There are several moments in Armored Core 6 that require players to choose one of two Decision Missions. In almost all cases, those choices only affect which mission from the Decision Mission pair is accessible during the current playthrough, and fans should feel free to make their selections based on preference alone. That said, there are bigger consequences associated with the Chapter 5 decision in Armored Core 6, and this guide is here to elaborate on that statement.
For full clarity, this guide primarily focuses on the Chapter 5 decision that is accessible before a player has earned the game's first two endings. Indeed, while the decision can still appear in playthroughs after seeing those endings, players are likely to be pursuing the path that leads to Armored Core 6's third ending at that point. While this guide will not fully detail that path, in an attempt to minimize spoilers, it is worth mentioning that it does circumvent the Chapter 5 decision.
Armored Core 6: Chapter 5 Decision Guide
The decision in Chapter 5 manifests as a Decision Mission pair that appears after completing Take the Uninhabited Floating City. Specifically, players must select between Intercept the Corporate Forces and Eliminate "Cinder" Carla, and the choice determines the ending that they will receive. Again, none of the preceding decisions have any impact on this, and players that are trying to earn different endings only need to concern themselves with the Chapter 5 Decision Mission in Armored Core 6.
With respect to exactly how the Chapter 5 decision is connected to the game's ending, selecting Intercept the Corporate Forces leads to the Fires of Raven ending, while selecting Eliminate "Cinder" Carla leads to the Liberator of Rubicon ending. While it very difficult to label these conclusions as either "good" or "bad," the Liberator of Rubicon ending is typically considered to be the lesser of the two evils. That said, Armored Core 6 players are advised to perform at least two playthroughs, choosing Intercept the Corporate Forces in one and Eliminate "Cinder" Carla in the other, in order to form their own opinions on the two endings.
As previously noted, players that do earn both of these conclusions will have the ability to reach the third ending during an NG++ playthrough of Armored Core 6. Fans that are interested in doing that should make sure to play Escort the Weaponized Mining Ship during Chapter 1, and, again, they will not need to worry about the Chapter 5 decision that has just been detailed.
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X.
