The Let's Play Archive

Armored Core

by ArclightBorealis

Part 4: Additional Fire Power + a Choice to Make

Continuing from where we left off, we were just informed by the Ravens’ Nest that new parts have been added to the shop, and we have nearly a hundred thousand credits on hand. Time to spend it on some upgrades.


First things first, sell the LN-1001B.


And buy the newly stocked LN-D-8000R. As you can see, the increase in weight capacity isn’t that large, as is the increase in armor points, but every little bit counts, and the difference in speed is negligible. Plus I think the look of them goes well with our core.


And while I’m at it, we’ll sell our current arms.


And buy the AN-D-7001. These arms and the legs we just bought have quite a uniform look to them.


And finally, we will upgrade our head to the best radar installed head we can get, the HD-ONE. This has pretty much everything the REDEYE had in addition to the noise canceller and bio sensor.


And with that, our Armored Core’s AP has been boosted up to 9090.


With that shopping trip all done, let’s start the next mission, Terrorist Pursuit.


Just now, several MTs, thought to be terrorists, appeared in an urban district. Indiscriminately, they attacked the surrounding buildings and fled.

Guards rushing to the scene cornered one terrorist in a nearby parking garage, but the garage has only one large entrance, so it is not easy to get him.

The rest of the gang is still fleeting and we cannot spare any more men. Go to the scene ASAP and cooperate in destroying the terrorist.

Several civilian vehicles remain in the garage. Damage to the vehicles will be deducted from your pay. Sorry, but we’ve got budget problems too. Good luck.


I always hate that last line in the briefing. Isaac City Guard is the fucking worst.

Terrorist Pursuit


This mission has only one enemy to deal with, the Nowaki. It’s a very fast quadruped MT, and the only thing worse than trying to aim and shoot at it is avoiding damage to all the cars in this parking garage, whether or not it was inflicted by the MT or you.


We need to keep it from getting to the bottom floor, so head to the ramp that connects this floor and the one below to block it off. When it comes into range, fire away. Make do with whatever camera shenanigans come up. It’s kinda bad in very close quarters.


Even though we did not touch any of the cars, we still got a deduction for damage that we clearly did not cause. Like I said before, fuck the Isaac City Guard.


Alright, let’s head on to the next mission, Destroy Fuel Depot. I can guarantee you this’ll be better than the last one.


We want to perform a secret survey of a Chemical-Dyne Co. research lab located in the East region.

We have heard many troubling rumors about a certain company’s research. From the information that we’ve gathered so far, this seems to be Chrome’s doing.

Your mission is a diversionary action in support of the survey team entering the lab. Attack the fuel depot adjacent to the lab and blow up all of the fuel tanks inside.

The survey team plans to enter the lab during the commotion. You must escape from the depot after blowing up all the tanks. If discovered by the guards, you’ll have trouble.

There is probably a large number of tanks in the fuel depot. Be careful to avoid damage from the explosions.


Whereas we had to minimize environmental damage in the last mission, we are now given free rein to blow shit up. But more importantly, there is a hidden part in this mission that is CRUCIAL to get. Any AC fan will easily recognize it when we see it.

Destroy Fuel Depot


In this mission, there are eight gun emplacements on the ceilings of this depot, as well as three Tankette-Es. Similar to the Tankette-M, these specialize in electronic jamming than they do in combat. Because our HD-ONE head part has a noise canceler, we are immune to its frequency and our lock on ability is not disabled.


The second room at the end of the depot has some tanks semi hidden. Search every corner thoroughly.


At the end are long rows of tanks that explode one after the other if you shoot just one. After which we will receive a message telling us to leave now and that our work is done. But…


We cannot leave without this thing.


Now we make a mad dash for the exit, killing a Guard Walker on the way while we’re at it.


We’re continuing to pay slightly more for AC damages, but that’s not important right now. We got ourselves a bigger reward than the money.

However, we much quickly check our mail, as a very close friend has some information about a one Chemical-Dyne Co.


Although it has achieved a solid position as a biochemical manufacturer, the rumors of dangerous experiments and chemicals refuse to be quelled.

In addition, it is a known fact that Chrome has been a major factor in their development through joint venture relationships.

I’ll be in touch.

Yep, another company is in bed with a big megacorp. Huge surprise, I know. Anyway, the prize I was talking about from the last mission. Here it is:



Gentlemen, I present to you the WG-1-KARASAWA laser rifle, the best mother fucking energy weapon in the game. Hell, the best weapon period. This humongous rifle only holds fifty rounds, but for many lesser MTs this thing will kill them in one hit. Luckily for us with our current build we have just less than a hundred Leg Weight Points to spare, though we may end up swapping some parts when we get even more armaments down the line. For now, this AC will more than suffice, as it has good movement speed and packs 1550 points in attack power. Very impressive.


Now that we have our new weapon, let’s sell the old one and use our money to buy a new FCS. We’ll go with the GX-9009. It’s got the longest range of the other fire control systems, which fits well with our KARASAWA’s range of 10000.


Now let’s try out our new weapon in a mission. We’ll go with Prototype MT Test.


Come participate in a combat test against a new weapon currently under development. Anyone is OK, as long as they can fight. We want combat data for the current prototype.

Your opponent, “CHAOS” is a completely automated robot, and the location is inside our lab. No need to be timid. Give it all you’ve got.

However, you get paid only if you win. No slacking off. This may not be much of a challenge to you Ravens, but you can make a fast buck. Think of it as an easy job.


You know, I’m sure this is just because of how much of a pleasant mood I’m in right now, but this mission is very much a win-win for both sides involved. I get to try out my new weapon, and they get some combat data for their new MT. It’s all good.

Prototype MT Test



I pretty much hang back for a lot of this fight and take shots at the MT with my rifle. Doesn’t take very long for it to go down.



Funny thing, in the past I always get hit a couple times by the MT but I got through it this time unscathed. Second mission cleared with no expenses paid.

We check our inbox to see a message from our good friend “R.” Let’s see what he has to say.


The Human Plus technology developed by Murakumo is an advanced technology whereby the organs of the body (mainly the nervous system, bones, and muscle tissue) are replaced with artificial replacements which give the subject abilities vastly superior to those of an ordinary man.

People who have undergone this operation are called the “Plus”, the ranks of which include soldiers and bodyguards for VIPs.

Rumor has it that several of the top ranking Ravens are also “Plus”.

However, the reason why Murakumo, supposedly an industrial manufacturer, originally developed this technology is still a mystery even now.

I’ll be in touch.

I gotta say, this message felt way more detailed than the usual material “R” has been sending us for a while now. Even so, there’s still plenty more for us to elaborate on about Human Plus, which will be saved for an EX Part.


Alright, let’s head to the next mission, Guard Freight Train. This is a good one.


We have an emergency!
We have been informed of a plan to attack our long-haul freight train, “Boulder”.

We are unsure of the enemy’s exact target, but it is likely that they are after the confidential cargo in the lead car.

The train’s next stop, Heavensrock’s supply depot, has very little cover. We feel that this would be an opportune location for the enemy to attack.

Go ahead of the train ASAP and head for the supply depot. Give highest priority to ensuring the safety of at least the lead car.

The cars further back are not particularly important at this time, but we will up your pay by 10000 C if all the cars are safe.
We’re counting on you, Raven.


This mission I would say is the first truly memorable one, in all the times I’ve played this game. It is also one of the more challenging missions, as there are multiple parts to it and getting everything right, including the 10000 C bonus as well as a hidden AC part in the area, is quite challenging. This is the first mission in this LP where I actually had to redo it a couple times before getting it down.

Guard Freight Train (you should watch this one for sure)



The Barracuda makes a return with a new paint job and not getting blown out of the sky this time, although it still gets shot at before our AC is fully deployed.


First things first, go to the right and get up to high ground. There are four Welkins that like to circle around the AC taking shots at you, and being on a near level field will make aiming easier. One shot is all it takes to take down these aircraft, and trust me we want them out of the way as soon as possible.


As I take down the last one, the train informs us that it’s on its way to the depot. Since there’s no one else around to disrupt the mission, we can just hang back and…


Huh?




Oh shit…


Unless you went for the Attack Urban Center mission, which we decided to forego, this would be the player’s first real battle with another AC. While he is not given a name in the original Armored Core, on the Revolution disc for AC Nexus this AC is given the name Wildcat. Here are the specs for his AC that can be determined just from looking at him.
So yeah, a small missile launcher, chain gun, the starting rifle, and the best energy blade which we don’t have access to yet. He’s got quite the variety of weaponry. He’s also bat shit insane.


Several shots from our KARASAWA, and the Wildcat goes down. And none of the cars on the train got destroyed. On top of Wildcat causing trouble, if one of those Welkins were still active, they’d have destroyed the train for sure. That’s why it can be a difficult mission if you don’t know EXACTLY what to do.


Before the train has refueled and left the depot, be sure to find the hidden AC part for this mission. It’s in one of the crates farthest away from the train. Grab it and wait for the train to leave to end the mission.



We got the special addition, and only a little over 5000 in expenses. Job well done, I say.

We got a message from Murakumo containing information about the AC that attacked us at the depot.


Then, one time he failed to complete a mission and was never heard from again.
The AC reappeared several years ago.

Since then, every time that he appeared on a battlefield he would act like a mad dog, indiscriminately attacking anyone, over and over.

There are some who say that he was just looking for a place to die. Now, no one will know the real reason for his actions.

This is info that’s gonna be in the EX Part, but I’ll say right now that this AC and Murakumo are connected in a way that the latter has carefully chosen not to explain. You’ll see why.


Anyway, before we choose our next mission, I’m just going to show you the briefings for both of them. See if you can figure out what they have in common. First up is Secret Factory Recon.


Our intelligence has determined that Chrome has an underground factory in the snowy region of Whiteland. We plan to send our Special Forces to destroy the factory.

We are looking for someone to scout out the entrance to the factory in advance of the attack. Your mission is to find the point of entry and destroy the door lock system.

There is no particular need to engage the enemy, but we will pay an 800 C bonus per enemy MT destroyed.

The main force will attack 6 minutes after you start, so your executing the mission within this time limit is absolutely necessary for the surprise attack to succeed.
Due to its nature, this mission will be a night maneuver.


So that’s the set up for that mission. Let’s see what Guard Factory Entrance is about.


We have uncovered a plan to destroy our underground factory in the Whiteland area. We think that Murakumo is behind it.

We are not sure of the specific details, but since the factory is underground, they can’t do anything unless they get inside.

So we want someone to guard the entrance of the factory. The gate cannot be opened from outside as long as the lock system is not destroyed.

We will need several days to put up a full-scale security system. Of course we will pay you during that period whether or not there is an attack.

Not a bad job, huh?
Do it well.


So we have missions from competing megacorps, taking place in the same location, and whose objectives are in obvious conflict with each other.

At the start of the LP I said I would allow one moment for audience participation in determining what missions I take for the rest of the game. This is that deciding moment. Depending on who we help in this scenario, we will be receiving more missions from the megacorp we help, and ultimately take down the rival group by the end. I gave you more information about both of these groups backgrounds, But I’ll give you reasons for gameplay purposes why you might want to see a particular path over the other.

Both of these missions have secret parts; Secret Factory Recon (Murakumo) has a missile launcher while Guard Factory Entrance (Chrome) has a new booster. The former mission is easier because we aren’t defending shit, but the booster could be potentially more useful than the missiles.

As for the missions after that, going down the Chrome path will lead us to a hidden AC part that is on the same level as the KARASAWA in terms of excellence and strength. Meanwhile, the Murakumo path leads us to a final mission that is particularly memorable with a one of a kind enemy. It’s also a mission that got a remake in AC Nexus on the Revolution disc, if that narrows it down for you.

So, I’ll leave it up to a vote for about two days time. If you’ve been following the LP and enjoying it, say Chrome or Murakumo to vote on which mission I go for. If nothing comes up, I’ll default to Murakumo because I’ll be honest, that one level I was talking about is pretty neat.

I’ll be in touch.