Recommended Lightweight Builds - Armored Core 6 (2024)

Welcome to Armored Core 6, you will be spending much of your time in the garage, pouring over stats, tweaking the design of your AC, and lamenting the fact that no, those legs cannot hold an Earshot, a triple laser cannon, and two Kurosawas.

In all seriousness though, AC6 is all about customizing a mech and the satisfaction of taking your design to the field to perform exactly as it should. There is a complex interplay between all parts of an AC. You have to keep in mind the weight and the energy load of each piece while achieving the intended purpose of your design.

Discussing the intricacies of each stat and how they affect each other can be a whole thesis in and of itself, but in this article, I will simply show you some of my designs that I have enjoyed crafting and piloting.

My name is Ryan Larimore and I have put many hours into Armored Core 6 since its release. I am on my fourth playthrough, have completed all arena challenges, collected all battle logs and data logs, have S-Ranked all missions, and am currently exploring the Nest where other pilots meet to duke it out with their ACs.

I hope to inspire your creativity and give you some ideas about how to approach mech customization.

Build 1: Close Range Lightweight Build

• Right Hand: HG-004 Duckett
• Left Hand: SG-027 Zimmerman
• Right Shoulder: BO-044 Huxley
• Left Shoulder: PB-033 Ashmead
• Head: HC-2000/BC Shade Eye
• Core: Nachtreiher/40E
• Arms: EL-TA-10 Firmeza
• Legs: Kasuar/42Z
• Booster: Alula/21E
• FCS: IA-C01F: Ocellus
• Generator: VP-20C
• Expansion: Assault Armor

Artemis - The Hunter AC

This is one of the first designs I had settled on during my first playthrough, and slightly modified it throughout the rest of my time playing. It is a lightweight build created to get in close and build stagger quickly with the Duckett pistol, Zimmerman shotgun, and Huxley orbit. Once the enemy is staggered, revel in the satisfaction of a fully charged pile bunker on your hapless foe.

With any lightweight build, attitude stability will be a problem, especially with the Kasuar reverse joint legs. You have to use your speed and verticality to avoid as many hits as possible all while getting in close to land your shots.

The Shade Eye has decent stats for its weight. The Nachtreiher core is the lightest core and has good booster efficiency to have more quick boosts before your energy runs out. The Firmeza arms have good recoil to sustain fire with the Duckett and the Zimmerman while also having good specialization across the board. These are not exactly optimal, but sacrifices must be made to fight in style.

Finally, the internal components. The Alula is probably my favorite booster in the game. They are insanely good with lightweight builds and allow you to zip around the field with impunity.

The Ocellus FCS is used because there is no need to be fighting outside of 100m. You could use Abbot for a bit more mid-range capability with the Duckett.

The generator is the VP-20C. It is an all-rounded generator that manages to fit all of the energy and weight requirements. Finally, there is the assault armor expansion to allow for aggressive play and act as a deterrent for eager enemies.

This build probably won't get you anywhere in PVP (I've tried), but it will get you through most of the game.

Build 2: Midrange Lightweight Build

• Right Hand: LR-037 Harris
• Left Hand: LR-037 Harris
• Right Shoulder: BML-G2/P08DUO-03
• Left Shoulder: BML-G2/P05MLT-10
• Head: EL-PH-00 Alba
• Core: EL-PC-00 Alba
• Arms: 04-101 Mind Alpha
• Legs: VP-422
• Booster: BST-G2/P06SPD
• FCS: IB-C03F: WLT 001
• Generator: VP-20C
• Expansion: Pulse Armor

YU-802 - The Workhorse AC

This build is all about sustained damage at mid to long range. The Harris' are quite strong at picking away at opponents from a distance and with the Mind Alpha arms can fire at a rapid pace without having to worry about recoil too much. Their charge shot is also powerful and can surprise opponents or punish staggers. The missiles also are added to poke at opponents from an even longer distance.

Regarding the frame, the head and core are comprised of light Alba parts to make sure the craft is still relatively quick and the bipedal VP-422 are capable of carrying the weight without being too slow.

The BST-G2/P06SPD booster is used to have a higher sustained boost speed to maintain the mid-range. The oddest choice here is probably the FCS which is the IB-C03F: WLT 001. It excels at all ranges and is used to be able to more effectively combat enemies who are able to get close.

Again, the VP-20C is a generator that will fit almost any build and is used to great effect here. Pulse Armor is used to mitigate the main weakness of this mech, close combat. It can prevent staggers and combos that would otherwise destroy you.

This build carried me through the tougher fights of the game and is pretty decent at countering certain builds in PVP. It is why I consider it the workhorse of my garage because it is a jack of all trades. You can be confident this build will hold its own in most situations.

Build 3: Close Range Lightweight Build

• Right Hand: VP-66LS
• Left Hand: IB-C03W2: WLT 101
• Right Shoulder: IBC03W3: NGI 006
• Left Shoulder: Vvc-700LD
• Head: VP-44D
• Core: EL-TC-10 Firmeza
• Arms: VP-46D
• Legs: EL-PL-00 Alba
• Booster: Alula/21E
• FCS: IB-C03F: FC-008 Talbot
• Generator: IB-C03G: NGI 000
• Expansion: Pulse Armor

Masquerade MK III - The Magical AC

This is currently my personal favorite in my garage. In the right hand is the laser shotgun capable of firing an explosive charge shot and deals good damage up close with the regular shot. The left hand is holding the Coral blade. Solid damage on the regular attack and an awesome charge attack capable of stopping enemies in their tracks. While risky, landing this move can single-handedly win a fight. If you miss, well you might have to blow your pulse armor, or pray.

The Coral missile launcher fills the right shoulder. While slow and easy to dodge, it is mainly to apply pressure on the opponent to keep moving and put them in a bad position. On the chance that it does land, you will deal a ton of damage. Charging it is solid too as it does some damage even if it whiffs.

Lastly, there is the Vvc-700LD laser drone. These are also great at applying sustained pressure and deal a ton of damage while charged.

Ok, yes, I like lightweight builds because they allow you to pick and choose how to take your fights against opponents who are slower than you.

The Elcano core has just the right stats for the generator and is extremely light and the Elcano legs are also light while being able to carry the weight. The VP-46D arms have great offensive stats, but you could consider taking the Basho arms for better defense and to make your sword hit even harder at the expense of missing more shotgun shots.

The VP-44D just looks cool, but it also has decent stats for its weight class.

This build also utilizes the Alula boosters. They are amazing for choosing the engagements you want to take and make the mech hard to pin down. This speed works well with the chosen FCS, the Talbot. It is used for close and medium-range target assist and it has a manageable missile lock as well. Consider the FCS-G2/P10SLT for a quicker Coral missile lock if you intend to encounter many enemies and need to switch targets frequently.

The IB-C03G: NGI 000 is an interesting generator. It has a very slow recharge time and is reliant on draining the bar all the way and waiting for its very large post-recovery EN supply to fill 3/4 of the energy back instantly. This means you will have to pick when to drain your energy. The best part about this generator though is you are capable of sustained flight and that is the reason it was chosen.

Lastly, there is the pulse armor. As mentioned earlier, you can use it to prevent getting punished when using your charged sword attack or prevent getting staggered.

The main goal of this build is to harass the opponents with the laser drones and Coral missile launcher before going in with the sword and shotgun. It allows for different styles of play. The speed allows you to play keep away from slow and heavily armed enemies, or play aggressively to land a combo with the charged sword and charged shotgun shot.

There is nothing more satisfying than landing the beam sword attack, momentarily stunning the opponent, following it up with the explosive shotgun shot, and watching the coral payload from the missile launcher lazily land for the kill.

The beauty of Armored Core 6 is contained within the stark walls of the garage when you are customizing a mech. There, you can build an extension of your style and let sparks fly in the field. Take these ACs, learn from them, improve upon them, and create your own way to express yourself.