History Characters / ArmoredCoreVIEnemiesAndBosses

%%[[folder:"Falcon" Drones]]
%%!!"Falcon" Drones
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[[folder:[=IA-27=]: GHOST]]
!![=IA-27=]: GHOST
[[quoteright:620:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2023_11_28_124055.png]]
A humanoid line of unmanned mechs designed by the Rubicon Research Institute as part of their private armies and security systems. Equipped with advanced cloaking technology, these machines specialize in stealth combat, infiltrating a region and taking their target by surprise with their formidable energy weaponry. As these machines are still active in a time when the Institute is long gone, it's unclear who these machines answer to.

!!C-Weapon Drones

[[folder:Transport Helicopters]]
!!Transport Helicopters

[[folder:BAWS Guard Mechs]]
!!BAWS Guard Mechs

Mass-produced mechs lacking much armor or firepower, these are deployed as front-line cannon fodder by just about every faction on Rubicon 3.

!!Standard Artillery

[[folder:BAWS [=MTs=]]]
!!BAWS [=MTs=]

[[folder:Tetrapod [=MTs=]]]
!!Tetrapod [=MTs=]

Heavy-grade [=MTs=] supported by their four-legged configuration, they tend to be larger than [=ACs=]. Heavily-armored and with firepower to match, these hulking war machines often guard key choke points in a region's defense.

[[folder:Subject Guard [=MTs=]]]
!!Subject Guard [=MTs=]

[[folder:Ghosts]]
!!Ghosts

[[folder:C-Weapon Drones]]

[[folder:HELIANTHUS Machines]]
!!HELIANTHUS Machines

* MeaningfulName: A cataphract was form of heavy cavalry that existed in ancient Persia, Eurasia, and Northern Africa, making it an appropriate description for the PCA's latest tank.

* ApologeticAttacker: Ayre's combat dialogue makes it very clear that she does not want to fight you, but has no other choice.

* WeUsedToBeFriends: This Ibis-series AC is piloted by Ayre, the only character in the game that had been nothing but nice and supportive of you from the moment you met. And you betrayed her, forcing her to commandeer an AC to try and stop you personally from wiping out her entire species.

The FinalBoss of the Fires of Raven path. It is an extrasolar and even more advanced Ibis-series AC that Ayre directly pilots against you to stop you from igniting a second Fires of Ibis, which would result in the deaths of millions and the extinction of her entire species.

* LogicalWeakness: JUGGERNAUT carries lots and lots of ranged weapons and makes standing in its front arc very dangrous, but it has almost nothing for close-in defense, meaning that it's almost incapable of attacking anything that's standing directly on top of it.
* MacrossMissileMassacre: one of its weapons is a swarm of missiles aimed right at you.

* LogicalWeakness: Phase two has immense air-to-ground capabilities, but barely any air to air combat. Meaning if an AC is stays airborne however it is done, the SEA SPIDER can't really do much.

%%[[folder:Plasma Cannons]]
%%!!Plasma Cannons
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* EarlyBirdBoss: What makes [=AH12=] a challenging boss is that it's encountered early, before access to AC customization. Even if the mission is replayed, Only the default LOADER 4 AC can be used for this mission, so there's no way to make it any easier beyond OS Tuning.

->'''ALLMIND:''' ''"Look. The Coral siphoned by the corporations is beginning to resonate. Augmended human C4-621--Raven. Your role has come to an end."''

Watchpoint Alpha's final line of defense and the PCA Enforcement System’s physical avatar.

* TankGoodness: {{Averted}}. Regular tanks don't hold a candle against [=ACs=].

* {{Expy}}: A droid that starts off in a spherical form that can roll around, then unfolds into a giant turret, one that overwhelms its opponents with firepower and poses a more serious threat than many of its [=RaD=] counterparts? From Software clearly has employees who were fans of the [[Franchise/StarWars Droideka]]. There’s even a mission, “Eliminate Honest Brute,” where one projects a giant DeflectorShield that forces you to go past it in order to attack everything inside, something that makes the original Droideka shield look like child’s play in comparison.

* ActionBomb: Normally they're no different from normal helicopter-like enemies, but in "Survey the Uninhabited Floating City" there are drones with massive bombs hanging from them that will try to explode if in close enough proximity.

* OvershadowedByAwesome: Those tanks are not made to fight an AC, more regular infantry and some light [=MTs=].
* TankGoodness: Averted, whatever effectiveness they might have had against ground troops means nothing when the opposition is using multi-story-tall mechs.

A relatively small, mass-produced mech that moves around on reverse-jointed legs. Lacking much in terms of armore or firepower, these basic mechs are deployed as front-line cannon fodder by just about every faction on Rubicon 3.

* TheGoomba: These chicken-walkers are barely any kind of threat to speak of, and mostly exist for target practice (and determining whether an AC has good options for crowd control).

!!Artillery
[[folder:Standard Artillery]]

* BoringButPractical: Unlike the generic weaponry class, artillery pieces have the reach and firepower to threaten an AC, since their turrets have been upscaled to fight mechas.
* FixedForwardFacingWeapon: Averted -- while their turning speed is slow, most artillery cannons ''can'' turn to re-position their gun barrel on a moving target.

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%%[[folder:Sniper Artillery]]
%%!!Sniper Artillery
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%%[[quoteright:1000:[[labelnote:"Operation Wallclimber"]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/armored_core_vi_fires_of_rubicon_20231004095408.jpg]]
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%%[[folder:Missile Racks]]
%%!!Missile Racks
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%%[[quoteright:1000:[[labelnote:Vertical]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/armored_core_vi_fires_of_rubicon_20231004101413.jpg]]
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%%[[quoteright:1000:[[labelnote:"Steal the Survey Data"]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/armored_core_vi_fires_of_rubicon_20231004110651.jpg]]
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[[folder:Miniguns]]
!!Miniguns
[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/armored_core_vi_fires_of_rubicon_20231004095305.jpg]]

* AchillesHeel: Much like normal artillery cannons, these giant miniguns are slow to turn; a speedy AC can maneuver around their base and hammer their unprotected back.
* GatlingGood: Essentially four gigantic Gatling guns strapped together. Their combined firepower is enough to shred even [=ACs=] in seconds.
* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Some Miniguns have riot shield-esque protection on the front which are completely immune to damage, necessitating explosives or attacking them from a different direction.

!![=MTs=] (Muscle Tracers)

Mass-produced "Muscle Tracer" mechs ([=MTs=]) employed by every faction on Rubicon 3. These boxy, humanoid mech suits are nowhere near as powerful as an AC but are much more mobile than Guard Mechs, and can be equipped with several weapon loadouts. As these are factory-line productions, they can be built quicker and cheaper than [=ACs=], and thus tend to be seen in groups.

* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Since every faction in the game utilizes these mechs, each of the factions paints their [=MTs=] a different color.

Heavy-grade mechs whose name comes from the four massive legs that they use for locomotion. Heavily-armored, and with firepower to match, these hulking war machines often guard key choke points in a region's defense.

* DualBoss: Two can be fought at once in an optional encounter in the "Infiltrate Grid 086" mission.

* SpiderTank: Their four-legged locomotion and thick armor apply for this trope, even if they're closer to mechs.

!!Objective Enemies
[[folder:Transport Helicopters]]
!!Transport Helicopters
[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/armored_core_vi_fires_of_rubicon_20231004092203.jpg]]
[[labelnote:Enemy Deposit Variant]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/armored_core_vi_fires_of_rubicon_20231004121627.jpg]]
[[/labelnote]]
[[labelnote:Coral Deposit Variant]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/armored_core_vi_fires_of_rubicon_20231004121437.jpg]]
[[/labelnote]]

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* DefenselessTransports: When it carries [=MTs=] or has to be destroyed as an objective, it is harmless.
* DropShip: Their main purpose on the battlefield is to bring in up to four [=MTs=] and deploy them into the combat zone.
* NonActionGuy: They don't have any weapons to speak of.
[[/folder]]

* PaperTiger: The fight against the STRIDER illustrates how out of their depth the RLF is. Their most impressive weapon is treated with contempt by Arquebus, who mainly consider it a nuisance to their Coral surveys. 621, a single no-name mercenary, destroys it before they've even finished half of Chapter 1.

* AchillesHeel:
** Ghosts that have entered sniper configuration don't recognize when they've been scanned. This means that it's vulnerable to an ambush of its own.
** Sniper Ghosts have to charge up their beam rifles to fire, revealing their location from the bright blue energy gathering around their gun.
* DeflectorShields: Ghosts with a melee loadout can sometimes come equipped with pulse shields, and they have to be broken before they can damage the actual mech.
* GlassCannon: Sniper Ghost mechs are relatively fragile, once they're outed out of their cloaking field. Problem is, they still wield high-yield laser rifles and they can shoot from any direction.

* PerpetualMotionMonster: In the "Coral Convergence" mission, Ayers brings up how these machines are still active despite dating back to the days of the Institute. She chalks it up to their use of Coral as a power source, and reflects on how this sort of long-lasting power source is very lucrative to the corporations.

* DefenselessTransports: When it carries [=MTs=] or has to be destroyed as an objective it is harmless.
* DropShip: Their main purpose on the battlefield is to bring in up to four [=MT=]s and deploy them into the combat zone.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: If you lose to the pair in "Attack the Refueling Base" they will notify the System of a contradiction on previous combat log. It's easy to dismiss as a game over taunt but it is also the first mention that the Raven they marked for termination isn't 621.

* UnusableEnemyEquipment: While their weaponry looks like things that could be mounted on an AC, you can't find those parts in the shop.

* AchillesHeel: Much like normal artillery cannons, these giant miniguns are slow to turn; a speedy [=AC=] can maneuver around their base and hammer their unprotected back.

* BossInMookClothing: Between their thick armor and powerful weapons, Tetrapods are essentially mini-bosses, especially if you don't have the right loadout.

[[folder:[=AA18=] Light Cavalry]]

* AchillesHeel: Sniper [=LCs=] sacrifice boosters and armor for long-range combat; it's easier to take them down than those equipped with shields.

* EvilIsBigger: Antagonistic, as opposed to outright evil, but the point remains that they're taller than the [=AC=]s.

[[folder:[=AA18A=] High Mobility Light Cavalry]]
!!High Mobility Light Cavalry (HM LC)

[=LCs=] equipped with flight packs, letting them stay airborne for prolonged periods of time while engaging enemy forces. This gives them more options for a three-dimensional field of combat.

* AirborneMook: HM [=LCs=] come equipped with wing-shaped flight boosters that let them fly around the battlefield, dodging the attacks while returning fire.

[[folder:[=AA18A=] High Power Light Cavalry]]
!!High Power Light Cavalry (HP LC)
[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/armored_core_vi_fires_of_rubicon_20231004142031.jpg]]

* GlassCannon: High Power [=LCs=] hit hard, but the weight of the heavy weaponry ''does'' impact their mobility. They're also one of the PCA's relatively fragile mechs.
* WalkingArmory: While not to the extent of the CATAPHRACT, it still totes two triple-barreled {{Shoulder Cannon}}s and missile launchers on its shoulders.

[[folder:[=AA22=] Heavy Cavalry]]
!!Heavy Cavalry (HC)

With cutting-edge weaponry and the latest advances in defense and mobility, [=HCs=] are reserved for the commanders of the [=PCA's=] attack squads, and pose one of the deadliest threats that 621 will face during their tour of duty on Rubicon.
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* ClimaxBoss: [=HCs=] are only encountered a handful of times, but each time occurs at the climax or turning point of a given mission.
* DualBoss: In the "Prevent Corporate Salvage of New Tech" mission, if neither the HC or the [=LCs=] are dealt quickly enough, the other will fly in to help out.
* EnergyWeapons: [=HCs=] weaponry are exclusively laser or plasma-based.
* EvilIsBigger: [=HCs=] are larger than the standard AC, and they'll always be encountered as a hostile force.
* LightningBruiser: Between its heavier firepower, thick armor, and sturdy shielding, an HC is durable enough to serve as a boss fight. What's worse, its top-of-the-line boosters allow it to dodge gunfire and melee attacks.
* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: An HC combines this with DeflectorShields to put up a solid defense against a frontal assault.
[[/folder]]

* WakeUpCallBoss: The last boss of Chapter 1. It's aggressive, relentless in its attacks, and has a pulse shield to break through. The only way through it is to not only unlock parts, but master the ins and outs of high-mobility [=AC=] combat.

* UnusableEnemyEquipment: While their weaponry looks like things that could be mounted on an [=AC=], you can't find those parts in the shop.

* BossInMookClothing: Between their thick armor and powerful weapons, Tetrapods are essentially mini-bosses.

* GlassCannon: HP [=LCs=] hit hard, but the weaponry equipped does impact their mobility. They're also still one of the PCA's relatively fragile mechs.

* NothingIsScarier: No one knows who the Ghosts answer to, and their EnemyChatter is just a bunch of quiet static. They just show up and cause trouble without warning. [[spoiler:It's implied that they were answer to ALLMIND herself]].

* WakeUpCallBoss: The last boss of Chapter 1. It's aggressive, relentless in its attacks, and has a pulse shield to break through. The only way through it is to prove .

* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: The Story Trailer shows the CATAPHRACT being completely stopped in its place by 617 ramming into it and then going full GatlingGood until their AC near-entirely failed. While it can't be held it still, it can be staggered ''really easily'' with the right weapons; even beyond the gatling gun, high ACS damage weapons like shotguns and melee in particular utterly decimate its Attitude Stability and leave it vulnerable in no time.

* AttackItsWeakpoint: Its giant maw is the only spot you can target to actually deal damage. Hitting it is laughably easy once it is exposed. ''Exposing'' it in the first place, though... that's a whole different can of [[JustForPun worms]].