Armored Core 6 vs Elden Ring: Unveiling the Ultimate Fan Dilemma

Highlights

Armored Core 6 brings the classic mech-combat franchise into the modern era, combining updates and customization with elements from FromSoftware's recent offerings.

Armored Core 6 fans may experience a considerable surge in difficulty, particularly when facing Balteus in the boss fight of Chapter One. This encounter can prove to be an overwhelming challenge for some players, similar to the struggles encountered by Elden Ring players during the Margit fight.

Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon presents a formidable challenge to players, despite not being one of developer FromSoftware's popular Soulsborne titles. After a hiatus of nearly ten years, Armored Core 6 marks the return of the mech-combat series, which has been overshadowed by FromSoftware's highly successful RPG games in recent times. Elden Ring, released in 2022, received critical acclaim and immense commercial success. Although the gameplay experiences differ between the two titles, both Armored Core 6 and Elden Ring players seem to struggle with overcoming the initial boss fight in the game.

Armored Core 6 brings the classic mech-combat franchise into the modern era. With a variety of updates and an extensive customization system, the game incorporates elements from FromSoftware's more recent titles. While it is not a Souls-like game, Armored Core 6 still offers challenging enemies and boss battles that test even experienced AC Pilots. To counterbalance this heightened difficulty, the game introduces helpful features like Repair Kits and checkpoints, enabling players to experiment with different builds to overcome obstacles.

Armored Core 6 Features a Crushing Chapter One Boss Fight

Armored Core 6 introduces its difficulty early on, with a tutorial boss fight that has frustrated many players. The game maintains a moderate challenge throughout the first chapter, as players complete basic missions and face occasional mini-bosses. However, the difficulty sharply spikes when players reach the final boss of Chapter One, Balteus. Fans have become proficient in the game's basic combat mechanics by this point, but Balteus, an aggressive flying mech with relentless attacks, has proven to be a significant obstacle for many, causing them to become stuck in their progress.

The Balteus fight requires players to utilize everything they have learned through trial and error in Armored Core 6. However, several players have found themselves ill-equipped to handle Balteus, as it not only possesses an array of attacks reminiscent of bullet-hell games but also has a rechargeable shield, making damaging it even more challenging. As if that weren't enough, once players think they have the encounter under control, a much harder second phase begins. While defeating Balteus is not impossible, many fans are currently struggling to overcome this formidable boss fight.

Armored Core 6 and Elden Ring Fans Share a Similar Struggle

Fans of Armored Core 6 have found themselves stuck in the game's opening chapter, known as Balteus, until they are able to upgrade their AC through the shop. This struggle is reminiscent of the experience faced by Elden Ring fans in 2022. In the first chapter of Elden Ring, many players had difficulty defeating the first major boss, Margit the Fell Omen, even more than two weeks after the game's launch. As a result, some fans took a break from the game or stopped playing altogether.

It is difficult to say how many Armored Core 6 fans will encounter a similar challenge with the Balteus fight and how this compares to the reports from Elden Ring's first two weeks. Both games present a significant challenge for players of all skill levels, living up to the high standards set by FromSoftware. While Armored Core 6 is not intended to be a Soulslike game, the developer has designed it to test players right from the beginning. However, fans of both Armored Core 6 and Elden Ring will find that overcoming this initial obstacle unlocks a world and experience that they won't want to miss.

Armored Core 6 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S