Armored Core 6 Balteus Boss Guide

Is the Armored Core 6 Balteus Boss Fight giving you trouble? Do you feel rage welling up inside of you? Don’t worry, here is a guide on how to beat him.

Armored Core 6 is a good time until you reach the end of Chapter 1. The Boss Balteus which bookends a mission in which have to prove yourself against a nasty AC. It is here when the game stops being nice to you and kicks you while you’re down.

Balteus is both the first skill- and build-check in Armored Core 6. There is no easy way around him either. Master the games combat and or throw together a mech that can hold its own against this beast or get stuck on him for hours trying to get the dodge windows down.

So to spare your nerves and your controller from being thrown, here is what you need to know to take Balteus down.

Armored Core 6 Balteus Boss Guide

Balteus is a big boy who hides behind a Plasma-Bubble shield while peppering you with artillery, big bombs, and even bigger rockets. The main strategy to beat him is to stay at a medium and near range widdle down his shield and go in for the kill once it breaks.

The fight has two phases:

Balteus Phase 1

Balteus will start the fight with a barrage of rockets. You can dodge those by using an assault rush and flicking the stick to the side. Once you’re within melee range try going for the kick and use this opportunity to deal some damage to his shield. To avoid the incoming rockets tracking you, use quick boosts to dodge to the side.

After that, Balteus will either fly away and shoot another barrage of rockets at you or fly to the side to pepper you with shots. Besides the artillery shots, can also fire a singular yellow shot that will deal massive damage and has quite the range once exploding.

Whenever Balteus prepares a barrage of rockets, take note of the pattern and dodge while assault rushing at him. Ironically, the closer you are to him, the easier they are to avoid.

The rockets will either come out on his flanks, meaning you can rush him directly and dodge to the side after. A cross pattern means you have to dodge to the side while assault rushing or in a dome which is best avoided by just rushing him directly.

Once you break his Plasma Shield, you can continue building stagger to knock him back into a vulnerable state. But be careful, there seems to be some kind of revenge value at play after dealing a set amount of damage. After you break his shield a second time and the stagger wears off Phase 2 starts.

Balteus Phase 2

Phase 2 always starts off with Balteus supercharging his shield. This is easily avoidable by keeping your distance. He’ll use all of his moves from the first Phase but also gains access to melee attacks in the form of a burning sword, a flame thrower, and smaller versions of his rocket barrages.

Careful not to stand in the fire too long, this will build up a meter which will deal massive damage to your AC once depleted.

He will either initiate his melee strikes by shooting the small rocket barrages, then strike 2-3 times at opposing angles. These are best avoided by jump boosting into the direction opposing his strikes. Trying to get under them only risks getting hit.

Similar to his rocket barrages, these melee strikes are best avoided by sticking close to Balteus either above or below him. But be careful he’ll eventually try and catch you by using his flamethrower. The flamethrower might be slow but can melt even the biggest AP pools in an instant. It’s best avoided by keeping away from the ground.

And that sums up the Balteus fight. A lot of it comes down to learning his moves and when and where to attack. Just make sure to use assault rush, even at close range to avoid getting hit.

Best Build for Balteus

The best build against Balteus is A: something you’re comfortable with piloting and B: a build that can stack up damage while keeping up the pressure.

Tanks and four-legged builds seem to be the way to go, thanks to their high capacity and ability to dish out damage fairly quickly. We recommend anything from bazookas, canons, and charge weapons as long as you can get the timing down. Unlike other ACs you’ll be facing off against Balteus isn’t too concerned with dodging your attacks, so use this to your advantage.

For shoulders, either use the big rocket barrages or canons to build up stagger. As for your hands, most charged weapons will do as long as they can quickly reload and deal a lot of damage. Speed is mostly a nonfactor but make sure your aiming chip matches the ranges your weapons prefer.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to switch up your build if something isn’t working out. Think about what weapons you actually use in the fight. If something is only used situational such as the plasma blade, either change your strategy or change it for another weapon that can deal consistent damage. Keep in mind you can always sell and rebuy weapons and parts at no extra cost.

Check out our Tips and Tricks for Armored Core 6 here. And stay tuned for more here on ESTNN