tweaking

[@teaguejelinek4038]

I'm G but thanks

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

Rusty died for our sins!

[@TheGiddyReaper]

Fun fact. Ravens and Wolves sometimes develop special relationships, helping each other scavenge and or hunt food. The Ravens scout out prey and wolves give a share of the meat to their feathered buddies.

[@keaghanwhisenhunt7809]

And Ravens will play with wolf pups

[@thedrifter5531]

rusty and michigan were great, michigan just acknowledging how much of a badass we are when his mts are smug and like "its just 1 ac we can take it" he's just like "nope thats raven you're fucked"

[@vivil2533]

That one MT that calls us a clown, only for Michigan to tell him " the only clown here is you" That whole mission is good time.

[@kylequinn1963]

Honestly that mission was rough, I liked Michigan, and liked him even more during that mission when he was showing us, his enemy, such respect. Was a great time, great fight and a great boss.

[@HamasAreTerrorists]

Wanna know another incredibly badass fact about Michigan? If you read his arena entry, you learn that the madlad set a bounty on his own head with the condition that half of it be distributed among his subordinates. That, coupled with the fact he knows evwry one of his underlings by name (even basic MT pilots) shows us just how much he cares. Dude's a bro, through and through.

[@Moreofthisshitagain]

@@kylequinn1963im a fan of anyone that tells iguazu to sew his damn mouth shut.

[@andrebenjamun1022]

@@vivil2533 then the one pilot called iguazu a coward. He said “iguazu was worth 100 of you and g13 is worth 20 of him so you do the math, your not doing anything important l.” Like damn Michigan 😂

[@diegeticfridge9167]

Rusty is the true Raven, he always fought for what he believed in, he always fought with resolve…

[@absurd.gaming]

Such resolve...

[@diegeticfridge9167]

@@absurd.gaming and what is 621 but an imposter… A purposeless hound flying on borrowed wings….

[@diegeticfridge9167]

@@sengiko yes, but I think that just reinforces how 621 “borrows” his resolve from others. 621 never had any goals or ambitions of his own….

[@MegaOS_Ver_NEET]

can we say now we are now GAR to rusty? *flees the scene*

[@Cptjknight]

​@diegeticfridge9167 you have resolve you're choosing who needs it.

[@jeff3221]

It's not something I thought about until now, but the Liberator Ending implies his badassery in a subtle way that you can only appreciate after getting the Fires of Raven ending. In the Fires of Raven mission, we take on a fleet of cruisers with the help of Carla. When Rusty departs in the final mission of the Liberator Ending, he confronts the fleet on his own and was almost finished with them before being intercepted. That means he probably took out double what we managed, with nothing to distract the fleet from focusing on him.

[@absurd.gaming]

That's a good point. His resolve is OP.

[@firstnamelastname7124]

We also had infinite energy during the fires of raven, rusty didn't

[@moseslomibao5742]

He is also responsible for dealing with the last of the Redguns if we don't take on the mission. A mission that basically has you/rusty taking on not only Michigan the leader of the RGs, but a whole ass platoon along side him. Which shows that at the very least, Rusty is just as capable as us.

[@sombraarthur]

@@firstnamelastname7124 why not? He was flying in the same space, dominated by the Coral. Therefore, logic says that in fact, he did have infinite energy.

[@Major_Mistake]

​@@sombraarthurI think the Xylem wasn't at the Karman Line yet during that point in the game since during the Karman Line mission we had the infinite energy all the way at the Xylem but in Destroy the Drive Block, we could still see the ground and we didn't have the infinite energy effect

[@alexlowe2054]

Carla's final words to "remember him" are even more important when you hear what Rusty says when he kills you in the final mission. "I'll remember you buddy."

[@zSTALKn]

Farewell, buddy. Things will change, but I’ll remember you.

[@kevo300]

They did him real dirty in the bad ending, dude pulled up like a gundam main character with a new AC and still loses.

[@absurd.gaming]

Poor Rusty

[@yankeed.5250]

​@@cicada92 for REAL tho. Everyone in the game must have balls made out of titanium to *not* run away at the first sight of 621 rapidly approaching their location. They're not *just* the boogeyman; they're the one you *send to kill* the fucking boogeyman. Aside from certain missions that weren't even their fault, they *never* failed an objective and they consistently hit way above their weight class *so consistently* that a nigh-omnisicent AI considered 621 to be **the** threat to their plans. 621 is quite literally HIM.

[@rpamungkas13]

Killed by the two main villain of AC6: Zimmerman and StunNeedle.

[@venuztrvp]

Guess you just cant beat the institute

[@kronos661]

@@rpamungkas13 I never "felt" so to speak a needle and I bring only one Zimmy in my builds because i like having a motherfucking chainsaw in the other. It allows me to use even the smallest stagger that happens and tear the enemy like a psycho. I tried to find something to put in hand instead of zimmy but I was always severly disappointed. It's sadly a thing that works best in brawling.

[@zacharydobbins6267]

Even better is seeing his logo change. A muzzled wolf to keep quiet and controlled as a vesper, but in his true form that restraint is broken and he lets his fangs fly Edit: damn 400 likes, thanks!!

[@absurd.gaming]

Yes, I love it!

[@sentientmustache8360]

Even the name of his new AC exudes freedom: Steel Haze Ortus, “Ortus” is latin for “rise”

[@taddad2641]

the only way that he died was cause he had basically gutted the entire aquebus fleet off screen and was exhausted by the time walter came after him.

[@muramasa870]

​@@taddad2641Waltuh... Don't kill our buddy Rusty, Waltuh... I don't wanna lose all my friends, Waltuh...😢

[@Bluelyre]

​@@taddad2641I am acting under the assumption that his frame was just destroyed. We never actually see his death. Call it delusional, but when a writer kills a character like that, it's so they can bring them back later.

[@mosh.4245]

Rusty reminds me a lot of Pixy from Ace Combat Zero. Even in our first fight he asked if we have a something to fight for. They also say buddy a lot

[@pleasantlymixed5860]

Exactly my thoughts, loved the guy but was waiting for the betrayal. I was so happy when he joined me to liberate Rubicon

[@bohba13]

​@@pleasantlymixed5860honestly? it makes sense in context. when you liberate Rubicon, you _are_ 'A World With No Borders' from zero. Seeking to end the corporate exploration of Rubicon and freeing its people from those who would see it destroyed one way or another.

[@bloodasp6278]

Ironically, Rusty's voice actor was said to have also voiced in Ace Combat. But not Zero. He had some lines in Ace Combat 7.

[@Sorain1]

Yeah, the moment he called me buddy? Every time he showed up after I'd ask "Yo buddy, still alive?"

[@neoaustin164]

One thing I love about the game is how understanding everyone is, Carla doesn't give you shit for your choice when you fight her, Rusty recognizes your sacrifice and newfound resolve, Walter doesn't cast judgement with his final words. Only person that isn't understanding of our choice is Ayre, and I won't fault her for that.

[@absurd.gaming]

Yeah, the characters are great for that.

[@conwaysquest6961]

I'd argue that even Ayre is pretty understanding. She's more sad and disappointed that you won't walk with her, and is only fighting you because your plan involves GENOCIDING her entire species. Her final words are her stating that even after all this, even as YOU ARE KILLING HER, she still believes in the potential for symbiosis.

[@7786777777777777]

I would go beyond Carla not giving 621 crap for it, I would say that Carla respects them on some level for it, given she says something along the lines of "It's good to pick a side, on the fence you don't make many enemies... or any friends." even as you're fighting her and Chatty.

[@aidanthornton173]

In the recover logs mission. Rusty had no contact with Ziyi, one of the logs revealed a conversation between two *MT Pilots* who noted their relief that Ziyi was *Off Duty* when Rusty made his attack.

[@lonelypancake5979]

Yeah and then in the “retrieve combat logs mission” we smoke her ass like she’s nothing

[@aidanthornton173]

@@lonelypancake5979 Hey, she's the Liberation Fronts little sister. Cut her some slack, she's doing her best lol.

[@Xenobears]

… and then she gets taken out by you so you can collect her combat log.

[@HamasAreTerrorists]

@@Xenobears As it should be

[@almightytwinkie2171]

In all of my playthroughs, I always spared her, never bothering to collect her log. It was the one act of mercy, besides V.VII Swindburne, I actively chose, waiting for the time to run out.

[@cartercollier2607]

Can we just acknowledge that among everything in this video, Rusty is also the only person besides perhaps the player Raven that is aware of the repeating timeline. You never fight him until one of the depth exploration missions, yet in successive playthroughs, his dialogue about how power without purpose becomes danger gets completely replaced by a simple line. "Something has changed since last time, but you still haven't found your purpose."

[@thespanishinquisition4078]

That's not likely intended to mean he knows of the timelines. "Last time" most likely implies your prior encounters with him, like the wall and the worm. And "not having found your purpose" means he's aware you haven't yet picked sides (so you might not choose the liberator The reason why he doesn't say this on the 1st playthrough is likely actually because of how on NG+ the RLF is hiring mercenaries and asks you for help. On the 1st playthrough you have no option to aid them before this point (the 1st time you can choose to go their path is the vesper ambush, before this point they think you're 100% a corpo lapdog, that mission is the 1st time Middle tests you.) So Rusty tells you "power comes with responsibility" to try to appeal to you as an enemy. On NG+ the RLF is hiring from the start and you get multiple chances to join them. So Rusty does see you as more of a potential ally, but also a massive threat, hence "you haven't found your purpose", he's not sure of your allegiance now whereas in the 1st run he was. (And really, were it not for Snail going full dunce and Ayre flipping the script in response, your 1st playthrough would likely have ended on you joining Arquebus if you betray Overseer. He had reasons to think you were his enemy.) Do note the 1st change in timeline is actually Michigan warning Walter the Rubiconians are hiring. This is likely because Dolmayan is the one who is at least partly aware of the timelines (since he is confirmed to have partial future sight due to his coral consumption), hence him altering the RLF's attitude and with it Rusty's.

[@teaguejelinek4038]

"He left me on the wall knowing its a set up, and now he wont stop calling me Buddy." -621 probably

[@theULTIMATElife50]

I don't think he was expecting 621 but he was expecting the Raven. That is why he was wary of the player.

[@zach.hanford]

Things like this are the reason why I'm sad that my wife isn't into games like this. I got the Liberator ending first, and teared up when Rusty's comms cut out. And she even recognized, and I quote... "they really stole your victory there didn't they?" since you had just beaten V.II moments before. Then I got the Raven ending, and when I knew that I had to fight Rusty I had to just... pause the game for a bit, and gather myself. And I teared up when he died. The fact that FromSoftware was able to make us care so deeply about these characters who really don't have many lines, and whose faces we never get to see says a lot about their storytelling. I felt like an awful human being killing Rusty.

[@HamasAreTerrorists]

I didn't care about rusty. I felt much worse for killing Carla and Walter in Ayre's ending. Never again.

[@sombraarthur]

Killing Rusty or kiling the entire human species? I am sorry, but I chose mankind. Keeping Rubicon intact, means humanity's extinction. So, Carla and Walter 4TW.

[@t.dmattocks6119]

@@sombraarthurHumanity doesn't die in Liberator (probs not Release either). Walt & Overseer are under the impression Coral is just a substance at best, & a hostile body snatcher at worst (not that they could know better). The reality is Coral are not only sentient Rubiconians, but also peaceful, and just sit in your head at worst. Meanwhile Overseer want to do Fires of Ibis 2, which would kill an entire star system of Coral AND people. That's billions of human lives alone.

[@sombraarthur]

@@t.dmattocks6119 Fires of Raven does not end mankind. It ends Rubicon, and the Coral threat with it. I see you have not understood the endings, specially the Fires of Raven, where a little before going up there and fighting Ayre, she herself says that mankind will NEVER stop fighting each other because of the Coral, so, having no Coral means that Humanity has to find another reason to do war. And that, my mate, takes a lot of time. " and just sit in your head at worst." I see you failed to read Thumb Dolmayan's notes, where he details that the "Rubiconians" are not individuals, but a hive mind, and merging mankind with them will sooner or later take away ALL the individuality of humans. Besides C4-612, Father Dolmayan is the ONLY other human to ever have a "Rubiconian" inside his head, from the MILLIONS who had the same contact with Coral as he had. That means that the INFECTION with Coral and "Rubiconians" is potentially LETHAL to most of mankind. So yeah, it not "only just sits at your head". Also, Coral is one of the strongest sources of radiation, in Armored Core's universe. "Humanity doesn't die in Liberator (probs not Release either). " Not on the shown ending, yes. Still, if you go FURTHER than what is shown on the screen, along with some documents in the game, you understand that liberating Rubicon will mean ever lasting war, and that releasing it means that mankind will at some point become part of a hive mind called "Coral". If you like perpetual war for an energy source, be my guest. If instead of being in perpetual war, you decide that turning mankind into a husk for a parasite to sit in, controlled fully by a Hive Mind not very far away from the Borg Cube, be my guest as well. But dont think for a SECOND that those are "the good endings".

[@Okil_Atlas]

Rusty is cool guy that we all wish we knew. And the fact beside Ayre, rusty is the only living person who actually values use as a pilot

[@drag0nmancer]

Walter also values 621, but not at the start of the game since so many of his other hounds got "put down" by others like Sulla. Around chapter 3 and later (particularly in NG+ and ++) Walter gets far more protective of 621 and truly values 621 even when at odds because he cares, even if he doesnt immediately show it.

[@zettour.]

Walter, Carla, Chatty, G1 Michigan, V.I Freud, Raven (not 621), V.VIII Pater, G6 Red, etc. Almost everyone apart from narcissists like V.II Snail value us a pilot. That's a pretty low bar by the end of the game. As 621, Walter is probably the only person who values us, or him and Carla. Ayre and Rusty are just like Middle Flatwell; they only favor you if you side with them. They will achieve their objectives and they become vindictive when you get in the way. They'll continue to try to guilt trip you into going on their self-righteous crusade. Contrast that with Walter and Carla who actually accept that you've made your choice if you go against them. They'll fight back, but they never try to sway you, respecting your opinion as 621 despite the betrayal. In fact, they even actively advise you to be firm on your path and congratulate you on how you've found your purpose in Ayre and the Rubiconians. At the end, Walter is the only one who truly cares for 621 and Carla cares for you because of her relationship with Walter. In the ending for Ayre and Rusty, all they're focused on is the cause, what _they're_ fighting for. In the ending for Walter and Carla, 621 is set free, gaining that freedom Middle Flatwell said the RLF could never see.

[@Cund]

​@@zettour."Freud" lol Rusty and Ayre do value us as well. Rusty not from the start, but Ayre pretty much values all life (except the REALLY bad ones) as seen in the MIA mission. Even when we're fighting them, and they're "guilt tripping us", they genuinely care about us with both doing the same thing as Cinder and Walter: respecting us for choosing our own path, and not cursing us even after we kill them.

[@haihuynh8772]

@@zettour.That's so many words to just say "Walter and Carla are the same as the rest, I just like them more". Both Ayre and Rusty respect your agency as a person, the problem is that for Ayre you're committing genocide, and for Rusty you're committing genocide and destroying a civilization. Like do you think they'll just "You're about to kill everyone and everything on this planet but because I need to respect your player's weird standards for respecting agency I will not say that genocide is wrong".

[@Tenraio]

@@zettour. Freud Just want to fuel his ego while fighting us, there's very little respect we get out of him. He even call Chatty 'trash', no respectable person would exclaim something so rude to a stranger. Rusty call us hound on the first encounter, the most respectable way to address a hunter's familiar, not just a mere dog. He's neutral at first, and we both grow on him as both friend, and potentially a rival. Ayre respect our choice and not once she berate us, she only said we made our choice, so she made hers. Orthus Rusty also made a decent guess that we found our 'purpose'. He too, not once he berated of our choice and clash us with full respect and resolve. The end fight he even acknowledge that our resolve surpassed him, we out-flyed him. Carla also respected him as much, even asked us to remember him when she didn't need to... You know what would be funny? Walter, Carla, Rusty and even Ayre will join force with us against the true menace that bigger than their ideal if they every get that chance, I can see that happen. All these 4 are the most closet one that respect us and I feels like ther are willing to put aside their difference to aid us against even greater threat. The corpo did it once for their own gain, but these 4 will do it for "us", a wild raven.

[@randalljolla]

When Rusty pulled up in the new AC. I was screaming for 5 mins straight

[@MineNAdventurer]

Seriously wish Rusty appeared to help us fight the true final boss like how Ayre helps us. Would have been such a treat to fight along side Rusty one last time. Hopefully he'll appear in the next AC expansion game or DLC depending on how they make the continuation (I assume DLC)

[@nimbusws2566]

Imagine if the AC6 expansion has us playing as Rusty and shows his pov of the fight for rubicon, trying to infiltrate the vespers and steal AC schematics right under their noses for his upgraded model? The ending could have him, controlled by the player, joining the fight in the True Ending haha. I’m sure it’s unlikely as hell but a man can dream.

[@sentientmustache8360]

The DLC could introduce a tag team mechanic, where you could take on huge missions with a companion by your side, the selection of companions should vary from ending to ending but here’s a few i’d like to have as companions: V.IV Rusty (Steel Haze) Rusty (Steel Haze Ortus) Ayre (AC Form) Walter Carla Chatty G1 Michigan G6 Red V.VIII Pater Mercenaries for hire (though you’ll have to pay them) Nightfall Raven Also, any friend from multiplayer

[@Hitman-cq2yw]

In NG++, you never get caught for reeducation, so not enough time passes for rusty to get his new AC. The next events are unfolding literally in just several days, after you finished with the Institute city and destroyed Rusty's AC. He just didn't have enough time to get his AC. That's why we don't see him in the True Ending. On the other hand, I think that was the best outcome for him, since this is the ending where he doesn't die. So I consider this a win. Maybe we'll get more of him in the DLC. Or will that one be about Kate, ALLMIND's mercenary. Still didn't get what's up with her. Where did she come and where did she go?

[@sentientmustache8360]

@@Hitman-cq2yw i think Kate Markson is just Allmind disguised as a mercenary, even her AC is made up purely by Allmind components

[@EnjoyTheSilenc3]

Did they confirm a DLC? If I'm not mistaken the last From Software game that had a DLC was bloodborne.

[@xcape4734]

It always put a smile on my face when he called raven buddy. I would die for V. IV Rusty and I’m sure he would do the same.

[@ZXgosu]

bro he literally tries to kill you to survive

[@chaplin006]

@@ZXgosu 😂

[@melaniabladeofmiquella]

Erm... well this is awkward

[@extracrispycoop2552]

@@ZXgosu he left you on the wall, with knowledge that it was a setup

[@ZXgosu]

@@extracrispycoop2552 rusty fight encounter before final location. Play the game and stop watching fangirl videos on youtube

[@Ixarus6713]

Based. Rusty is a chad.

[@sentientmustache8360]

“NOOOOOOOO YOU CAN’T JUST LET THE CORAL LIVE!!!!” “Hehe Steel Haze Ortus go fwooooosh”

[@SecohdYue]

We're the main character of our own story Rusty is the main character of the game We can be the villain of Rusty's story, or be his sidekick.

[@skygrasper_47]

From what I got in the story and the various flavor text in the game, Rusty didn't actually play both sides. Rather, his real allegiance is with the RLF all along, and he was their spy inside the Arquebus Group under deep cover. Like, EXTREMELY deep cover. Up to the point where both he and Flatwell accepted the fact that he will end up fighting and killing his fellow Rubiconians every now and then. I still don't know how he ended up in Arquebus, but it's obvious that he worked his ass off and climbed up the ranks of the Vespers so that he can gain influence among the corporations. He then uses that influence to get access to highly confidentail data and send it off to Elcano (in the case of Schneider) or get in talks with other corporations to aid the RLF directly but in secret (in the case of Furlong). One more fact to add in all of this, is the decision mission "Ambush the Vespers", wherein you fight with Uncle Flatwell to take out V.V and V.VIII. If you manage to take out both Vespers fast enough so that Flatwell's AC doesn't get wrecked during the fight (which I think is the main requirement to S-Rank this mission), Flatwell will say the words "we're war buddies now", the exact same words that came from Rusty in the Operation Wallclimber debrief.

[@tysmith5289]

In the arena logs for Father Dolmayan or Uncle Flatwell. It directly states that they have a inside man in one of the corporations.

[@RanTurner]

I think there is data logs in arena which state flatwell was employed in Schneider’s HR department (and had worked in off world corps), and Rusty joined Arquebus through Schneider, so that’s how he got his in. Also his emblem is a muzzled wolf, in the last mission where it’s revealed is RLF is no longer got a muzzle showing his true self.

[@gaelnier4571]

The emotions. Our buddy will never be forgotten.

[@absurd.gaming]

Never.

[@vapa117]

I made my own head canon in the Liberator of Rubicon ending where Rusty survives Walter's ambush and manages to eject himself from his AC. I'm too sad to think my buddy died just like that in that ending 😢

[@absurd.gaming]

He's out there somewhere. If only in our memory.

[@zettour.]

Alternatively, he could've gone to "the other side" as Father Dolmayan puts it.

[@normanbestboi9117]

Signal lost, not vital signs lost

[@sentientmustache8360]

He might still be alive, just look at Pater, we supposedly kill him ourselves, blow his AC to smithereens, and then he shows back up as V 5/3/6

[@darknatter]

the one good thing to come out of doing the fires of raven ending was learning that steel haze ortus has terminal armor equipped so i think it's actually pretty damn likely that he managed to make it out alive

[@austinfeller2368]

I did the fires of raven on my second run. It really does hurt to have to fight a guy who greets you like a friend to the death……. Rusty deserved so much better.

[@barbatos7233]

Luckily that’s not the true ending

[@austinfeller2368]

@@barbatos7233 yeah that final boss was difficult, especially with the two sea spiders hovering above the fight. Did it first try though, iguana got what he deserved in the end.

[@barbatos7233]

@@austinfeller2368 he should’ve asked for his mother so I could’ve given him another 🤣

[@austinfeller2368]

@@barbatos7233 honestly it was really depressing to me, seeing how far iguana went just for power and revenge. He was to me a tough fight at times but that last fight with him was pathetically easy, the allmind fight was the real challenge.

[@cedricehlert3862]

Yes, Rusty is worthy to be a Raven. It is even possible to fight with him against the 2 PCA mechs and saving his hitpoints so that he do not leave us and is still there when the worm showed up. But there is something about 621 to learn from in reallife. He is no raven but he could learn to be one. Something that inspired me to do what i want to do. Regardless of the social pressure. This wish, to do what you want to do is something i heard often in the japanes pop-culture. 621 teaches us, the player, how to break free and spread our wings to fly high above all the garbage we live in.

[@absurd.gaming]

Truth

[@jaygei_2641]

Wait he can die in that mission?

[@kevo300]

@@jaygei_2641 nah he just retreats

[@shakefan1484]

He can retreat during that fight? Did that mission multiple times and never had that happen.

[@jaygei_2641]

@@shakefan1484 same thing here

[@Krosstic]

It’s wild that he was trying to kill me in one mission and then the next mission he just showed up like “Sup buddy.” After I blew his AC apart, then we just fucked everyone up together.

[@stringbones9360]

Rusty was the Anti-Pixy. He fought to prevent the catastrophic end of a world in the Fires ending.

[@MrCdog85]

My first playthrough was fires of raven. I felt like such an evil bastard

[@SCF721]

Not sure if you're aware but you can keep the paint job of an AC data be going on paint, saying yes to undoing the edit lock and then going back and discarding changes. You lose the decal but you keep the color scheme.

[@mikeheiser3728]

Went in game to equip rusty’s steel haze with colors so i could save the color palette, thank you it took me three playthroughs and a youtube comment but this is what i needed to see. Closed the game and came back here to thank you lmao

[@SCF721]

@@mikeheiser3728 haha no problem. When I first found out about it, it damn near blew my mind lmao

[@zSTALKn]

This also works for device luster, which is something you can’t normally modify. Try this with O’Keefe and your head then gets a brightness value of six instead of the default 2!

[@Jason-wk1pm]

If they ever make a DLC, hopefully it’ll be from the perspective of Rusty. We never see or even hear that he died, we just lose comms with him. 🤞not counting the “bad ending”.

[@AyameAkito]

So far most people aggree that Rusty gets taken out by Walter, during the Liberator of Rubicon ending Ayre tells us that his signal dissapear suddenly and Walter is piloting the Ibis Series, Hal with a bunch of Coral weapons taking out everyone trying to stop them, in the True Ending Allmind has copies of all the Vespers fighting Walter so is safe to assume either Allmind killed him or is his old mech while he is safe with the Rubicon Liberation Front.

[@CQBlitz0]

@@AyameAkitohe escaped death once, he could do it again when he was surprised by Walter.

[@megnoman]

Rusty is memorable as hell, i wasn’t expecting to remember anybody from this game, but rusty and snail were just too interesting

[@botarc]

Michigan is favourite. That guy is just straight up funny.

[@sentientmustache8360]

@@botarc “G13 your ability to ruin my field trips is UNCANNY!”

[@alexradice8163]

"MAKE SURE TO DO THE MATH"

[@KurNorock]

The only part that hit me hard was Walter saying "Look at that 621... you made... a friend..."

[@AeroWraith901]

After getting through the game 3 times now…Rusted Pride’s lyrics lives in my head rent free. Rusty is a true war buddy

[@pragmat1k]

"V.IV Rusty was the first to respond."

[@absurd.gaming]

"I've got your back, buddy."

[@armoredcorelore]

He did the lore! Nice =)

[@absurd.gaming]

Its a big job for only one man. I can't wait to see what you roll out soon!!!

[@armoredcorelore]

@@absurd.gaming =) Just one more recording session and some video editing then it shall be ready.

[@Vivaslogenal]

my head canon is that at the end of liberator of Rubicon ending, Rusty is just chilling on his wrecked AC, staring up into the sky and listening to the broken comms as RLF soldiers cheer and he's just waiting for his buddy to come back down, the only person to fly higher than him.

[@Verminator4]

One neat meta detail is how he’s rank 9 in the arena, which is often an indicator of special status in AC - it’s the ladder position White Glint has in For Answer. In the original AC timeline the strongest AC was Nineball, and thus the top ranked Ravens in the arena were given the title of Ninebreaker.

[@Havinstroke]

Having gotten the Fires of Raven ending first, the scene at 11:40 is one of the happiest sights I've ever seen in a game. Getting Liberator of Rubicon as your second ending really makes you feel like you're fixing the mistakes of your previous timeline.

[@end1234567]

I was so fucking sad when you had to fight rusty and relieved when you were on the same side during my second play through

[@absurd.gaming]

Yeah, I fought Rusty on the second playthrough and it was a bummer.

[@end1234567]

I didn't even know you could go that route until the second time through

[@jusafuto]

Really enjoyed this vid! Thanks for not just reading item descriptions but actually offer an interpretation of them and help connect some of the many dots in the story.

[@MaidenlessScrub]

Man I wish Rusty would rush in to help us against AllMind as well, making it a 3v3 where Ayre and Rusty taking on the sea spiders while we dunk on the embodiment of salt, but it wouldn't make sense. We already stopped the Xylem, so Rusty had no reason to go up. He probably stayed and fought alongside his RLF comrades on the ground.

[@wootiluvsbagels7920]

Good choice of baltius's theme. Love the emotion it gives off.

[@kennethagnor2941]

hit me in the feels with this one liked and subscribed. just finessed the game Sunday.

[@absurd.gaming]

Congrats on finishing! Ya, Rusty pulls those heart strings.

[@Hungry_Tree_Ghost]

It f'd me up when Cinder Carla came to the rescue at the end of one mission just as shit was getting tight. Then f'd me up a couple missions later when Ayre wants to end Carla. That was a hard decision, because now you're emotionally invested to Carla because she risked herself to save you.

[@zettour.]

It sucks even more when you fight Carla and you kill her in front of Chatty.

[@runikwolf7755]

Wait, in what mission did Carla come to help? I’ve already done the true ending even and I’ve never seen her outside of fights with her LMAO

[@runikwolf7755]

@@n.e.9845 oh right… I honestly don’t know how I forgot about that. Probably just because I never had problems clearing the MTs myself xd

[@Hungry_Tree_Ghost]

@@runikwolf7755 my first playthrough, I stirred up a hornets nest like a stumbling clown, instead of sneaking around. I shot a jammer at the tetrapod, but went past it and the missed the ledge the first time I tried to boost up. I had missiles coming at me while I was recharging from the MT next to the tetra I didn't get, so when I did boost out of there, I started firing at everything that I was locking onto to get away from the tetra and MT behind me. Got to the emergency beacon on the building. By then, the whole place was crawling towards me. Got to the target area. I was just boost dodging, while firing everything I had. Missiles incoming from everywhere. Reminded me of Terry Crews' scene in the Expendables with the AA12 shotgun in the alley. Then... I ran out of ammunition. I started feeding them armor plated knuckle sandwiches, but their attacks started hitting. I had just used my last repair kit, and took two consecutive missile hits when Carla came in with "Hey Tourist! Having a little trouble?" At that moment... yes. Yes I was.

[@shanenice5380]

Theres 3 different ending​@runikwolf7755

[@thegoose8663]

"I won't miss"

[@absurd.gaming]

Love it!

[@RedLightz_TV]

There was something about Rusty that I myself wouldn’t have come to realize until I chose the Liberator of Rubicon Ending. Despite you being a Merc doing dirty work, Rusty chose you and put faith in you for Rubicon because out of everyone he fought and worked with, even knowing that you never speak a word. He found you to be the comrade that he needed. That’s why the first time we fight him I was sad because I didn’t think I’d had such a strong connection with Rusty throughout the game. Which is why at first, when I realized I had a choice to go down the path of Good, it felt like “Could I really redeem myself?” That’s when Rusty came in and I honestly start to cry with joy. I don’t know how Fromsoft does it, but bless their souls

[@The_Longest_Handle_Of_All_Time]

There is something I'd like to add, Rusty's arena rank is 09 a clear reference to Nineball same as the White Glint. Pretty cool.

[@absurd.gaming]

i totally missed that!

[@The_Longest_Handle_Of_All_Time]

@@absurd.gaming I found that out in my first playthrough, I was surprised he took out Michigan and the rest of the redguns so I wondered what Rusty's rank was, and well, everything made sense after seeing it

[@UnrebornMortuus]

So this entire game was made based on third ending name and the Rubicon River IRL, Crossing the Rubicon is an IRL phrase same meaning as third ending, which means "The Die is Cast" or past the point of no return

[@CKshouta]

Soloarm Rusty is best buddy We do get Pixy vibes except he doesn't launch the big **** to try and reset the twisted game, it's actually us who might do that

[@WorlBoss]

You made this so heartfelt I didn't expect it

[@primecoconut4204]

In the Liberator of Rubicon ending, I just speculate that Rusty's AC took a lot of hits and probably has his Pulse Armor depleted since he paused to take a breather right before he got ambushed. If Rusty's AC armor was still intact and Pulse Armor not used he wouldve survived Walter's ambush Re-Educated Walter simply delivered Rusty the final blow by either using his Coral Rifle or just a swipe of his Coral laser sword.

[@jyminewtron1416]

Dude I came into this video just letting AC6 video play on auto play while at work and I'm trying not to cry a lil bit with how you described Rustys 2 outcomes. Great work on the video and thank you for the very well spoken story of rusty. I love this game and am currently on chapter 3 I believe.

[@insertedgynamehere]

Fun fact, he was probably a hound, and that's how he ended up on Rubicon. He shares his name with a painting of a hound called number 617 Rusty. And 617 was the only hound to not die in the story trailer.

[@corvus9359]

Rusty came from the RLF, and his augmentations are not old-gen, so he couldn't have been a hound. The hounds are exclusively subjects of old-gen augmentation. Even if the RLF happened to rescue Rusty from an AC wreck, they aren't the type of faction with the resources to undo old-gen augmentation and implant new-gen augmentations just for some guy they found. They can barely afford new ACs. Also there's no evidence that 617 survived the events of the story trailer.

[@chrishusted9296]

In the fires of raven fight, it truly felt like a kira/athrun fight. Like in my win it was down to the wire 1ap left on my end as he went down. Man what a fight, it was SO good.

[@andrewrogers3067]

This is the best video on this games lore that I’ve seen. Rusty is a wonderfully written character, possibly even the best character in the series, hell AC6 as a whole has the best story easily. What a great video to wrap up my last day before school starts. God bless you and the people who crafted this wonderful game and character.

[@chucheeness7817]

Rusty is the Sunbro of AC6. He likes jolly co-operation

[@cpncorndogg]

Wow so well done! When I heard buddy the first time I was a bit on my guard. But later when he came back in his new ac I was like oh shiiiit rusty, I was like genuinely happy to see him and kick ass together!

[@Sorain1]

I do wonder what happened to Rusty in The Die Is Cast, because as far as I can tell he never shows up with the Ortis. So presumably while the mess goes down, he's elsewhere. It'd be pretty amusing if a DLC opened up with Rusty asking "Buddy, what happened while I was busy?" Or maybe a full on mission _as_ Rusty in the Ortis happening while the die is cast ending is going down in orbit.

[@zefellowbud5970]

honestly rather than joshua rusty made me think more of Pixy from ace combat Zero which is a dude who similarly joins a sort of resistance/terrorist organization who fights for the sake of ending war. dude was your best friend for most of the game till the half way to the end where he vanishes and you reunite on opposing ends him armed with an experimental fighter and he always calls you buddy. "hey buddy you still alive?"

[@GuitarM0use]

I played The Fires of Raven ending willingly. For handler Walter, for my fallen hounds. I hear Walter and obey.

[@DrazenX195]

I like to think Rusty escaped. Ayre mentions his AC signal disappears. He likely got overwhelmed by Walter and I hope pulled a similar stunt to what he did underground to escape.

[@exo-gladius4805]

Let me remind everyone that it's 'Signal's lost' for Rusty, not 'Vital-Sign lost'. Meaning there's a possibility that he manage to escape from the ambush.

[@DrazenX195]

@@exo-gladius4805 this is what gives me hope

[@hyperfixatedd]

The ending where you tell Iguazu and Snail to f off made me laugh out loud ajahahahaha Great video, buddy!

[@sirrivle1635]

I have qualms with calling the fires of raven ending the "wrong" ending None of them ended particularly happily for everyone

[@Lek_2.O]

Augmented Humans are somewhat similar to the Replicant from Blade Runner movie specially like Roy Batty.

[@botarc]

"I Won't Miss" - V.IV Rusty

[@iaimfortheeyes]

It gets me every time when he says “he buddy” in the end.

[@DarkstarArchangel]

I am glad I got the Fires of Raven ending first so that I could appreciate the characters (and my decisions) more with the other endings.

[@zydomason]

Rusty is almost the equivalent of Pixy from Ace Combat Zero.

[@esconde9922]

As much as the Fires path hurts, I do think it gives Rusty a better ending. While it's a duel to the death, I think he goes out with respect fighting you and makes sure to remember you if he wins.

[@Kingofdragons117]

Ravens and Wolves often form bonds of sorts in the wild. They form symbiotic relations with the pack animals. As we Ravens form our bond and friendship with this muzzle bound wolf at the start.

[@Saber.X]

The very first moment I encountered Rusty in my first blind playthrough, I had a strong feeling he'd be the White Glint of the series

[@CalCoffeeCat]

Steel Haze (Rusted Prize) carries such a sad fucking overtone for me that legit makes me cry just from hearing it.

[@noecarrier5035]

"Hey, buddy. You discovered who needs you, yet?" [Latin guitar sting, lock on vweep alarm]

[@andrebenjamun1022]

I noticed the muzzle was off in his decal on Ortus and yelled “yes” I just knew he was free from arquebus and they bs 😂

[@drizlam5827]

Rusty in the Steel Haze Ortus survives, he had the “Terminal Armor”!

[@sasha1mama]

Of course Rusty is the hero. We're just the facilitator. It's a through-line I've noticed in FromSoft's catalogue - the real hero of the story is usually an NPC, we're just the unstoppable war-machine that exists in his space on occasion. Solaire, Blaidd, Rusty. The only drag is, they all end up dying because of us, even though they deserve to reach the finish line far more than we ever do. It sucks, because I'd rather help a good man win than claim the crown that should have been his.

[@gabbywilliams6460]

he even called us buddy when he was 2v1ing us with flatwell. such a good buddy 🤣

[@PinkTuskedMammoth]

Joshua is a dirty traitor! Rusty is the bestest friend... I felt super betrayed in ac4

[@absurd.gaming]

Yeah, Josh was in a tight spot. Very sad.

[@venom0825]

Your just going to casually ignore mission "unknown territory survey" huh.

[@PinkTuskedMammoth]

@@venom0825 no, Rusty has a greater purpose on Rubicon that he sees you as a threat due to the circumstance in that mission (the circumstance that your employer wants you two to fight to the death). Joshua made it more definitive, and the fight was almost entirely because "I'm a mercenary, sorry not sorry."

[@venom0825]

@@PinkTuskedMammoth rusty could have also just, you know not fight you. But instead chose to f*ck around and find out, only to run away like a coward, because " Rubicon need me" bs. Let's not forget the conversation of the RLF mt pilots at the wall, with one asking why is rusty killing them. Turn out your good boy has no problem sacrificing people for his own self-righteous dribble.

[@PinkTuskedMammoth]

@@venom0825 I feel like you haven't made it far enough to realize what his goal is, or possibly skimmed past a bit of info that occurs...

[@rudatkatzn9171]

Technically, the RLF, even before the ALBA Model Steel Haze ORTUS has another high tech AC, the Tsubasa. And Dolmayan seems really skilled with his Basho

[@todd3143]

we can just know from 1/ the box art ac 2/ the menu theme when compared to rusty’s

[@DeanxPeaceMaker]

Rusty best girl

[@midwestleek]

He cross continental sniped a worm

[@justicetaylor3050]

I remember the recurring rival character in Armored Core 4. Though that dude had a Sasuke Naruto style beef of wanting to find out who's stronger between you and him at the very end as you and him fight as the last 2 Armored Core Pilots. I wonder how much my bro will get invested in the story. He's the one with the PS5 who got this game from me as a birthday gift.

[@masonholtsford7562]

words cant describe how happy i was to see rusty on that second to last mission. Sat there for 5 minutes just taking in the moment. THAT is a good story man.

[@absurd.gaming]

100%

[@deckire]

It's kinda interesting that we take the persona of Raven who weilded the AC Nightfall and our buddy when he shows his trueself adds Ortus - Sunrise to his name. We are two sides of the same coin. One seeking a new beginning and the other the end.

[@Potemking]

“Rusty is playing everyone” and that’s why after you fight him in chapter 4 and go for the true ending, you never see him again.

[@teaguejelinek4038]

And that's also why hes such a badass. He is just so much better than everyone else and he calls us buddy so that's auto win too

[@sage5796]

Bro I literally didn’t wanna fight him. I wept for days on end

[@alastor8091]

Old video, but at 6:40 Zihyi's dialog indicates she just arroved on scene. If she had been the one to spot Rusty, she wouldnt be accusing us of having killed everyone because she would know who did it. Also, pretty sure everyone there died to keep Rusty's cover. Once that ome guy said "I know who you are", he couldnt take any chances about his identity leaking. That guy probably got his whole crew killed snooping. Also, did you see one of the wrecks is a Juggernaut? They had 2 of the thinfs and Rusty already killed one.

[@aboveaveragegaming6120]

Awesome video! I'd love to hear about the nightfall raven

[@absurd.gaming]

That will be a fun one if I get to it!

[@mothman2761]

Ot hits so much harder if you do the fires of raven first, because you recognize the theme, the ac steel haze ortus, and you know you killed him last time but now you get to fight along side him. Carla tells you to to remember him, and then boom, hes right there on your team again. You hear his cries for success, to fly high above the clouds of rubicon, and they are now within reach as he is fighting ongside the most powerful pilot on Rubicon. Then walter kills (he possibly escaped but is probably dead) him in an off screen sneak attack, then proceeds to spare you because you found a friend. Like, dude I found two, you just blew one of the only friends I had into a thousand pieces

[@nasounicornis5834]

The pawn metaphor was amazing

[@malfolin]

Others: little mut, 621, g13, dog, tourist. Rusty: buddy.

[@Dwish305]

Rusty would be honored, great vid man.

[@nolanschotanus2769]

Rustys def gonna be a huge component in the sequel for 6. Like how Evangel returned in Last Raven from Nexus

[@howardcooper899]

I swore after my second playthrough and doing the fires of raven ending i would never do that one again JUST because the final rusty fight when i tell you i shed tears and said no over and over again

[@weslindsey5909]

I was so happy when i chose to liberate rubicon and rusty was first to show up to have my back. I almsot shed a tear.

[@Dingdongjermm]

The serotonin i get when this man calls me buddy

[@WhenTheSunLordsFell]

wild thematic connections with elden ring with the blue wolves

[@soundcloudpandapandawa2997]

Dude for real im grateful I got the Liberator Of Rubicon ending.