Unleash Fearless Domination: Mastering Arquebus Balteus/VII Snail in Armored Core 6

In Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, players will often find themselves working for corporate entities battling for control over the Coral. One of these companies, called "Arquebus," eventually acquires a substantial amount of PCA technology, including a different version of the final boss from Chapter 1, known as "Balteus."

When Balteus first appears in Armored Core 6, it introduces a challenging boss battle that truly tests the player's AC piloting skills. In the second encounter, Arquebus modifies Balteus, equipping it with new weapons and more lethal attack patterns.

Attacks

Phase 1

The Arquebus Balteus has upgraded its arsenal by replacing its various missile launchers with pulse cannons that are discharged in a sequential manner. When discharged horizontally, players are able to evade these pulse waves by leaping or boosting into the air. However, it is crucial to touch the ground in between evasions, as the V.II Snail will direct the pulse waves towards the player's current position and often consecutively fire them. Additionally, the Snail has the capability to release rapid barrages of fire from the pulse cannons, which travel in a straight trajectory with minimal homing ability and can be avoided by strafing sideways.

Furthermore, the Snail has the ability to charge up an electric pulse shot. This shot emits a purple glow as it charges and can be avoided by swiftly boosting to the side when it is discharged. The Snail can execute two consecutive shots, thereby requiring a second evasion shortly after the initial one to evade the subsequent shot. Similarly, the Snail can also launch blue laser blasts that can be evaded using the same method.

Phase 2

After reaching half health, Snail enters Phase 2 and unleashes an explosive assault with his armor, causing immense damage and placing significant strain on the player's ACS. Moreover, the encounter becomes more challenging as Snail introduces new moves into his repertoire. Among these is the deployment of charged purple lasers, resembling blades, that sweep both vertically and horizontally. To avoid a horizontal sweep launched when he targets the left or right of the player, one can evade by jumping or using a boost to propel into the air. Additionally, if Snail aims above or towards the ground, he prepares a vertical sweep which can be evaded swiftly by boosting to the left or right.

Snail also has the ability to charge up beams on both sides of him, signaling his most dangerous attack. Initially, he combines the two beams and unleashes a diagonal sweep that can be avoided by boosting diagonally in the opposite direction. Next, he splits the beams and executes horizontal spinning sweeps that can be evaded by jumping and boosting into the air. After that, he performs a diagonal sweep using both blades, which can be dodged by moving underneath him and out of their path. Finally, he concludes the attack with another diagonal merged sweep.

For those with reverse-jointed legs and/or exceptional vertical boost capabilities, it may be easier to dodge the diagonal sweeps by getting airborne and jumping over them, away from Snail.

Strategy

The biggest challenges in battling Snail are his lightning-fast speed as he dashes across the arena and his impenetrable Pulse Armor. The most effective strategy to immobilize him is to overwhelm the Pulse Armor with high-speed weaponry or weapons that unleash multiple projectiles simultaneously. Once Snail is stunned, players can inflict significant damage by utilizing their preferred weapons (the Pile Bunker proves particularly effective in this scenario). It is advisable for players to maintain a constant barrage of long-range attacks to keep the pressure on Snail, pausing only when necessary to evade his attacks.

Upon Snail's health dropping below half, players should retreat to avoid being struck by his powerful assault armor burst, and then resume their previous tactics. For those feeling exceptionally confident, an alternative approach is to position themselves beneath Snail while he executes his beam slashes, and launch attacks from his blindspot upwards.

Build Recommendations (Best Build)

Players seeking to counter Arquebus Balteus should prioritize speed and utilize weapons that can rapidly fire multiple projectiles or have a high rate of fire. By doing so, they can outmaneuver Snail and overpower his pulse armor. The build presented below exemplifies this strategy by efficiently piercing through Snail's defenses and possessing the agility required to evade his assaults.

In this setup, a dual-trigger configuration with twin shotguns is employed to efficiently remove Snail's armor. Once Snail is staggered, players should swiftly switch to the ASHMEAD Pile Bunker and execute a charged strike to inflict significant damage. Additionally, the Missile launcher located on the right shoulder serves to exert long-range pressure and prevent Snail from regaining his FCS Strain.

Armored Core 6 can be enjoyed on various platforms including PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.