The latest entry in the Armored Core franchise, Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is out now, and we’ve got details about the game’s story and lore. Here’s what we know about the newest FromSoftware title so far.
Armored Core 6 is a FromSoftware game. A company that is notorious for its deeply complex but woefully obscure storytelling style. Whole fan communities have emerged dedicated to unmasking the smallest narrative details in other titles like Bloodborne and Elden Ring.
It’s safe to say that Armored Core 6’s story functions slightly differently from the developer’s recent games given its mission-based structure. The lack of a traditional inventory, where FromSoftware commonly uses item descriptions to flesh out their world has an impact as well.
Still, FromSoftware President Hidetaka Miyazaki has promised that Armored Core 6 will bring “the heavy combat, the air of mystery, the exploration and sense of darkness” their fans are accustomed to. Here’s you need to know about the franchise reset.
Contents:
Armored Core 6’s setting
Armored Core 6 takes place in a similarly far-flung future to the other titles in the franchise, where interstellar travel is key to the setting.
The advent of long-distance traversal of space means players find themselves in an entirely different star system from our own on the planet Rubicon 3. Commonly referred to as just Rubicon, footage of the mission areas and enemies makes it clear that this is a planet solely dedicated to mining.
The resource they mine is known as Coral and a number of ruthless corporations wage war against each other and the inhabitants of Rubicon over its control. It has been vaguely described as a substance that boosts communications technologies but is also used as a narcotic.
Coral is used to link pilots to the Mechs they fight in called Armored Cores. You play as a mercenary hired by these corporations to help in their bids to control the flow of Coral on Rubicon.
Armored Core 6 characters
Like many FromSoftware titles, a cast of suitably grim characters fleshes out the story of Armored Core 6. Voice acting and dialogue shown off in previews and trailers looks promising. Here’s a list of characters in Armored Core 6:
Independent Mercenary 621: Raven
The player character of Armored Core 6 is a pilot-for-hire referred to as 621. They are an augmented human indebted to the corporations that rule this dark future. Their only known objective is to “buy their life back.”
In an early mission, they are tasked with looting a license to operate on Rubicon from a downed Armored Core. 621 finds a license and assumes the call sign Raven from the former pilot of a ruined mech. Longtime fans of the franchise will know its significance.
Handler Walter
As his title suggests, Walter is the overseer of your missions, providing you with intel and directives. 621’s relationship to him seems to be one of complete subservience. You are commonly called one of “Walters dogs” by the denizens of Rubicon.
He is a gruff and dispassionate man who walks using a cane despite the superior healing technology available in the world of Armored Core 6. He seems universally despised by anybody who mentions him in the available footage from the game.
Sulia
Sulia is another independent mercenary who pilots his own Armored Core. 621 faces off against him in an early fight and it’s revealed he bears a grudge against Handler Walter.
He claims to have slain countless pilots that were in Walter’s employ and also refers to them as Walter’s dogs. It’s unclear what his allegiances are in the resource war on Rubicon but he is dead set against Walter and his allies.
Rusty
Rusty is an Armored Core pilot in the sole employ of the Arquebus Corporation. Like 621, he is also an augmented human. He assists you with an early game mission and the subsequent boss fight.
He is cordial and even treats 621 with a modicum of compassion compared to other characters shown so far. This may be due to his kinship with 621 as a fellow augmented human which appears to be a maligned trait in the universe of Armored Core.
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Armored Core 6 Factions
All of the characters in Armored Core 6 appear to owe their allegiance to some larger entity. Whether it is one of the game’s many corporate bodies or the resistance movement of Rubicon’s inhabitants. These are the ones that have been fleshed out so far:
Arquebus Corp
One of two major corporations you’ll spend your time working for in the game’s first act. They task 621 with breaching the defenses of local resistance fighters.
Most corporations featured in the game will make parts for your Armored Core. Each of them will have a distinct aesthetic and combat focus. This corporation builds laser and energy weapons that require Coral for production.
Balam
The second of the corporations that players will work with during the early portion of the game. They employ their own private military known as the Red Guns. You work alongside two of these Red Guns in a story mission and they are arrogant and confrontational.
Balam is focused on “material superiority” and seeks full control of Rubicon’s Coral output. Their pilots were briefly aligned with Arquebus Corp’s as the two engaged in skirmishes with a common enemy.
Rubiconian Liberation Front
The Rubiconian Liberation Front is positioned as antagonists and the primary opposition in the game’s opening chapter. They are an anti-corporate faction that venerates the planet Rubicon and the Coral found there.
They have their own Armored Core pilots that players will face off against throughout the game. The Armored Core franchise has a history of pitting players against sympathetic groups at the behest of murderous conglomerates.
Coral Tweakers
The Coral found on Rubicon is not only a precious resource used for the development of advanced technology but a powerful and addictive narcotic. Certain inhabitants of the planet have become what characters refer to as Tweakers.
These groups are controlled by a group of individuals who are one part drug kingpin, one part warlord. They aggressively defend deposits of Coral to keep their supplies out of the hands of the corporations.
Armored Core 6’s endings
Armored Core 6’s narrative unfolds across a series of self-contained missions, some of which have greater implications for the main story. Developers have confirmed that the game will have multiple endings based on 621’s allegiance.
You form an allegiance by completing certain special missions for the game’s many factions, corporate or otherwise. Endings for a first playthrough are somewhat limited.
A New Game+ feature is also included which will open up more missions than the initial playthrough. Participating in certain missions will eliminate the option to do others and lock players onto a pathway toward one of the many endings.
That’s all the information currently available about how the story of Armored Core 6 will unfold and the ways that players can engage with it. As more details are made available, we will update this article with anything pertinent.
That’s everything we know about the story of Armored Core 6 so far! For more content on the game, check out our guides below:
Is the Moonlight Greatsword in Armored Core 6? | Armored Core 6 PC requirements | Is Armored Core 6 open world? | Does Armored Core 6 have multiplayer? | Armored Core 6 pre-order bonus & edition differences | Is Armored Core 6 coming to Xbox Game Pass? | Does Armored Core 6 have crossplay? | How to Stagger enemies with Impact meter | Does Armored Core 6 have photo mode? | Armored Core 6: How many missions are there? | Armored Core 6: How to get OTS chips upgrades
