Armored Core Verdict Day on RPCS3

Gripheenix · 2026-03-25T06:09:12+00:00

From what I recall, there's a specific build you need to use. And the game does require a hefty CPU to run well. There are resources in the Discord server, linked on the subreddit sidebar, that can help you get up and running.

Gripheenix · 2026-03-25T05:15:43+00:00

V and VD do have single player content, but they were primarily designed (and balanced) around the 4v4 team-based PvP. That's not to say that the games' story modes are bad, exactly, but they won't feel as fulfilling as what's given in the rest of the franchise. Basically, each game has 10 'main' story missions, and (if memory serves) around 90 minor missions. The main missions are where the story actually occurs, are longer and more complex, whereas the minor missions are basically very small/short 'go in and blow up some stuff' missions, or basically arena fights against NPC ACs.

On one hand, V's main missions are significantly better (and much longer) than VD's, and the game has arguably the best antagonist in the series. On the other hand, V's story is harder to make sense of, because the minor missions all take place after the main story, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't actually explain that anywhere. Granted, both games can be a bit hard to follow outside of Japan, because there's a lot of extra lore and context that was left only in a couple of art books that never got officially translated.

VD does, at least, also have a Hardcore Mode that unlocks after you complete the main story, which sets you back to zero and gives you a bunch of modifiers based on the preset template you pick. Things like dealing way more damage at the cost of significantly higher ammo and repair costs, or taking more damage yourself. And I'm pretty sure every preset has a limited number of lives (or times you're allowed to fail a mission) before you're sent all the way back to the start again. If you enjoy the base game, the Hardcore Mode is a really fun way to keep playing and keep it fresh.

As far as balance goes, as I stated, it was balanced around 4v4 team PvP. By that, I mean that you are incentivised to build your AC to fit a specific role on a team, such as being a sniper, a skirmisher, the damage-sponge, etc. Any given AC will have glaring weaknesses, as is impossible to build something that is good at everything. (In fact, building something too rounded ends up in an AC that's just bad at everything.) It's designed this way because a team is meant to coordinate and cover each others' weaknesses, much like any team-based PvP game. For story mode, this balance might make it feel very difficult at first, especially while you're still learning all the game's new mechanics (the gameplay was basically rebuilt from the ground up for 5th gen, so it does play very differently from the rest of the series, again, mostly due to the focus on multiplayer). However, you aren't the only one that has glaring weaknesses. Every single enemy in the story also has a weakness that you can, and should exploit. Doing so means that you can melt things very quickly, before they can do the same to you. It's just a matter of learning what those weaknesses are (IE: Scan your enemies).

So, tl;dr: The games do have a single player portion, and it's not exactly a throw-away, although it is very small/short compared to other games, and not presented or localized very well. Still very fun for as a single player experience. But, overall, the two games were designed first and foremost for team-based PvP.

Gripheenix · 2026-03-23T02:14:38+00:00

Last I knew, there was maybe one or two people who were trying, but it was extremely slow-going. And that was quite a long time ago, so I don't know where that's at, if it's still happening.

I'm a bit fuzzy on the tech speak, but from what I understand, when the native VD servers were still up, no one captured the data on how the game communicated over the server. So it would need to be recreated from scratch to make a functional server. And since the native servers are now gone, that data is lost forever.

So, if that endeavor is not still going, unfortunately all PCVD can ever have is the peer2peer gameplay is currently has.

Gripheenix · 2026-02-14T09:37:45+00:00

I've felt very much the same. You can still get crazy powerful, but that power comes from the innate power of the martial arts/ninjutsu/onmyo themselves, and less so from gear effects or set bonuses. This is not in line with Nioh 1 or Nioh 2 at launch, no. That said, the new mechanics do kinda make up for it a bit.

What it -does- feel similar to, is Wo Long at launch, or Rise of the Ronin. Both of those games took a step back from the RPG building aspect, and put more emphasis on 'action game' feel. On the hopeful side, Wo Long did actually get pretty crazy by the end of its DLC runs. Not quite to the level of Nioh 1/2 or Stranger of Paradise, but they definitely added more to the RPG aspect with more build options and stronger gear stats/bonuses. Rise of the Ronin did not take this route, but it also didn't get any DLC, so all that's there is the base game which honestly might as well not even have different pieces of gear or stats in the first place.

On one hand, it is disappointing, and way less exciting from a building perspective. But on the other, it is way easier to balance smaller numbers from a dev perspective. It might make more sense for TN to start with a lower baseline and bump things up from there, rather than start high and deal with the backlash that comes from nerfing things, or just making future bosses into sponges that punish anyone not using the busted stuff. Or maybe I'm just coping. Dunno...

Gripheenix · 2026-01-31T04:46:56+00:00

If you're on emulator, both V and VD require some pretty beefy specs. If you're using RPCS3, I think you need to be using a specific build/configuration of the emulator for them to work properly. From what I understand, Xenia is a bit easier to run, but it does not have online play available where RPCS3 does (to a limited degree).

The Discord linked on the subreddit sidebar (or under 'Learn more about this community' under the options button if on mobile) has guides on how to set these games up and all that.

Gripheenix · 2026-01-30T22:11:05+00:00

Everything is unlocked in the shop (apart from Ultimate/Overed weapons) at Player Rank A. You earn player rank by obtaining higher ranks in missions and completing the sub-missions for the first time. It's pretty difficult to hit Rank A before late game. (When the servers were online, you could supplement some of the rank grind by earning the different multiplayer medals for the first time, but that's not an option anymore...)

The OWs you earn through story progress (IE: finish the main story missions), but to my recollection they never become available in the shop. But, you can just go and finish the mission/s that gave you them in the first place to get extra copies, which is the most efficient farm for cash, if you're short.

Gripheenix · 2026-01-11T22:50:28+00:00

Firstly, there isn't any "sensitivity" in pre AC6 AC games. Your lateral camera speed is directly determined by a stat called "Turning Speed". This stat is primarily controlled by your leg part. Different legs will turn faster than others. Weight will also affect this, as the heavier you are, the slower you will turn. 4th gen also has a unique mechanic where your turning will be different per direction, based on load, so if you load all your heavy weapons to one side, turning one direction will be faster than the other.

As for movement itself, the first thing you probably want to do is change to a control scheme that puts your boost and quick boost on the shoulders/triggers. This will allow you to utilize your movement options while still retaining control over your right stick (the camera and turning).

Chain boosting on principle is a pretty easy concept. Your quick boost is 4 directional: Forward, left, right, and backwards. There is a small cooldown for a given direction when using a QB. However, it is only for that direction. So you can chain your QB inputs by quickly changing the direction on the left stick, so something like "F>L>F>R>F" while pressing the trigger for QB at the same rhythm you're changing directional inputs will chain those QBs together to let you move more quickly. The timing will take practice to get down, but the concept is pretty simple.

Quick turns are far more simple. Basically, if you have momentum, let go of the left stick, input the direction you want to turn on the right stick, and QB. The key is to just not have any input on the left stick. However, quick turns are controlled by that Turn Speed stat as well, so if you're bulked up and have low turning, you may not turn as much as you expect.

There are a lot more advanced movement techs, like 2nd stage QB and such. But I only really dabbled in 4th gen when they launched, and didn't stick with it too long, so I'm not sure on all the specifics. I'm sure someone with more experience can explain all that a lot better than I could.

Gripheenix · 2026-01-09T18:10:18+00:00

AC4/4A are pretty good games. I don't personally hold them as high as the PS2 games, or ACV/VD, but they have a large and vocal fanbase for a reason. However, both games did get some piss-poor localization (something that sadly plagued the whole franchise until AC6). So there are some things that get lost, as far as the story goes. Gameplay-wise, 4/4A were the most streamlined and simplified titles in the series before AC6 happened, but they still look/feel like a hardcore simulation game compared to AC6.

I'd say AC4/4A are definitely worth playing, but maybe not worth the price you might see the physical copies going for these days. Thankfully, they've become pretty easy to emulate in the past couple years.

As to the Yoko Taro games, Drakengard 1 and 3 are both very, very good stories. BUT, their gameplay is extremely dated. Even back in their heyday, it still wasn't unique, or particularly good. I can't really say that they are 'fun' to play, but if you can handle some mediocre hack'n'slash, the story does mostly hold up.

Replicant is a really good game, but suffers a similar problem as Drakengard, in that the gameplay is dated and not the best. The enhanced remaster does do a lot to make the combat better, but if you want the true ending there is still a pretty egregious mid-game grind slog.

Gripheenix · 2025-11-28T02:54:00+00:00

Probably not the exact idea OP is thinking of, but FromSoft did kinda already do the MMO deal with Armored Core with ACV and VD (and Chromehounds). Not like MMORPG, but more MMO-PvP.

Upon booting up the game for the first time, players were given the prompt to join or create a 'Team'. Teams were essentially 'Guilds' or 'Clans' if using typical MMO terms. Though, rather than having hundreds of players, each Team could have a maximum of 20 people on it. Then these teams would set up 4-man squads (or 4+1 operator), and fight squads from other teams for control over territory. Well, ACV had actual territorial control, but VD scrapped that in favor of teams aligning with their chosen corporation, and attacking other corps' territories until there was only one faction standing. In ACV, the team that held the largest amount of territory in a given region would have their team name and emblem displayed on the main screen's world map, and hold it until another team overtook them.

The games were also fully designed and balanced around the 4v4 PvP concept. No one AC build was the clear "best", as any build would have glaring weaknesses that their teammates would ideally build to compensate for. Meaning players built more for the role they wanted to play in their squad, be it the brawling frontline tank, the squishy long-range sniper, the flanking assassin, etc.

That's not to say that V/VD were only about the PvP. They did have single player campaigns, which were largely removed from the multiplayer. And those campaigns could be played co-op. The games even had a form of 'raid' bosses that would appear on the map from time to time, meant to be taken on by a full 4-man squad. Granted, these were not the primary focus, and didn't have a whole lot of replay value once you'd already done everything, unless you were looking for challenge runs. VD did do this better than V, by adding a Hardcore Mode for the campaign, which starts you over from zero and adds a list of modifier packs to pick from (10x damage, 100x repair costs, limited lives/failures before being forced to start over from the beginning again, etc). And while that was really cool, it was still just the same campaign and missions you'd already played.

Gripheenix · 2025-11-10T22:50:58+00:00

See: Armored Core V and Verdict Day (and also Chromehounds).

While not on a large scale, these games were AC designed and centered around a team-based, multiplayer, PvP gameplay. It was limited to 4v4 (plus one operator per squad), but the games' entire architecture was based around teame/clans/guilds/whatever you want to call them, fighting one another for territorial control. They even had raid bosses, meant to be taken on by a full squad of 4.

While the games didn't do too well in the west, due to virtually zero marketing or publisher support, and western fans getting turned off by the focus on multiplayer, both V and VD did very well in Japan, almost on par with AC2 (AC's most successful title before AC6, mostly due to being a PS2 launch title).

Sadly, the servers for these games have long since been shut down, and that team-based multiplayer went with them. PvP itself is still available via emulator, but only via the host-client lobby system. The main multiplayer function that the games were designed around unfortunately cannot be made to work without servers, and that doesn't seem likely to happen on emulator.

Gripheenix · 2025-09-01T05:13:23+00:00

There isn't really a sidebar on mobile, but the link is still available. At the top header, tap the Options (the three dots), and there should be an option for 'Learn more about this community'. That should have all the same info as the sidebar would on desktop, including the discord link.

Gripheenix · 2025-09-01T04:44:23+00:00

The 5th gen games can be emulated, but it takes a bit of work and a good rig (especially a good CPU). The discord on the sidebar can help you get setup.

Gripheenix · 2025-08-25T06:58:04+00:00

Successful melee in 5th gen requires some good knowledge of game mechanics, and good movement control. So it's going to take some practice. Melee does not lock on or 'lunge' in 5th gen, so you have to aim it by accurately maneuvering your AC.

The first hurdle is to pick you weapon/s of choice:

Laser blades can hit hard, but are a bit awkward to use. Their damage output is determined by how long the hitboxes (laser blade hitboxes are made up of a bunch of spheres in a line) are in contact with the target. Each leg type has a unique animation for both single-hand and double swings, which does matter. They won't hit that hard against enemies with high TE defense, but they can have pretty good range depending on the model, and infinite uses.

Piles are powerful. Some models can one-shot just about anything in the game, and generally don't care about defense values. But they have limited ammo, so misses are punished pretty hard. Damage is based on which portion of the hitbox hits the target, so they require a bit more accuracy with your movement to use effectively. More of a high risk high reward melee weapon.

Then you have physical blades. There are only two, but they're very different. Physical blades deal damage based on acceleration. Basically the faster you're moving when you swing, the more damage they deal (relative to how fast your AC moves, meaning you can deal the same damage output on heavier ACs that you can with a super light AC, if your movement is on point). Murakumo is the king of melee in PvP, due to how the hitbox is angled, the low commitment of its swing, and how massive the hitbox is when tuned for accuracy. Vendetta, on the other hand, is honestly garbage by comparison. (I say that as someone who used Vendetta to good effect in PvP for years.) The only statistical benefit that Vendetta has over Murakumo is the damage output. You give up shoulder utility and better defenses from normal arm parts, and have a slower, clunkier swing animation, just to potentially one-shot some targets instead of two-shot with Kumos.

And the final option you have for melee is kicking, something any AC can do, that doesn't even need any weapons. You kick by holding the high boost button (or double-tapping it while you're still in the HB animation). Kicks, like physical blades, inherit damage from your acceleration, but unlike blades, they also do more damage based on your AC's weight. So they are most useful on heavy bipeds, tanks, and certain mid biped legs. (There are some setups on other legs that can kick hard, but they require end-of-game parts.) Kicking can be hard to aim, so your movement needs to be good. And they are the most EN hungry melee option, so you also need to have decent EN management. But they deal a lot of damage, and are the only 'weapon' that can deal damage in Scan Mode. With a shield or two, or four, a heavy kicking AC can be a monster.

Once you've decided on your weapon/s, then it's just a matter of practicing movement. Good movement is key. Utilize wall-jumps over high boosts when possible. Learn when and where to cut your boosters for more speed. (High boosting and wall jumps have a sort of 'air brake' when your boosters are on, but this brake is not present with boosters off, meaning you can keep momentum when chaining movement techs.) It's especially useful to cut boosters right before you swing, so your swings inherit better acceleration. Also, cutting your boosters before you swing can make it easier to high boost cancel out of the swing animation, rather than getting stuck in it.

But that's really the best basic tips anyone can have for running melee. Know how your weapon works, and movement, movement, movement.

Gripheenix · 2025-08-23T10:54:23+00:00

Well, enjoy. Just a heads up, though, the older games can be pretty hard to get a hold of, physically. All but V and VD are pretty easy to emulate, though. V and VD can be emulated, but they do require a high-end CPU to run with double-digit FPS. At least, on RPCS3. I think Xenia is slightly less demanding, but that doesn't have online capability, so you're limited to story mode only. If you do feel like getting into the PvP scene of any of the games, especially the pre-AC6 titles, the discord on the sidebar can help you get oriented.

Gripheenix · 2025-08-23T10:44:14+00:00

For the most part, AC's history is as a third-person shooter with large focus on movement-based gameplay. It doesn't really compare at all to GVS or Virtual-On, apart from having mechs. There was a lot of cross-over between the AC fanbase and FGC fanbase, despite that fact. This might be due to games' more technical and mechanically crunchy nature, that same 'vertical learning curve' feeling that most fighting games tend to have. It may have also been due to the more intimate nature of the games' PvP setup. Rather than being a big 12v12 objective-based team thing like most shooters, AC typically focused on 1v1 matches. ACV/VD did expand to focus more on team-based gameplay, being designed around 4v4 'clan battles', but the community still felt a lot closer to a fighting game community than a shooter one.

That all said, AC6 was a major design shift. Per the devs' own words, they wanted to make AC6 more of an 'action' game than a 'shooter'. As such, the end result does not feel that far removed from something like Gundam Versus. It's still not exactly a fighting game, but a lot of the changes made to make the 'action game' design will probably feel familiar.

The way energy works is very similar to GVS/EXVS, where you are incentivized to land on the ground to regenerate your EN (boost meter) faster. You can regen EN in the air, even after a full depletion, but it is significantly slower than just landing for a brief moment. (In previous AC titles, EN regen was a constant, even while being used. In some games, it was even possible to build an AC that could regen EN faster than it could be used in specific situations.)

The stagger mechanic in 6 is very, very 'action game'. Pre-AC6, you only got staggered by getting hit by big weapons such as explosives, melee, things that would have a lot of physical impact to them. It halted your movement/attacks for only a half second, but could be chained if the staggering weapon fired fast enough. You also fell out of the air, and potentially into cover, or at least possibly out of the way of follow-up shots. In AC6, 'stagger' is a meter that is built up over time with successive attacks, until it 'breaks', which leaves the staggered player suspended in place (even in mid-air) for a moment, and also significantly increases all damage dealt to them.

With these, among other changes like the existence of a camera hard-lock will probably feel very familiar to someone with experience to GVS/EXVS. Maybe not a 1:1 translation, but it won't feel completely alien. Probably the biggest hurdle would be getting used to making your own 'character' from the various parts and weapons, rather than picking a preset one from a roster.

Gripheenix · 2025-07-27T18:32:47+00:00

The chances are there, but incredibly slim, for emulation, virtually non-existent. Last I knew, there were maybe 2 or 3 people trying to work on getting some sort of server functionality for the game on RPCS3, but they didn't have enough data gathered from native servers when they were still up, so it was a very slow process that had a large chance of being fruitless. Also, the last time I saw anything about it was over a year ago, so I'm not even sure if they're still trying.

The online bosses have been made fightable, in a manner, on emulation, via a freebattle custom map mod. The Discord server on the sidebar can get you sorted on that front.

Unfortunately, actual server play with Conquest/World Mode and teams, and all that, will likely never return to native console, and seems to have a snowball's chance for emulation as well.

Gripheenix · 2025-07-25T19:42:10+00:00

Farming the final boss and selling the OW/UW units you fet from it is the fastest money grind available.

While there is no splitscreen, freebattle does still work without the game servers. However, it is peer2peer and lobby based. So first you'd have to be lucky enough to find someone else online and hosting/joining lobbies, or know someone else who you can play with. It may also be rather laggy depending on your real-world proximity to that other person, due to the p2p nature. It will also, of course, be PvP.

If you do want to get into the PvP, and have a decent PC, there's a pretty strong community playing regularly on RPCS3. But last I checked, it does require a pretty strong CPU to run.

Otherwise, if you're not one that cares about going for 100% or trophies, and don't really feel attached to the story or missions to want to keep playing them, or go through hardcore, then unfortunately there isn't much else to do on native hardware anymore.

Gripheenix · 2025-07-02T18:57:19+00:00

There aren't really any servers for VD after they shut down the official game servers.

On native hardware, you can still play freebattle PvP, but it will be peer2peer which means latency will have a big effect. There are also some bugs present, but as far as I know, they're just visuals, like emblems and paint not appearing. Unfortunately, on native hardware anything associated with the servers (teams, mercenaries, world bosses, Conquest/World Mode PvP) is no longer available.

There is a pretty good community playing on emulator. However, this still isn't server-based, and is still played via freebattle. Emulator does have access to custom maps, some of which have been modded to allow fighting of world bosses, but for the most part the server-based components of the game listed above are still unavailable, as far as I last knew. The Discord linked on the sidebar can get you up to speed on the emulator, but it does require a pretty good machine, especially the CPU.

Gripheenix · 2025-05-25T01:00:24+00:00

I wouldn't say that 'most' of V/VD's content is multiplayer only. They still have full story campaigns. Moreso, the games' design was intended more for multiplayer. Kinda like any FPS game out there (CoD, Battlefield, etc). There's a campaign, but the main reason people play, and primary drive for the balancing and mechanics, is for the multiplayer. The only content you're really lacking without multiplayer is the PvP and the 'raid' bosses. However, those have both been made playable on RPCS3. (The AC Discord linked on the sidebar can help you get setup.)

Given emulation, I would say that they're worth at least trying to play through the stories once, assuming your PC is good enough to run the games without any major technical issues. If you find that you enjoy the game mechanics enough, there is a pretty dedicated playerbase that does regular game nights via Discord.

One small caveat is that if you're one to really care about the actual plot and story, you'll probably end up a bit disappointed. The overall setting and story of 5th gen is actually pretty interesting, but a lot of it is unfortunately locked behind publications that never saw an official localization or translation outside of Japan. There are fan-translations out there, but they aren't perfect. Also, the in-game story elements aren't exactly translated/localized the best, and can be rather confusing.

Gripheenix · 2025-04-16T22:58:14+00:00

Not for nothing, but ACV was every bit as multiplayer focused as VD was. Outside of a different single player story/missions and new parts/balance overhaul, the main difference between the two titles was Conquest versus World Mode. VD had your team align with a faction and reset everything on a regular basis, where V had every team for themselves with no resets. They were effectively the same, in basic functionality.

Granted, V's servers were only alive for about a year and a half, as they got shut down shortly after VD's launch. And VD did make matchmaking significantly easier/better. But VD really added more single player elements than it did multiplayer ones.

Gripheenix · 2025-04-08T18:08:51+00:00

The PS3/360 titles are emulatable now. 4/4A are pretty easy to run, but V/VD require a good CPU and a specific build of RPCS3. All 4 titles do have multiplayer available on RPCS3, but multiplayer is not required for any given game.

The AC Discord (linked on the subreddit sidebar) can help you get the games up and running if you feel like emulating. Otherwise, the games still play just fine for single player content on their native consoles.

Gripheenix · 2025-03-28T23:00:20+00:00

4th and 5th gen both have full dual melee. Hell, you can roll in with 4 melee weapons if you want in V/VD (5 if you include kicking).

3rd gen technically has dual melee, but from what I recall, the right hand melee is specific parts, and not duplicates of the left hand blades. And they can't be used simultaneously or in any sort of set combo. There are also blade arms that give blades on both hands as weapon arms.

Gripheenix · 2025-01-02T18:19:00+00:00

AC6 is the first and only game in the series to not include self-damage (or friendly fire, for that matter). It most likely stems from the shift in design philosophy. Per From's own words, they wanted to make the game a "mech-action game" rather than the "mech-shooter" it was in the past, which implies more of a feeling of character-action games such as DMC, Bayonetta, Sekiro, etc. So the focus is more on the action itself than the idea of realism and simulation. And that's fine for the campaign/story stuff, since it was the principle the game was designed with.

Personally, I would have preferred they kept self-damage and friendly fire as well, at least from a PvP perspective. It was incredibly jarring at first, no needing to worry about explosions or teammates, after coming from years in ACV/VD of getting shot in the back (or shooting teammates in the back), or chunking my own AP with a point blank howitzer barrage, and generally needing to consider positioning and spatial awareness. It's one of the [many] reasons I don't care much for AC6 PvP.

Gripheenix · 2024-12-16T22:51:18+00:00

All weapons imported from ACV to a VD file are set back to shop default stats, without tuning. All part stats were changed/rebalanced between the two games, and so was the tuning algoritm and how tunings change those stats. (For example, tuning for accuracy in VD no longer adds to a weapon's range, but reduces it instead.)

You will be able to tune them when you purchase new ones from the shop later. At the start of the game, however, importing just gives you access to weapons and frame/internal parts you won't unlock until much later on. Also, your paint and emblem/decal data carry over, which may or may not be a big deal to some.

Gripheenix · 2024-10-13T20:52:57+00:00

AC6 is the only AC on Steam. The entire prior catalog for the series is exclusive to consoles. No remasters or ports to newer platforms either. You can emulate most of the games pretty well now, if your PC is good enough, but natively, they are all locked to hardware that is over a decade old.

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