Armored Core 6: How to Stagger enemies with Impact meter

Armored Core 6 has a deep combat system made up of many unique elements, and part of this includes the Stagger and Impact meter mechanics. Here’s how to use them in battle.

The combat in Armored Core 6 is one of the game’s main selling points. Featuring outrageous mech fights across a variety of missions, Armored Core 6 tests players’ skill and patience, and encourages them to get to grips with – and even master- AC6’s deep combat.

A staple of Armored Core 6’s gameplay is the intertwining Stagger and Impact concepts. Fans of Souls games – Sekiro in particular – will recognize these, so let’s take a deep dive into what they both do and how they work in the game.

FromSoftware

What is Impact in Armored Core 6?

Impact is a special meter that effectively gives enemies a shield in Armored Core 6.

An enemy’s Impact bar lets Armored Core 6 players know how close a foe is to completely letting their guard down and becoming susceptible to unblockable attacks.

As seen in Sekiro and games such as Final Fantasy 16, enemies – especially more powerful ones – have a separate bar to their health gauge. In AC6’s case, it’s the Impact meter. In FromSoftware’s newest iteration in the franchise, this bar is identifiable by its yellow color.

How to Stagger enemies in Armored Core 6

To get enemies into a Staggered state, Armored Core 6 players need to fully deplete the Impact meter.

This means it’s up to you to dish out enough damage, combos, and debilitating attacks to render this bar empty. Once you’ve done that, it will effectively shut down any AI opponents and let you deliver lots of free punishment.

Once the enemy has been idle and defenseless for a few seconds, the bar will then be completely restored. After that, it’s a case of rinse and repeat.

We hope this answered any questions you had about Armored Core 6 and its Impact and Stagger features. For more on FromSoft’s newest game, check out more guides right here:

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