Armored Core patch 1.02 is out now, and among the details, one of the more noteworthy features is that the patch has “adjusted certain attacks performed” by both Balteus and the Sea Spider, widely seen to be two of the hardest bosses in the new game.
Sadly, it’s difficult to get a read on just how the two bosses have been affected. You’d expect the bosses to have been negatively impacted by Armored Core patch 1.02, since they’re both seen as incredibly dominant already, but with FromSoftware's patch notes you just never know - the notes themselves merely state that the developer has "adjusted certain attacks" from each of the bosses. Over on the Armored Core 6 subreddit, there’s already people speaking about Balteus as if it’s dead, and they’re very much projecting their desires here.
Balteus, for what it’s worth, is probably the more difficult of the two bosses. It’s all about where the boss fight takes place in Armored Core 6 - since it happens right at the end of Chapter 1, the player hasn’t unlocked the vast majority of the game’s arsenal and mech parts, so they’ve got relatively limited tools to play around with. Balteus is seen as the first major challenge for Armored Core newcomers, and for good reason.
Elsewhere, assault rifles have seen a big buff. Turner and Scudder have both seen increased attack power and projectile speed, as well as having their reload times reduced. This is going down an absolute treat on the subreddit, as players have had their prayers answered for rifle buffs, effectively buffing some of the most common weapons in the entire game.
On Bandai Namco’s website though, FromSoftware writes that the new patch is “focused on balance adjustments that will allow players more build diversity in the early and mid-game when assembling their AC.” This is probably why assault rifles have been buffed, and why Balteus has been adjusted - assault rifles are one of the most highly-used types of weapon early in Armored Core 6, and Balteus is the most difficult boss in the opening hours.
The website also notes that “PvP oriented balance adjustments will be released at a future date,” indicating there’s a significant patch on the way relatively soon. FromSoftware could be about to rebalance some of the main weapons and frames on the PvP scene, like blades and Songbirds.
If you’re still experimenting with different sorts of builds and weapons, be sure to read our Armored Core 6 builds guide for some of the best combinations in the game.
