Armored Core 6: How to beat the Strider
One of the earliest levels in the Armored Core 6 campaign pits you against the Strider, a massive mining ship that the Rubicon Liberation Front (RLF) has converted into a devastating weapon platform. While this may seem like an impossible fight at first, destroying this behemoth of a walker is actually much easier than it looks like it would be.
To help you take it down, we’ve put together a full guide to every stage of the fight below. This includes tips on how to dodge its deadliest attacks, what you’ll need to do to destroy it, and more.
Armored Core 6 Strider boss: How to dodge The Eye
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Before you can actually do damage to the Strider, you’ll first need to reach it. Unfortunately, the RLF is determined to stop you from doing so by picking you off from long range with “The Eye,” the Strider’s massive laser cannon that instantly staggers you and damages you for more than half your health when you get hit. That means you won’t be getting anywhere near the mining ship without some evasive maneuvers.
The key to avoiding The Eye’s laser is to go airborne and either Quick or Assault Boost laterally when it’s about to hit you. This ensures the laser will just barely miss, leaving you unscathed. Note that you’ll still take damage even if you perform a boost dodge while on the ground, as the laser’s explosive area-of-effect on the terrain will hit your Armored Core.
In total, you’ll need to dodge around 3-5 blasts from The Eye in order to reach the Strider and cut off its angle of attack. If you stop to fight the MT enemies located on the path to the vessel, you’ll probably have to avoid even more, so we recommend ignoring most of them.
Once you get to the Strider, you’ll then need to damage one of its legs until it collapses. This will bring the deck of the ship down so you can fly up onto it; make sure you continue heading up until you’re on the central part of the ship, as the RLF will attempt to detach the section of the ship you just crippled in an attempt to shake you off.
Armored Core 6 Strider boss: Destroying the sub-generators
Once you’re on the deck of the Strider, Handler Walter will pinpoint four sub-generators on the ship that you need to destroy. Doing so will bring down a shield that’s protecting The Eye. This part of the fight is by far the easiest, though there are a few things you should be aware of.
Firstly, in addition to attacks from the MT mechs on the deck, you’ll also need to watch out for more laser blasts from The Eye. Listen for the telltale beeps of your warning indicator as you move around, and make sure there’s something between you and The Eye before it fires. At this range, you can’t fully dodge the beam, so the use of cover is crucial.
Also, it’s imperative you don’t fall off the Strider at this point, as there’s no way to get back on since the RLF detached the back of the ship. If you do have to fly over open air, make sure you land on another part of the vessel before you run out of EN to hover or Assault Boost with.
Armored Core 6: Destroying the Strider’s Eye
Once you destroy all four sub-generators, it’s time to finish off the massive mining walker by destroying The Eye itself.
Fly over to The Eye, and begin saturating it with all the firepower in your arsenal. Before it charges its laser attack, get close to it and attack from its flanks; again, there’s no way to effectively dodge the laser at this range if The Eye manages to target you, and there isn’t anything you can use as cover directly in front of it.
While firing, keep rotating around The Eye as it attempts to lock onto you, preventing it from ever getting a clear shot. Continue doing this until you deplete its health to zero, at which point it will explode and begin a chain reaction that causes the entire Strider to collapse to the ground. Before it does, make sure you jump off of the Strider and fly a good distance away from it.
Armored Core 6 is available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, PS5, and PS4. It’s one of the best Xbox games and best PC games of 2023, and we can’t recommend it enough.
