Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubiconis now on its way, and fans won’t have to wait long for it to arrive. This resurrection of FromSoftware’s long-standing mech series will bring players a new, heavily customizable adventure on the war-torn, post-apocalyptic planet of Rubicon-3. AlthoughArmored Core 6: Fires of Rubiconis a major departure from FromSoftware’s recent Soulslike titles, developer statements have noted that lessons learned from making them will carry over into it.
Right now,Armored Core 6looks like a true return toArmored Core’s particular style of gameplay. Different mech parts will grant players new capabilities, and gameplay will take the form of missions with varying lengths and objectives. How muchSoulsDNA carries over intoArmored Core 6won’t be known until after the game launches, but it’s a safe bet that there won’t be much. With that said, FromSoftware’s Soulslike titles built up the developer’s reputation for a reason, and it may want to bring one of its proven post-launch practices toArmored Core 6.
RELATED:Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC Can Spur More Playthroughs By Building on a Base Game Feature
FromSoftware Has a Talent for Crafting Major Expansions
Major downloadable expansions are almost synonymous with the Soulslike genre. The modular nature of Soulsborne areas lends itself well to new portions being bolted on, potentially leading to massive side adventures that can take hours to fully explore. So far, every FromSoftware Soulslike has received paid DLC except forSekiro: Shadows Die TwiceandDemon’s Souls. With other Soulslike titles such as theNiohseries andThe Surge 2also springing for post-launch DLC, it’s safe to say that this is a healthy trend in the genre.
At some point in the near future,Elden Ringis expected to receive its own major expansion titled Shadow of the Erdtree, and it may be the biggest yet. This devotion to major expansions now suggests thatArmored Core 6will also follow suit. Most of theArmored Corefranchise predates DLC as modern gamers know it, and even the later titles on seventh-generation consoles only had minor DLC that was largely cosmetic. Downloadable story missions would bea major change forArmored Core, butArmored Core 6is the perfect testing ground for innovations like that.
Armored Core Could Supplement Its Sixth Generation With DLC
DLC likeDark Souls' Artorias of the Abyss,Dark Souls 2’s The Lost Crowns, andBloodborne’s The Old Hunters all stand out as some of the most memorable parts of their respective games. It would be great to see anArmored Coretitle get the sort of lore expansions and creative fights that these expansions produced. That goes without mentioning theadditional DLC sales that FromSoftwareand Bandai Namco would get ifArmored Core 6was already successful.
One other benefit of introducing a Soulsborne-style expansion toArmored Core 6is that it could allow the game to embody an entire generation ofArmored Core. This would work similarly to whatMonster Hunter Worlddid with itsIceborneexpansion.Armored Corechronological generationsnormally consist of an initial entry with a simple numbered title, and then a set of subtitled games to expand on the gameplay before a full transition is ready.
With a major expansion,Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubiconcould offer the entire sixth generation ofArmored Corein one package. That’s not even getting into the opportunity for more PvE and PvP balance changes and new machine parts as potential DLC. An expansion would be great forArmored Core 6, and FromSoftware hopefully has something like it in mind already.
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubiconis now in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE:For Better or Worse, Fires of Rubicon Looks More Like Old-School Armored Core Than Elden Ring
