We can all read, so the title barely needs a proper introduction. Instead, perhaps some explanation as to why “fun” was chosen should do. What is “best” in Armored Core 6 is seriously difficult to ascertain to the point of being essentially moot, especially given that the game barely launched a month ago. Yet, Armored Core 6 has been hailed for its adrenaline inducing, fast paced shoot ’em up gameplay. As such, let’s take a look at how “fun” each of these weapons are, at least the ten that stand at the top.

10. HI-16 GU-Q1 (Pulse Gun)

Melting the bejesus out of Balteus with this bubble blower is extremely satisfying. The weapon itself falls flat in any situation where the enemy doesn’t have a fortress of plasma surrounding it, and it overheats quite quickly. But again, the thing quite literally blows plasma bubbles at its targets. At least it can kill mobs quickly. It can be situationally useful against tank legs builds in PvP.

9. VP-60 LCS Laser Cannon

This thing is utterly worthless in PvP, or facing anything that likes to move every five seconds or so in PvE. Spoiler alert, that’s basically everything. However, the sound effect off the payload explosion is both visually stunning and sounds extremely satisfying. If it actually does land, it’s going to hit for some impressive numbers that you are going to feel.

8. Chainsaw WB-0010

Sadly, Armored Core 6 is a bit too fast paced for a stationary melee weapon to fare too well. That’s probably why the Pulse Blade was given an innate dodge-catching ability to defend against how fast even slower builds can zip around the map.

Having said that, there is no context in a fighting scenario where a chainsaw won’t be at least a lot of fun to use. In boss fights against units which aren’t heavily armored, it can do alright too since bosses generally don’t try to dodge player attacks with any sort of consistency.

7. SG-027 Zimmerman (Shotgun)

Like many before and yet to come, the SG-027 Zimmerman really emphasizes itself with each pull of the trigger. Seeing the shotgun pellet spread fly until it connects with its target is also really neat. Then of course, when hitting with enough of said spread, seeing the ensuing huge damage number is its own brand of satisfying. It’s as simple as a break action shotgun can get, and it fits this game remarkably well.

6. WB-0000 Bad Cook Flamethrower

The only reason this thing isn’t higher on our list is that it truly is a “bad” cook in every sense. It deals nonexistent damage and even more pathetic Impact. Its tracking is also quite poor. However, the small selection of enemies who don’t enjoy dodging will get roasted to a crisp by this. It’s the only flamethrower in the entire game, so it’s the only weapon that features heavy usage of fire. In PvP, anyone who doesn’t respect this weapon at least slightly will watch the armor on their AC get corked hard.

5. LR-037 Harris Linear Rifle

On my first playthrough, I got to this weapon, read its description, used it and assumed I was just given a god damn railgun within the first hour of the game. As it turns out, this is supposed to be more of just a vanilla semi-automatic rifle with the option to charge shots. That said, taking the risk to actually charge a shot and be essentially defenseless for about three seconds is worth the payload, both seeing huge damage numbers fly and in hearing that ultra satisfying sound effect of the charged shot. To make matters better, this thing is extremely ammunition efficient, making it ideal for run throughs of missions that don’t have a boss fight at the end. Even then, select bosses such as the AH12 HC Helicopter can be vulnerable to this.

4. VVS-770LB (Pulse Blade)

This weapon was likely From Software’s response to holdover all the people crying for Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC to finally release. This thing attacks swiftly, it cuts deep, it deals a satisfyingly motherlode of damage, and the blade itself just oozes personality. This thing is particularly satisfying in PvP, being used to rol- I mean, boost-catch. Jeez, this weapon was definitely made for the Soulsborne crowd…

3. IA-C01W2: MOONLIGHT

Ah, my guiding moonlight… This thing is From Software’s baby; the Mario to its Nintendo, the peanut butter to our jelly, and the yin to our yang. It can be quite the hassle to acquire, but when you grab it, you’ll be in possession of the only projectile in the entire game that has unlimited ammunition. For a projectile, this thing hits hard. Of course, it uniquely fires off a large moon beam that deals a lot of damage and is jarring to look at, aesthetically.

2. Songbirds

Just looking at this shotgun/grenade launcher hybrid wannabe puts “boop! boop!” in my head for several minutes. This thing is another one of those PvE only type weapons, because it is very easy to react to and boost away from defensively in PvP. For that reason, dual wielding them helps it function in fast paced settings while also putting the fear of Ibis into your enemy with all the massive explosions you’ll be causing. Using one shot to bait out the enemy’s boost dodge, then a second shot to catch their dodge is an effective way to really sink someone’s ship in PvP.

1. Gatling Gun

This weapon is for people who have an ego or a particular personality of some kind, and want the loudest and most noticeable way of expressing themselves. There are people who play the game, and then there are people who dual wield this thing, probably alongside dual Songbirds, who are the type of folks you know hate to lose. They hate to lose, but in a way where they want you to know just how much they hate losing. It’s not the cousin of ‘sweat’ builds like “Varre’s Mask + Seppuku/Rivers of Blood” in Elden Ring or some guy spamming Comet and Sacred Relic Sword in the colosseum. No, this is the ‘hate to lose’ weapon akin to some guy running around the Lands Between with power-stanced Greatswords.

The Gatling Gun has the highest fire rate in the entire game by far. It does overheat after a bit of sustained use, but it is probably the most consistent weapon in the game at actually accomplishing something before needing to take a breather. Shots off of this are practically impossible to dodge close up. And if you’re really worried about overheating off of sustained use… Just dual wield them! As it happens, they can cover each other’s overheat times almost seamlessly, resulting in about a 90% upkeep of endless bullets and close quarters domination.

There is beauty in simplicity, and this massive hulking MG is evidence of that concept.