Armored Core 6: The 10 Toughest Bosses, Ranked

Armored Core 6 is a challenging game developed by FromSoftware, the developer of the Dark Souls series and Elden Ring. As such, some of the boss battles in the game can be extremely brutal. At times, these encounters can determine the culmination of a route in an epic climax, while other times they serve as a barrier that tests you to see if you have what it takes for what comes next.

This list will contain spoilers, so if you don't want to spoil some of the enemies that are yet to come or some unforgettable characters, then come back later. Otherwise, read on to discover the most challenging boss battles in Armored Core 6.

10 AH12 HC Helicopter

The AH12 HC helicopter is the first boss battle in the game and serves as a teacher, showing you how these encounters work in Armored Core 6. When you fight against it at the beginning of the game, your mech and equipment are not yet developed, and you only have basic tools to face it.

You need to maintain a medium range to ensure your rockets and shots hit the boss and build up the stagger meter. However, this leaves you vulnerable to damage from its weapons, as the AH12's rockets can inflict significant HP damage to your AC if you don't dodge them correctly by flying vertically. Staying in range is also necessary to utilize your blade and deal substantial damage during staggers. It's a boss battle that forces you to be in its ideal range to inflict damage, and you will encounter this helicopter again later in the game.

9 HA-T-102 Juggernaut

The HA-T-102 Juggernaut has become somewhat infamous as the end boss of the "Climb the Wall" mission. This enemy ignores most damage inflicted on its front side and is only vulnerable on its rear. As such, it is a boss that constantly forces you to maneuver around it, which can be a significant drain on your mech's energy.

If you position yourself at the right angle to deal damage, you'll have little energy left for evading. Combine that with the fact that the boss likes to spin around and can inflict significant damage with its attacks, and you have a challenging boss battle. If your weapons don't deal much damage, this fight can be brutal as the window of opportunity to attack its back is often fleeting.

8 IA-13 Sea Spider

IA-13 Sea Spiders are difficult to defeat; they combine ranged and melee attacks that will test your dodging abilities. The spider doesn't stagger for long and keeps you on your toes as it closes in on you. In the first phase, flying vertically can be helpful to avoid melee damage, while in the second phase, flying vertically will save you from the wave of attacks.

Similar to the previous boss battles, the Sea Spiders serve as a certain teacher. In this case, the lesson is that bosses don't keep their stagger vulnerability indefinitely as they can recover over time. It is crucial to maintain the damage output to defeat this boss. Managing to dodge attacks, managing your energy, and ensuring you are in good range to deal adequate damage can be overwhelming as you need to coordinate all these actions simultaneously.

7 AA P07 Balteus

The AA P07 Balteus is another challenge you will encounter during the story of Armored Core 6. This mech is quite formidable, as it offers a combination of everything, from causing damage with its weapons to rockets, and it even has flamethrowers that can be quite deadly in its second phase.

To make matters worse, Balteus also possesses a shield and hovers in the air, making it a challenging target for close-range weapons unless it is staggered. When Balteus reaches a certain degree of HP loss, it will also unleash energy attacks that can destroy your AC if you don't escape its range in time. Its defense and mobility make it difficult to inflict damage, while the flamethrower and energy attacks can annihilate you in seconds if you're not careful. Therefore, this is a tough encounter.

6 IA-02 Ice Worm

The encounter with the IA-02 Ice Worm itself is challenging, but what makes it even more complicated is both the duration of the battle and the decision of whether to bring the stun needle launcher with you. You receive the weapon before the encounter, and if you don't take it, you can expect an intense and fierce boss fight.

The Ice Worm is immune to any damage unless you aim for its face; when the worm goes underground, opportunities to inflict damage are scarce. Its melee attacks can be severe, while its ranged attacks can catch you at the most inconvenient times when your defense is low, as you keep track of when and where the worm resurfaces. If you are defeated during this boss fight, you will have to endure the opening again, and since it is a long encounter due to the nature of the battle, it can be frustrating to die multiple times.

5 Raven

Raven is the moniker you acquire during the game's first tutorial mission and assume as your identity. Well, Raven is back for his license, and this boss fight is no joke. What makes this encounter difficult is that Raven, much like Ornstein and Smough in Dark Souls, is a boss that doesn't give you a chance to catch your breath, as he is exceptionally aggressive.

If Raven gets the chance, it can quickly stagger you and regenerate its HP during the fight, prolonging the battle. The boss's mobility sometimes makes it difficult to land hits, and the damage it can inflict can destroy your AC in an instant if you don't constantly dodge its attacks. You must prove in this intense boss fight that you deserve the name Raven.

4 IB-01: Cel 240

IB-01: Cel 240 is a boss that looks like it came straight out of Elden Ring. It possesses energy that resembles red light, melee strikes that track you, and ranged attacks that force you into a defensive position. Cel 240 also constantly moves and flies, making it challenging to keep up with and target.

To make matters worse, after its initial defeat, Cel 240 returns in true Souls fashion with a new health bar and new attacks. Fortunately, the only saving grace is that the boss's health is not particularly high. However, its powerful attacks deal tremendous damage, so consider Cel 240 as a glass cannon type that wants to annihilate you as quickly as possible. Fans of Elden Ring might be reminded of Malenia during this fight, but while Cel 240 may not be as brutal as Miquella's Blade, it still poses a threat amidst challenging boss battles.

3 Allmind

Allmind is an organization that aims to make you feel better, but in this case, it might make you feel worse. The boss fight is limited to a New Game++ and, similar to Cel 240, it is challenging because it has two health bars and is also aggressive.

On the other hand, Allmind, as the network it aims to be, will constantly establish connections and bring reinforcements, so you will have to contend with both Allmind itself and the additional enemies it spawns. Although Allmind is essentially the final boss of the game, it is not the most difficult, as its high HP value and limited overall mobility, compared to other bosses, can trivialize the battle depending on the specifications of your AC.

2 IB-07: Sol 644 (Handler Walter)

In a moment of the campaign where bosses can either be easy or complicated depending on your loadout and equipment, Handler Walter doesn't care about what you use in your AC. The boss fight against IB-07: Sol 644 is either a victory or not, as Walter can be quickly taken out, but he is also incredibly skilled at swiftly taking you down.

Walter's damage is extremely high, and his laser attacks can be lethal. He constantly moves in unpredictable ways, making it difficult to target him, while also being able to regenerate his HP, similar to Raven during his boss fight. IB-07: Sol 644 is not only a challenging encounter but also has a pretty cool design as an AC and conveys an atmosphere reminiscent of the Soul of Cinder in Dark Souls 3. Demonstrate your skills and knowledge by defeating your handler as the final encounter of an ending.

1 AAP07A: Arquebus Balteus (V.II Snail)

You might be surprised to see V.II Snail here, or maybe not. Although the AAP07A: Arquebus Balteus (doesn't this name sound familiar?) is not an end boss, this boss will put you to the test as a pilot. Snail inflicts tremendous damage as its attacks are fast and can reduce your HP to zero in seconds. This upgraded version of Balteus is a nightmare.

His shields are also quite hard to penetrate as they take time to deplete, giving Snail more time to destroy you before you can inflict damage on it. In the second phase, the Arquebus Balteus will move much more and unleash a stream of laser beams upon you, making the chaos of the battle even more chaotic. If you want to defeat Snail, you should keep your senses sharp because every mistake can mean the difference between taking it down or facing your own defeat.