Bandai Namco and FromSoftware’s newest addition to the Armored Core franchise, Armored Core 6 brings the pain right from the very beginning. While this is to be expected, you might need a bit of help getting past this first boss while still getting used to the controls of the game, so here’s how to beat the Illegal Entry mission and the HC Helicopter in Armored Core 6.
The first mission of the game, Illegal Entry also serves as your tutorial/introduction to your main characters, which are luckily not too hard to keep track of. After a pretty sweet introductory sequence of you and your AC landing on the planet Rubicon 3, you’ll get a pretty handy guide to how to traverse the world in your mech, before being told by your handler to go and get to the catapult.
How Do You Beat the Illegal Entry Mission in Armored Core 6?
Fly, jump and boost your way to the waypoint before your first minor combat encounter with a couple of light guard mechs, just to get you used to aiming and shooting with both your main weapon and your right shoulder weapon (RSW). Get to the end of this room and go through the door past all the enemies, before finally making your way out to the catapult.
After you land from your slingshot adventure, you’ll find a couple more enemies who are less-than-pleased to see you there, and your handler will inform you that you’ll need a valid ID to be able to operate on the planet without attracting hostility immediately. Take out the group of mechs before making your way out to search for downed ACs.
Where Do You Get a Valid Mercenary License?
After you take out the enemies on the ground, you’ll have three waypoints for downed AC mechs to go look through and salvage their licenses. Each waypoint you go to will have a few enemies around them for you to take out, so clear the area before downloading the ID to your mech. As you get to each one, you’ll find that none of the licenses on the marked ACs were usable, so your handler will give you one last AC that he picked up.
When you get there, scan the license and you’ll find that it’s usable, only to be interrupted by an AH12: HC Helicopter. In case you didn’t get keyed in by the sheer size and shape of the area you came into, this is about to be your first boss fight of the game.
How to Beat the HC Helicopter in Armored Core 6
The HC Helicopter was surprisingly difficult to beat, at least as a noob to both Armored Core and FromSoftware games. Luckily but with a little persistence and a whole lot of patience, you can beat the helicopter by focusing on the very basics of the game that you learned through the tutorial.
Keep the reticle locked on the helicopter as best you can, and manage your cooldowns so that you’re not wasting time letting your weapons charge back up. Stagger your attacks between the RSW and your main weapon, and make sure to use your mobility in the air, as your handler will remind you. Don’t stay still or even on the ground for too long, because the blast radius of the missiles will do sneaky damage to your AC.
Make sure to make good use of your blade as well; try to incorporate it into your aerial movements so that you can keep moving while doing damage. Also do what you can to stay close to the helicopter, without losing sight of the missiles which can do severe damage at close range if you’re not paying attention. After enough volleys of well-timed attacks and smooth evasion tactics, you’ll be rewarded with defeating the helicopter and completing the mission.
That’s all there is to beating the Illegal Entry mission and HC Helicopter in Armored Core 6. The first boss fight is always the easiest, so there’s sure to be plenty more pain for 621 – or better yet, Raven. Be sure to check back here for more guides as you make your way around Rubicon.
About the author
