User Info: Fafnir Fafnir 6 years ago #1

Armored Core: Verdict Day Beginner Guide



1. The Basics

2. Customization part 1: Defenses

3. Customization part 2: Legs

4. Customization part 3: Heads

5a. Customization part 4: A Beginner's Guide to Weapon Types - The Dos

5b. Customization part 5: A Beginner's Guide to Weapon Types - The Don'ts

6. Customization part 6: Boosters

7. Additional reading: the Strategic Attacker's Mini-Manual by ZenosParadox



The Basics: Customization

There's a massive breadth of customization options available to you in ACVD. As daunting as everything looks at first, coming to terms with what everything does is not only important, but not as difficult as you would think. However, there are a few things to keep in mind.



Customization part 1: Defenses

Before we get to the deeper meat of ACVD's customization, it's important to go over the damage types in the game.

There are 3 main damage types in ACVD: kinetic (KE), chemical (CE), and thermal (TE). There's also a fourth, armour ignoring damage type associated with boost charge attacks (not worth talking about much, just don't let people charge you).

Defensive values are very important in ACVD, and neglecting them can seriously cripple your AC. But just increasing your defense isn't going to help you much until you know what you're defending against.

When you are hit with an attack, it will either hit normally and you'll take normal damage, or it will be deflected (if you're firing at someone and this happens, the word “INEFFECTIVE” will pop up on your HUD), dealing greatly reduced damage. In order to deflect an attack, your defense value for the respective damage type must be equal to or higher than the attack power of the weapon hitting you.



You can learn more about ACVD's defensive values here:

http://forum.armoredcorelegacy.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=343 (Please don't post until I say so)Armored Core: Verdict Day Beginner Guide1. The Basics2. Customization part 1: Defenses3. Customization part 2: Legs4. Customization part 3: Heads5a. Customization part 4: A Beginner's Guide to Weapon Types - The Dos5b. Customization part 5: A Beginner's Guide to Weapon Types - The Don'ts6. Customization part 6: Boosters7. Additional reading: the Strategic Attacker's Mini-Manual by ZenosParadoxThere's a massive breadth of customization options available to you in ACVD. As daunting as everything looks at first, coming to terms with what everything does is not only important, but not as difficult as you would think. However, there are a few things to keep in mind.Before we get to the deeper meat of ACVD's customization, it's important to go over the damage types in the game.There are 3 main damage types in ACVD: kinetic (KE), chemical (CE), and thermal (TE). There's also a fourth, armour ignoring damage type associated with boost charge attacks (not worth talking about much, just don't let people charge you).Defensive values are very important in ACVD, and neglecting them can seriously cripple your AC. But just increasing your defense isn't going to help you much until you know what you're defending against.When you are hit with an attack, it will either hit normally and you'll take normal damage, or it will be deflected (if you're firing at someone and this happens, the word “INEFFECTIVE” will pop up on your HUD), dealing greatly reduced damage. In order to deflect an attack, your defense value for the respective damage type must be equal to or higher than the attack power of the weapon hitting you.You can learn more about ACVD's defensive values here:http://forum.armoredcorelegacy.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=343

User Info: Fafnir Fafnir (Topic Creator) 6 years ago #2 Ideally, you'll want your defenses to be higher than the attacks hitting you. Of course, that's not always going to be possible, but you still gain a sizable reduction in damage even if you're not deflecting attacks, so every little bit still helps.



Your defense breakpoints will vary depending on what weapons you intend on blocking, and what your overall frame is capable of. Different AC types will have different threats to deal with, and its important to recognize them and defend them as best you can.



Generally, there are specific breakpoints that you'll want to meet with your defenses, which will help to hamper your major threats. Remember, these aren't exact numbers, just an indication of the general threats you'll want to keep in mind. You'd do well to check the stats on the weapons that are your biggest threats (when tuned to max power).



KE defense breakpoints



~900KE: Deflects gatlings (one or two might be able to creep past 900, don't have the numbers on me at this moment), small shotguns

~1200KE: Deflects small rifles, handguns, most small/med KE missiles

~1784: Deflects the strongest conventional rifle (highest reasonable point to deflect small arms, as far as I can tell at this point)



You have a bit of leeway with KE weapons, since their attack power decreases with range. There are higher breakpoints in the 2000's range and up that go on to block sniper rifles, although past a certain point, it becomes difficult to invest in KE defense in a worthwhile manner without harshly compromising your other defensive values, since most KE parts are specialized for lighter ACs. KE is probably the most common and easily raised defensive stat you'll run into, with low impact, high mobility parts that can be used by ACs of any type.



CE defense breakpoints



~1000CE: Deflects HEAT machine guns

~1400CE: Deflects most HEAT small/med missiles

~2096: Deflects the triple shot battle rifle

~2519: Deflects the strongest battle rifle



Unlike KE weapons, which decay over range, CE weapons tend to stay mostly the same. So these numbers are 'harder.'

After 2519, there's not much that can be reasonably deflected.

CE defensive parts tend to have very high performance, at the cost of high weight and drain. This makes it harder to incorporate into a build than KE defense, but still fairly common.



TE defense breakpoints



~900TE: Deflects non-amplified Pulse Machine Guns

~1150TE: Deflects non-amplified Pulse Guns

~2500TE: Deflects most lower end, non-amplified laser rifles (ie, non Karasawa family)



TE weaponry falls off similarly to KE weapons, but they fall of a bit differently, with TE weapons dropping off sharply past a certain point.

Also keep in mind that TE weapons can have their attack power boosted through EN amplifiers.

While it becomes difficult to deflect higher end TE attacks, due to the wide breadth of very powerful TE weaponry, high TE defense is always valuable, and even when not deflecting attacks, the reduction granted against even the most powerful TE attacks from high TE defenses is invaluable.

TE defense is probably the hardest defensive value to raise, since short of legs, most TE body parts tend to be quite poor outside of their AP and TE defense values.

User Info: Fafnir Fafnir (Topic Creator) 6 years ago #3 Armour Break and Stagger



Most weapons come with a stat called “impact force,” (some TE weaponry has no impact force). Impact force is, just as you would expect, the force of the weapon upon impact. If the impact force of an attack is equal to or higher than the recoil resistance of the AC being hit, than the AC will suffer from “Armour Break,” a status that reduces all of your defenses by 20% for a short period. This can leave you vulnerable to weapon you would normally deflect.



If the impact force of a weapon is 25% higher or more than your recoil resistance, not only will you suffer Armour Break upon being hit, but you will also be stunned for the duration, leaving you very vulnerable. It's important to keep this in mind when designing your AC, especially heavier types who won't be able to dodge the more impacting attacks as well.



Customization part 2: Leg Types

Generally, what's going to be the first step in deciding the overall role of your AC on a team is its leg type, due to the importance of movement in ACVD. Each leg type has its own advantages and disadvantages, and its important to pick the right leg units that will supplement your playstyle.



Medium Bipedal (MW):

Essentially, the standard by which everything else is measured. Medium bipedal legs tend to work well for a variety of functions, and there's quite a bit of variation in the class. Generally average in every stat, they don't lack much. Very straightforward. However, despite their versatility, there are going to be many situations when another leg type is more optimal for a specific build. They sport high naturally high KE defense, but are lacking in other areas, and are very vulnerable to CE and TE weaponry without intelligent defense investment, which will usually end up costing you energy drain and mobility.



Notable models:

LE2M-D-F24 (both variants): Sporting solid stats all around, as well as high loading capacity, these legs are a good place to start for any lighter medium biped. Very versatile, with fantastic turning ability for its class. The only real downside is the mediocre defenses.



LE2M-D-F02: An enhanced version of the F24 (above). Features improved defenses and loading capacity, at the cost of some mobility. Easily my favourite legs from ACV, these legs took a pretty big (and, let's face it, probably necessary) nerf in ACVD. They're not as insanely good as they were in ACV, but they still provide a great platform for midweights who want to work with a lot of different weaponry.

Le2M-T-W30 (Caspar Dunbar variant): Another well-rounded medium set of legs, with a fair amount of bulk behind them. The most notable thing about this set is that they have very good CE defense for their class, making them a natural starting point for any midweight that has its heart set on becoming a bruiser. There are no real glaring weaknesses to this set, which makes it great for Ravens who want to play safe.



L2MB-122 (Natalie Fischer variant): While lacking in defenses, and having mediocre load capacity, the 122 (Fischer) provides excellent mobility. Essentially a cross between a lightweight and a midweight, this set is fantastic for those that want the the speed of a lightweight, but want to retain the ability to take a hit or two.

User Info: Fafnir Fafnir (Topic Creator) 6 years ago #4 Lightweight Bipedal (LW):

Light Bipeds end up trading armour and AP for speed and mobility. These guys are the fastest things in the game, but, as mentioned, they are incredibly fragile. With pitiful defenses and low AP, it can be difficult to build survivability of any kind, and instead, light biped players need to live by the mantra of "don't get hit." Additionally, light bipeds tend to have very low load capacities, meaning they don't have as many offensive options as other ACs.

Light ACs tend to be very specialized, and need to be built for a very specific purpose in order to capitalize on their strengths.

Sadly, as mobile as lightweight bipeds are, they tend to be overshadowed by light reverse joints, especially the amazingly good Fisherman. That's not to say that lightweight bipeds are bad or lacking in purpose, but there's a lot more to weigh them against. Their speed is still untouched, meaning they'll always have their own niche.



Notable models:

Le2L-B-V15 (both variants): Similar to its midweight cousins, the V15s have the best loading capacity in their class, approaching low-end midweight levels, while still keeping a solid overall statline. Great for Ravens who want more options on their lightweight, or who just need that extra little bit of capacity to fit that really nice sniper rifle (you know the one I'm talking about... yeah... that one). Has low defenses, even for a lightweight, but that's not as huge a deal for this class, and the extra capacity can allow you to equip more durable body parts anyway.



NOWAKI mdl.2 (normal variant): Combining high defenses and load capacity for its class, as well as being one of the fastest, makes this a fantastic general-use set of legs for any lightweight. If you want to make a lightweight AC, and you're not sure where to start, this is the place.



Heavyweight Bipedal (HW)

Big, bulky, and surprisingly versatile, heavyweight ACs demand respect. While generally not as mobile as the other classes, heavyweight bipeds tend to pack high defenses, AP, and load capacity, making them solid tanks and allowing them to carry incredibly powerful and versatile weaponry to make them great bruisers, too.

While heavies come with great TE defense, and overall high defensive ratings in general, they can have trouble getting KE and CE to respectable levels at the same time, which is important for a weight class that can expect to get hit more often. Extra care needs to be taken with heavyweights to ensure they have the defensive values needed to survive a fight.

Don't let the bulk fool you, however, heavyweight bipeds can move surprisingly quickly with the right setup, and their high load capacity means that they should have no trouble equipping the heavy generator and booster equipment that keeps them mobile. If you need to have a gun for everything, you may want to consider investing in a heavy.



Notable models:

L2HA-307 (Bingo variant): The second fastest set of heavyweight legs, but unlike the L2HA-118, the 307 manages to have some solid defensive values. While it's still fairly fragile as far as heavyweight bipeds go, it's still got a great combination of bulk and mobility (can actually be faster than some midweights!), while keeping the load capacity to fill a variety of offensive rolls. A great way to bridge the gap between midweights and heavyweights, the 307 (Bingo) is a powerful and versatile part that belongs in every Raven's workshop.

User Info: Fafnir Fafnir (Topic Creator) 6 years ago #5 Le2H-J-E13 (Lilith variant): On the exact opposite side of the spectrum, the E13 (Lilith) is one of the slowest legs in its class, and the poor turning doesn't help at all, either. On the upside, it comes with absolutely amazing defensive values and a massive load capacity. While this set does have its flaws, and they can be glaring, if you can manage to work around them, the E13 (Lilith) can make for an absolutely terrifying gun platform.



AOI mdl.2: More well rounded than the two above models, the AOI mdl.2 offers a decent combination of mobility and defense, without any glaring weaknesses. As far as heavyweight ACs go, if you're looking for a good place to start, this is the spot.



Light Reverse Joint (LRJ)

The chicken walkers. Similar to lightweights, in that they tend to stress mobility, although light reverse joints trade some horizontal mobility for extra durability and stability (which impacts both stagger resistance, as well as fire rate, see below). Additionally, reverse joints (both light and heavy) expend additional energy while jumping to gain a large amount of height with each jump (they also jump horizontally off of buildings very well). For those that want a highly mobile AC, light reverse joints present a great alternative to light bipeds. Their improved defense and stability, and added vertical mobility, often makes them the preferable choice over the pure speed of lightweight bipeds.



Notable models:

L05 Fisherman: ACVD gave ACV vets of all kinds a lot to celebrate about. But ACVD also gave ACV vets who happened to play light reverse joints an excuse to dance in the streets in a physical expression of ecstacy. The Fisherman is that good. Great load capacity, incredible mobility and insanely good turning ability make the Fisherman the king of light, mobile AC legs. While that's not to say that the other legs are useless, far from it, they can still fill their own specific niche just fine, and have strengths that the Fisherman doesn't. But when you start building a light reverse joint AC, you start with the Fisherman.



L24 Forehead (Rafe Smirnov variant): While it's built on a similar frame to the Fisherman, the Forehead functions quite a bit differently, trading a fair bit of mobility and load capacity for a lot of very well allocated defense. It's not going to be as dominant as the Fisherman, but the extra TE and KE defense is very much appreciated, and can work very well on quite a few builds. Sadly, the very low load capacity does hurt quite a bit.



Heavy Reverse Joint (HRJ)

While no longer the incredibly dominant force they were in ACV, heavy reverse joints still command a lot of respect. Heavy reverse joints combine high AP, CE defense, load capacity, and solid mobility to create a very formidable frame. With some of the highest stability in the game, they're very hard to stagger, and their fire rates are slightly higher than most.

That said, it's not all good. Low turning ability makes them very vulnerable to flanking, and while their CE defense is very high, their KE defenses are low, and their TE defenses abysmal. For that reason, it's very difficult, if not impossible, to build a heavy reverse joint AC with well-rounded defenses, and they'll always have some pretty gaping holes, usually in TE defense, that will be easily exploited.

Still, that's no reason to underestimate the sheer force that heavy reverse joints bring to the table, and while they may be more specialized than they were in ACV, they're just as threatening as ever.



(I'm sorry, but I really don't play HRJ enough to know any notable models. If someone could chime in with some advice here, I'd appreciate it)

User Info: Fafnir Fafnir (Topic Creator) 6 years ago #6 Tetrapod (quad)

Tetrapods have probably changed the most over any other leg type over the course of the entire AC franchise. That said, they've stayed mostly the same, in terms of function, between ACV and ACVD. Tetrapods have insanely high AP, CE defense, loading capacity, and stability.

Tetrapods make naturally great heavy snipers, with the ability to carry even the biggest of sniper cannons. Additionally, when in the ready position, they gain increased stability, reducing recoil. But that's not where the good stuff ends, the naturally high load capacity and durability of the tetrapod makes them capable bruisers as well, and they can be a threat up close just as much as they can be from the other side of the map.

But they also come with their own weaknesses to match. Similar to heavy reverse joints, tetrapods are lacking in defensive abilities outside of CE. That said, they suffer to a much lesser extent, and can actually attain some fairly respectable defenses overall, especially on the KE front. Additionally, tetrapods are not very mobile at all, and can make for very easy targets if not protected (and considering the roles that tetrapods usually assume, they will always have a target on their back).



(I'm sorry, but I don't really play quads enough to know any notable models. If someone could chime in with some advice here, I'd appreciate it)



Tank

The biggest, baddest, heaviest, killiest things in the game, tanks truly live up to their name. Tanks have some of the highest overall defenses in the game, the highest AP in the game, and have the ability to use the heaviest of weapons while on the move.

Naturally, being the most powerful offensive and defensive threat on any team, tanks are also some of the highest priority targets, and the slew of weaknesses that comes with their great strengths makes it only worse. Horrendous mobility, poor turning ability, and fairly low stability for their size can make them a very easy target if left undefended. It doesn't take much for someone with a pile bunker to come up and knock one out in one hit.

Still, the sheer offensive and bulky prowess that a tank commands is enough to make it a desirable option for any team, and any player foolish enough to not give them the respect they deserve is going to die a very messy, very painful death. If you play a tank, you might think that everyone on the opposing team hates your guts. And they do, for a very, very good reason.



Note: while tanks have a very low natural turning ability, while standing still, their turning rate increases dramatically. Getting used to operating like this is integral to playing a tank well.

(I'm sorry, but I really don't play tank enough to know any notable models. If someone could chime in with some advice here, I'd appreciate it)

User Info: Fafnir Fafnir (Topic Creator) 6 years ago #7 NOTE: Leg stability and its relation to fire rate

The following tests were performed on ACV, so the information in this next section is outdated. However, the conclusions gained from it (ie, the impact of arm stability and leg stability on fire rate) should still be relevant.



I tested how fast various weapons of popular weapon classes with several different legs and arms ran out of ammo. Since I'm no longer a member of a team, I was unable to buy any new weaponry, so the options I had for testing were slightly limited, and the only stock weapons I was able to use were ones that came with the EBgames preorder package. That said, I think I got some pretty informative results.



Keep in mind, all parts are stock with no modifications.



Here's the base AC I used:



Head: UHD-10/I Arthur

Core: UCR-10/A

FCS: KV-1T2/Otkryt

Generator: Sonne GNE530

Booster: KT-2R3/Dafeng

Recon Unit: URD-36/ER



For the legs units I tested, I picked ULG-09/L because it has the lowest stability in the game, ULG-21 because it's a fairly popular set of legs, and also my preferred set, and KTN-2N3/Putuo because it has the highest stability in the game, and is probably the most popular set of legs in the game.



For arms, I used the Ilmenau AM28 arms because they have some of the higher stability in the game, and just happen to be the standard arms I use for most builds. I also used the KT-1S/Amur arms because they have the lowest stability in the game.



Anyway, here are the results for various weapons, less time means higher firing rate, obviously. Keep in mind that there is a margin of error here, but it shouldn't be more than 1 second.



KO-5K3/Zlatko (Sniper Rifle) with Ilmenau AM28 arms

ULG-09/L: 62s

ULG-21:61s

KTN-2N3/Putuo: 56s



KO-2H6/Strekoza (Battle Rifle) with Ilmenau AM28 arms

ULG-09/L: 47s

ULG-21: 44.5s

KTN-2N3/Putuo: 40s



USG-23/H (Gatling Gun) with Ilmenau AM28 arms

ULG-09/L: 67.5s

ULG-21: 67.5s

KTN-2N3/Putuo: 67s



USG-23/H (Gatling Gun) with KT-1S/Amur arms

ULG-09/L: 106.5s

ULG-21: 104.5s

KTN-2N3/Putuo: 94s



KO-3K2 (Shotgun) with Illmenau AM28 arms

ULG-09/L: 39.5s

ULG-21: 37.5s

KTN-2N3/Putuo: 31s



KO-3K2 (Shotgun) with KT-1S/Amur arms

ULG-09/L: 73.5s

ULG-21: 71s

KTN-2N3/Putuo: 59s



KTO-3T3 (Pulse Gun) with Ilmenau AM28 arms

ULG-09/L: 30.5s

ULG-21: 30.5s

KTN-2N3/Putuo: 30.5s



KTO-3T3 (Pulse Gun) with KT-1S/Amur arms

ULG-09/L: 56.5

ULG-21: 56.5

KTN-2N3/Putuo: 56.5



LR-81 Karasawa with Ilmenau AM28arms

ULG-09/L: 10.5s

ULG-21: 10.5s

Putuo: 10.5s



(conclusion on next post) The following tests were performed on ACV, so the information in this next section is outdated. However, the conclusions gained from it (ie, the impact of arm stability and leg stability on fire rate) should still be relevant.(conclusion on next post)

User Info: Fafnir Fafnir (Topic Creator) 6 years ago #8 Conclusion: Although the firing stability of your leg unit does affect the firing rate of some weapons, it does not affect all weapons, and the effects themselves vary. This seems to depend on the weapon's base fire rate and impact force, but I can't confirm for sure. Furthermore, energy weapons are not affected by leg stability at all, or if they are, it is entirely inconsequential.

The arm unit used had a much larger impact on the fire of any weapon used, regardless of weapon type, and the results seemed to be much more consistent than the impact of the leg units used. Additionally, it appeared that weapons fired using the arm unit with higher firing stability also exhibited a much more consistent and accurate spread, although this is entirely through visual observation.



For what it's worth, if you're going to be using USG-23/H gatlings, then forcing yourself to use heavy reverse joint legs is overkill and pointless, since the actual impact of the legs' stability on the fire rate is utterly inconsequential. That said, other weapons do exhibit more pronounced effects. This is extremely noticeable on the KO-3K2 shotgun, which had an exceptionally high increase in fire rate. Additionally, if you focus on the use of energy weaponry, your leg choice is unimportant concerning fire rate, since the effects are miniscule or nonexistent.



Essentially, Putuo and heavy reverse joints in general are far more common than they should be, for any reason.



Finally, as for arm choice, higher fire stability is always worth it, both for the increase in accuracy and increase in fire rate.

User Info: Fafnir Fafnir (Topic Creator) 6 years ago #9 Customization part 3: Heads

There's a lot to talk about concerning heads (although thankfully, not as much as legs). While part of why you'll pick your head has to do with the defensive values, there are a variety of other important functions to keep in mind when picking a head. These can have a very big influence on your playstyle, thanks to their varied and fairly impacting stats, moreso than most core or arm parts, so make sure you keep them in mind.



Stability Computation

A very important stat, stability computation affects, amoung other things, your overall mobility.



Camera Performance

Affects your lock on range. A head with high camera performance can increase your effective range considerably. Camera performance also affects how quickly you recover from FCS interference, such as from flash rockets. Light snipers can live and die by this stat.



Scanning Performance

Affects the speed at which you scan targets. New players may end up underestimating the importance of this stat. The ability to scan targets quickly can save your life, and can make you much more effective at your job, especially if you're running a specialized AC. Knowing what your opponent's defenses are, as well as their weapon loadout, is a terrific advantage.



Notable heads:

KAGERO mdl.1 (KE type): Featherweight, with fantastic stats in every secondary stat. The only downside is the awful defenses. Great for light ACs.



HF-227 (KE type): Well rounded in every category, no real glaring weaknesses, and low drain to boot. A great head that can work with almost any build.



H12 Swallowtail (KE type): Okay, so it's camera ability is garbage, and it's actually kind of heavy and drainy for its class. But don't worry, it gets better! The Swallowtail comes with fantastic scanning ability, the highest hacking ability in the game, and some pretty solid defensive values. It's a very niche head, but if you're looking for a good head for a dedicated close quarter fighter, it's definitely worth considering.



Hd-U-C37 (CE type): As far as CE heads go, it's fairly well rounded, light, and with relatively low drain (although high drain is just a fact of life for any CE part). Great camera performance, and solid scanning ability.



UMEGAE mdl.1 (normal variant) (CE type): Beowulf is back, and just as good as ever. Thanks to the light weight and crazy high stability computation, this is the fastest head in the game, period, but it doesn't stop there. It also comes with a great camera and solid defenses for its class. But the Beowulf is not without its weaknesses. Awful AP, scanning ability, jam resistance and hacking ability can be fairly annoying, and it has pretty high drain.