In Armored Core 6, players will face off with a number of dangerous foes. One particularly massive opponent players will face at the end of Chapter 3 is the Ice Worm. This Institute-made C-Weapon is fuelled by Coral and has an incredibly powerful two-layered shield which makes it very difficult to hurt.

Defeating the Ice Worm in Armored Core 6 requires the collaboration of several different factions the player has worked with up to this point. As such, players have AI ACs supporting them for most of the fight by taking out drones and providing additional firepower. This boss could be considered a spiritual successor to the fights with the Storm King, Yhorm the Giant, and Praetor Rykard, from previous FromSoftware titles. It requires players to utilize a special weapon that is provided to them right before the fight to overcome the Ice Worm's shield.

Updated September 14th, 2023: Players that want to make it to the end of AC6 will have to content with the Ice Worm during their adventure. This massive creature is pretty imposing and can dish out decent damage for those unprepared. To better showcase the Ice Worm in Armored Core 6 is capable of, as well as the best methods to beat it, the following guide has been updated with a video that shows the boss battle.

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Attacks

The Ice Worm spends most of the fight diving in and out of the ground while launching energy projectiles and missiles. These can be avoided by staying on the move, quick boosting when missiles are getting close, and keeping track of Ice Worm's position using the compass/radar at the bottom of the screen.

After it recovers from getting its shield broken for the first time, the Ice Worm will deploy drones to provide it with covering fire. These launch more energy projectiles and missiles, which can be avoided in the same way as the Worm's own projectiles and should be destroyed as soon as possible.

The Ice Worm can also attack by bursting out of the ground under a target, though it will almost never land this attack on the player if they keep moving. It will also sometimes slam its head down onto the ground after surfacing, causing a burst of energy that lingers on the ground in a cone in front of it. This can be avoided by jumping into the air as it slams down and hovering.

After the Ice Worm has had its shield broken twice, it will charge up a massive explosion centered on itself. This can be dodged by backing away once it starts to recover from the second shield break. This explosion will remove most of the AI allies from the fight, except for Chatty. Chatty will stick around until the player lands a shot on the Ice Worm's shield again.

Strategy

The Ice Worm can only be rendered vulnerable through the combined efforts of the player and Rusty. Players will need to get in front of the Worm and land a shot on its head with the VE-60SNA shoulder weapon, which is provided to the player when this mission is unlocked. Since it has a short wind-up before firing players will need to time their shots carefully. The easiest way to hit the Ice Worm is by waiting for it to perform the slam attack, jumping into the air, and firing the shot in the air as it finishes the slam.

After landing a shot with the VE-60SNA, Rusty will charge the Rail Cannon and use it to ground the Ice Worm. Players should then unload on the Ice Worm's head and try to deal as much damage as possible before it can recover. Take out its drones and repeat this process to start the second phase. The Ice Worm begins phase 2 with an explosion, so players will need to back away after it recovers from the stun to avoid getting caught in the blast.

Once phase 2 begins, players will need to land two shots with the VE-60SNA to break the Ice Worm's outer shield for Rusty. The shield doesn't regenerate, so players can take their time dodging and lining up their shots. Once Rusty grounds the Worm one last time, players should unload on it with everything they've got to empty its health bar and finish off the fight.

Build Recommendations (Best Build)

When it comes to fighting the Ice Worm, players will want to stay on the move to avoid its attacks. Reverse-jointed or tetrapod legs are preferable for mobility and agility here. Being able to quickly get into the air to avoid the slam attack is essential since that attack can do a lot of damage if it connects.

Players will need to equip the VE-60SNA on their right shoulder to deal with the Ice Worm's shield. Otherwise, players can equip their preferred loadout of weapons to dish out damage to the Worm, though it's important to note that the mission will auto-fail if the Worm isn't killed after Rusty's final Rail Cannon shot. This means that dealing as much damage as possible whenever the Worm is grounded is crucial.

Here's a build that is fairly good at taking down the Ice Worm:

This build uses tetrapod legs for improved mobility on the ground and in the air, with a gatling gun and rocket launcher to dish out damage. Players who prefer rate of fire over explosive power might consider dual-wielding the gatling guns instead.

Armored Core 6 is available for PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.