Summary
- Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon starts off with a challenging first boss, the AH12-HC Helicopter, which can dish out heavy damage and withstand a lot of attacks.
- The key to defeating the AH12-HC Helicopter is to use melee weapons, specifically the Pulse Blade, even though the game has primarily encouraged the use of ranged weapons.
- FromSoftware's approach in Armored Core 6 is to provide players with the tools necessary for victory and encourages experimentation, making the first boss a learning opportunity to try new strategies and adapt for future challenging encounters.
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is hard throughout, but even its first boss is a doozy. The first boss is the AH12-HC Helicopter, a giant, flying vehicle loaded with a huge arsenal of guns. It maintains a near-constant barrage of machine gun fire, punctuated with all kinds of powerful missiles that can easily knock the player flat. Worse still, as much damage as it can dish out, it can take without so much as a dip in altitude. However, there's a secret to beating it, even if it doesn't make the battle downright easy.
FromSoftware, the developer of Armored Core 6, is well known for packing its games full of tough bosses. Dark Souls, Elden Ring, Bloodborne, and Sekiro are all best known for their difficult boss encounters, but even in most of those games, the first bosses were at least relatively simple to beat. Armored Core 6 is different. It throws out a tough, seemingly insurmountable challenge at the very start, one that can be frustrating if the player doesn't know what they're doing. However, the AH12-HC can be overcome with one specific approach.
Melee Weapons Work Best On Armored Core 6's AH12-HC Helicopter
The best way to beat the AH12-HC Helicopter in Armored Core 6 is to use melee weapons as the primary means of attack. That can be confusing, since the game has thus far only encouraged the use of ranged weapons. However, for the first time in the game, the AH12-HC requires close-quarters combat, in this case, with the use of the Pulse Blade. Long-range options are still somewhat viable - the assault rifle can do a decent bit of stagger damage, and the missile launcher can help keep up the pace. But for the most part, the Pulse Blade is the best way to win against Armored Core 6's first boss.
Armored Core 6's First Boss Is A Learning Opportunity
Besides tough bosses, FromSoftware is notorious for refusing to give all the answers. Instead, its games provide all the tools necessary for victory, and leave the rest for the player to figure out. In Armored Core 6, the AH12-HC exists to encourage trying new things. When they first encounter it, the player is used to using melee weapons, but is forced to experiment. Finally trying out the Pulse Blade reveals that melee weapons work better, making the fight manageable, if certainly not easy. The same strategy can be applied throughout the game. Come up against a tough boss, test out the usual strategy, fail, respec, and try, try again.
The AH12-HC is shockingly difficult for a first boss, but melee weapons are the trick to overcoming it. Still, don't expect the rest of the game to be easy, even after the first boss is down. Armored Core 6 doesn't pull any punches, but with a little bit of determination and creativity, even its hardest fights can be won.
