The AAP03 Enforcer is the boss waiting for you at the end ofArmored Core 6’s second mission in Chapter 4 titled “Underground Exploration - Depth 2.” Similar toBalteus, this boss has a few problematic attacks that can be intimidating to deal with on your first few attempts. But once you get used to its patterns and know what to look for, the Enforcer will become a fairly straightforward boss.
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The key to this fight is to remain as close as you can to it and stay in its face. Most of the Enforcer’s gear is made for ranged combat. This guide will go over how to safely get into close-quarters with the Enforcer without a laser blade to your face, and deal as much damage as possible.
Enforcer Weapons Overview
Description
How To Dodge
Beam Rifle shot
The Enforcer charges its rifle then fires off a beam shot. This attack can be followed up with an immediate second shot.
The Enforcer creates a pulse shield around itself.
Pulse Rifle Burst
The Enforcer fires a long stream of Pulse Rifle shots. It does little damage, but it discourages a direct approach toward the boss. The Enforcer may also fire this weapon in a wide sweep
Missiles (Direct and Vertical)
It has two kinds of missiles it can fire: direct and vertical. Direct missiles will fly at you in a straight path. Vertical missiles will be shot upwards into the air, float for a moment, then fly at you.
Beam Bayonet Slash
The Enforcer holds its rifle sideways, charges its bayonet, then lunges at the player and slashes once. This slash can be followed up with another slash. In phase 1, this attack does not track you in the air. In phase 2, this attack will track you in the air and the Enforcer may turn around and immediately slash at you again. If used on the ground, the boss may also follow up with Ground Slam
Beam Bayonet Stab
The Enforcer briefly charges its rifle then lunges forward and stabs it at the player. On the ground, it also creates a small shockwave.
Charged Bayonet Stab
Mostly used in phase 2. The Enforcer charges its bayonet for a long time, then lunges at the player and impales them. It’ll shoot once then throw you away.
Ground Slam
Also used primarily in phase 2. The Enforcer charges its gun then slams it into the ground, creating a single shockwave that follows the ground and emanates away from the boss.
Recommended Builds Against The Enforcer
The best strategy against the Enforcer is to stay at close range with it at all times. Similar tothe Sea Spider fight, dual Gatling guns, Songbird, and 10-missile launcher are the recommended build because of how much damage and impact they can output. The Songbird and MLT-10 aretwo of the best back weaponsto build up Impact damage at mid-range and close range, while dual Gatling guns are perfect for dealing tons of direct damageonce the boss has been staggered.
As always, while this is a recommended build, use weapons that you feel the most comfortable with. For example, dual SG-027 Zimmerman Shotguns are also a powerful combo to use here.
What’s difficult here is how to get close enough to the Enforcer to deal a significant amount of damage. There are two build strategies for this:
While it’s possible to defeat this boss with a middle weight build, you’ll struggle a little bit more than a heavyweight or lightweight build.The reason is you don’t have the health to brute force through the Enforcer’s attacks the way a heavy build can, and you don’t have the high base movement speed enjoyed by lightweight builds to easily dodge its attacks. As a result,you’ll have to perform a mixture of both strategies, with Quick Boosts to get away from Pulse Rifle shots and trading AP to get closer when the Enforcer fires its beam rifle.
Best Strategy Against The Enforcer
The issue with the Enforcer’s weapons is that the Pulse Rifle, beam rifle, and beam bayonet attacks will discourage a direct path toward the boss, usually forcing players to back off. But to dodge the missiles, you have to move in closer.Since you want to get as close as possible to this boss, its weapons create an odd ‘red-light-green-light’ way of playing against it, with its beams and pulse weapons being “red lights” where you’ll have to focus on dodging, and its missiles (along with any downtime in the fight) are “green lights” for you to move in.
The Enforcer will appear earlier in the stage and shoot its beams and missiles at you. Sadly, any damage you deal during this time will not be applied when you enter the boss room.
Best Strategy For Phase 1
When this fight starts,the Enforcer will immediately fire its beam rifle at you.Your AC will chirp twice to warn you about the oncoming shot.After the first chirp ends, start your Quick Boost directly to the left or right and you’ll dodge this shot every time.Once you’ve dodged the initial beam, the Enforcer will stop attacking for a brief moment to feel bad about such a cheap shot against you, so take the time to get closer. Once you’re close enough, the Enforcer will try to keep you out with Pulse Rifle shots, missiles, beam bayonet attacks, and boosting away to dodge you.
Side strafe the Pulse rifle shots, Quick Boost backward when you see it charge its beam bayonet, and continue to close the gap when it’s shooting its missiles or firing its beam rifle until you’re as close as possible.If you’re ever unsure what to do up close, jump upward because the Enforcer has poor vertical tracking in phase 1.
At the edges of close range (~130m), you can leap above the Enforcer to make sure you dodge its melee attacks. Free-falling from your jump at mid-range can also get you out of most of its attacks.
Once you’re up close,unload your weapons and be prepared to take advantage of its stagger.The Enforcer will most likely boost away, so continue to chase after it until it shifts to phase 2.
Best Strategy For Phase 2
Phase 2 starts when the Enforcer reaches 50% life. A dialogue will play and the Enforcer will charge its rifle and slam it into the ground, creating shockwaves the player has to jump over.
The biggest change from phase 1 is an increase in melee usage and more moments of aggressive positioning where the Enforcer will boost directly toward you instead of constantly evading you.Despite the increased aggression, the strategy will remain the same. You’ll want to get close, and stay close to it. Once you’re up close, unload your weapons until you get a stagger on the boss, then capitalize on the stagger’s bonus damage to finish this fight as soon as possible.
Heavier builds with repair kits to spare may be able to trade hits with the Enforcer at midrange until the fight is over. Lighter builds will want to stick to close range as much as possible and capitalize on its damage windows.
