Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is now on its way, and fans won't have to wait long for it to arrive. This resurrection of FromSoftware's long-standing mech series will bring players a new, heavily customizable adventure on the war-torn, post-apocalyptic planet of Rubicon-3. Although Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is a major departure from FromSoftware's recent Soulslike titles, developer statements have noted that lessons learned from making them will carry over into it.
Right now, Armored Core 6 looks like a true return to Armored Core’s particular style of gameplay. Different mech parts will grant players new capabilities, and gameplay will take the form of missions with varying lengths and objectives. How much Souls DNA carries over into Armored Core 6 won't be known until after the game launches, but it's a safe bet that there won't be much. With that said, FromSoftware's Soulslike titles built up the developer's reputation for a reason, and it may want to bring one of its proven post-launch practices to Armored Core 6.
FromSoftware Has a Talent for Crafting Major Expansions
Major downloadable expansions are almost synonymous with the Soulslike genre. The modular nature of Soulsborne areas lends itself well to new portions being bolted on, potentially leading to massive side adventures that can take hours to fully explore. So far, every FromSoftware Soulslike has received paid DLC except for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Demon's Souls. With other Soulslike titles such as the Nioh series and The Surge 2 also springing for post-launch DLC, it's safe to say that this is a healthy trend in the genre.
At some point in the near future, Elden Ring is expected to receive its own major expansion titled Shadow of the Erdtree, and it may be the biggest yet. This devotion to major expansions now suggests that Armored Core 6 will also follow suit. Most of the Armored Core franchise predates DLC as modern gamers know it, and even the later titles on seventh-generation consoles only had minor DLC that was largely cosmetic. Downloadable story missions would be a major change for Armored Core, but Armored Core 6 is the perfect testing ground for innovations like that.
Armored Core Could Supplement Its Sixth Generation With DLC
DLC like Dark Souls' Artorias of the Abyss, Dark Souls 2's The Lost Crowns, and Bloodborne's The Old Hunters all stand out as some of the most memorable parts of their respective games. It would be great to see an Armored Core title get the sort of lore expansions and creative fights that these expansions produced. That goes without mentioning the additional DLC sales that FromSoftware and Bandai Namco would get if Armored Core 6 was already successful.
One other benefit of introducing a Soulsborne-style expansion to Armored Core 6 is that it could allow the game to embody an entire generation of Armored Core. This would work similarly to what Monster Hunter World did with its Iceborne expansion. Armored Core chronological generations normally consist of an initial entry with a simple numbered title, and then a set of subtitled games to expand on the gameplay before a full transition is ready.
With a major expansion, Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon could offer the entire sixth generation of Armored Core in one package. That's not even getting into the opportunity for more PvE and PvP balance changes and new machine parts as potential DLC. An expansion would be great for Armored Core 6, and FromSoftware hopefully has something like it in mind already.
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is now in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
