Armored Core 6: How to Make the Most of Enemy ACS Stagger in AC6

Armored Core VI might not be as difficult as many of FromSoftware’s more recent ventures, but that doesn’t mean you won’t need to play carefully and make the most of the tools at your disposal. One of the game’s key mechanics is related to the Attitude Control System, or ACS. It’s explained early on that by straining the enemy’s ACS, you can cause them to “stagger,” but what does that mean for us?

Armored Core 6: Direct Hit Modifier, Stagger, and You

Every weapon has stats that are much deeper than they first appear and can be seen by pressing Triangle/Y in the weapon selection screen. Highlighted below, you can see a stat called Direct Hit Modifier. The higher your Direct Hit modifier, the more damage the weapon will do to staggered enemies. This means you’ll want to combine weapons with high Impact to stagger enemies, then follow up with high Direct Hit weapons.

If you’re wondering which weapons to choose, shotguns and missiles typically have high Impact values, while melee weapons generally have good Direct Hit modifiers. My favored approach is to use two shotguns – one in each hand – with a melee weapon on my back shoulder unit. Once an enemy is staggered by the shotguns, I close in and follow up with a high-powered melee strike.

Just remember that sometimes you’ll need different types of weapons, like Plasma energy weapons to break opponents’ shields or long-range weapons to take out foes from afar in missions where you’re pinned down. Don’t be afraid to mix up your approach! After all, customizing your AC is the core (heh) of the entire gameplay loop.

If you’re snagging Armored Core VI on PC, you might be wondering, “does Armored Core VI run on Steam Deck?” After all, what’s better than grinding new AC parts on the go?