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Armored Core 2
Arena Battles
Version 0.2
This faq is copyright Nathan Manzella
Armored Core 2 is copyright Software, Agetec, and Sony Entertainment of America
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First off I would like to thank Agetec for releasing such a good game.
Secondly I would like to thank CJayC for letting this faq be posted and for his
own AC2 faq as it was of much use. Certain game play ideas suggested in
CJayC's faq are used in my own strategies and I will give credit when I list
them.
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Index
1. Getting Started
2. Opponents
3. Strategies
4. Contact Information
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GETTING STARTED
This faq is written in normal mode without any plus modes activated. When
you first start off as a Raven you are the weakest of the weak. You are the
lowest ranked in the arena and if you go into performance it says "below
average". Hopefully you can change all this in short order.
The first thing to do when you start off is SELL EVERYTHING. Most games you
are forced to sell your equipment for a lower price then when you initially
purchased, not Armored Core 2. The only way to lose money is to botch a
mission. Arena battles cost nothing and there are no repairs or ammo refill
costs. I suggest doing a few of the beginning missions before you start the
arena battles, just to get a little more cash. If you choose to not do any
missions you will still have a fat wallet of 246,600 credits with which to
purchase your new Core of destruction.
Now you can custom make your Core. The most important aspect of your Core
is the weapons. I suggest getting the EWG-HC-RAW for your Arm Unit R. It is
affordable with your start up cash as long as you forego pretty much every
other part. A tank type Leg part will serve you best for your cash. Also a
Chaingun for either Back Unit will do fine. Keep in mind that you CAN afford
all of this at the start without any extra income. The weapons are really your
prerogative but I do highly suggest the EWG-HC-RAW for the beginning until you
face a quick opponent. Go into Cockpit Arrange before you start your battles
and turn on Enemy Weapon, Enemy Heat, Enemy Energy, Enemy Data, and if you feel
like it Winning %. Now you are ready to face some Cores.
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OPPONENTS
Go into the Arena part of Nerve Concord and hit the x button over any Core,
it has a brief description and it shows the Core graphics. Hit triangle and
you get all the specs of the enemy. This can be incredibly useful if you wish
to know what to expect, how to custom make your Core, or if you wish to make a
Core just like theirs (who here does not want a Core like Nine Breaker?). Now
after you win every battle in the Arena you get credits. This is basically
free credits as first, you do not have to repair or reload anything. Second,
you can face an opponent higher then you an infinite number of times without
any credit penalties. So Arena cash is good. The only poor aspect of this is
you get so little credits during the first few fights. Also you only get cash
the first time you defeat a foe. Do not worry if you wish to face opponents
lower then you in the ranks, you can not lose your position.
Opponents are listed by name, rank, credits upon defeat of enemy, if New
Mail comes in, if you get a new part through the mail, and a description of how
to defeat the enemy Core.
Castor drops out
Co-op-Rank 50-1600 credits- You get to face this atrocious fighter only after
you have gotten past rank 50. He is not a problem and not really worth the
cash to fight, but if you feel like beating up on a newbie...
Chris Miura-Rank 49-1200 credits- Similar to Co-op in not being worth your
time. Chris Miura is another opponent that is a walking target. Kill him to
try and get wins down the board.
Light Seeker-Rank 49-2000 credits-New Mail- This Core is not a problem. It
has weak armor and a weak weapon. You should be able to just soak all the
damage while pummeling him if you do not feel like dodging. He sends you a
kind letter after you obliterate his Core.
Hustler Two-Rank 48-2500 credits- Just like Mr. Light Seeker, not a problem.
He has a weak attack so just fire into him and his weak armor will not stand up
to your superior weapons.
Living Dead-Rank 47-3000 credits- Slow opponent that will be torn apart by
EWG-HC-RAW. Get close and unload the grenade shots. It will not be hard at
all.
Splurge-Rank 46-3500 credits- This guy is a little tougher then the opponents
you have faced. His fast speed and missile attack are somewhat dangerous if
you just let him hit you. The EWG-HC-RAW should drop his AP by 900 per hit so
just wait for him to slow down or use all energy then get in close. Missiles
or long range high ammo guns work as well.
Tomboy-Rank 45-4000 credits- She is fast and mobile. Expect her to get behind
you. You also can overheat with her solid attack. Much like Splurge, she can
be taken down with EWG-HC-RAW or missiles or machineguns.
Phaethon-Rank 44-5000 credits-New Mail- This guy is a step down from the
previous foes. He is slow and weak weapons. The rocket attack can be dodged
by strafing, the rifle attack is so weak it is pitiable. He is slow and
sometimes stands in the same spot so EWG-HC-RAW works very well.
Venom-Rank 43-5500 credits- Erratically fast and somewhat dangerous. He will
attempt to flank you if you are not careful. Keep your back to a wall if you
are worried. EWG-HC-RAW will do around 1,000 damage per hit so head on you
will destroy him. Also high rate of fire weapons will slow him significantly.
Werehound-Rank 42-6000 credits-New Mail- Werehound should be up about ten
ranks. His Core is well armored and has a very good weapon that will overheat
you if you are not careful. His strategy of little hops is a very effective
dodge for your EWG-HC-RAW so do not use it in this fight. If you have not
upgraded at all before this fight, now is the time. He is an excellent target
for the Pursuit strategy (outlined at the bottom of this guide). You can use a
variant of the Pursuit strategy with Back Unit EWX-VLS241 which is slightly
more affordable.
Grudge-Rank 41-6500 credits- Grudge hops around randomly firing his four
missile attack. He can be dangerous but if you keep him in front of you he is
easy. Really, just keep shooting him and he will fall very quickly.
Altogether much easier then Werehound. This Core is prone to run out of the
battle zone giving you an automatic win.
Psychedelic-Rank 40-7000 credits-New Mail-NEW AC PART- This guy is erratic to
say the least. He will jump to the side one second, turn face the wall, fire
his rockets into the wall, run around in circles... This is an exaggeration
but this Core will do odd things. He is easy to spot with his color scheme
though. His lack of strategy can be very useful to you. He will just stand
around sometimes which will give you a chance to unload everything into him.
Chasing him around with a flamethrower, EWG-FTG500, was fun and rewarding.
After this battle and every battle after this which has the one's digit as a
zero you get a new part. This time it is an Optional Part call SP-CBRX and it
helps with braking. Not very useful but it sells well.
The Engineer-Rank 39-7500 credits- You can outdamage this guy in no time at
all. His attacks are weak and he is easy to keep in front of you. Overall not
a problem.
Prophet-Rank 38-8000 credits- Slow and unwieldy, this Core is an example of
what not to do. His attacks, while mildly damaging have a slow rate of fire
and are easy to maneuver. He is slow and has a tendency to stand in front of
you. Flamethrower, EWG-FTG500, is suggested as it will easily outdamage him.
Pollux-Rank 37-8500 credits- Fairly mobile, this Core will hop around using
somewhat damaging attacks. Attempt to keep him in front and purchase a weapon
with decent range and power, EWG-HC-RAW is suggested. I did chase him around
with a EWG-FTG500 but I would not want to again.
Death Merchant-Rank36-9000 credits- This is a joke of a fight. He has weak
weapons and no dodging ability. Expect a ground fight EWG-FTG500 and
EWG-HC-RAW are both suggested but really anything will work against this Core.
The mines that he puts out are weak and will barely scratch you, ignore them
and concentrate on destroying him.
Funnel-Rank 35-9500 credits- His ZWX-IV/Pursuit missile launcher should be
feared. You are incapacitated if you get nailed with every ZWX-IV/Pursuit
shot. Dodge the four ZWX-IV/Pursuit shots and then move in. EWG-FTG500 and
EWG-HC-RAW or any high damage yield weapon will work well as he does not dodge
much.
Malpractice-Rank 34-10000 credits- Reasonably difficult, the shotgun can
really tear you apart. Concentrate on keeping you distance. Long range
weapons are definitely suggested. He will use air tactics to get behind and
then close in. His chase tactics are very good so be careful. Keep moving and
stay far away.
Castor-Rank 33-10500 credits- At long range he sometimes just stands there.
You can take advantage of the fact and fire at him, despite not having a
lock-on. Up close he dodges well but he can not dish out the damage. Get
something that will handle his dodging tactics and do not stick with something
close range. There is a reference to the 1997 film "Face Off" here, Castor
Troy and Pollux Troy were brothers in crime.
Time Keeper-Rank 32-11000 credits- Reasonably difficult, he can toss out the
damage. His hops and dodges can avoid large powerful shots a decent amount of
the time but he is not very fast. Strafe with him and fire when he hits a
wall. He is easy to keep in front.
Amnesia-Rank 31-11500 credits- He is slow so just concentrate on the damage.
Dodging his energy blasts is difficult. Just outdamage him as soon as
possible. EAW-DC10 Arms worked very well, three good shots put him down for
the count.
Chimera-Rank 30-12000 credits-New Mail-NEW AC PART- Very slow, he should not
last ten seconds. You can move in, which will help avoid the missile blasts,
and fire upclose. Overall not a threat. You have gotten to Rank 30 which
means you get another AC part. This time it is the DOX-ELENA, a very good long
range FCS, upclose you would be better off with the standard FCS then this one.
It sells very well and you can always re-purchase it.
Hades-Rank 29-12500 credits- This Core can be immensely dangerous if left to
fire continuously. Get the jump on him and fire from long range. He will
poorly attempt to dodge. His blasts will reduce you to so much scrap metal if
you just stand around.
Cerberus-Rank 28-13000 credits- While Hades is all high damage, few shots,
Cerberus is multiple shots, speed, and armor. This Core can soak an incredible
amount of damage. Fortunately it is not too hard to hit. A low power weapon
is not suggested as it will simply put scratches in this Core.
Dr. Simon-Rank 27-13500 credits-New Mail- This Core's good aerial tactics can
prove difficult. Just wait for your shot if you go with high power weapons.
Dr. Simon stays at middle range and will put up a good offense. His relatively
weak armor will be his downfall.
Grenstone-Rank 26-14000 credits- He picks at you with his rifle but his shots
are weak. His very good aerial skills are to be watched out for. Grenstone
likes to get behind you. Turn quickly while strafing and attempt to get him in
your sights. Take your time with him as it will take a while before he can
really get through good armor.
Cruel Justice-Rank 25-15000 credits- Cruel Justice can deal damage very, very
quickly. The grenade launcher on his arms is extremely hard to avoid and can
put you down fast. Either dodge very quickly or shoot faster then he does. He
will not dodge effectively and he stays on the ground so use that to your
advantage.
Blood Striker-Rank 24-16500 credits- He should be rank 34 instead of rank 24.
Weak attack and really no comparable dodge. You can just sit back and shoot.
Keep your head and this Core will be a cakewalk.
Divine Bloom-Rank 23-18000 credits- Another aerial Core. He can dodge very
well and has a tendency to get behind you. His weak attack and poor armor give
you good advantages, still this Core is dangerous.
Super Sonic-Rank 22-19500 credits-New Mail- Very, very fast. This Core will
be the fastest you have seen yet. Fortunately it does not actively attempt to
get behind you. Its weapons are not dangerous but still keep on your toes.
Wait for your shot when you can. Do not worry if you do not hit, you will miss
a lot while facing this Core.
SAMSARA-Rank 21-21000 credits- Potentially dangerous for this Core has good
offensive attacks. The energy blast is very strong so avoid it if you can.
SAMSARA stays on the ground, which is very good as he is also very fast. He
does stay in front of you so he will be well placed for your shots. This was a
nice battle because you get back at him after you constantly sends you these
quasi-threatening E-mails.
Helios-Rank 20-22500 credits-New Mail-NEW AC PART- His rocket attacks are
easily avoided but what you have to watch out for is the EWG-FTG500
flamethrower. If you get too close to him it is all over. The damage from the
weapon and overheat must be avoided. Helios will stay in front of you but will
dodge quite effectively. Exercise caution while encountering him. When you
win, that's right! New AC part. They give you a ZEX-RS/HOUND Extension, a
high quality missile interceptor.
Bulk-Rank 19-23500 credits- Bulk's bazooka and slug gun are incredibly
vicious. You either need a very fast Core or a heavily armored one, preferably
both. It is possible to dodge until he is out of ammo but not suggested. Bulk
has some of the best armor seen so far and he can dodge and weave quite well
for the size of his Core. Dangerous to say the least.
Helzehen-Rank 18-24500 credits-New Mail- Less dangerous then Bulk overall.
Helzehen has a much better dodge then Bulk but a much weaker pulse rifle. This
Core is no push-over but a nice change from the high damage Cores that you have
had to face so far.
Higher Force-Rank 17-25000 credits- Yet another high damage, decently fast
Core. Hope that he does not change to the pulse rifle otherwise this fight
could get very ugly. The high AP and tough armor may drag this fight out quite
a while. In the race to outdamage Higher Force, you should win but you have to
be accurate with your shots.
Ever Fighter-Rank 16-26000 credits- Despite Ever Fighter's description, the
piloting is not enough to overcome the low quality of the Core. Ever Fighter's
weapons are too weak and he is not fast enough to dodge a lot of your high
damage weapons.
Suave-Rank 15-27000 credits-New Mail-NEW AC PART- Now the dangerous fighters
are appearing. Suave has the most damaging attacks yet. He only needs about
five or six good shots even if you have a highly armored Core. Like every good
defense put up a spectacular offense. He will rarely miss so you have to put
him down as soon as possible. A EAW-DC10 Arms will put you on equal terms with
high as you will both have nearly the most damaging weapon in the game. You
just have to hit him more often then he hits you which may prove difficult.
Ares/Nine Breaker E-mails you after this fight and gives you the ZWF-S/NIGHT
Arm Unit R, a good sniper rifle as long as you have FCS and energy for it.
Ken Hayabusa-Rank 14-28000 credits- Just like Ever Fighter, a very good pilot
in an ancient Core. Ken Hayabusa will dodge most of what you throw at him but
if you fire enough EAW-DC10 Arms at him, you will eventually hit and kill him.
His dodging is top rate though and he will constantly hit you with his small
missiles and uzi style Arm Unit R.
Stoic-Rank 13-31500 credits- His missile attacks are very dangerous and that
is all you have to worry about him throwing at you. Stoic can just stay in one
area so charge him when he does so and fire your guns at the same time. The
charge may help avoid some of the missiles but I guarantee whatever Core you
are in, unless you have cover, his missile barrages will hit you.
Brazen-Rank 12-33700 credits- This Core is one of the toughest you will have
faced in quite a while. The missile attacks Brazen starts with are tough to
avoid and will eat at your AP very quickly. He will very quickly start flying
through the air at a high rate of speed firing missiles. After the missile
barrage will use his shotgun to finish you off. Keeping away from this Core
is the highest priority. Get very good missile defense then find some cover
and dodge when the shotgun comes out. No matter what type of Core you have
there is a good chance Brazen can give you a run for your money.
No.1111-Rank 11-36500 credits- The plasma cannon here will be your biggest
worry, the large rockets will rarely ever hit if are you dodging. No.1111 will
start off with the plasma cannon blasts which are powerful but not extremely
so. He will then switch to the large rockets which you will have no problem
avoiding. A fast Core will take him apart in no time. A slower Core will have
the high damage weapons to destroy him from the long range No.1111 enjoys
fighting from.
Strung-Rank 10-40500 credits-New Mail-NEW AC PART- This is the guy that gave
you the "test" when you got in with the Ravens. He is highly dangerous with
his weapons and decent dodging. He will start with the vertical missiles which
can do a significant amount of damage. He will move in with the bazooka which
you need to avoid if possible. He will not dodge too well so you can outdamage
him as long as you do it quickly. Pump up your armor for this one unless you
feel like a rough fight. After the fight you get the INW-EM-RRO Inside part.
It is a ECM to disrupt enemy locks.
Merciless-Rank 9-45000 credits- This Core is the ultimate in attempting to get
behind you. Unless you have your back to a wall you are going to have Black
Scythe behind you for the majority of the fight. The chain gun that he has is
moderately damaging, the real danger of this core is the laser blade. It is
highly damaging and he is fast enough to get behind you and slash you with
before you can turn. Suggested strategies are put your back to a wall or
corner. Black Scythe eventually try to jump on your head in an attempt to get
behind you. Aim upwards and take the would be assassin down. Another strategy
would be to get an incredibly fast Core and run Black Scythe out of chain gun
ammunition. This can be done fairly quickly and you will have roughly half
your health. Then either put your back to a wall or quickly move so that you
can see Black Scythe. You will only have to worry about the laser blade so
unleash with whatever you can. Mines and bombs may work quite well but I have
not tested them. Keep the fact that Black Scythe is incredibly fast foremost
in your mind.
Dreadnought-Rank 8-54000 credits- This epitomizes the strong, tough Core
concept. Dreadnought has enormously damaging attacks with very little
ammunition. He will dodge and weave while firing damaging shot after damaging
shot. His dodging is very good for his size but he will settle down after a
little while and concentrate on blasting you. If you choose to outdamage him
with a tank Core of your own do so with excellent accuracy. You need a huge
amount of damage in a very short time. A more viable option would be to dodge
Dreadnought's shots with a quick Core and then whittle him down. Keep in mind
that he can use the laser blade on his Arm Unit L with incredible proficiency.
Rose-Rank 7-80000 credits- Here is the video game stereotype that all women in
combat are fast and fragile with weak attacks. She has top notch dodging but
the armor (pink by the way) is sub-standard for her rank. The attacks she uses
can drop you but she needs a decent amount of time to do so. Strong attacks
will drop here in a decent amount of time. Having a fast AC is not suggested
as she will probably win out by hitting you with accurate shots.
Isotope-Rank 6-120000 credits- An aerial Core which will take flight and then
settle to the ground fairly quickly. The vertical missiles can do significant
damage but they have a slow rate of fire. The other weapons, while dangerous,
can be ignored as long as you can outdamage him. He does very little in an
attempt to dodge your attacks once he is on the ground. So move in and blast
away if you have a heavier Core. A fast Core will probably fair well as long
as enough damage can be dealt.
The Animal-Rank 5-150000 credits-New Mail-NEW AC PART- This Core is
appropriately named for its feral and vicious attacks. He will be unloosing a
barrage of highly damaging weaponry constantly throughout this battle. It is
difficult to lay down any one strategy for this Core as it is so widely
adaptable. It will hit you with middle missiles at long range which are hard
to avoid, grab some missile defense if needed. Midrange it will switch to the
spread bazooka which should be avoided if at all possible. Upclose it will
switch to the laser blade, which with almost any other Core would be a blessing
but it deals incredible amounts of damage and sends out a wave of energy with
each swipe. If you are going to outdamage him (tough but possible) rush him at
the beginning and get him to switch weapons giving you a couple fractions of
second more. Fire while advancing and strafe while hitting him with everything
you have. Do as much damage in a short a time as possible. I do not advise a
fast Core as it will be dropped fairly quickly by the missiles, spread bazooka,
and chain gun. You need the AP that you do not have on a fast Core. After the
battle The Animal gives you the ZAW-SPLASH Arms part. He feels you have the
ability to defeat Nine Breaker so he is contributing this part. This
essentially an energy shotgun. Personally I would say stick with the EAW-DC10
if you wish to use the Arms parts as weapons.
D. Sebastian-Rank 4-400000 credits- A very fast Core with a tendency to use
aerial techniques to get behind you. It has very strong low ammo blasts as
well as a machine gun that can overheat you in short order. Just try to keep
him in your sights. You have to hit him at every opportunity you can and you
will not have a whole lot of opportunities. Fire a strong weapon when you feel
it can hit and keep moving. No matter what Core you are using you must pilot
well and react to D. Sebastian if you are to win. High AP and defense are
always a plus. A fast, well piloted Core can do well against him as long as
you can hit him every chance you get.
Lion Heart-Rank 3-500000 credits- This Core is as well rounded as they get. A
near perfect design. Again, no sure win strategy can be given. Lion Heart's
cannon can hit a good portion of the time and that means your destruction. He
uses at nearly any range expect inside laser blade range. He is an excellent
dodger and his speed is very good. His defense is incredible so light weapons
will do you no good. If you have the speed dodge until you see him switch
weapons. Then nail him with whatever you can. To outdamage him the only sure
way is to charge him until you are in laser blade range. He will switch to the
laser blade meanwhile you will hit him with your nasty weapons. It will be a
race to do the most damage.
Prisoner No.B-24715-Rank 2-600000 credits- Like Lion Heart Prisoner No.B-24715
is well rounded except for his weapons. He uses exclusively grenades which
should make you very worried. He will deal immense amounts of damage but with
poor accuracy. He will dodge and fly around to get behind you. Keep in mind
the only way to beat him is to dodge his shots. If you can not see him you may
dodge in the incorrect direction and get shot for it. Quick Cores with good
offense will go far. Even if you have a big, tough core, dodge as much as you
can. His accuracy is such that few shots will hit if you are on the move.
Ares-Rank 1-1500000 credits-New Email- This is the legendary Nine-Breaker. He
is probably the most well-rounded Core in the Arena. The piloting skills are
impressive but not perfect, and that is how you can beat him. He has a laser
cannon, laser rifle, and middle missile. They all deal large amounts of damage
and they all are near impossible to dodge. He has a laser blade with wave
capabilities as well. As far as piloting goes he will hop and overboost about.
In he can he will get behind you and you will be torn to shreds. His overall
strategy is large damage in a very short period of time. There will be very
few times he is not firing. The key to defeating him is to wait for the shots
you can guarantee will hit. When you are going parallel in a dash, at the
beginning of the fight he will stand still, when he is charging you, and when
he lands from a short flight. You absolutely need as much damage as you can
put on your Core. By this time you will have all the cash you need from arena
fighting. Upgrade completely if you have not by concentrating on AP and
defense. Get missile defense and turn on the damage reducing options. Then on
top that you must react to Ares's every movement. Keep him in front of you and
shoot when you have the shot. Firing recklessly with high damage weapons will
probably mean you give up a chance between shots for a sure hit.
Congratulations, after all that you receive the title Nine-Breaker and you
are immensely wealthy. Enjoy your laurels.
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STRATEGIES
You have several advantages while facing computer controlled opponents in
the Arena mode. First you can pick the stage. This can help immensely. Large
amounts of cover can stop high powered attacks. If you know an opponent likes
to get behind you go to the Battle Dome, counter their advantages if you have
to. Two of the big strategies to bring down an opponent take place on the
Abandoned Highway. You start off on a skyscraper far above the ground and near
the edge of the zone. The first strategy is simply staying up there if you
have a fast mobile opponent. The opponent will fly out of the zone if you give
them enough time. It can work on any Core potentially, it simply works better
with fast, flying ones. A Core that likes to fly too much can fly up to your
altitude and shoot you regardless so be careful in its use. Another strategy
also using the Abandoned Highway. I label this the Pursuit strategy as it uses
the deadly ZWX-IV/Pursuit Back Unit. Equip the ZWX-IV/Pursuit and start the
battle. The opponent will advance on your position and stop when they are at
the base of the skyscraper. Once they have stopped moving fire one shot of the
ZWX-IV/Pursuit as close to their position as possible. If they do not move
they can take up to roughly 2500 points of damage. Continue doing this until
they are destroyed or they are so feeble you can drop down and finish them off.
Fire wisely since you have only four shots. Also moving opponents or
opponents with missile defense are likely to take less damage from this (but
moving opponents may ring themselves out). The Pursuit strategy has the same
failings as the ring out strategy as a lot of the high ranked Cores will simply
fly up and blast you. Still with these two strategies you can finish off most
of the lower ranked Cores if you are feeling cheap at the time.
Both of these strategies were inspired by CJayC's Armored Core 2 faq
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SPECIAL
When you fall below -50,000 credits and enter plus mode the game is
essentially reset, except you get a new plus ability added and you keep all
your equipment. An enterprising Core pilot can see the immediate advantage in
this. First off your Arena ranking is reset to 50th place. So when you first
go through the game (without plus mode) fight through the Arena and get the
immense amounts of cash, activate plus mode, and then fight through the Arena
again. This is probably the only way to purchase every single item in the
entire game. While this can be quite tedious it is excellent Arena training as
well as getting to know what parts work and what do not (as you can switch them
in assembly and you do not have to deal with selling equipment to buy new
equipment).
As you go through the mission modes certain Arena fighters drop out (like
Castor) and new opponents enter. Unfortunately the new opponents start at rank
50 and are very weak. Here is a list of some of the new Arena Cores.
Chris Miura-Rank Variable-1st extra Arena Core-1200 credits- Similar to Co-op
in not being worth your time. Chris Miura is another opponent that is a
walking target. Kill him to try and get wins down the board.
Co-op-Rank Variable-2nd extra Arena Core-1600 credits- You get to face this
atrocious fighter only after you have gotten past rank 50. He is not a problem
and not really worth the cash to fight, but if you feel like beating up on a
newbie...
Lost Lamb-Rank Variable-3rd extra Arena Core-3600 credits-
Scarlet-Rank Variable-4th extra Arena Core-10000 credits-
The Veteran-Rank Variable-5th extra Arena Core-15000 credits- A very dangerous
opponent on the rise. The grenade launcher is really what you have to watch
out for and that is what he opens up with. He has plenty of fire-power so stay
on the move and chip away at his armor.
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SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT
The Arena battles are really just a race to damage as quickly as possible to
the opponent. While dodging, missile defense, AP, and defense are all included
they are just a slow down factor in their attempt to do as much damage to you
as quickly as they can. You will take damage, that is a fact. The question is
how do you stay alive long enough to deal the damage back to the opponent. The
defensive extremes for a Core are speed, Ap, and energy/solid defense.
Speed can be a big help to dodge those big, nasty attacks, however the flip
side is that if the opponent has a machine gun or good missile system you will
get constantly pelted. It is a given that if you go the speed route you will
sacrifice a good portion of AP and energy/solid defense on your Core. Another
problem with the speed route is you give up the heavy, high damage weapons as
you can not support the weight or energy. This means if your opponent can hit
you, you are have no recourse. Pick speed if you know what you are doing and
know the controls well.
AP is a good help in any situation. You will slow your opponents attack by
giving yourself extra, precious seconds to fire back. The down-side is that
the high AP equipment is also very heavy and energy dependent. This means lack
of mobility and possible use of treads for maximum AP.
Energy/Solid defense is very useful, you may not see the effects at first
but a good example is some of the Arena Cores. Fire a high powered shot into a
Core somewhere in the 40-50 ranking. Watch their AP drop signifigantly and
also notice the overheat. Now hit a well designed Core in the 1-20 ranking.
They will take anywhere from 25%-50% of the damage and no overheat. You need
defense as it will help overall in any situation but again it suffers from AP's
dependency on large heavy, energy consuming equipment.
Finding the correct fit for you is important for defense. Also do not
forget alternative forms of defense. There are two option parts that reduce
damage from energy and solid damage, have those activated indefinitely. Also
missile defense can help if you face a missile crazed opponent. I would urge
you away from the ZXR-S/STEALTH, Extensions and Inside parts that fool fcs, and
any other form to disrupt the opponent's sensors. When facing the computer
opponents it is not clear how much this will affect it. I guarantee the
computer will know where ever you are, every second and will not lose track of
you. Concentrate on offense instead of this quasi-defense.
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CONTROL
Control can be quite an issue in Armored Core 2. The real problem is the
d-pad moves you forward and looks/turns you left and right, while the L1, R1
buttons strafe you and the L2, R2 buttons look up and down. This is a very
non-intuitive control as the d-pad will move you in certain directions and
simply turn you with others, the same can be said of the L/R buttons. Your
mind will get confused often in the heat of battle and will attempt to hit the
incorrect controls as it will assume they are all in the same general, control
area. My solution is a new set of controls that are more suited to reflexive
control.
First switch the d-pad to all looks/turns. Switch left d-pad to turn left,
right d-pad to turn right, up d-pad to look down (or up, I prefer pilot
controls), and switch down to look up (or down, I prefer pilot controls). Now
you can lock on much easier and looking up and down, convenient for rough
terrain, is not a chore.
Place all your movement controls on the square, triangle, circle, x buttons.
Switch square to strafe left, circle to strafe right, triangle to move
forward, x to move backward. Now you can move easily without hitting those L/R
buttons all the time.
Place your remaining controls on the L/R buttons. I put fire on R1, switch
weapons on R2, boost on L1, and Left Arm on L2.
While the majority of people will not use these controls, I suggest them as
they are much more intuitive (at least to my own style of control). These
controls are similar to 1.2 controls in Goldeneye and Perfect Dark, that is
probably why I can use them so easily. I believe the beginning controls are
inefficient and will slow your reflexes. Basically pick what you can use best
but do not be afraid to change controls. It will only take longer to learn a
better set later so you may as well switch to controls (whatever they may be)
you can use now.
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QUESTIONS
I know you get the ZXR-S/STEALTH in the Arena battles but I am not sure
when. If anyone knows when you receive this item I would welcome the
information.
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CONTACT
Direct suggestions, comments, compliments, and flames to
manzella@student.umass.edu
This faq is copyright Nathan Manzella
Armored Core 2 is copyright Software, Agetec, and Sony Entertainment of America
