You may have survived your encounter with the fearsome Sea Spider at the end of Chapter 2, but you should know by now that Armored Core 6 isn't pulling any punches. In fact, at the end of the second mission of Chapter 3, you'll come across a uniquely tough boss fight: a 1v2, in which you're left to face off against two powerful PCA Special Forces Armored Cores without any allied support whatsoever.
These EKDROMOI assassins — named after the agile hoplite warriors of Ancient Greece — can kill you very quickly if you're not careful. However, with the proper loadout and strategy, there's a lot you can do to mitigate the numbers disadvantage and take both pilots out. Here's a full overview of everything you need to know to win this battle, including the Armored Core build we recommend, how the fight works, and more.
Armored Core 6 EKDROMOI: Best build, weapons, and loadout
You're outnumbered two to one in this fight, and that means avoiding as much damage as possible is absolutely crucial for victory. Because of this, we highly recommend a lightweight Armored Core that's optimized for fast movement and lots of Quick Boost dodging. In particular, we strongly suggest using scout-class reverse-jointed legs, as they're incredibly light and will also give you a vertical boost each time you return to the air after landing to recharge your EN.
For your weapons, you'll want a medium range rifle in one hand and a shotgun or energy blade melee weapon in the other. Meanwhile, on your shoulders, use missile launchers. Both of the PCA mechs you're battling in this encounter are quite evasive, so using pincer missile launchers that are harder for them to avoid is a good idea.
For your Armored Core's Expansion, you'll be best off using Assault Armor here. One of the bosses is very aggressive and goes for frequent melee attacks, meaning that you can easily catch them with the Assault Armor's blast of energy by activating it after dodging one.
Armored Core 6 boss guide: How to beat the PCA SP craft EKDROMOI
This fight can feel quite overwhelming at first, but once you understand how it works and how you can counter your enemies, it'll go much smoother. Here's a full rundown of the battle.
- In this fight, the 2nd Lieutenant is extremely aggressive and uses lots of melee thrust attacks, while the Chief Sergeant is more passive and attacks from range. Getting hit by one will leave you vulnerable to the other, so evasion is critical.
- You'll want to focus on the 2nd Lieutenant first, as he's the more dangerous of the two. Once he's head, the Chief Sergeant is fairly easy to take down.
- Throughout the fight, kite the pair around the arena and take advantage of cover to break up the aggro. Try to avoid fighting for long periods in the center of the stage, where both enemies can easily target you.
- You can avoid the 2nd Lieutenant's deadly melee attacks with well-timed boosts in the right direction. Specifically, his direct thrust attacks can be dodged by Quick Boosting to the right, while you can avoid his upward impaling thrusts with a short activation of your Assault Boost. If he tries to slash at you, you can hover over this attack.
- Listen for the beeps of your warning indicator, and perform lateral Quick Boosts just after they stop. These indicate that the Chief Sergeant is targeting you with a charged plasma cannon shot, which will hurt pretty bad and potentially stagger you if it connects.
- Make sure you're peppering the 2nd Lieutenant with your rifle and missiles at all times. This will build up good stagger, and also burn away a good amount of health over time since the 2nd Lieutenant's mech is fairly squishy.
- Hit the 2nd Lieutenant with your own energy blade after he misses to get in excellent damage and stagger buildup. Charged attacks will be the most effective, though you should stick to light attacks if you're finding that he gets away before heavier ones land.
- Once the 2nd Lieutenant falls, the hard part is over. The Chief Sergeant's behavior will become more aggressive now that he's your sole opponent, but he's less deadly than the 2nd Lieutenant.
- Focus on dodging his plasma blasts, then Assault Boost in for melee attacks. He generally does a poor job avoiding these, so you can easily get a ton of damage in this way.
- He also evades missiles rather poorly, so spam them at him as much as possible. Don't forget to chip him down with your rifle, as well.
- Go for a charged melee strike if the Chief Sergeant staggers, and you'll likely either end the fight or put him in critically low health. Heavy melee attacks are devastating, and since the Chief Sergeant's Armored Core isn't particularly durable, it's one of the best things you can do to end this battle quickly.
Being at a numbers disadvantage in Armored Core 6 is quite difficult to deal with, but by taking out the more dangerous of the two PCA officers first and using the arena's set pieces to break up sightlines, you shouldn't have too much trouble emerging victorious. Just remember to focus on avoiding the 2nd Lieutenant's melee strikes above all else, as they do huge damage.
By taking out this enforcement squad and destroying the energy refinery at the PCA's Jorgen Refueling Base, you've succeeded at being a "walking advertisement" for what mercenaries like yourself are capable of on Rubicon. The PCA is going to take you much more seriously now, though, so prepare for even tougher encounters ahead.
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.
