Armored Core 6: How to Stagger enemies with Impact meter

A familiar feature seen in FromSoftware games returns in Armored Core 6 courtesy of the Impact meter and Stagger system.

The combat in Armored Core 6 is inevitably going to be one of the game’s main selling points. Featuring outrageous mech fights across a variety of missions, Armored Core 6 will test players, both old and new, and encourage all comers to get to grips with – and even master- AC6’s deep combat.

A staple of Armored Core 6’s gameplay is the intertwining Stagger and Impact concepts. Souls fans, in particular, Sekiro, will recognize these, so let’s take a deep dive into what they both do and how they work in the game.

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What is Impact in Armored Core 6?

Impact is a special meter that effectively gives enemies a shield in Armored Core 6.

An enemy’s Impact bar lets Armored Core 6 players know how close a foe is to completely letting their guard down and becoming susceptible to unblockable attacks.

As seen in Sekiro and games such as Final Fantasy 16, enemies – especially more powerful ones – will have a separate bar to their health gauge. In AC6’s case, it’s the Impact meter. In FromSoftware’s newest iteration in the franchise, this bar is identifiable by its yellow color.

How to Stagger enemies in Armored Core 6

To get enemies into a Staggered state, Armored Core 6 players need to fully deplete the Impact meter.

This means it’s up to you to dish out enough damage, combos, and debilitating attacks to render this bar empty. Once you’ve done that, it will effectively shut down any AI opponents and let you deliver lots of free punishment.

Once the enemy has been idle and defenseless for a few seconds, the bar will then be completely restored. After that, it’s a case of rinse and repeat.

We hope this answered any questions you had about Armored Core 6 and its Impact and Stagger features. For more on FromSoft’s newest game, check out more guides right here:

Armored Core 6 PC requirements | Is Armored Core 6 open world? | Does Armored Core 6 have multiplayer? | Is Armored Core 6 coming to Nintendo Switch? | Armored Core 6 pre-order bonus & edition differences | Is Armored Core 6 coming to Xbox Game Pass? | Does Armored Core 6 have crossplay?