One of the best missions in Chapter 1 of Armored Core 6 Fires of Rubicon tasks players with taking out the Weaponized Mining Ship known as the STRIDER. The locals retrofitted a mining platform into a war machine that can obliterate Armored Cores from miles away, and it needed to be taken down.
While some players may see the PCA Heavy Combat Helicopter as the first boss in the game, it’s the STRIDER that’s the real test of a player’s mettle. It requires precision, forward-thinking, and willpower for anyone to beat this monumental enemy that laughs in the face of mercenaries.
Related: Armored Core 6 Complete Guide: Combat Mechanics, Bosses & Story in AC6
Armored Core 6: The STRIDER Weaponized Mining Ship Walkthrough
When players take on the mission, “Destroy the Weaponized Mining Ship,” the briefing explains how the local people have transformed this mining platform into a weapon called the STRIDER. Players are tasked with taking this machine out, and it’s far from easy. Below, we’ve outlined how to destroy the STRIDER by taking out its eye in Armored Core 6 Fires of Rubicon based on our experience in the game.
Players will be placed in a desert landscape as they start the mission. The STRIDER is off in the distance, creating dust clouds, and is basically invisible at this point. Players need to close the distance and get close to the STRIDER so they can climb up it and take out the eye.
However, as players head toward the STRIDER, it’ll start using its eye to blast out a giant laser that dealt more than half of our Armored Core’s health in damage per hit. Going directly toward the STRIDER isn’t the best way to approach it, and this eye laser will annihilate any players that do.
How to Avoid the STRIDER’s Eye Laser Beam Attack in Armored Core 6
Players need to approach the weaponized mining ship from behind to dodge the STRIDER’s eye laser beam. After being forced to restart the mission three times due to getting obliterated by the eye laser, we found that the best way to approach the STRIDER and dodge that eye laser is by heading left from the mission’s start point.
By heading left immediately from the spawn point of their Armored Core, players will end up approaching the STRIDER from behind. The boss can’t use its eye laser to attack players from this angle, meaning players are able to then fly directly at the machine without fear of any incoming attacks.
The only downside of this approach is that players will dodge all the enemies between them and the STRIDER from that original spawn point. We don’t believe any of them are marked with the Loghunt icon, but there could be enemies we missed in our first attempts that are. If players want to make sure they grab every Loghunt enemy, they should at least try to get through some of these enemies in early attempts at the mission to make sure.
How to Climb the STRIDER in Armored Core 6
To climb the STRIDER in Armored Core 6, players need to destroy one of its legs. This is fairly simple once players approach the weaponized mining ship from behind. The game should point them in the right direction to a leg close to a rocky outcrop. Any Armored Core weapon fire will destroy this leg, so players can use missiles and firearms if they have them equipped.
Once the leg has been destroyed, the STRIDER will collapse. Players need to use the rock to help them boost and fly up onto the machine. It’s worth watching for the turrets on the STRIDER’s sides because they pack a real punch if they’re not taken out quickly.
We used our Armored Core’s boosters to get up onto platforms along its right-hand side. Then, we kept heading up and eventually landed on its back. However, at that point, the STRIDER disconnected its back section and started walking away. Players will need to act quickly and use their Assault Boost to fly over to the moving part of the STRIDER before it leaves them behind.
Once players land on the moving part of the STRIDER, they need to climb around it and take out the four sub-generators powering the eye. There’s one on each side, one on top, and one below the STRIDER’s body.
How to Destroy the STRIDER’s Sub-Generators in Armored Core 6
To destroy the STRIDER’s sub-generators in Armored Core 6 Fires of Rubicon, players must climb around the machine and use their weapons to take them out. When we played the mission, we discovered that the sub-generator on top of the STRIDER is easy to find, so it’s best to leave it till last.
Players should start by taking out the sub-generator on one of the STRIDER’s sides. These face out, so players must fly off the STRIDER to shoot them. We used a linear rifle that charged up while we flew to destroy these sub-generators. Missiles and any weapon that can charge up or fire when players release a button will also work best.
The sub-generator underneath the STRIDER is tricky to get at. The best way we found to destroy it was by flying across to the leg almost beneath the sub-generator. That way, we had a great shot at the device and could destroy it without anything getting in our way. Once the sub-generator has been taken out, players will need to fly across the gap back to the main walkways of the STRIDER so they can head up onto its back and take out the final one.
The sub-generator on top of the STRIDER is behind a low wall that players can hide behind. The eye will start firing at players as they climb, so finding a good hiding spot is essential. The one behind the top sub-generator is the best for taking a breather before attacking the eye, so we’d advise all players to go up top, take out the sub-generator, and plan their attack.
How to Destroy the STRIDER’s Eye (EB-0309 STRIDER) in Armored Core 6
The final part of the STRIDER boss fight in Armored Core 6 Fires of Rubicon requires players to destroy the eye. This is the laser that was firing at them as they approached it from the ground and has likely been trying to hit them every time they flew about on the STRIDER’s sides.
Unfortunately, players can’t hide behind the top sub-generator’s wall forever and take potshots at the eye. They need to close the distance. The best tactic we devised was to wait for the eye to fire and then use our Assault Boost to get as close to it as possible. The rim around the bottom of the eye protects players when it fires, so it’s a great spot to hide between firing missiles and firearms.
Once enough damage has been dealt, the eye will enter its final attack phase. This causes the eye to fire missiles that will hammer players who try to fly away from it. The best way to destroy it is to stay close and use Repair Kits to heal through the extra damage the laser can deal, even if players hide underneath it.
We stuck to four guns and kept firing missiles and a linear rifle at the eye, even as our health was on its last chunk. We managed to destroy the boss just before it fired off a final laser, and it felt great. But now all that laser energy is trapped in the machine and needs to be sent somewhere.
How to Escape the STRIDER in Armored Core 6
The final part of this mission in Armored Core 6 Fires of Rubicon is to escape the STRIDER’s deck. This is best done by using the Assault Boost to fly as far away from the machine as possible. Armored Cores don’t take fall damage, so there’s no need to worry about preserving energy for the landing. We believe that the best way to end the mission is to have an Armored Core face the screen and look back as the STRIDER falls to the ground and explodes.
