After battling through 10 intense missions in Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon‘s Chapter 1, you finally come face-to-face with the game‘s first formidable foe – the deadly robot boss Balteus. This floating metallic monstrosity has caused grief and frustration for many players with its wide array of ranged and melee attacks.
From homing missiles to flamethrowers and explosive rockets, Balteus has proven to be a formidable skill-check gatekeeping progression to later chapters. But fear not, brave mech warrior! In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll break down everything you need to know to ultimately emerge victorious from this epic showdown.
An In-Depth Overview of Balteus
Balteus initially surfaces after the climactic cutscene at the end of Chapter 1‘s penultimate mission. This menacing machine comes equipped with a diverse blend of hard-hitting close and long-range attacks. Its ability to swiftly reposition itself whilst afloat also makes targeting weak points quite challenging.
At the outset, you‘ll notice Balteus has two health bars – the standard red one indicating remaining HP, plus a blue bar representing its rechargeable shield. Carefully monitoring both is critical, as dropping the blue shield completely renders Balteus temporarily vulnerable to otherwise resisted damage. This presents small intermittent windows to unleash hell.
Based on community research and my own experiences, here are all the attacks Balteus employs and strategies to mitigate them:
Devastating Moves in Balteus‘ Arsenal
Homing Missiles – Shortly after the boss fight commences, expect to face a relentless barrage of guided missiles locked onto your location. They detonate for heavy damage upon impact.
High Fire Rate Cannon – When repositioning around the arena, Balteus frequently draws ammo from a chest-mounted cannon firing widespread bullet hell. Sustained exposure shreds mechs rapidly.
Shield Bubble Shockwave – Upon losing 50% health, Balteus enhances its shield. Shortly after, it emits a potent spherical shockwave offensively damaging anything nearby.
Flamethrower – If you remain too close after the shield bubble bursts, Balteus will continue the punishment by spewing deadly flames from an attached flamethrower.
Lock-On Rocket – One of Balteus‘ deadliest attacks sees it tracking your position briefly before firing a highly explosive ordnance rocket.
Now let‘s examine how to counter each of these attacks…
Countering Balteus‘ Attacks
surviving this onslaught involves equal parts movement and positioning. Here are effective counters I‘d recommend based on extensive trial and error:
VS Homing Missiles – Frequently boost dash left & right randomly when missiles swarm your location. The mobility preserves health much better than relying on defenses alone.
VS Cannon Fire – The moment you see Balteus relocating, put objects between yourself and it or flee the scene entirely until it finishes shooting.
VS Shield Bubble – Maintain distance when the shield enhancement begins. Escape the large shockwave radius with rearward boost bursts if required.
VS Flamethrower – With boosts ready, this attack can be easily evaded by strafing left/right or hiding behind terrain the moment flames appear.
VS Lock-On Rocket – An early alarm and red target graphic indicates the impending rocket. Quickly boost vertically or break line-of-sight to lose target lock completely.
Now let‘s examine how to capitalize on its brief vulnerable windows to ultimately dismantle this mechanical monstrosity!
Master Strategy – Exploiting Weaknesses for Victory
Make no mistake – Balteus is a formidable damage sponge capable of absorbing insane punishment. Its shields coupled with thick armor require repeated precision attacks before cracking.
Based on my winning strategy, here are my top tips for victory:
Ideal Weapons for Piercing Its Defenses
I highly recommend packing long-range pulse weaponry like the HI-16 GOU-Q1 Pulse Rifle. Pulse projectiles completely bypass Balteus‘ shields to reliably inflict steady HP damage over time. Supplementary plasma cannons also prove quite effective.
Target Its Weak Point Openings
The very moment Balteus‘ blue shield bar fully depletes, it will stagger briefly. This presents a tiny window to exploit. Immediately boost in and hammer it with 2 quick melee hits before it recovers. Wash, rinse, and repeat this attack pattern for optimum results.
Exercise Patience & Let It Attack First
Rushing in haphazardly will likely get you killed. Instead, exercise extreme patience – allow Balteus to attack first and counter appropriately. Once it misfires or exposes itself, return fire safely from range before relocating. This hit-and-run approach minimizes needless risks.
My Ultimate Mech Build Suitable for Victory
I dubbed my boss-slaying mech The Atlas – capable of withstanding tremendous damage while dishing out punishment in kind.
Here‘s the custom loadout that granted me victory:
| Part | Choice | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| R / L Arm | SG-026 Haldeman | Well-rounded flexibility for equip loadouts |
| R / L Back Unit | VP-60LCS | Lightweight panels with bonus defense against ranged attacks |
| Head | HD-012 Melander C3 | Critical for enhancing lock-on evasion during missile attacks |
| Core | DF-BD-08 Tiang-Qiang | Ideal balance of defense and equip capacity |
| Arms | DF-AR-08 Tiang-Qiang | Lightweight arms with excellent damage resistance |
| Legs | LG-022T Bornemissza | Unlocks emergency evasion skill to quickly dodge threats |
| Booster | FCS-006 Abbot | Generates boost faster so you can evade rapidly |
| Generator | VP-20D | Provides ample energy for weapons while keeping weight lower |
| Weapons | HI-16 GOU-Q1 Pulse Rifle, Thunderbolt HMG, Plasma Sword α, SML | Ideal blend of range, power, and ordnance to exploit Balteus‘ temporary weak points |
This setup enabled me to endure its assault long enough to destroy the shield consistently with pulsar fire. That exposed brief openings to safely close distance and deliver high melee/close-range weapon damage unhindered.
The key is balance – mobility and firepower to destroy defenses quickly, hardy armor and shields to avoid getting one-shotted prematurely, and sufficient weapon energy and ordnance to dish out punishment when opportunities arise.
My Epic Chapter 1 Boss Fight Experience
Let me walk you through how events unfolded leading to sweet victory…
After Balteus‘ dramatic cutscene intro, I immediately opened fire with pulse rifle shots aimed squarely at its protective shield matrix. It responded aggressively with a relentless torrent of guided missiles – forcing me to boost hard left and right randomly while charging ahead guns blazing.
This dance continued for some time – I‘d pepper away at the shield in brief intervals between evading bombardments and relocating from devastating cannon volleys. Eventually after landing ~25% shield damage, it finally came crashing down!
Capitalizing instantly, I boosted right up to Balteus – emptying my Thunderbolt machine gun point blank into its exposed hull while battering it with multiple punishing melee power attacks. My early enthusiasm quickly backfired however, as Balteus retaliated with concentrated hellfire from its deadly flamethrower turret.
Now heavily damaged, I maintained greater distance – utilizing cover while employing hit-and-run tactics to slowly whittle it down. After destroying two more shield matrices and carefully evading a deadly rocket, Balteus was ultimately reduced to a smoking, sputtering wreck. But it STILL had enough left in the tank for one final trick…
An ominous targeting alarm blared as yet another rocket locked onto me. I immediately boosted vertically, feeling the explosions heat barely miss me. At this point, we were both heavily damaged and I could scarcely stand. Yet my opening came when Balteus attempted a last-ditch shield regeneration effort. Intercepting it mid-cycle, I closed the gap and drove my plasma sword deep through its hull before unloading the remainder of my ordnance.
After a blistering battle, Balteus finally exploded in a brilliant blaze of glory – granting me sweet victory! With Chapter 1 finally in the history books, I learned the importance of strategy, positioning, equipping to counter specific threats, and perseverance.
I hope my guide has armed you with the knowledge to confront and conquer this epic adversary. If you have any lingering questions, don‘t hesitate to ask below! Feel free to also share your own Balteus experiences. Now get out there, mech warrior – prove once and for all who the real boss is!
