Armored Core 6: All Weapons [In-depth Armament Guide]

As any mech warrior worth their salt knows, weapons make or break your Armored Core. The right set of guns, lasers, missiles and more can mean the difference between a smoldering wreck and an unstoppable angel of destruction on the battlefield.

Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon gifts players an immense arsenal, with over 60 unique weapons spanning multiple categories. As a veteran who has sunk countless hours into the franchise, I live for figuring out ever more lethal AC loadouts to decimate all in my path.

In this extensive guide, I‘ll be showcasing everything you need to know regarding finding and outfitting the perfect weapons for domination. You‘ll learn key details and stats for all armaments, the most devastating combos in my experience, how to unlock your full destructive potential and more!

So buckle up mech jockeys…class is in session!

Overview of Weapon Types

Weapons in Armored Core 6 fall under two high-level groups:

Arm Weapons

The guns directly equipped onto your AC‘s arms serve as primary methods of attack. These weapons have ammunition/energy limitations, forcing you to restock and manage resources mid-combat. Arm weapons encompass quite an range, including:

Machine Guns – Rapid-fire ballistic weapons pouring out a constant stream of bullets. Fantastic at whittling down armor and lighter targets. Tend to have very deep ammo reserves allowing sustainable fire.

Shotguns – Close range devastators firing a concentrated spread of projectiles per shot. Lethal damage up front but limited reach. My go-to for blowing apart pilots and critical internals.

Rifles – Jack-of-all-trade automatic guns offering a balanced mix of firepower, range and efficiency. Great generalist weapons with few weaknesses. The backbone of many loadouts.

Laser Weapons – Futuristic armaments unleashing beams of concentrated energy rather than traditional ammunition. No ammo dependence is a major advantage, though lasers drain energy quickly when fired continuously.

Plasma Weapons – Unique energy arms launching spheres of extremely heated plasma at foes. Shots stick and detonate for explosive impacts. Slow rate of fire but pancakes armor when they connect.

Grenade Launchers – Lob explosive grenades over obstacles and terrain. Ideal for smoking out bunkered down enemies and peppering areas with imprecise yet damaging ordnance.

And several more niche varieties…this list gives you a taste!

Back Weapons

Significantly larger weapons mounted over your AC‘s shoulders or on armor plates behind you. Back weapons provide sheer brute force, able to crack even the thickest armor when needed. But their power comes at a cost of weight, limiting mobility.

Missile Launchers – Equip target-tracking rocket pods unleashing salvos of missiles to overwhelm opposition through immense explosive punishment. Modular ammo types allow flexibility.

Laser Cannons – Massive energy weapons projecting cutting beams or wide dispersion ray walls. Quickly sap your generators dry but melt entire battalions in the process.

Howitzers – Gargantuan artillery guns designed to lob heavy shells over incredible distance. Perfect for prolonged bombardment ahead of an advance as nothing withstands their rocket-boosted shells for long.

While arm and back weapons have some crossover in function, typically the extra size and weight of shoulder/rear mounts buys you exponentially more devastation at the cost of mobility and rate of fire. Finding the right balance depends wholly on your combat doctrine…

Top Player Weapon Loadouts

While on paper weapons may seem similar, how they synergize with the rest of your build and tactics makes all the difference. Through years touring the battlegrounds, Armored Core veterans have refined a number of particularly lethal configurations. Let‘s review three of the deadliest:

"Stormbringer" Laser Cannon/Missile Configuration

This setup leverages a shoulder-mounted laser cannon as the centerpiece, supplemented by a missile barrage for overwhelming force. Renowned player Stinger explains his loadout:

"I run dual VVC-703PM heavy plasma missile pods on the back which gives me 20 independently targetable warheads per salvo – enough to blanket an entire squadron in explosions. But the real star is my VP-60LCS surgical laser cannon. The focused energy beam cuts enemy ACs in half with ease. It‘s the ultimate anti-armor solution while my missiles shred lighter assets."

This build is all about picking a long-range demolition tool in the laser cannon and using missiles to soften up problems first – brutal and efficient!

"Rolling Thunder" Integrated Weapon System

Piloted by creator ThunderCrash_, this AC configuration keeps all weapons on the arms for a balanced barrage:

"I firmly believe in self-reliance for weapons. Back mounts may offer raw power but limit your flexibility too much. Instead I run the ultra-stable SG-027 Zimmerman shotgun on right paired with the MA-J-201 Ransetsur burst rifle left. Together they chew through any armor type while avoiding ammo dependence."

Combined stopping power from two versatile rapid-fire guns allows adapting to any situation. And sans back weapons, mobility remains top notch!

"Bunker Buster" Heavy Artillery Build

YouTuber B1g_B3rtie is infamous for this lumbering beast of a craft built around overwhelming firepower at all costs:

"Two words – complete overkill. I pack dual 45-091 JBLN Beta missile pods for maximum explosive carnage. And on arms, the VP-67EB stun baton and enormous PB-033M pile bunker smash through enemies that somehow survive the missile barrages. Could I get around faster? Sure. But it‘s worth being a bit slow when nothing‘s left standing in the end!"

Bertie has fully embraced destruction over all else – and with 8 independently targeted neutron warheads per missile salvo plus brutal kinetic and stun weapons backing them up, what mech could even get close before being vaporized?

While just a small sample, these builds demonstrate how veterans leverage options for synergistic results far beyond just stats on paper. The weapons you choose and how you utilize them makes all the difference!

Analysis of Key Weapon Statistics

Raw damage and firepower ceilings are of course critical to weapon evaluation. Below I compare stats across some of the most game-changing guns Armored Core 6 offers to help inform your selections:

Long Range Artillery

For long range fire, nothing compares to the sheer missile spam enabled by the 45-091 Beta with its 8 ultra-deadly warheads. The VVC plasma pods offer better per-shot damage but I prefer quantity over everything when it comes to remote weapons!

Close Range Burst Guns

Within 100m nothing beats the MA-J‘s flexibility to dump precision damage instantly with a flick of the fire mode switch. Scudder offers great all-around performance as well but suffers damage per second compared to the burst rifle‘s sheer alpha strike capability.

Full Weapon Catalog

Of course you‘ll want all the nitty gritty on every single weapon at your disposal. So without further adieu, I present the complete Armored Core 6 firearms catalog, organized across right arm, left arm, right back and left back groups.

Study up on the details – your perfect mech lies within these options!

Right Arm Weapons

And 40+ additional options across all categories!

Left Arm Weapons

And 40+ more deadly options!

Right Back Weapons

And 20+ additional heavy weapons for ultimate backline firepower!

Left Back Weapons

And 20+ additional options for overwhelming heavy fire support!

Closing Thoughts on Weapons

Ultimately weapons make up 50% of the equation when it comes to combat effectiveness – the rest comes down to your piloting skills and the rest of your build. But arm yourself improperly and you may as well paint a bullseye on your Armored Core.

Hopefully this guide has broken down everything you need to know regarding the immense firepower options at your fingertips. Mix and match to find your own path to mechanical destruction! The only limit is your imagination – and willingness to grind for all 60+ armaments of course.

I‘ll be eagerly awaiting footage of your future weapon combinations tearing apart the competition! Maybe I‘ll even face you across the battlefield someday if you rise high enough in the Arena challenger ranks…

Happy hunting!