FromSoftware has a little end-of-year surprise for Armored Core fans. The developer will release patch 1.05 for Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon on Tuesday, bringing new content and features to the multiplayer component of the game, as well as a handful of new parts for players to outfit their ACs with.

New in patch 1.05 is ranked online matchmaking, which is paired with ranked leaderboards that should hopefully inject some new life into Armored Core 6’s PvP mode. Pilots will also have new PvP maps on which to battle, and more personalization, thanks to customizable nameplates.

But it’s the new parts coming in Tuesday’s patch that will appeal to all players. While we’re still waiting for the official patch notes, the new parts coming to Armored Core 6 leaked earlier this month, via strategy guide maker FuturePress. According to those (still unofficial) details, players will get the following additions to their AC arsenal:

R-Arm and L-Arm Unit

• WR-0555 ATTACHE Heavy machine gun
• PFAU/66D Pulse missile launcher

R-Back and L-Back Unit

• DF-GA-09 SHAO-WEI Gatling cannon
• VE-60LCB Laser cannon

Head

• Lammergeier/44F

Core

• Lammergeier/40F

Arms

• Lammergeier/46F

Legs

• Lammergeier/42F

Those items will be unlocked at various points during a playthrough of the game, meaning that Armored Core 6 fans who have already completed the game at least once should have them once the patch is released. Players should also expect a few adjustments to existing weapons and AC parts, based on the previously leaked patch details.

Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is available now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. The mech-action game landed at No. 10 on Polygon’s best video games of 2023 list.

Update (Dec. 19): Bandai Namco and FromSoftware released detailed patch notes for version 1.05 of Armored Core 6, which you can read below.

Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon — Patch Notes 1.05

Additional Features

• “Ranked Match” and “Name Plate” features added to “NEST” menu
• Added HUD elements for switching weapons with the Weapon Bay
• New HEAD, CORE, ARMS and LEGS frame parts, as well as 4 new weapons

*Note: new parts unlock at the SHOP according to MISSION progress

Ranked Match

In Ranked Match, automatic matchmaking is used to allow players of similar ability to compete against one another.

Ranking System

• Ranks are divided into UNRANKED, D, C, B, A and S. Players can aim for promotion to the next rank by earning RP (Rank Points).
• Once players reach S-Rank, they receive a rating based on their ability. The top 100 rated S-Rank players will have this distinction displayed on their rank icon.

Rules

• Ranked Matches employ Single (1v1) and Team (3v3) rulesets.
• RP is earned through victories in Single matches, while in Team matches RP is earned through both victories and individual contribution.
• The time limit is 2 minutes for Single matches and 3 minutes for Team matches. Maps are selected at random for each match.

Promotion

• Once a player has earned the required RP for their current rank, they will enter a “Promotion Phase”.
• During Promotion Phase, players will have a set number of matches to achieve good results and become eligible for promotion to the next rank.

Leaderboards

• The top 100 rated Rank-S players will be posted to the leaderboards.
• Information about each player such as their rating, name plate and AC configuration can be confirmed from the leaderboards.

Rank and Leaderboard Reset

• Player ranks and leaderboards will be reset periodically.
• Upon rank reset, players half-way up B-Rank and above will be relegated one rank according to their current rank and RP.

*Note: the next reset is scheduled for 29th February (Wed) 2024.

Name Plates and NP (Nest Points)

• Some Name Plates are acquired by achieving good results in Ranked Matches, while others can be bought rom the Plate Shop.
• Name Plates at the Plate Shop are purchased using NP (Nest Points) earned from Ranked Matches.

Balance Adjustments

Weapon Units

• ASSAULT RIFLE “RF-024 TURNER”
  increased Accumulative Impact / Ideal Range / Effective Range, decreased Recoil. Reduced sway caused by accumulated Recoil
• ASSAULT RIFLE “RF-025 SCUDDER”
  increased Accumulative Impact / Ideal Range / Effective Range, decreased Recoil. Reduced sway caused by accumulated Recoil
• BURST ASSAULT RIFLE “MA-J-201 RANSETSU-AR”
  increased Accumulative Impact / Ideal Range / Effective Range. Reduced sway caused by accumulated Recoil
• MACHINE GUN “MG-014 LUDLOW”
  increased Ideal Range / Effective Range. Reduced sway caused by accumulated Recoil
• MACHINE GUN “DF-MG-02 CHANG-CHEN”
  increased Ideal Range / Effective Range. Reduced sway caused by accumulated Recoil
• BURST MACHINE GUN “MA-E-210 ETSUJIN”
  increased Ideal Range / Effective Range. Reduced sway caused by accumulated Recoil
• BAZOOKA “DF-BA-06 XUAN-GE”
  reduced explosion AOE
• BAZOOKA “MAJESTIC”
  reduced explosion AOE
• BAZOOKA “LITTLE GEM”
  reduced explosion AOE
• LASER RIFLE “VE-66LRA”
  decreased Attack Power / Cooling, increased ATK Heat Buildup / Charge Time
• PLASMA RIFLE “Vvc-760PR”
  decreased ATK Heat Buildup, increased Projectile Speed
• CORAL SHIELD “IB-C03W4: NGI 028”
  decreased Impact Dampening / IG Damage Mitigation / IG Impact Dampening
• SPLIT MISSILE LAUNCHER “BML-G2/P19SPL-12”
  increased Guidance. Missile payloads now split closer to target
• SPLIT MISSILE LAUNCHER “BML-G2/P16SPL-08”
  increased Guidance, decreased Homing Lock Time / Reload Time. Missile payloads now split closer to target
• SPLIT MISSILE LAUNCHER “BML-G2/P17SPL-16”
  increased Guidance. Missile payloads now split closer to target
• CLUSTER MISSILE LAUNCHER “WR-0999 DELIVERY BOY”
  improved tracking trajectory, making it less likely for missiles to collide with terrain
• PLASMA MISSILE LAUNCHER “Vvc-70VPM”
  decreased Guidance. Adjusted firing interval so timing of each missile hit is less spread out

Frame Parts

• ARMS “AR-011 MELANDER”
  increased Recoil Control
• BIPEDAL “06-041 MIND ALPHA”
  decreased Weight
• TETRAPOD “VP-424”
  increased speed limit while hovering. Decreased acceleration when using QB while hovering
• TETRAPOD “LG-033M VERRILL”
  decreased acceleration when using QB while hovering
• TANK “EL-TL-11 FORTALEZA”
  decreased AP / AB Thrust, increased AB EN Consumption. AC weight now has more impact on movement and boost speed
• BOOSTER “BUERZEL/21D”
  increased QB EN Consumption, decreased AB Thrust
• ACs with Tank legs will now perform a “readying” action at the moment of firing bazookas or grenade launchers
• ACs with Bipedal, Reverse Joint or Tetrapod legs now have a longer period after performing a Boost Kick before being able to cancel into another action
• ACs with Tetrapod legs now have reduced movement due to recoil when firing a weapon with high recoil while in mid-air

Bug Fixes and Other Improvements

Player AC related fixes

• Added visual effect to LINEAR RIFLE “LR-036 CURTIS” and “LR-037 HARRIS” when overheating
• Ascend input now accepted while using Quick Turn in mid-air
• Queued input now accepted for melee weapon attacks while switching weapons with the Weapon Bay

*Note: excludes “44-143 HMMR” and “WB-0010 DOUBLE TROUBLE”

• Scan visual effect radius now reflects the scan distance of that Head part
• Mitigated attack performance disparity due to leg type with melee weapons, for enemy tracking angles, weapon trajectory, etc.
• Fixed a bug that resulted in unintended enemy tracking when using a melee weapon while charging a back weapon
• Mitigated a lingering tracking effect that would occur when performing a melee attack against certain large enemies, even after the initial approach
• Fixed a bug that caused reduced accumulative recoil when firing two of the same weapon simultaneously from both hands
• Fixed a bug that prevented shield deployment while firing a weapon on full-auto under certain conditions
• Fixed a bug that caused reload-type weapons to have a slightly longer reload time when equipped to the left hand compared to the right
• Mitigated the impact of frame rate fluctuation on rapid fire performance of certain weapons
• Mitigated an issue that occurred when back weapons such as cannons were equipped to both back slots and fired simultaneously, where the right back weapon would fail to fire under certain conditions
• Fixed a bug with certain back weapons, where firing the weapon during Assault Boost just after passing an enemy would cause the attack to veer away from the enemy
• Fixed a bug that prevented display of the attack warning alert when firing missile lock weapons such as NEEDLE MISSILE LAUNCHER “EL-PW-01 TRUENO” while using Manual Aim
• Fixed a bug with weapons that trigger a “readying” action when fired, where the action could be unintentionally cancelled with Assault Boost or Quick Boost
• Mitigated an issue with LASER LANCE “VE-67LLA” where the camera would become unstable when firing
• Fixed a bug when using PLASMA THROWER “44-143 HMMR” with Tank legs, where attacks made towards the rear side of the legs would fail to deflect even if they hit walls or terrain
• Fixed a bug with PLASMA THROWER “44-143 HMMR” where attacks would be flagged as deflected if they made contact with walls or terrain immediately after hitting an enemy
• Fixed a bug with PLASMA THROWER “44-143 HMMR” where performing a regular attack immediately after using Assault Boost would fire the weapon without stopping Assault Boost as normal
• Fixed a bug with NAPALM BOMB LAUNCHER “MA-T-222 KYORAI”, JAMMING BOMB LAUNCHER ”MA-T-223 KYORIKU” and STUN BOMB LAUNCHER “WS-1200 THERAPIST” when the same weapon was equipped to both hands and charged to fire simultaneously, the right hand attack would fail
• Fixed a bug with NAPALM BOMB LAUNCHER ”MA-T-222 KYORAI”, JAMMING BOMB LAUNCHER “MA-T-223 KYORIKU” and STUN BOMB LAUNCHER “WS-1200 THERAPIST” where the charge shot animation would not play correctly when performed after certain actions
• Fixed a bug with STUN BOMB LAUNCHER “WS-1200 THERAPIST” where rounds would fail to explode after the time delay when fired directly beneath the player AC
• Fixed a bug with CORAL RIFLE “IB-C03W1: WLT 011” that allowed Quick Turn to be used during a fully charged attack
• Fixed a bug where regular attacks from MULTI ENERGY RIFLE “44-142 KRSV” would not collide with certain objects
• Fixed a bug when using CORAL SHIELD “IB-C03W4: NGI 028” where a full-auto weapon equipped to the left hand would fail to fire after reloading even if the attack input was continually pressed
• Fixed a bug with BULLET ORBIT “BO-044 HUXLEY” and LASER ORBIT “45-091 ORBT” where attacking with these weapons while the player AC has its back turned to the enemy would result in the initial shot to veer away from the enemy
• Fixed a bug that prevented the core expansion “Pulse Protection” from reaching its full potential against charged attacks from CORAL OSCILLATOR “IB-C03W2: WLT 101” and fully charged attacks from CORAL RIFLE “IB-C03W1: WLT 011”
• Fixed a bug that prevented cancellation of Boost Kick recovery by using Assault Boost
• Fixed a bug with Tetrapod and Tank legs that reset the time required for EN recovery with jump/ascend input when EN is fully used up
• Fixed a bug with Tetrapod and Tank legs when using Assault Boost or Quick Boost to cancel attack recovery from ranged weapons that trigger a “readying” action such as charged attacks, bazookas, grenade launchers, etc., where cancelling would cause the attack to veer off target
• Fixed a bug with Tetrapod and Tank legs when using PLASMA THROWER “44-143 HMMR” where boost movement would be disabled when attacks from this weapon would hit the terrain and deflect
• Fixed a bug with Tetrapod and Tank legs that nullified the guard state of CORAL SHIELD “IB-C03W4: NGI 028” if a ranged weapon that triggers a “readying” action such as charged attacks, bazookas, grenade launchers, etc. is used while the shield is deployed
• Fixed a bug with Tank legs that prevented the use of weapons (excluding some charge attacks) while turning on the spot
• Fixed a bug with Tank legs where the guard state of a shield would remain for a very short time after releasing the deploy input
• Fixed a bug that caused charged attack inputs to fail, and attack animations to play incorrectly during landing recovery after falling from high altitude without boost movement
• Fixed a bug that prevented boost movement from toggling on after using Assault Boost if it was previously in the off state
• Fixed a bug that caused excessive visual effects for charging an attack with a hand-held weapon under certain conditions
• Fixed a bug that removed the booster visual effect if a weapon switch was performed with Weapon Bay during Assault Boost
• Improved usability of core expansion input during Assault Boost

Mission/enemy related fixes

• During certain missions with dialogue events, the appearance of an event branching choice will no longer cause charged attacks to fire prematurely
• Fixed a bug during missions such as “Ocean Crossing” that feature the “AM06: WATCHER” enemy, where some of the enemy’s attacks fail to stagger the player AC even when the ACS Strain limit is reached
• Fixed a bug during the mission “Attack the Refueling Base” that prevented mission progress beyond defeating the boss AC
• Fixed a bug during the mission “Eliminate “Honest” Brute” that prevented acquisition of credit reward or combat logs if the Tetrapod MT is defeated due to a fall
• Fixed a bug during the mission “Tunnel Sabotage” that prevented mission progress beyond destroying the objective under certain conditions
• Fixed a bug during the mission “Prisoner Rescue” that prevented progress due to an event not triggering
• Fixed a bug that prevented the game from loading completely at the start of certain missions

Online match related fixes

• Fixed a bug with Custom Matches that prevented keywords from functioning correctly when creating a room
• In Single online matches, slow-motion effect upon defeating an opponent is now visible for all players including spectators
• Mitigated sync issues between players for projectile impact timing with attacks from certain weapons, such as bazookas and plasma rifles
• Fixed a bug with LIGHT WAVE CANNON “IA-C01W3: AURORA” where the energy balls released from an attack weren’t all being rendered
• Attacks from LIGHT WAVE CANNON “IA-C01W3: AURORA” now trigger hit detection based on the player on the receiving end of the attack
• Fixed a bug with CONTAINER MISSILE LAUNCHER “BML-G1/P29CNT” and LASER TURRET “VP-60LT” that caused attacks from these weapons to de-sync between players when manual aim mode was used

System related fixes

• Added “SYSTEM” menu to the top of the “NEST” menu
• Changed the default ordering of some parts in the Assemble menu
• Motion Blur option restored in Photo Mode. Players can now switch between Camera Blur and Motion Blur

Steam

• Fixed an issue that prevented Tank leg ACs from ascending when the game is running at a high frame rate under the 120 FPS setting