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Armored Core Analogs: Sniper Rifles

A double dose of I kill you!

Up until a certain point of Armored Core, sniper rifles were something of the neglected child the rifle family. While they dished out absurd amounts of damage and had incredible range, their small lock boxes and slow firing rate made them nearly useless at medium to close range, which was also where most AC fights happen.

So there they sat in the shops, unwanted, unloved, until From Software hit upon two changes that suddenly made it a very, very bad idea to bumrush anybody packing them. The first were left-arm mounts, which allowed users to expand the SR’s miniscule lockbox by synergizing it with the much larger lockbox of handguns in the left hand.

The second innovation was introducing fast-firing rifles, such as the Wyrm. Let me reiterate that – you were given a gun that outpaced standard rifles in stopping power, range and accuracy, and could still a dozen slugs into your target in the time it takes you to read this sentence. Continue reading after the jump:

Armored Core Analogs: Sniper Cannons

From its long barrel, heavy weight, and its modest ammo capacity, the Sniper Cannon might lead you into thinking that it’s just another member of Armored Core’s Grenade Launcher family. But while they may look alike, the SC and the GL are entirely different weapons in how they introduce your demise. Continue reading after the jump:

Armored Core Analogs: Handguns

Kinnda makin' out the BANG BANG BANG there.

While rifles, bazookas, and shotguns are the most common hardware pilots will arm their AC’s with, that doesn’t necessarily mean these weapons dominate the realm of whoop-assery during a fight. In fact, some guys are more afraid of these guns AFTER they run out of ammo.

That’s because they know that all those grenade blasts and bazooka shells that have battered them within an inch of their AC’s life are just a prelude, an opening act, and that the minute their enemy drops all that heavy weaponry, the real ass-kicking begins. Continue reading after the jump:

Armored Core Analogs: Rail Guns

I don't know where to look at, the cool AC or the railgun pointed at me.

There are two weapons in Armored Core that quads are almost never without (pre-AC4, at least): Grenade Launchers, and Railguns. We've already covered the ass-kicking abilities of the Grenade Launcher, so we'll be focusing our attention on the latter.

The first thing most players will notice about equipping a railgun on their AC is its huge energy drain, unusually high even for an energy weapon. The second detail players will notice with the railgun is its sheer shot velocity. The railgun has arguably one of the fastest projectiles in the entirety of AC, and at ranges of 200-300 meters, once an enemy locks on and has a shot in the air, it is nearly impossible to dodge. Continue reading after the jump:

Armored Core Analogs: Chain Guns

Being a track-based AC in Armored Core has several advantages, one of them being the ability to mount and fire some of the game’s biggest back-mounted cannons while you’re on the ground, and in the air.

In fact, some weapons only really kick you in the balls when they’re mounted on treads. And no other weapon best exemplifies this than the chain gun, at least during their heyday in Armored Core 3. Feared for their combination of shot velocity, stopping power, and rate of fire, the chain gun was like a machine gun on steroids. Continue reading after the jump:

Armored Core Analogs: Energy Shields / Primal Armor

Unstoppable force vs. Immovable object... Place your bets!

Energy shields are the ugly duckling of the Armored Core series; From one of the franchise’s most useless pieces of gear, they have evolved into an essential component that is literally part of every AC you fly.

When they first made their appearance in AC, EN shields weren’t quite as effective as we all hoped they would be. While their defense boost did turn your AC into a brick wall, their energy drain and weight ensured you also had just as much mobility as one. Continue reading after the jump:

Armored Core Analogs: Parrying Blades

Wolverine would be so proud

Of all the weapons in Armored Core, none share the consistency that the Parrying Blades have ever since they were introduced. Consistent, that is, at being utterly useless. While all parrying blades can and will hurt you real bad if they ever connect, there lies the problem: IF they ever connect.

They can’t track like left-hand blades, they only have a limited number of shots, and their startup animation is a dead giveaway for anybody unfortunate enough to get close.

The only way you’d hit anybody was either through sheer luck, or if you paid them to stand perfectly still for a good two seconds – that’s about how much time it takes for the blade to start up. Calling them parrying blades is not even accurate - nobody uses them to parry attacks, and they’re not blades. Continue reading after the jump:

Armored Core Analogs: Bazooka Arms

Whether From Software really thought that two bazookas per AC was an unsatisfactory ratio of awesome, or whether somebody in their team had serious penis envy issues, we don’t know. What we do know is that the outcome of this brainstorming resulted in something equal parts WTF, and equal parts pure evil – the bazooka arms. More after the jump:

Armored Core Analogs: Bazookas

Aim at face for maximum effect.

While rifles are fine and dandy if you value finesse, there comes a time that you just want a weapon that satisfies your inner barbarian's urge to crush anything that moves. You, my friend, need a bazooka. More at the full article!