The BALTEUS boss fight in Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon Chapter 1 is an encounter that many players have struggled with and some have even found it as an encounter that ends their entire playthrough. For those who were able to overcome it, it might be terrifying to hear that the boss returns in Mission 38-B: Destroy the Drive Block and is not simply a retread but instead a battle with new tricks and moves. Players who are struggling with this fight, especially since the fight is so close to the end of the game, might need some help in defeating this Arquebus Group-controlled vessel. This guide will tell players how to defeat The ARQUEBUS BALTEUS Boss Fight in Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon.
More Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon Guides:
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon – Full Achievement and Trophy List | Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon – How to Change Weapons, Colors, and More | AC Customization Explained | Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon – OS Tuning Explained | All OS Upgrades and Which To Unlock Early | Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon – How to Defeat the HC Helicopter Boss Fight | Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon – How to Defeat The Strider Boss Fight | Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon – How to Defeat The Juggernaut Boss Fight | Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon – How to Defeat The Sulla Boss Fight | Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon – How to Defeat The Balteus Boss Fight | Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon – How to Defeat The Smart Cleaner Boss Fight | Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon – How to Defeat The Sea Spider Boss Fight | Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon – How to Play Multiplayer
How To Beat The ARQUEBUS BALTEUS Boss Fight In Armored
The build for this boss is a little different than previous encounters because before you reach ARQUEBUS BALTEUS, you do encounter another boss that you might find easier by using certain weapons that might not be super helpful against BALTEUS and vice versa. Earlier in Mission 37-B: Destroy the Drive Block, you will be forced to face off with the Chapter 2 boss Smart Cleaner and thanks to its specific weak spots, there are a few weapons that I would suggest for taking that fight on. With that in mind, I will be suggesting weapons that can be useful against both enemies but will also not some weapons that would be much better against BALTEUS if you just want to switch out your gear after a death when facing the boss.
The first thing we will cover is what I see as the most important combo in your fight against ARQUEBUS BALTEUS: A Pulse Gun and a powerful melee weapon. I would recommend bringing in either the HI-16: GU-Q1 or HI-18: GU-A2 Pulse Guns as well as the PB-033M ASHMEAD Pile Bunker. While the Pulse Guns won’t be much help against the Smart Cleaner, the Pile Bunker can do a decent amount of damage to the boss when it is staggered.
Moving onto weapons that will be a great help against the Smart Cleaner and can still be effective against ARQUEBUS BALTEUS, I suggest also bringing at least one explosive weapon into the level. Because you can only do damage and build the ACS meter by hitting certain weak spots, these explosive weapons give you a bit more leeway with your shots because the explosion radius can make up for attacks that might slightly miss the opening. These are also decent options to use against BALTEUS as well. In my playthrough, I brought the DIZZY Grenade Launcher but any other choice can be viable. You can also bring the 44-141 JVLN ALPHA Detonating Bazooka, DF-GR-07 GOU-CHEN Grenade Launcher, or even the SONGBIRDS Grenade Cannons as a Back Unit weapon.
Another strong Back Unit choice if you’d rather take something besides an explosive is the VE-60SNA Stun Needle Launcher. This is a weapon that is most useful against BALTEUS since it can cause a lot of damage to that boss’s main health bar, its ACS meter, and its shield. It is also able to build the Electric Discharge ACS Anomaly, which can add some unavoidable damage to the boss.
If you bring an Arm Unit explosive weapon, you will need to make sure that you have the Weapon Bay OS Upgrade since you will need to be able to swap to either the Pulse Gun or Pile Bunker. Speaking of OS Tuning, I would also recommend the Assault Armor OS Expansion since it can quickly cut through BALTEUS’s shield. This can be used to interrupt his powerful attacks at the start of his second phase by quickly staggering him. While these are great choices and the ones that I used, the meta DF-GA-08 HU-BEN Gatling Gun and SG-027 ZIMMERMAN Shotgun are always great choices thanks to their ability to keep pressure on a quick boss and quickly build the ACS meter.
You will need to reach the very end of Mission 38-B: Destroy the Drive Block to find V.II Snail, who is piloting the ARQUEBUS BALTEUS. This improved version of the Chapter 1 final boss trades out its rocket systems and fire attacks for several new laser and pulse attacks. He will fire two types of lasers: A charged blue laser that will give you a visual and audio cue when it is about to be fired that will deal a lot of damage if it directly hits you and a weaker purple laser that will create a small purple cloud of electricity where it hits, doing damage over time of you stand in it, making it a decent area denial tool. He will also spawn with a Pulse Shield active and will use a Pulse Gun of his own that can be fairly difficult to dodge but does very little damage. While you will need to learn to avoid these new moves, the strategy here is very similar to the one used back in Chapter 1. Use your Pulse Gun to quickly cut through his shield. Once his shield is broken, BALTEUS will also be staggered, giving you an opening to unload all of your weapons on the boss as well a fully charged Pile Bunker hit which should do around 15% of the boss’s health. If you have the Stun Needle Launcher, I would follow up a Pile Bunker hit with a shot from that launcher since the charged strike does give you a little extra time to perform a follow-up and build the Electric Discharge ACS Anomaly.
At around 50% health remaining, the ARQUEBUS BALTEUS will unleash an elective AoE just like the one used by the original BALTEUS. This will reactivate its Pulse Shield and begin its second phase. Instead of gaining a flaming melee attack, this version creates two beams of purple lasers. The boss will immediately activate these lasers and shoot them out to the side, spinning around the area as they attempt to swipe at you with the lasers. You can interrupt this attack by quickly breaking his shield with an Assault Armor and Pulse Gun. If the attack does go off, your best chance is to stay right underneath him since he spins on a slant instead of perfectly vertical. He will also gain another melee move where he brings the two lasers together and swings the at in as a single concentrated beam. As he flies around, he begins to leave a trail of purple electricity behind, creating a cloud of damage behind him as he dashes around the area. He will stop the cloud when he is stunned so you don’t need to worry about taking damage when you get in close to deal Direct Hits.
The main goal here remains the same: Break his shield and build his ACS stagger meter. The new attacks he gains in the second phase might take some time to learn how to avoid, but as you get the hang of seeing which attacks are coming at you and perfecting your timing to dodge them, you will quickly be able to repeatedly stun the ARQUEBUS BALTEUS and will eventually be able to bring down its health and defeat it.
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