The Let's Play Archive

Armored Core

by ArclightBorealis

Part 11: Top of the Leaderboard

First off, sorry for being absent from this for the last couple months. The LP isn't abandoned, just got sidetracked with finally getting a job earlier this summer and doing other projects. With that out of the way, let's resume the LP.

Part 10: Top of the Leaderboard

Nineball and R have been defeated, but there are still twelve missions left in the game before we can wrap up this 100% AC playthrough.


Since these next missions won't require a set up quite as specific as the final mission, I've removed the chaingun and switched the AC's legs back to the LN-D-8000R.


There's no particular order I have planned for the missions. I'm just doing them from top to bottom on the main list. First on the menu is Destroy Space Catapult.


We want you to break into the Space Station "Kaede" owned by Murakumo. Your goal is to destroy their new catapult.

This space station has been unmanned since the Great Destruction and was left in orbit, but Murakumo has made secret modifications, turning it into a space base.

We discovered that Murakumo has sent large amounts of material to the space station and the catapult appears to be used to send the material elsewhere.

We still don't know what they are up to. But still, it is in space. It may be too late if we wait until the full story is known.

Your space shuttle is ready. Go to the space station ASAP. We are counting on you.


This is one of the exclusive missions you get if you sided with Chrome instead of Murakumo, and also one of the few missions that have you at a location in space.

Destroy Space Catapult



This level has a lot of doors connecting hallways at multiple points, but in order to make any progress inside the base you need to go through the doors that aren't locked shut. It can be beneficial to have an AC head with good map data if you get lost.


The only enemies to deal with are ceiling mounted gun batteries and Dawn MTs. They move all over the place and staying in one of the narrow hallways and shooting them as they pass make for a relatively safe tactic.



Halfway through the base, we receive this communication. Most likely a change in mission plans.


Yep, time to get the hell out.



I said before that you can only go specific doors to make progress through the station. When the objective changes to evacuate the station, simply retracing your steps won't work as the first door you entered at the start of the mission is now locked.



So instead we end up doing a full loop around the areas we have access to before we end up back at the room the mission had us start in. A good thing to keep in mind is to keep moving forward after triggering the emergency communication, as that is the correct direction to go in.


Oh, and destroying enemies during this mission gives us a 300 C bonus. A successful payout once again.


On to the next mission on the list, Destroy Base Generator.


Head for lunar base "Roa". Roa has been unmanned and abandoned for a long time, but Murakumo has already dispatched forces intending to revive the base facilities.

There are now no other usable lunar bases, so Roa is effectively the key to control of the entire Moon. But a full frontal attack would deal a severe blow to the base itself.

So this is our request. We want you to infiltrate the base alone and destroy the generator. Our main force will then retake the base in the confusion.

Do not bother unnecessarily with enemies, but remaining ACs will be troublesome in the future, so try to destroy them on sight. We will reward you for each additional kill.

The Murakumo are scheming to use the moon base as a base for a terrible plot. The full story is unclear but desperate men will stop at nothing.

This is a very dangerous job, but we have faith that you can do it. We are counting on you, Raven.


Another mission in space, and Murakumo is the villain in this scenario. You can probably guess what this scenario is building up to.

Destroy Base Generator



The ACs that the mission briefing referred to are Swifts, and are worth 3000 a piece for each kill. I deal with them as I need to as the objective is further in the base.


The large hallway you enter near the start has a door you can go through at the far end, but that leads no where. One of the doors on the side however leads to an elevator.


Taking the elevator up, we start going across some bridges with gun batteries. I at least ignore the ones that aren't in front of me and keep moving. Eventually reaching the generator.



My shoulder cannon gets some use this mission as I fill the generator room with plasma.



And with that, another escape sequence with a timer begins. Unlike Kaede, this timer can cut it very close, especially if you go in a direction you shouldn't.


Only 30 seconds left as I make it to the entrance.


2 out of 3 Swifts destroyed during the mission, getting use an additional 6000 C total.


Next mission is actually the last mission you get if you sided with Chrome, Destroy "Justice"


Terrible news just came in. Murakumo has gotten hold of the most horrible fruit of mankind's madness still in space. The giant gun "Justice" is now under the control of Murakumo.

The weapon which drove all of humanity underground at the time of the Great Destruction, is certain to seal the fate of the world if it is fired at our planet now.

This is no longer between us and Murakumo. The weapon's only weakness is the enormous amount of time and energy it takes to charge up. We may still be in time.

The only way to stop it is to destroy the firing system itself.

Your best bet is to destroy the peripheral energy chargers to delay firing, and then blast through the multiple force fields to get close enough to destroy the firing system.

The best space shuttle we have is ready and waiting. Go into space ASAP.
We are counting on you.


So while on Murakumo's side, we saw Chrome stage a military uprising. Here we see what Murakumo does when backed in a corner, and frankly it seems a bit more extreme than a revolt on earth. Whatever, the job is to stop the cannon.

Destroy "Justice"



The entire mission area is this large chamber with the firing system at the far opposite end. There are barriers in the way, but they can be broken through with enough firepower.



As mentioned in the briefing, destroying the chargers on the sides of the chamber will give us additional time to take out the cannon, but destroying them all isn't required. Hell, it gives you way more time than you know what to do with. So long as you're efficient, the time you're given at the start is perfectly acceptable.



As this is a late game mission, enemies are incredible aggressive. Tankettes and Corsairs are firing at you constantly, and they're not worth your time. Just blow up the firing system and it's over.


Well, the earth is saved, and in this scenario, Murakumo would be completely destroyed with Chrome as the winner of the war.


Now to go back in the timeline to a mission before we sided with either corporation, Attack Urban Center


We want you to wreak havoc on Gal City. The job is simple. Just attack the urban area and fire at will at any attractive target.

If one finds oneself in danger, one who does not have the power to resist must depend on someone else. If you have the power, come to us at Chrome.

You have 3 minutes of tactical operations. Staying any longer is useless. If you stay too long, we don't know what sort of trouble will happen.

Your pay will be determined based on the results. Simply put, the more you destroy the higher your pay. Good luck


If you remember, this was the mission I was not able to take earlier in the game, but it is an important one as it will determine whether we will be rank #1 or #2 on the Raven leaderboard. Let's begin.

Attack Urban Center




So the payout for this mission is based on how much destruction you cause. What can you destroy, you ask? Well, there are several items that have different credit values associated with them. They are:

The last two are enemies, which do not show up until time has passed in the mission. The way I start is that I dash through all the cars parked on the left side of the road, shooting at signs in front of me as well. Halfway down the street, you can take a shot at some of the monorail cars that come passing by overhead.



When you make it to the other side, almost a minute will have passed, and the Gal City Guard will contact you. This spawns in the Guard Walkers, and they are infinitely spawning.


Once another minute passes, Valkyrie makes its appearance. This battle can either end with the player surviving until the timer runs out, or Valkyrie can be eliminated for a chance at moving up the leaderboard. The latter is obviously our intent.



It's not even an issue with the KARASAWA, assuming you can keep the AC in sight at all times. With Valkyrie gone, all that's left is to destroy more MTs and property till the timer runs out.


A whole lot of stuff was destroyed, and the expense for repairs make for a little over a third of the profit. This is one of those missions where even if you earn a good amount of money, it can be easily lost from racking up ammo and repair costs.

Now, before this part is concluded, let's take a look at our position on the rankings.


Yep, with Valkyrie out of the picture, we've made it to the top of the leaderboards. Now for 8 remaining missions and a few secret parts and this is over.

I'll be in touch.