Armored Core 6: How to beat the CATAPHRACT PCA SP craft boss
Ready to take down this PCA supertank in Armored Core 6?
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Most of the bosses you fight throughout Chapter 3 of theArmored Core 6campaign are mechs like you, but one of the big exceptions to that is the PCA’s deadly CATAPHRACT vehicle. This heavy supertank is extremely resilient and capable of dishing out tons of damage, yet is also quite agile. This makes it one of the tougher bosses you’ll encounter at this stage of the game.
With that said, the CATAPHRACT isfarfrom unbeatable, and if you challenge it with a good Armored Core build and apply the right tactics, you shouldn’t have too much trouble taking it out. Here’s a full guide on everything you need to know about the fight with it, including which types of loadouts work best, how to avoid its attacks, what you’ll need to do to counter it, and more.
Armored Core 6 CATAPHRACT: Best build, weapons, and loadout
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There are many different ways you can build your Armored Core in order to deal with the CATAPHRACT effectively, but in our experience, there are two types of builds that stood out as the best.
The first is a medium Armored Core with a long-range shotgun in one hand, a bazooka in the other, and missile launchers on the shoulders. These weapons do excellent burst damage to the MT core at the center of this thickly armored PCA tank, while allowing you to stay a good distance away from it. The medium weight also ensures you’ll have solid durability without compromising on your ability to maneuver and avoid incoming attacks.
Alternatively,you can opt for a more heavyweight build that incorporates tetrapod legs, dual bazookas, and dual grenade launchers on the shoulders. By going with a tetrapod build, you can hover in the air for extremely long periods of time, giving you a great angle to pound the CATAPHRACT with your heavy weapons whenever it faces you. With this setup, you’ll enjoy greater durability and firepower, but will have to be more patient in the second half of the fight since the CATAPHRACT won’t willingly show its weak point as much as it does in the first phase.
Both of these builds can dodge the tank’s weapons equally well, so regardless of which one you opt to use, you’ll be fine as long as you have good positioning and boost in the right direction (more on that below).
For your Expansion, we suggest using Pulse Armor. It’ll come in handy over the course of the fight, as the shield it creates when activated can help mitigate the chip damage you’ll be taking from the CATAPHRACT’s various weapons.
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Armored Core 6 boss guide: How to beat the CATAPHRACT
The CATAPHRACT may seem like an invincible juggernaut of a tank, but once you get the hang of targeting its weak spot, you’ll realize just how vulnerable it is. Here’s a full rundown of the fight with it.
Keep dodging those lasers while laying into the CATAPHRACT’s MT core every chance you get, and you’ll eventually turn the PCA’s supertank into a smoldering husk. Congratulations — you’ve taken out one of the PCA’s fiercest weapons, giving mercenaries like you and the corporations that employ you more room to operate while weakening its stranglehold on Rubicon.
Armored Core 6 is available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, PS5, and PS4. It’s one of thebest Xbox gamesandbest PC gamesof 2023, and we can’t recommend it enough.
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
The long-awaited reboot of FromSoftware’s mecha action series is finally here, and it’s an absolute triumph. Between its exhilarating combat systems, intriguing story, and excellent presentation, Armored Core 6 is undoubtedly one of the best games of the year.
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Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer and Oakland University graduate with a burning passion for video games, of which he’s been an avid fan since childhood. He’s been writing for Team WC since the summer of 2017, and you’ll find him doing news, editorials, reviews, and general coverage on everything gaming, Xbox, and Windows PC. His favorite game of all time is probably NieR: Automata, though Elden Ring, Fallout: New Vegas, and Team Fortress 2 are in the running, too. When he’s not writing or gaming, there’s a good chance he’s either watching an interesting new movie or TV show or actually going outside for once.Follow him on X(Twitter).
