Juggernaut is a heavy mobile artillery platform and the first real boss you encounter in Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon at the end of the Operation Wallclimber mission. This heavy tank is invulnerable from the front and contains a mine thrower, many missile launchers, and cannons whose attacks can be deadly if not dodged.
The HA-T-102 Juggernaut is protecting a Rubicon Liberation Front trading outpost known as The Wall, which you need to climb to gain victory over the Juggernaut. Although you have a bit of help in the first phase of the fight, beating the Juggernaut in AC6 is a hard nut to crack.
It requires a carefully crafted build and sound strategy to take down this boss, and this guide is written to explain this. In AC6, you need to follow the following strategies to defeat Operation Wallclimber’s boss, Juggernaut.
1. Use V.IV Rusty to distract Juggernaut
The Operation Wall Climber boss fight in Armored Core 6 occurs in two phases. For the first phase of the fight, you will have an ally, V.IV Rusty, whom you can use to distract the boss. This way, Juggernaut will focus all its attacks on Rusty while you can go and find its weak spot.
2. Stay in the air
Armored Core 6 Juggernaut has thick armor at the front, which is almost indestructible, so hitting it will be a waste of your ammo. You need to hit it from the back, so you will have to go airborne. You cannot circle it as it will simply rotate to face you, and you will be at the front again.
When you get in the air and hover above it, its attention will be directed toward Rusty, and you can use your Plasma Missiles and Linear Rifle to land hits on its back.
3. Use Thruster with Vertical Missile
You will have enough mobility with the Nachtreiher or the Reverse-joint legs selected while crafting the AC6 Juggernaut build. Paired with an Upward Thruster, these will take you off the ground and directly above the boss.
Once you are above the boss, you must fire the Vertical Missile Launchers equipped on your shoulders. These will land direct hits if you are in close range and help you stagger the boss quickly.
4. Use Assault Boost to deal damage
It is better to stay in close range of the Juggernaut, but when you are slightly away, you can use an assault boost to close the gap. Top it up with the Two-hit combo of the Plasma Blade in your left hand that will apply stagger to the boss.
5. Stagger the boss and then hit its back
Once the Juggernaut is staggered, you can land melee hits on its rear wheels to deal damage. Its backside is its main weakness and all your attacks should be concentrated here. Keep hitting the behemoth this way; eventually, its health will decrease by 50%. At the same time, Rusty will have to go, and the second phase of the boss fight will begin. With no one to go against, you must fight alone and dodge Juggernaut’s attacks.
6. Steer clear of the mines on the ground
Make sure that you watch out for the landmines that Juggernaut will start deploying at half its health. These can do tons of damage, so staying off the ground is better.
The strategy for this phase is essentially the same; you have to hover at the top and keep attacking the boss from the back. Whenever you are in close range, unleash your melee attacks; otherwise, stick to your missiles in Armored Core 6.
This will eventually bring down Juggernaut, and the Operation Wall Climber mission will be completed with a fallen RLF fortress.
Best Build to defeat Juggernaut
The Juggernaut boss fight occurs early in Armored Core 6; you will not have many weapon options to customize your build but will still need to focus on firepower. However, what you need the most against Juggernaut is mobility, as you will have to hover above it and stay in the air as much as possible.
For this purpose, I recommend the Nachtreiher or the Reverse-joint legs and a booster with good vertical lift, such as the BST-G1sdddd. You can use anything for the head, arms, and core, but you must have at least one vertical missile launcher for the shoulders that guarantees a hit.
For your left-hand weapon, you can use the Plasma Blade, which deals a ton of area damage, and for the right-hand gun, you can have the Linear Rifle or the Xuan-Ge Bazooka. This will make a medium-weight build with the perfect mobility, AP, and firepower to take down Juggernaut.
