Towards the end of Chapter 3 in Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, players will finally have to deal with a "loose end" from the game's opening mission. The callsign "Raven" is stolen, after all, and the previous owner wants a word.

If players want to keep the callsign "Raven," they're going to have to prove they deserve it. Piloting the AC: NIGHTFALL, Raven is a deadly foe who can tear through an unprepared player with ease. This guide will cover how to beat Raven in Armored Core 6.

Updated September 19th, 2023: The enigmatic Raven can dominate players who aren't prepared to face them. Although players will have a pretty solid grip on combat by this point, Raven provides a pretty intense challenge and can stonewall even the most advanced of pilots. The Raven fight in Armored Core 6 can be pretty tough for first-timers and some players may find themselves restarting the battle over and over in an attempt to best the ace. To better help players defeat Raven in Armored Core 6, the following guide has been updated with a video.

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Attacks

Raven is a dangerous opponent whose AC can deal a ton of damage at any range. Many of their attacks are easiest to dodge from a distance with a fast AC and players will want to be dodging because of the sheer amount of damage Raven deals.

Hover strafing should suffice to avoid Raven's long-range gunfire and quick boosting to the side will deal with missiles at that range too. The real danger at this range is signaled by the warning indicator going off. Raven will fire a volley of explosive cannon shots that should be avoided with quick boost, ideally while airborne to avoid splash damage from the explosions.

Raven will often try to close the distance by quick boosting, indicating that they will use one of three attacks once close. Raven might just fire explosive cannon shots, which can be dodged with quick boost as noted above. Alternatively, Raven might use Assault Armor to cause a huge burst of energy. If Raven begins charging assault boost (indicated by the AC curling up and emitting energy) players should boost away as quickly as possible.

Raven's third attack that they can use at close range is a charged Pile Bunker attack with their left arm. This deals tremendous damage if it connects but has a very short range. Quick Boosting away whenever Raven tries to close the distance should prevent the Pile Bunker from connecting. Players have to be on point with their dodging and make sure they don't get staggered, since Raven will exploit the stagger with a charged Pile Bunker for tremendous damage (outright killing less tanky ACs in one hit.)

Raven will heal themselves after dropping to half health the first three times, meaning their effective health bar is much bigger than it appears.

Strategy (How to Beat NIGHTFALL in Armored Core 6)

When fighting NIGHTFALL distance is crucial. At close range, Raven's AC can dish out a ton of damage but at longer ranges it is easier to dodge their attacks. Players should open fire with weapons that are effective at mid-range and/or long-range while evading Raven's attacks.

Using rifles and machine guns will allow players to deal a respectable amount of damage while keeping out of range and also building up ACS Strain to stagger Raven. Missiles can also be very useful for keeping up the pressure, especially if players stagger their missile launches to bait Raven into dodging. By firing one shoulder-mounted missile weapon and then waiting a moment or two before firing the other shoulder's missiles players can make it a lot harder for Raven to dodge all of them.

Equipping Assault Armor can be surprisingly useful here since Raven will often attempt to hit the player with their Pile Bunker if the player gets staggered. As Raven charges in players can use Assault Armor to stun them out of the attack and recover. Raven's patterns do not change as their health drops. This means that players can use the same strategy for the entire battle, as long as they are careful not to get hit too much.

Build Recommendations (Best Build)

When fighting an opponent like Raven speed and range are crucial. Players will want an AC capable of moving fast enough to evade NIGHTFALL's ranged attacks and equipped with weapons capable of striking back at that range. Reverse Joint legs are useful for extra vertical movement which can help with evading incoming fire.

Here's an effective build for fighting Raven:

This is a double-trigger build using Assault Rifles and split missiles to keep up the pressure on Raven and dish out FCS strain. While it can take some time to tear through all of Raven's health, especially since Raven is able to self-heal, it's a safe and reliable way to bring Raven down. Players using this build should keep some space between themselves and Raven to ensure that they don't get hit with the Pile Bunker since this build doesn't have much armor to work with.

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