History Characters / ArmoredCoreVICorporations

* EvilBrit: Most of Arquebus' personnel speak in refined, upper clas British tones, and are decidedly antagonistic to 621 in all endings.
* ForceAndFinesse: At least in terms of market, Arquebus styles itself as the refined "finesse" to Balam's brute force military mindset. Their focus on EnergyWeapons (which are more lightweight and power-intensive than kinetics and explosives) also leans them slightly in favour of FragileSpeedster machines.

* EnergyWeapon: Schneider's entry into weapon AC parts includes energy, plasma and pulse based attacks, oftentimes including [[ChargedAttack powerful charged blasts as a secondary feature]] that covers a large area. Their main drawback is the high EN loads most parts have that require powerful generators to fuel them. Furthermore, any generator with an Energy Firearm Spec below 100 will cause most energy weapons to deal less damage than normal, demanding specialized generators to accompany their needs.

* FatalFlaw: Snail's arrogance is already causing him to underestimate others and be disliked by everyone it unsurprisingly causes his undoing in the "Liberator of Rubicon" route. [[spoiler:After being either ignored or bested by 621 he will personally pilot a redesigned BALTEUS to eliminate them, it is a completely unnecessary battle and Snail is so incensed by the perceived disrespect he is unable to eject in time.]]

* AFatherToHisMen: PlayedWith. There's a fair amount of evidence that he sees himself as a stern but sincere father figure to his troops. After switching sides from Furlong to Balam post-Jupiter War, he even posted a bounty on himself, stipulating that half the payout would go to the men of his old fleet. That said, his ToughLove can veer into extremely abusive at his worst. It's heavily implied that this, along with his crude, simplistic tactics, is responsible for Balam's poor performance against Arquebus and the RLF. Despite this, he's shown to know even his non-AC troops by name, and if [[spoiler:621 fails their assassination attempt]], he is heard calling for stretchers to help the wounded. A low bar, but still more care than any of the other corporate types show for their soldiers, especially non-elites.

* FrontlineGeneral: He's the leader of the Redguns and one of the most important people in Balam. He still takes to the frontlines in his AC Liger Tail, first against the Ice Worm [[spoiler:and second when he moves in with his entire MT battalion to eliminate you.]]

* GeneralFailure: A walking demonstration that [[ThePeterPrinciple peerless piloting skills do not translate to peerless leadership skills]]. His corporate rivals in Arquebus have little but disdain and mockery for him, and considering how regularly and easily they outmaneuver him, it's not hard to see why. His tactics don't really have any greater depth than 'throw steel at a problem and hope it goes away', his peculiar obsession with 621 means the independent merc is routinely EasilyForgiven for PlayingBothSides even when their antics do serious damage to Balam (up to and including bullying and demoralizing his own troops with 621's superior performance [[spoiler:even when they're literally coming for his head]]), and his constant DrillSergeantNasty attitude has created a downright toxic internal culture in Balam's armed forces that further degrades their combat effectiveness.

* KilledOffScreen: [[spoiler:If you opt to assassinate V.V Hawkins and V.VIII Pater instead of Michigan when given the choice Arquebus sends Rusty to kill him instead, with Walter only making mention of it once you return from your own assassination job.]]

* ToughLove: Deconstructed. His bullying DrillSergeantNasty demeanor appears to have this as its rationale, but without any positive reinforcement, it turns his troops into either suicidal fanatics desperate for his approval or bitter washouts with little (if any) motivation to follow his orders. The Redguns are fairly evenly split between both, and it's horribly degraded their combat effectiveness.

* FragileSpeedster: Schneider's AC parts have a heavy focus in speed and maneuverability on both ground and air, but ''especially'' in the air. However, none of Schneider's parts provide high load capacity or high durability. This is specially true with their Lammergeier frame, for it's both the fastest in the air and most frail AC frame ever made, to the point that the core unit has little armor plating covering the core where the pilot is. Furthermore, all Schneider AC parts have high EN Loads, demanding powerful generators if you use a great deal of Schneider AC frame parts, making it tricky to find the right generator that isn't too heavy to hold back the AC's speed.
* NoOSHACompliance: The Lammergeier frame’s core piece is absurdly unsafe as it lacks any meaningful armor plating where the AC pilot is located, [[FragileSpeedster pilot safety be damned in exchange for improved aerodynamic movement]]. The head piece even humorously states that defensive performance was never a consideration, and Arquebus HQ’s only complaint with the original concept was they didn’t want the front legs of the Lammergeier’s tetrapod being the arms (or more accurately, wings), so more standard arms were included instead.
* TechnicianVsPerformer: Their AC parts lean towards performance, relying on fast movement and flashy aerial combat for light weight [=ACs=] to evade enemy tracking abilities. Their light weight AC competitor Elcano, on the other hand, focused on creating more defensively balanced light weight frame AC parts with higher load capacity to use heavier equipment, trading speed for versatility in build compositions.

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: It's not all pretentions that makes them look down on the Redguns, the pilots are professionals and all got augmented while the Redguns have a few criminals that chose this over jail and their AC are top of the line, with some pilots even using Balam parts if it optimize their assembly.

** Entirely [[AvertedTrope averted]] with the relatively normal V.VI Maeterlinck, and the levelheaded and affable V.IV Rusty, despite both being Gen 8 augmented. Also averted with V.I Freud, who is a [[BloodKnight psychopath obsessed with fighting]] who happens to be [[BadassNormal entirely unaugmented]].

Rank 1 in the arena, Freud pilots LOCKSMITH, a medium-weight AC that, despite being a Vesper, utilizes Balam parts in its loadout. He also has a unique Laser Drone launcher that launches six of them that provide supporting fire and pursue the target.

A Balam Industries subsidiary with a MightyGlacier design philosophy summarized by their motto.

Rank 2 in the arena, Michigan pilots the LIGER TAIL, a midweight tetrapod AC that, most notably, is armed with the HU-BEN Gatling Gun and TAI-YANG-SHOU Explosive Thrower.

* AFatherToHisMen: PlayedWith. There's a fair amount of evidence that he sees himself as a stern but sincere father figure to his troops. After switching sides from Furlong to Balam post-Jupiter War, he even posted a bounty on himself, stipulating that half the payout would go to the men of his old fleet. That said, his ToughLove can veer into extremely abusive at his worst. It's heavily implied that this, along with his crude, simplistic tactics, is responsible for Balam's poor performance against Arquebus and the RLF. Despite this, he's shown to know even his non-Redgun troops by name, and if [[spoiler:621 fails their assassination attempt]], he is heard calling for stretchers to help the wounded. A low bar, but still more care than any of the other corporate types show for their soldiers, especially non-elites.

Rank 7 in the arena, Nile pilots DEEP DOWN, a heavyweight bipedal AC notable for both its mix of Melander and Tian-Qiang parts, as well as the three different types of missile weapons equipped.

* MacrossMissileMassacre: 3 of DEEP DOWN's 4 weapons are missiles. Amusingly, each missile launcher is of a different type (Active Homing, Vertical Launch, and Normal/Direct Fire), embodying the underlying principle of the "Itano Circus" in a near-pure way.

Rank 17 in the arena, Volta pilots the AC CANNON HEAD. It's a heavyweight tank AC capable of oppressive fire from long distances, and notably equipped with Dafeng's GOU-CHEN Grenade Launcher and Balam's long-range ZIMMERMAN shotgun.

Rank 27 in the arena, Red pilots HERMIT, a medium-weight MELANDER frame AC that most notably uses a LING-TAI Generator.

The TESTER AC is a heavyweight TIAN-QIANG frame AC that featured an Active Homing Missile and several Rubiconian parts, such as the [=RaD=] 12345 booster and the BAWS RANSETSU-AR.

* SuperPrototype: He was in charge to pilot one that 621 is tasked to destroy. Unfortunately for the student the strong points of the prototype were compatibility and higher possibility of customization, the student doesn't have multiple parts to try on hand and the difference in experience is too great for him to stand a chance with basic equipment even if he gets better response.

* MacrossMissileLauncher: Of the energy variety. VCPL has several plasma missile launchers that can inflict chip damage even when the enemy isn't directly hit.

* GatlingGood: One weapon from Dafeng's arsenal is the [=DF-GA-08 Hu-Ben=], a Gatling gun that gives unsurpassed suppressive fire and can easily stagger enemies from sheer volume.

* ThemeNaming: Dafeng's arsenal and components reference Chinese mythology, befitting the company's pretensions to the MightyGlacier design philosophy.

Seventh squad leader of the Vespers, Swinburne is an immensely paranoid pilot. In Chapter 3, the Rubicon Liberation Front asks 621 to assassinate him to weaken Arquebus.

Rank 23 in the arena, Swinburne pilots a GUIDANCE, an Arquebus model tetrapod AC that uses the [=VP-67EB=] STUN BATON, allowing buildup of Electrical Discharge, and the EARSHOT grenade launcher to devastate you from a distance.

Rank 23 in the arena, Swinburne pilots a GUIDANCE, an Arquebus model tetrapod AC that most notably uses the [=VP-67EB=] Stun Baton, allowing buildup of Electrical Discharge.

* DidntSeeThatComing: You can potentially accept his offer so that he'll drop his shields and let his guard down -- and then finish him off when he least expects it. It's obvious that it completely caught him out as he dies in terror.
* FailedASpotCheck: You can actually opt to approach him and get noticed rather than ambush him, where he temporarily fails to realize you're ''not'' Arquebus back-up for a solid bit of irritated dialogue before finally noticing something is up and that you're [[BlatantLies clearly disguised and trying to trick him.]]
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Pater and Snail will ship him off to reeducation if he is spared due to how cowardly he was, and as far as the rest of the Vespers go, it seems no one gives a single damn about his fate either way. This is largely a result of his overbearing paranoia, which his Arena profile describes as "the final jewel to crown his odious personality."

* {{Irony}}: For all his paranoia, Swinburne lets his guard down way too easily as you can ambush him or simply stand there until he realizes you're not a friendly unit.
* KnowWhenToFoldThem: Unlike most pilots who will fight to the death or eject, Swinburne's enough of a coward once he ran his repair kits dry that he'll try to bribe his way to survival knowing 621 will explicitly kill him otherwise.
* LaserGuidedKarma: When you approach him, he is gloating about how the Balam soldiers he has just defeated will be subject to "re-education". [[spoiler:If you take his offer, after the mission, V.VIII Pater contacts you afterwards to thank you for your work and notes that because of his cowardly actions, Swinburne will be subjected to "re-education" himself.]]

* MortonsFork: If attacked from behind by 621, Swinburne will be furious at the cheap trick. However, even if 621 politely walks in front of him to announce their presence, it takes ''several'' lines of dialog before the Vesper realizes you're not one of his troops. He then angrily rants about 621's entirely unintentional 'disguise.'
* OneHitKill: If you wear him down enough to make his offer, accept to spare him and then [[ILied attack him anyway]], he'll always go down in one hit, presumably having let his guard down so hard that even the AC's defenses weren't ready. You can even kill him with [[CherryTapping a bullet or a single punch.]]
* TheParanoiac: His Arena bio notes that the augmentation surgery left him a paranoid wreck. Swinburne didn't feel any side effects pilots that go through augmentations do which worries him a lot and makes him paranoid.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Of Patch The Good Luck from ''For Answer'', and ''[=FromSoftware=]'''s RecurringCharacter Patches overall. Swinburne, like these characters has a mismatched loadout, and is a DirtyCoward to boot. They beg for mercy when cornered, and their respective missions allow them to retreat and reward the player with credits. This time, Swinburne is punished for his cowardice, and you have to fight BetrayalInsurance Rokumonsen from the RLF in order to earn this outcome.

* ArcNumber: His arena rank is 9, a significant number throughout the series that is attached to important characters. Just like White Glint before him, despite being nowhere near the top [[spoiler: He is a lot stronger than his rank implies. He takes on the mission to wipe out the Redguns himself and wins, and this is against over 50 [=MTs=] and a higher ranked mercenary. And this is before he gets ORTUS]]

* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Much like Mirage from ''VideoGame/ArmoredCore3'' and Interior Union from ''VideoGame/ArmoredCoreForAnswer'', Arquebus often tries to stab the player character in the back in the middle of their own missions, first ordering Rusty to pull back during Operation: Wallclimber in the hopes that you will be killed against the Juggernaut and the Vespers can swoop in to take the full credit, then later setting you up to fight against Rusty in the hopes that the two of you will eliminate each other.

* AttackDrone: The VCPL Vvc-700LD Laser Drones are his unique asset in his otherwise mundane AC loadout, which no other pilot uses. Carla specifically warns 621 of them and that only someone like him can use them as well as he does. Players can acquire it for themselves by beating his simulation in the Arena.

* UnusableEnemyEquipment: Subverted. While you don't get all the parts right away, players can create their own STEEL HAZE AC unit via story progression and the Parts Shop. [[spoiler:His AceCustom STEEL HAZE ORTUS is also unlocked for your personal use in NewGamePlus after completing "Fires of Raven", though you'll need his AC Data in the Arena, in a ''third'' playthrough, to get the full parts list.]]

* TheGhost: Other than his arena data, he makes no appearance in or out of mission on a new game cycle. NG+ cycles see him get a proper introduction in mission... [[WeHardlyKnewYe where he is killed by the player about a minute or two after he appears.]]

-->'''Nile''': ''(if the player is brought to low health)'' Lost your nerve? Pathetic, G13. What did Michigan see in you?

* NotSoHarmlessVillain: As an AC pilot Iguazu is nothing to write home about, with a rather basic build and fighting style that most players will have no trouble countering. By the time NG++ rolls around, he's little more than a speed bump for a properly set up player. [[spoiler: This all changes when he allows himself to be uploaded into ALLMIND in order to kill 621. He then proceeds to override ALLMIND during the final boss battle to become the TrueFinalBoss. Armed with the SOL 644, he quickly proves to be one of the hardest boss fights in the game due to his new AC and more aggressive fighting style.]]

* FallingIntoTheCockpit: The student pilot was only assigned to the Dafeng test AC to deliver it to the proper Redguns, only to end up in actual combat when the Arquebus Corporation hires the player to destroy the craft. [[DeconstructedTrope He's effortlessly killed by 621.]]

* OffscreenMomentofAwesome: [[spoiler: It's implied that he was the one who finished off Walter and Carla in the "Alea Iacta Est" route in a rather one sided engagement. Although the latter two were no doubt heavily worn down from fighting Allmind's other ACs, they were still both highly skilled AC pilots with Walter even being the final boss in another route.]]

* FatalFlaw: Snail's arrogance is already causing him to underestimate others and be disliked by everyone it unsurprisingly cause his undoing in the "Liberator of Rubicon" route. [[spoiler:After being either ignored or bested by 621 he will personally pilot a redesigned BALTHEUS to eliminate them, it is a completely unnecessary battle and Snail is so incensed by the perceived disrespect he is unable to withdraw in time.]]

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: The one person that Snail does not look upon on is [[TheDreaded Freud]], his technical superior. While firm when communicating with Freud, Snail is noticeably more polite and to-the-point rather than taking his time to sneer at someone. It's also noticeable that Snail will only consider calling upon Freud for missions when he's absolutely necessary, going so far as to accept Walter's proposal to send 621 to take the Wall from the Rubicon Liberation Front than trust the number one ranked Vesper. [[spoiler:When 621 does fight Freud on the Xylem in the “Fires of Raven” route, it shows that Snail was right to be cautious about utilizing Freud. He immediately chafes at the idea of taking orders at all, and once he realizes that 621 is a WorthyOpponent, it leads to Freud's BloodKnight tendencies getting the best of him and takes the opportunity to fight 621 instead.]]

* PurpleIsPowerful: His AC is a hulking purple mecha with a lot of energy weapons.

* TheStrategist: Most of the missions Arquebus come from him. While informed and well-thought out, Snail would instead have 621 be disposed of as soon as it's viable, so that Arquebus can reap the benefits at the expense of others.[[spoiler:He makes sure to use either Rusty or 621 to clear out Balam before having them kill each other, having figured out they have agenda of their own.]]
* UncertainDoom: On the "Fires of Raven" route, [[spoiler:unlike in "Liberator of Rubicon," he never personally sorties to stop the Xylem, sending V.I Freud in his stead. He is then unheard from for the remainder of the story. Given the expansive range of the cataclysmic destruction, it's just as likely he would've been caught trying to escape unless humanity has access to faster-than-light travel.]]
* VillainousBreakdown: During [[spoiler:his boss fight in the "Liberator of Rubicon" path]], he has a progressive one as you [[spoiler:deal more and more damage to his piloted Balteus unit]], ranting about the "dolts at command" and the Rubiconian "rabble", and finally proclaiming that he ''is'' Arquebus. His final "words" make clear he died ''exceptionally'' painfully as well, and his scream as he dies is humiliatingly shrill and nasal.
* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Part of why he ends up angry at command [[spoiler: he was ordered to capture 621 alive for re-education]] and it backfired hard.

* BadBoss: While Walter is pragmatic in his relationship with the augmented humans under his employ, especially 621, he at least values their abilities since they get the job done. Snail is the exact opposite and will use anyone and everyone as sacrificial pawns to get what he wants. [[spoiler: In "Reach the Coral Convergence", he purposefully leaves his troops and a fellow Vesper to die at 621's hands. Further still, when 621 returns to strike back at Arquebus, [[UnderestimatingBadassery he dismisses them as a "triviality" and leaves his grunts to deal with them.]] As 621 runs over all of them and cuts a large swathe in his advance force, he barely reacts at all beyond slight annoyance.]]

* BigBad: In the [[spoiler:”Liberator of Rubicon”]] route Snail poses the biggest threat while leading Arquebus forces to the entire planet. [[spoiler:But even then, nobody could’ve suspected the possibility of a GreaterScopeVillain, ALLMIND, watching from the shadows. And in the “Alea Iacta Est” route they play their hand, crushing Snail’s ambitions even with his newfound PCA tech at hand.]]
* BiggerStick: A firm believer in using his PositionOfLiteralPower to give himself the biggest possible stick. Apart from his perfectly (and expensively) adjusted SuperSoldier augmentations, OPEN FAITH is a behemoth heavy biped loaded with the latest and deadliest Arquebus tech. [[spoiler:After 621 tears it apart in the Liberator of Rubicon route, he upgrades to an AceCustom version of the PCA's Balteus assault craft.]]
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: He's just not a trustworthy partner or employer. Any job you or anyone else takes for him carries the risks of him sacrificing you or otherwise screwing you over to ensure that he earns more than you do. [[spoiler:One of his most spectacularly dickish moves involves hiring you and Rusty to investigate Watchpoint Alpha in a multi-mission chain, and then finishing it off by telling both of you that the other has gone rogue, in the hope that you'll kill each other off.]]

** Rather than attempt to kill [[spoiler:621 himself, he instead allows them to demolish his troops and take on the Ibis series mech controlled by the Coral and uses a stun launcher to lock down their AC afterward when they're exhausted]].
** Later, [[spoiler: in the Liberator of Rubicon route, Snail waits until 621 has disabled the Xylem's drive block before making his move with BALTEUS. While he admits during the battle that he's only attacking 621 at all [[EvilIsPetty for personal reasons,]] he at least has enough patience to let 621 [[NiceJobBreakingItHero do his own work for him,]] first.]]
* DragonInChief: He's prone to screaming that he ''is'' Arquebus when a situation turns against him, and to be fair to him, this actually seems to be fairly accurate. Freud is an AuthorityInNameOnly who's just Snail's BloodKnight attack dog, and the off-world Arquebus executives appear to have little (if any) influence on how he and the rest of the Vespers conduct their business. He's the commander-in-chief of all Arquebus operations on Rubicon, whether military or scientific, and has no difficulty whatsoever in diverting company resources towards his own ends. [[spoiler:It's why he effectively ends up as the BigBad of the Liberator of Rubicon route, with Carla and Chatty quickly being killed off, ALLMIND having no reason to intervene, and Walter ending up ReforgedIntoAMinion to serve as little more than a vehicle for his posthumous revenge against you.]]
* EvilIsPetty: As he freely admits in his MotiveRant, this is the reason for his continued involvement in the Liberator of Rubicon route. [[spoiler:With "Cinder" Carla and "Chatty" Stick gone and the Xylem safely crippled, there's no reason for him to send the entire Arquebus fleet and his own AceCustom assault craft against it. The only reason he picks a fight with 621 is that they tried to kill Snail on their way to deal with OVERSEER. Or, if you chose not to engage him, he's instead furious that 621 ignored him.]]
* HateSink: Arrogant, smug, conniving, convinced of his own superiority over even his own superiors, apathetic to others, and the list goes on. From was ''not'' trying to make Snail even remotely likable. This makes it all the more satisfying when [[spoiler:you finally get to kill him.]]
* IAmTheNoun: As mentioned elsewhere, he regards himself as ''being'' Arquebus. He's not entirely wrong though; having benefitted from every single augmentation procedure they provide makes Snail a living embodiment of Arquebus's ideals and visions for what a human ought to be.

* ItsAllAboutMe: [[spoiler:On the Liberator of Rubicon route]], he makes it clear that he views himself ''as'' Arquebus, seeing as how [[spoiler:whether or not you shot him down or ignored him on the route to Carla, he takes your action as an insult to himself and the company as a whole.]]
* {{Jerkass}}: Notorious in-game as perhaps the single biggest asshole on Rubicon - nearly everyone who's interacted with him socially has some sort of horror story about the experience. He's an overwhelmingly arrogant, abrasive InsufferableGenius who's always condescending at best and viciously rude at worst in his spoken dialogue.
* LackOfEmpathy: Snail believes human lives to be a cheap currency to spend in pursuit of his ambitions, either by sacrificing his troops to secure military/political victories so often that it becomes a matter of ChronicBackstabbingDisorder or by engaging in industrial-scale human experimentation to secure his PositionOfLiteralPower. This naturally also carries over into his social interactions with others, where he's never anything but an arrogant, condescending {{Jerkass}}.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: The one person that Snail does not look upon on is [[TheDreaded Freud]], his technical superior. While firm when communicating with Freud, Snail is noticeably more polite and to-the-point rather than taking his time to sneer at someone. It's also noticeable that Snail will only consider calling upon Freud for missions when he's absolutely necessary, going so far as to accept Walter's proposal to send 621 to take the Wall from the Rubicon Liberation Front than trust the number one ranked Vesper. [[spoiler:When 621 does fight Freud on the Xylem in the “Fires of Raven” route, it shows that Snail was right to be cautious about utilizing Freud. He immediately chafes at the idea of taking orders at all, and once he realizes that 621 is a WorthyOpponent, it leads to Freud's BloodKnight tendencies getting the best of him and takes the opportunity to fightfight 621 instead.]]

Officially the Deputy Commander of the Vespers, Snail is actually its ''de facto'' leader.

* BigBadWannabe: By the end of the game [[spoiler:he ends up being quite inconsequential due to Carla and Walter's plan to start a new Fire of Ibis or ALLMIND making her move eclipsing his corporate schemes. He is just as offended by 621 ignoring him than trying to kill him.]]

* BadassBookworm: Obnoxious SmugSnake he may be, he's a genuinely talented strategist and scientist who plays a key role in leading his corporation to victory against their enemies in Balam and the PCA (and in exploiting the fruits of their victory), and backs it up with solid piloting chops to make sure his BiggerStick rides hit as hard as they should. Even Rusty, who's no fan of his, admits he's 'second to none' in the Vespers.
* BadBoss: While Walter is pragmatic in his relationship with the augmented humans under his employ, especially 621, he at least values their abilities since they get the job done. Snail is the exact opposite and will use anyone and everyone as sacrificial pawns to get what he wants. In "Reach the Coral Convergence", [[spoiler:he purposefully leaves his troops and a fellow Vesper to die at 621's hands.]] Further still, [[spoiler:[[UnderestimatingBadassery when 621 returns to strike back at Arquebus, he merely dismisses them as a "triviality" and leaves his grunts to deal with them.]] As 621 inevitably runs over all of them and cuts a large swathe in his advance force, he barely reacts at all beyond slight annoyance.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''V.II Snail:''' "...Seems they weren't so trivial after all."]]

One of the two largest conglomerates attempting to exploit Rubicon-3's Coral, and a major AC parts manufacturer. The Arquebus Corporation focuses on sleek, high performance parts and energy weapons. Rival to Balam Industries.

* WeCanRuleTogether: His last words when struck down are to wryly ask 621 if they want to be a Vesper.

One of the two largest conglomerates attempting to exploit Rubicon 3's Coral, and a major AC parts manufacturer. Balam is a blunt, highly militaristic corporation, whose simple yet effective AC designs follow a K.I.S.S. principle. The Arquebus Corporation is their main rival.

* MacrossMissileMassacre: Furlong's weapon lineup specializes in missiles. Their most extensive shoulder weapon platform can launch up to ''sixteen'' missiles at once, and [=ACs=] can equip two of them. You can also equip handheld missile launchers to further increase the amount.
* MeaningfulName: Furlong is a unit of measurement that is equal to one-eighth of a mile. It's fitting for a company specializing in missiles and guidance systems.
* NeutralInNameOnly: Several hidden comms records reveal that Furlong — despite appearing to be neutral and willing to cut deals with anyone — is making some serious moves behind the scenes while Balam and Arquebus continue to fight each other. [[spoiler:It turns out they've been working with Elcano Foundry, a third party who deals exclusively with the Rubicon Liberation Front and is being bankrolled by BAWS. Furlong offered to lend its technological expertise to Elcano to help them develop the ALBA model AC for Rubicon Liberation Front.]]
* WildCard: A hidden comms record reveals an independent mercenary talking about various corporations besides the main two (Arquebus and Balam). The mercenary notes that while Furlong is acting openly as a neutral party willing to sell to anyone, the company is far too crafty and ambitious to be satisfied with merely selling products on an open market, so they are more than likely pursuing a hidden goal of their own. [[spoiler:Furlong is revealed to be working on the sly with Elcano, helping develop their new AC model ALBA, which is designed to put the Rubicon Liberation Front on an even keel with the latest generation [=ACs=] being fielded by Arquebus and Balam.]]

An Arquebus subsidiary, Schneider focuses on AC parts built for aerial combat. Its parts emphasize aerial mobility.

* BodyMotifs: Except for Rusty and O'Keefe, all of the Vespers' personal emblems depict silhouettes of human bodies or body parts being cut apart, mechanized, or otherwise operated on, fitting the particular emphasize their parent company places on bio-augmentation. For the two that buck the trend, the wolf and flower symbols subtly advertise that [[spoiler: they owe allegiance to higher causes]].

* AnimalMotifs: Every single member of the troop with a revealed emblem has some sort of animal as part of it. Michigan has a heraldic lion, Nile and Wu Huahai have realistic whales, and the rest have sundry arthropods drawn with varying degrees of cartoony-ness wielding or fused with artillery pieces.

* BitCharacter: Compared to every other Redgun. Despite nominally being Michigan's right-hand man, Nile's only in-story appearance is as the boss of an optional mission in Chapter 1, and he is never mentioned after his death.

* BodyMotifs: With the exception of Rusty, the Vespers' emblems all feature altered human anatomy in some form or another, fitting with Arquebus' emphasis on human augmentation. [[spoiler: As for Rusty, his non-standard emblem is an early sign that his true loyalties lie elsewhere, namely with the RLF.]]

* DirtyCoward: Downplayed, but definitely a character trait of his. He is a very pragmatic sort of coward, avoiding any and all conflict unless he's either forced into it or it would reflect poorly on him not to. He constantly orders his augmentation surgeries tested on others, often to the point of death, entirely to avoid any risk to himself, and in both the Liberation of Rubicon route and NG++ he focuses on avoiding 621 up until the last moment. But when he ''is'' cornered, he gives it his all.

* FragileSpeedster: Schneider's AC parts have a heavy focus in speed and maneuverability on both ground and air, but ''especially'' in the air. However, none of Schneider's parts provide high load capacity or high durability. Furthermore, they also tend to have high EN Loads, demanding powerful generators if you use a great deal of Schneider AC frame parts, making it tricky to find the right generator that isn't too heavy to hold back the AC's speed, this is specially true with the Lammergeier frame as it's both the fastest and most frail AC frame ever made, to the point the core unit exposes the core where the pilot is.
* NoOSHACompliance: the Lammergeier frame by all means is absurdly unsafe as it exposes the core where the pilot of the "Armored" Core is located, pilot safety be damned, their original design choices were so insane [[EvenEvilHasStandards Arquebus HQ had to stop them and forced them into reworking it into what the Lammergeier frame turned out to be]].

* NoOSHACompliance: the Lammergeier frame by all means is absurdly unsafe as it exposes the core where the pilot of the "Armored" Core is located, pilot safety be damned, their original design choices were so insane [[EvenEvilHasStandards Arquebus HQ had to stop them and forced them into reworking it into what the Lammergeier frame turned became]].