"Armored Core 2: Another Age" (PS2) Weapons Guide Version 1.2 This document Copyright 2001 "Zaku IX" Armored Core 2: Another Age is � 2001 From Software, Inc. Armored Core is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc. Foreword: Another Age, another FAQ. Those who have read the AC2 version of this guide have some idea of what to expect, but for those who haven't, this FAQ is here to explain all of the weapons as accurately, and in as much detail as possible. Most importantly, you'll find a new set of statistics used for each weapon, (when applicable), some of which tell you how much damage it does over a certain period of time, how much damage it is capable of doing given its ammunition supply, how quickly it drains energy, and more, plus a short, but descriptive commentary on each weapon. Version History: Use this in conjunction with the Table of Contents to find the newest changes quickly. 9/2/01 Version 1.0 * First release, based on the AC2 version 1.6 of this guide. * Weapon stats changed to reflect the new part "parameters" in AA. * New AA weapons profiled. * Another Age-ized the whole guide. * Some additions that were also planned for the AC2 version as well. * Revisions to weapon descriptions, and the intro, some major, some minor. * Stat "Travel Speed" REMOVED from all weapons for now, but it'll be back. * New subjects "Human Plus", and "Overweight" added to Section 4i. 9/18/01 Version 1.1 * Removed the blade length stat explanation left over from the AC2 version, as it was fixed in AA. * Cleaned up Section 4i, so it now makes mention of the new parts. * Fixed up some Human Plus comments left over from the previous guide. * Serious Corrections * Made a much needed update to Section 6, "guidelines" if you will. * Added a little note on the Stealth part that I neglected the last time. 10/13/01 Version 1.2 * Corrected some info on the Energy Supply Stat (section 2). * Put some more info about the Orbit Cannon and Orbit Maker. * More info on the Mine Dispenser added. * Small reminder added to Inside Parts (section 4c). * Some more modification notes that aren't part of the given stats. * Misc. topics (section 4i) updated with a topic on the speed of your ACs. * Misc. topics (section 4i) updated with a topic on enemy ACs, making this guide officially no longer spoiler free. Author's Note: All that's really left is to figure out a good and reliable way to calculate the Travel Speed stat to give it some sense of proportionality. Table of Contents: 1) Legal Info 2) Statistics Explained 3) Additional Statistics 4) Weapons 4a) Blades 4b) Shields 4c) Inside Parts 4d) Extensions 4e) Right Arm Weapons 4f) Back Weapons 4g) Fixed Arm Weapons 4h) Optional Parts 4i) Miscellaneous (or FAQs yet to be asked, but already answered) 5) Thanks 6) Contact ******Section 1********************************************************** Legal Info: This guide can be reproduced for placement on any website that wants it, providing it is kept exactly as it was found. While it would be nice to let me know you're using it, it isn't mandatory. It is, however important that you keep it up to date. The newest version will always be submitted to GameFAQs, so if you're reading this from another site, go there to make sure you have the right one. ******Section 2********************************************************** Statistics Explained: I'm trying to go for only what's involved. I will skip some more obvious ones, just to save myself the hassle of typing it all when either the manual or the in-game help system gives an adequate description. By the way, I alphabetized them since classification was getting too hairy. Accuracy: This determines how well your blade attacks will be guided. The higher this number is, the more reliably your AC will target the enemy for sword attacks. Lower numbers can make it much more difficult to strike with the blade. {Arm Stat} Ammo Heat: More or less the single round value of "heat damage". Consider this number cut in half if you are fighting a Plus that has had the third operation performed on them. Heat damage is the amount of heat your opponent takes in when hit. The higher it is, the closer they will be to overheating, (once they're overheating, any additional heat damage will make it much harder to cool off), but of course, the Radiator they have will work hard to "undo" the heat damage after it's been inflicted. By "undo", it will lower the AC's temperature, but not undo any damage to the AC's armor that's already been done as a result. {Right Arm Weapon, Arm, Right or Left Back Weapon, Inside Part, and Extension Stat} Ammo Price: Corresponds DIRECTLY to Ammo in that one ammo count is worth whichever value is given. {Right Arm Weapon, Arm, Right or Left Back Weapon, Inside Part, and Extension Stat} Attack Heat: This is how much your opponent heats up when they get hit by your sword. Think Ammo Heat here, but for your sword. I'm willing to bet that this also gets multiplied if you get a nice clean hit. {Left Arm Weapon Stat} Attack Power: This is the raw, (usually single round), damage for a weapon. What you are not told, however, is how much damage a single discharge of a spread shot weapon causes. In the case of such weapons, I will include the full damage of the weapon if the the entire cluster of shots were to hit. A good thing to remember is that Laserblades which also possess this stat will multiply it based on how clean the hit is, (and are also manipulated by Energy Supply), but energy projectiles made by a Laserblade have the power given and nothing more. {Right or Left Arm Weapon, Arm, Right or Left Back Weapon, Inside Part, and Extension Stat} Bio Sensor: A simple yes or no stat. A part either has it or doesn't. What it does depends on what part has it. In back radars, it causes Biological Units to appear on radar, as without a Bio Sensor equipped radar, you must locate them visually. In a head, a Bio Sensor will allow you to lock on to such units, and in some cases, it will also have a Bio Sensor equipped radar, although it seems the only way to find out is to take it into battle and see. {Head and Left or Right Back Weapon Stat} Discharge Heat: I don't think it's important, but it's the heat your sword or shield generates. The values are all really small, but I guess they wont help when you're already overheating. {Left Arm Weapon Stat} Energy Supply: This stat comes into play when you equip a sword on your AC. The higher it is, the more damage the blade you equip will do. {Arm Stat} Lock Speed: This dictates how quickly your missile weapons will lock on to their targets. The lower this number is, the faster they are supposed to lock. This isn't really important if you use single lock missiles, but eight or twelve lock types can greatly benefit from having a faster their lock speed. {FCS Stat} Maximum Lock: The most locks you'll get out of a weapon. Both the weapon in question, and the FCS you have equipped will determine this, with the lower number of the two having priority, since neither can exceed the other. {Right or Left Back Weapon, Arm, and FCS Stat} Precision: After a lot of play testing, I have to conclude that this is strictly the ability of the FCS to compensate for movement. In this case, the results of my testing have suggested that a higher number will make your weaponry more accurate against moving, particularly quick moving targets. {FCS Stat} Range: There are a few places where you'll find this stat, and in each, it has a slightly different meaning. Range with a weapon is the effective distance it has, or to specify how far the shot will travel before it fizzles. On a FCS, it's the maximum range from which you can lock on to your opponent. Even if your FCS has LESS range than the weapon, you would still be able to hit a target outside of that range, so long as it does not exceed the range of your weapon. If the weapon's range is less than the FCS range, the FCS will revert to the weapon's range, (hint hint guys, don't equip DOX-ELENA with a handgun). {Right Arm Weapon, Arm, Right or Left Back Weapon, Inside Part, Extension, and FCS Stat} Recoil Control: What recoil? None of the right arm weapons have it. Despite that, I gave this one a few shots and honestly noticed no difference whatsoever in how my Right Arm Weapons performed. Ignore this. {Arm Stat} Reload Time: Specifically, the time needed for a reload, given in units equal to 1/60 of a second. Additionally, for weapons that function as missiles, it's the time between launches, the difference being that however many locks you had is the number of missiles you'll launch before waiting out the actual reload. {Right Arm Weapon, Arm, Right or Left Back Weapon, Inside Part, and Extension Stat} Reticle Mobility: This appears to be the speed of the reticle when, and only when you lock on with missiles. The reticle in question is the little diamond that appears in front of your AC, and then finds its way to an enemy within the range of the FCS. Once it reaches its target, the lock process begins. Higher numbers seem to be good here. {FCS Stat} Weapon Lock: The size manipulation of your FCS for using the weapon. In other words, it will either make your FCS bigger, smaller, not affect it at all, or make it a tiny bit smaller. Those parameters are respectively, Wide and Shallow, Narrow and Deep, Standard, and Special. {Right Arm Weapon, Arm, and Right or Left Back Weapon Stat} ******Section 3********************************************************** Additional Statistics: This section will explain some stats that I use, but the game does not, stats that I think more accurately describe weapons. Such stats assume several things, and those things, along with the actual calculations are given here for your convenience. One VERY important thing to remember is that ALL stats which are calculated through a formula involving the number of Ammo a given weapon has will be affected if any magazines are equipped. For a good estimate, you could simply take that stat and add the given percentage increase to it, but for the truly accurate count, you should replace the Ammunition part of the formula with the increased number of ammo after using the Magazine. Yet another important note is that all energy weapons' stats are calculated as if NONE of the optional parts were equipped, which means they can be very much affected by them. Keep that in mind when trying to select a weapon that's right for your AC. And yet ANOTHER note, (I promise, this is the last one!), Missiles are compared to MISSILES, and not other weapons. I say this because there simply is no reliable way to calculate their stats so they could be compared to weapons that don't require a certain amount of time to lock on. You'll have to use common sense to do that, and there just isn't a formula for common sense. I've done as much as I could by supplying a relative lock speed. Without any more diversions, here are the statistics. Burst Power: The calculation of the full damage of a spreadfire weapon i.e. the Slug Gun, Shotgun, Bombs (others too). The assumption is that every round that is part of the burst hits. This stat is only used on weapons it applies to. It very directly corresponds to ONE unit of ammunition. Therefore, if a weapon fires multiple shots at once, but subtracts the same number from the ammo count, I wont provide this stat, (although I do consider it to be part of the fire rate), so for Dual Back Weapons, Fixed Arm Weapons, and any others that apply, you'll have to double, (or triple, quadruple, whatever's necessary), the value. I will put up a reminder whenever that's an issue though. Burst Heat: Same as the above, but measuring heat. Potential Damage: This is a simple "Ammo" multiplied by "Attack Power" formula. It does not make provisions for heat damage, or additional single round damage such as that caused by the Karasawa's shock wave. Such a calculation does not take missed shots into consideration, which isn't so much an assumption as it is a matter of sticking to the definition of potential. It is the full damage that a weapon will inflict if every last shot hits its target. Offensive Edge: Not to be confused with Offensive Point, this is the measurement of damage over time. This stat is obtained by dividing a time period of 255 by the current weapon's reload time, then rounding down to the nearest number, or just ignoring the decimal value, however you choose to view it. That number is multiplied by the attack power, or burst power if it applies. It does, of course, assume that you are constantly firing, and that no extra space is put in between you and your target. The stat when given for missiles is given as Maximum Volley Offensive Edge. Minimum Volley Offensive Edge will be given too. If a missile only locks once, you get plain old Offensive Edge. This stat should really help you when thinking in terms of one on one combat when enemies could actually survive for a long period of time, (Mainly ACs). Also, some weapons do consume more than one round at once, so that is also taken into consideration when this stat is given. Accumulative Heat: The same as Offensive Edge, but given in terms of Heat as opposed to damage. Because of this, the calculation is the same as the above, but with Attack Power, or Burst Power, as the case may be, replaced with Ammo Heat, and its burst counterpart, Burst Heat. Just like Offensive Edge, this stat will be given for the maximum and minimum volley of a multiple lock missile. Likewise, it does not account for the time it takes to acquire a lock. Lasting Power: A simple calculation with "Reload" multiplied by the "Ammo" to come up with a number. The assumption here is that you never take your finger off the trigger and thus fire as quickly as possible. The idea of this one is to let you know how long your weapon lasts even when someone, (namely me), is desperately trying to empty it as quickly as possible. Minimum and Maximum Volley versions of this stat are supplied for multiple lock missiles. Total Cost: Yet another simple calculation, this time consisting of "Ammo Price" multiplied by the amount of "Ammo". There is no assumption here, as it is, much like Potential Damage, defined as the maximum possible cost. Energy Consumption: Like Offensive Edge, but it tells you how much energy you will use in that given time frame. Even though many energy weapons aren't meant for constant firing, it complements the Offensive Edge statistic. It is, of course assumed that the attacking side does not refrain from firing for as much as a nanosecond more than they have to. ******Section 4********************************************************** Weapons: This section is going to be divided into several sub sections. That will hopefully make it much easier to classify weapons. All Right Arm, Back Unit, Extension, and Inside Part weapons will have new stats listed for them, all derived from the previous section. None of the stats you could get by pressing Triangle while viewing a part will be listed outside of the summary, (and in that case, I'd probably try to use relative terms and not numbers unless it's really important). Since there are new weapons in Another Age, and some of the old weapons were modified, I will blatantly label each weapon as such, since some of these changes are quite dramatic, and require you to look at an old weapon like a brand new one. I also did revise some notes on old, yet unmodified weapons, because a new or modified weapon will shed some new light on it, making a new commentary necessary, although I wont label those, so you'll need to look for them. A good rule of thumb is that if it makes you think about it, it probably made me think about it too. Lastly, _please_ look at Section 3 of this guide for an explanation of all the statistics I use here. ~~~~~Section 4-A~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Blades: There are no more than six blades to use, and each has varying statistics that I'll spare you of, (really, they're self-explanatory enough). "Plus Blade" refers to the blade generated when a Level 2 Plus uses the sword and adds energy to the blade, (by pressing X during the slash), to create a projectile. The power of a normal blade strike is determined by both the type of strike used, and how direct the hit is. Plus Blades have a fixed power, although they're never as powerful as the actual blade which generates them. "ELS-2772" This orange blade is the one you start with. It boasts the longest range (though honestly not by that much), and the lowest weight. Accordingly, it is the weakest. I consider it the very bare minimum requirement for most missions, especially those with many non-enemy targets. Lots of ammo could be a substitute, but this weapon is very reliable. -Plus Blade: When used by a Level 2 Plus, this sword can create a small orange energy plane, which strikes from much farther than the blade itself, but is also somewhat weaker. Of course, you could use it while normally slicing somebody for more damage. The plus blade itself has the second weakest power of all plus blade projectiles. If you do not have access to a file from the original AC2 that had the Human Plus Upgrades, you can't use this ability. "ELS-3443" This green blade trades just a bit of range for more power, and actually drains less than the above blade when used. It is slightly heavier though. It is a good choice for missions, having sufficient power to defeat weaker enemies very easily. -Plus Blade: When used by a Level 2 Plus, this sword can be used to make three green energy planes that fire out in a fan trajectory. Used up close and combined with the blade itself, you could do serious damage with an apparently weak blade. Each individual plus blade projectile has the weakest power of all plus blades, but that's more than made up for by the potential to connect with two or three from close range. "ZLS-T/100" This triple bladed pink sword has noticeably less range than either of the above, but offers impressive power, (more than the last two), at the cost of increased weight and a higher drain in addition to diminished range. This is a good choice for missions where other ACs are present, more than the regular missions, but that's not to say there wont be any tough guys to be fought in those. Overall, a very well rounded sword. -Plus Blade: A larger, single pink energy plane can be made with this sword. Its power is the second best of all Plus Blades that are generated by a regular left arm sword unit. "ELS-7880" *NEW* This sword has the highest attack power of all, but the worst range of the regular swords. It comes in at less than half the length of the ELS-3443, but the raw power it has makes up for it. It weighs in at nearly double the previous blade's weight, but no matter how you look at it, it's an excellent deal. The blade emitted is worth noting. It's a wide, albeit short orange blade, that is generated using two emitters, which results in a gap in the blade at the bottom of it, but roughly halfway through, it forms one very powerful blade. Neat, huh? -Plus Blade: A very large orange energy plane is made, although it's not as strong as you'd expect. The power itself is slightly lower than that of the ZLS-T/100's Plus Blade. "LS-MOONLIGHT" At a first glance, everybody will drop this sword and scoop up the ELS-7880. At a first glance, that seems to be the wise thing to do, since it does weigh about half of what this does, and has yet a more impressive Attack Power. Well, this sword still has a few things to offer. Firstly, the blade range is more than doubled. Secondly, the blade itself drains significantly less when used. I think this sword would still be the best if its weight was around 450 WP, but even still, it has its uses. -Plus Blade: A very large blue plane of energy is made with this sword. It does possess the greatest power of all Plus Blades that are generated by a regular sword, so the grand "Slice + Plus Blade" combo is utterly devastating when performed with this blade, which has raw power in both forms. "ZLS-400/SL" This is the infamous irregular sword. While it has no conventional blade to strike with, it does have the ability to project energy waves similar to the Plus Blades created with regular swords. Over the Plus Blade, this "Irregular Blade" has some advantages. Firstly, it is usable by any pilot. Secondly, it can project energy waves while the AC wielding it is airborne. Most importantly, it appears to have power that outclasses any Plus Blade, narrowly beating the Moonlight's Plus blade despite having a MUCH lower base Attack Power. If you're afraid to get up close, this is the blade for you. ~~~~~Section 4-B~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Shields: There are only four shields to be acquired and/or used. Ideally, these would be given to ACs with a great amount of Ammo for use in Missions. Generally, you can afford to be more lenient with ammo in missions that are guaranteed to have less enemies, such as Arena Missions, or those pertaining to certain large MTs that need to die, so you don't have to design your AC to have huge amounts of ammo to use shields in those situations. Another thing to think about is the fact that if you have enough of your Generator's Energy Output left over, you can recover energy WHILE using the Shields. Be careful though, since movement will stress your Generator in some cases, enough to actually make the shields start draining. Using your boosters while shielding will drain under ANY circumstances, and it will drain FAST. Be careful. A nice, across the board change to all shields in Another Age is that they now drain significantly less than before. I still wish there was some way to inflict damage with them, no matter how meager, but as they are, they're not too shabby. "EES-2555" This cheap little shield emits a yellow energy barrier that shields the AC's forearm. Coverage is so-so, shell defense is so-so, energy defense isn't too bad, and drain is extremely low. Weight itself is also low, weighing in as the lightest of the shields. Good for slow ACs generally, but usable by quicker ones. If you can't use a better shield for any reason other than that you want to pack on as many weapons as you can, you better change this to the ELS-2772 because chances are you'll run out of ammo and be left defenseless otherwise. In an Arena Mission, this isn't as much of a risk. "EES-777LAR" This shield offers much better shell defense than the previous one, and a bit more energy defense as well, but drains yet more, and is also a bit heavier. The shield emitted is blue, and covers roughly the same area as the previous one. This shield is a much better balanced version of the 2555, so if you can fit it on, do so, but make sure you are more than covered in the ammo department. "ZES-500/SU" Quite possibly the best shield in terms of balance. Both types of defense are boosted, especially energy defense, but it has the highest drain of all, yet thankfully not the heaviest weight, even though it's heavier than the 777LAR. One big bonus is the incredible coverage you get from this shield. I cannot stress enough though, your need to have a lot of ammo if you make this commitment. This shield isn't so cool anymore once you're doomed to die because you don't have anything left to attack with and all you can do is cower behind its pinkness. Admit it, you thought I was going to finish the paragraph without telling you what color it was, didn't you? "ZES-99-MIRROR" This shield emits a green barrier that absorbs the most damage, of either type, making it the absolute most defensive of all. It is 100 WP heavier, but drains just a bit less than the previous shield. Coverage is better than usual, but not as good as the 500/SU. I can wholeheartedly recommend any tank that uses the Moonlight to drop it in favor of this unless they are truly deprived in the ammo department. The nigh 300 WP you are given back can be put towards yet more weaponry, hopefully shutting out any ideas of running out before you're done with your job. ~~~~~Section 4-C~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inside Parts: Often overlooked and underestimated, these parts are generally light, and have varying uses. Believe me when I tell you nothing is worthless here. Unlike any other weapons, inside parts always fire backwards. Keep that in mind. Lastly, some seem to forget that optional parts fire true projectiles, even if most of them don't travel towards the opponent. This means that they can be detonated like other projectiles... "INW-DEC-00A" Type: Decoy Dispenser Total Cost: 1680 This part and the next are probably the most widely used. They set decoys right behind your AC when "fired". This decoy will attract missiles to it, thus aiding you in your dodging efforts. A single decoy can fool as many missiles as are launched at it, providing it doesn't blow up, which it will do after a short time. Its life span is typically long enough to last against a volley of missiles. "INW-DEC-M02" Type: Decoy Dispenser Total Cost: 2800 More or less the exact same thing as the above, except it has more ammo, and thus weighs more, and drains more energy. Use this whenever possible over the previous part, unless you can't take the weight and/or energy drain. "INW-EM-RRD" Type: ECM Maker Total Cost: 6525 This is an interesting little part. First, it is a bit pricey. Second, it has limited ammo. It does do a lot of good though. When you launch one of these, it breaks all locks within a certain range. If you stay near it, the opponent cannot lock onto you. Like the previous part, it does blow up after a while, but you have plenty of them. "INW-DM-PUPPET" Type: Dummy Maker Total Cost: 6720 This is good to bring into battle against a human competitor. The CPU always knows where you are, regardless of what the Radar it may or may not have tells it. This item fools the Radar by sending out a dummy which emits a signal just like that of your AC. Enough of these at once will make you VERY hard to find. Like the previous parts, the Dummy will blow up after a while. "INW-DM-MV" *NEW* Type: Dummy Maker Total Cost: 5760 As you probably know, the original Dummy Maker just dumped out stationary dummies, which weren't really that convincing, and were only truly useful when a large mass of them were dumped in one area making a "forest" of radar blips to hide behind. Well, these dummies move, so you can more easily fool your opponent with fewer of them. Rightfully, the number you can carry dropped by half, while the unit itself weighs more, and each dummy costs more than the regular type. These things don't last forever, and will eventually blow up on their own. "INW-BD-X22" Type: Bomb Dispenser Burst Power: 4080 Burst Heat: 978 Potential Damage: 81600 Offensive Edge: 4080 Accumulative Heat: 978 Lasting Power: 3000 Total Cost: 4800 Probably the most underestimated part. It dumps six bombs outwards, which fall to the ground and explode. While it's near impossible to hit someone behind you with this weapon, it is very easy to hit someone in front of you if you boost backward along the ground and drop it. Of course they'll have to be very close, so it's ideal to use against aggressive, blade happy enemies. Just don't drop them on yourself. Also, the higher you are when you drop these, the farther apart they will spread. "INW-BD-XVX" Type: Plasma Dispenser Burst Power: 4440 Burst Heat: 504 Potential Damage: 266400 Offensive Edge: 4440 Accumulative Heat: 504 Lasting Power: 9000 Energy Consumption: 1200 A vastly superior version of the previous weapon. It's a bit heavier, and drains energy, but you get three times the ammo, and a higher attack power. Usage is the same as the last weapon. "INW-DM/R11" Type: Mine Dispenser Potential Damage: 118000 Offensive Edge: 7375 Accumulative Heat: 1315 Lasting Power: 3600 Total Cost: 32000 VERY expensive. Normally, these are dropped insanely high. If you drop them while moving backwards, they'll drop lower. What I hate about using these things would have to be the fact that it's VERY easy to avoid being damaged by them. Even if you slam into them, unless you STOP moving, or are going very slowly, you can usually escape unscathed. Don't forget that the one who drops them can detonate them just as easily as their target. I personally wish the timer on these things was shorter so they could be used to hide you visually, which would help when fighting one who has a particularly high Scanning Interval on their radar. As they are now, I don't find them very useful. "INW-RV-08" *NEW* Type: Rear Vulcan Burst Power: 600 Burst Heat: 256 Potential Damage: 48000 Offensive Edge: 15000 Accumulative Heat: 6400 Lasting Power: 800 Total Cost: 400 After seeing it in action, I have to say this is one awkward weapon. Yet again, we have an extremely powerful inside part weapon that's highly difficult to aim. For starters, it's a spread shot weapon. Add to this the fact that it fires backwards, just like any other inside part. Now, get this, it fires diagonally UPWARDS as well. I've noticed that if you move backwards, it fires somewhat straight behind you, although still in a fairly wide spread. The closer you are, the better your chances of hitting are. Hitting with all the bullets requires you to be extremely close, although if you can manage it, you can do some nasty damage. In short, move backwards while firing, and stay as close as you can without inviting an easy blade swipe, and you should be able to get a lot out of this weapon. "INW-OM-PRT" *NEW* Type: Orbit Maker Burst Power: 4495 Burst Heat: 682 Potential Damage: 67425 Offensive Edge: 4495 Accumulative Heat: 682 Lasting Power: 2400 Total Cost: 13500 There should be no question as to why this is the heaviest inside part of all. When used, it drops an independent attack unit near your AC, which will attack enemies that appear within a certain range of it. This would seems to be within the 130-140 unit range, and lower. Assuming that an enemy is present for its entire life span, (life span being defined as the time before it blows up), it will fire thirty one shots at them in rapid succession, hence the incredibly high burst power. Aside from taking forever to reload, (the Orbit Maker itself), this is a highly useful part. Realistically, one can't expect all of the shots fired by the pod to hit a moving opponent, but it does provide a good distraction, and decent damage to complement whatever else you may be trying to do, not to mention the fact that you can toss out several of them before the first unit explodes. ~~~~~Section 4-D~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Extensions: These plug into the hardpoints on your AC's shoulders. They come in four types, most with at least two parts varied enough to warrant usage. While very light, none of these are standalone weapons, hell, some of them aren't even weapons, but they can make a huge difference if used properly. "BEX-BB210" *MODIFIED* Type: Back Booster Nifty little part. When activated, it pushes you back suddenly in a short burst. This obviously has many uses, since the boost is so spontaneous. It can do such things as fake out the opponent's FCS, or even your opponents themselves. Great for otherwise immobile ACs. New for Another Age, there is a pretty long reload time, so these are a bit harder to abuse, and to further discourage abuse, they require more energy to use. "BEX-BD150" *MODIFIED* Type: Dive Booster This part is more helpful to those who enjoy flying. It will give you a quick drop in altitude, enabling you to shake off many things, including missiles, and approaching opponents. Using it on the ground is pointless, but funny. Like the previous extension, a reload time was put in place to prevent this one from being abused, although it is much shorter. "BEX-BT180" *NEW* Type: Turn Booster Aside from having a misleading name, this is a pretty good addition to the lineup. It will almost instantly turn your AC around ninety degrees to either the left or right. By default, it appears to favor turning you to the left. However, once you have moved your AC, it will favor the side you last turned to, so if you had turned left before firing, it will turn you to the left, and if you turned right before firing, it will turn you to the right. It is my personal suggestion that you use the L3 Stick to choose the direction instead of the D-Pad, simply because it's much more natural than trying to hit the D-Pad and the analog stick in such quick succession, when you can use your thumb to move the stick left or right, and then push it down. It takes a while to get used to, but you can use it to really surprise your enemy who thinks they've found your blind spot. If you thought the Back Boosters made blade attacks fun, you need to try them with these boosters. If you time it right, you can slash to the left or right instead of straight forward, which makes it much harder to dodge your blade swipes up close. And yes, there is a reload time, but that shouldn't be much of a deterrent. "BEX-BRM-04" Type: Relation Missile Potential Damage: 21840 Total Cost: 12560 This is a very popular part. When used, it interfaces with any weapon that uses the AC's FCS to program a guided projectile. This includes all missiles, and the Orbit Cannon, but NOT the Pursuit Missiles, since they are guided by whatever targeting system their home pod uses. So, once you toggle it on, and fire one of those weapons, it will launch four missiles along with whatever your weapon launched. Two weapons, (the S608 and S612 back missiles), allow this weapon to fire twice for the same launch since they fire constantly for longer than the duration of its reload when locked on eight times or more. Of course, that would mean expending almost half of your supply with one launch. "BEX-BRM-02" Type: Relation Missile Potential Damage: 9240 Total Cost: 8960 This is more or less the same as the previous weapon, except it fires weaker missiles with more than 1.5 times the range. It also fires two at once when triggered, as opposed to four. Having the same reload time, it can be made to fire twice from the same launch as the above extension can. The reason to use this is either if you're pressed for weight, or if you just want to spread out your relation missile launches as it has the same number of ammo, but just goes through it more slowly. It also uses cheaper ammo. "EEX-AM45" Type: Anti Missile Total Cost: 4080 This is the least taxing Anti Missile you could equip, in terms of weight, drain, and expenses. It serves as a shield against enemy missiles, by aiming at and shooting them down when they are within range. By toggling the extension on, it will scan for incoming missiles, and upon detecting them, it will launch missiles of its own to counter them. It does not work perfectly, however, it does help you out tremendously. The missiles it counters are of the missile projectile type, not weapon type, so it will NOT counter the Orbit Cannon, but it WILL counter Pursuit Missiles. "ZEX-RS/HOUND" Type: Anti Missile Total Cost: 5440 Better quality than the above, being capable of doing a better job all around. Being a better all around product, it has more expensive ammo, and is a bit heavier, plus it drains more. "BEX-BAMS-287" Type: Anti Missile Total Cost: 8000 Does the best overall job of shooting down missiles, at the most expensive cost, for the most weight, and highest energy drain of the solid anti missiles. It also has more ammunition. "ZEX-AL/REX" Type: Anti Missile Unlike all the previous Anti Missiles, this one intercepts with lasers, for a more immediate interception. The stats are not up to par with the solid interceptors, but for free, you really can't complain. "BEX-AA00" *NEW* Type: Additional Armor This part is somewhat self explanatory. It lets you bulk up a bit, yet it's very light, which makes it only second nature to slap on a lightweight AC, which could use the durability. Be careful, however, that in putting it on, you're not using more weight than you would to upgrade to another set of arms with more defense. As I see it, the most practical use for this extension is on a pair of weapon arms, which seem to need it the most. Then again, there will be those who wear it just for the sake of putting their emblem on display, with it being attached to both pieces, and drawn larger than on most arms. ~~~~~Section 4-E~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Right Arm Weapons: Often thought of as the main weapon of the AC, being the one selected by default. All sorts of weapons fall into this category, each with their own class, and specialties. Weapon type is kept handy as it was in the previous sub sections, for those of you who haven't committed every part to memory. "ZWG-RF/37" *MODIFIED* Type: Rifle Potential Damage: 40600 Offensive Edge: 1624 Accumulative Heat: 728 Lasting Power: 6000 Total Cost: 4000 This is the Rifle you start with, but it has received some great new parameters, which help to make it more offensive, and more reliable. As a starting weapon, this will help you get through quite a few missions without putting a huge dent in your wallet. Though reliable, it still doesn't have the power it needs to handle well equipped ACs, or stronger MTs that will possess high power weapons as it seems to be geared towards handling weaker enemies in large numbers. "EWG-RF-M15" *MODIFIED* Type: Rifle Potential Damage: 47090 Offensive Edge: 2493 Accumulative Heat: 1242 Lasting Power: 4420 Total Cost: 8500 This Rifle has more power than the previous Rifle, and weighs a good deal less. Though it has somewhat limited ammo, it is capable of dealing more damage than the ZWG-RF/37, which greatly increases its overall usefulness. Since AC2, this rifle has been upgraded similarly to the last one, with a faster reload and more ammunition than before. "EWG-RF-M35" *MODIFIED* Type: Rifle Potential Damage: 53900 Offensive Edge: 1715 Accumulative Heat: 784 Lasting Power: 7260 Total Cost: 9900 This Rifle is great because of a combination of decent attack power and an abundance of ammunition. Its biggest problem is that it reloads slower than the other Rifles, which cripples its Offensive Edge. Its very high Potential Damage will make it easy to kill many enemies, even if you have to work at it more so than with the previous, much more powerful Rifle. "EWG-RF-10LB" *NEW* Type: Rifle Potential Damage: 42000 Offensive Edge: 3850 Accumulative Heat: 484 Lasting Power: 2760 Total Cost: 7200 Anybody who has played Project Phantasma or Master of Arena will recognize this Rifle instantly. Though it may have a new name, the concept is still there, which is to take your standard rifle and turn it into an extremely deadly weapon. With incredible single round damage, and a magnificently fast reload, it accomplishes just that. It does lack Ammo, although its high attack power compensates very well for that doing more damage in 120 shots than the ZWG-RF/37 does in 200. "ZWG-SRF/8" *MODIFIED* Type: Sniper Rifle Potential Damage: 44080 Offensive Edge: 2755 Accumulative Heat: 465 Lasting Power: 3520 Total Cost: 7200 The nature of this weapon makes such things as offensive edge, and lasting power somewhat useless, as it is supposed to be a weapon of opportunity. It's an accurate weapon with limited ammo. Note the phenomenal range of this weapon. I seriously wouldn't even think about putting this on a Heavy AC despite the weight of the weapon itself. You need the mobility to keep the enemy in your sight, as well as to keep them away while you use this. It remains mostly unchanged, save for a slight boost in Attack Power. "EWG-SRF-9" *MODIFIED* Type: Sniper Rifle Potential Damage: 37680 Offensive Edge: 2512 Accumulative Heat: 528 Lasting Power: 3120 Total Cost: 6000 This rifle leans more towards the heavy weapon category with its higher single round damage. Being a Sniper Rifle, it's still good at a distance, but the range is diminished, in order to offset the damage. It's bound to be the more popular of the two, especially with its lower weight and lower total ammo cost. This too remains mostly unchanged, but yet again, the attack power was slightly increased. I guess From decided to throw the snipers a bone. "ZWF-S/NIGHT" Type: Sniper Rifle Potential Damage: 24560 Offensive Edge: 3684 Accumulative Heat: 93 Lasting Power: 1300 Energy Consumption: 5040 Probably the most deadly of the Sniper Rifles. Being energy based gives it one weakness, which is that it needs energy to be fired, but on the other hand, the single round damage, accuracy, and all around good range, (though the poorest of all Sniper Rifles), make it a weapon to be careful of. Potential damage is rather low, which affects the mission performance, (that and having 20 shots to its name). It is the lightest Sniper Rifle as well. "EWG-MGA2" *MODIFIED* Type: Machine Gun Potential Damage: 47250 Offensive Edge: 5355 Accumulative Heat: 1428 Lasting Power: 2250 Total Cost: 8100 Getting into deadly territory, which is good. This weapon is a good one to put on mobile ACs that can keep the opponent within their targeting box relatively easily. It has a very high single round attack power for a Machine Gun, but at the same time, has a good load of ammunition, as well as some decent lasting power. It does enter Another Age mostly unchanged, save for a significant drop in the actual weight, making it more widely useable. "ZWG-AR/K" Type: Machine Gun Potential Damage: 27300 Offensive Edge: 7735 Accumulative Heat: 2210 Lasting Power: 900 Total Cost: 4500 This is a lovely little weapon. It's not too expensive to use, and does damage very quickly, in addition to its rampant overheating abilities. It doesn't last long, and wont do much damage in the long run, but if it did, it wouldn't be a very balanced weapon, now would it? The stats speak for themselves on this one. "EWG-MGSAW" Type: Machine Gun Potential Damage: 65000 Offensive Edge: 3315 Accumulative Heat: 1632 Lasting Power: 5000 Total Cost: 10000 This is the weakest of all machine guns, showing its true value to those patient enough to wait it out with both a long lasting power, and great potential damage. A very practical choice if you're thinking about grabbing a shield. "ZWG-MG/ENE" Type: Energy Machine Gun Potential Damage: 36600 Offensive Edge: 6222 Accumulative Heat: 408 Lasting Power: 1500 Energy Consumption: 34680 You'll notice a couple of common properties of energy weapons here, particularly poor ammo heat, and of course, now energy consumption. This one is an interesting concept. Sort of a double edged sword. The offensive edge is charming, but the accumulative heat is not. Potential damage is okay, lasting power is so so. Energy consumption is a bit annoying, and I can only urge you to take very good Generator if you are going to consider this heavy machine gun. Thankfully, it will not cost you a single credit to fire. Plus, it's energy damage, which can be good or bad depending on your opponent's armor. Don't know why it's so heavy though. Slap on the energy weapon enhancing optional parts to make it worth its weight. Oh yeah, since it does drain, be careful if you want to use it while flying, or else you'll end up having to charge your Generator all the way up to its capacity. "EWG-HG-51" Type: Handgun Potential Damage: 17500 Offensive Edge: 2100 Accumulative Heat: 1584 Lasting Power: 2000 Total Cost: 6600 All in all, not a very good weapon. But then again, at that weight, it's to be expected. Note the high accumulative heat, as well as the marginal offensive edge and lasting power. Despite a very short range, this is a good weapon to equip if you really want to sacrifice raw power for speed or a good Generator, or whatever. One thing the stats don't tell you is that this weapon has a good stun value, a common characteristic of handguns, (more accurately, it's more effective because of their characteristically fast reload). Therefore, it's not a complete waste against stronger enemies either. "EWG-HG-ART" Type: Handgun Potential Damage: 14475 Offensive Edge: 1930 Accumulative Heat: 2550 Lasting Power: 1875 Total Cost: 6375 I'd say that accumulative heat is where this one excels. It is the lightest of all Right Arm Weapons, but still has good performance to back it up. High Attack Power, as well as high Ammo Heat help to make it what it is in spite of low ammo. In all other areas, it's only marginally worse than the previous gun, but is cheaper to use, although not by much. The stun value of this weapon makes it quite annoying combined with the heat. "ZWG-HG/111" Type: Handgun Potential Damage: 27000 Offensive Edge: 2970 Accumulative Heat: 2090 Lasting Power: 2200 Total Cost: 7400 The best, albeit heaviest Handgun in terms of balance. Attack Power and Ammo are at their peak, accumulative heat is somewhere between the other two, lasting power beats the other two, (thanks to a slower reload however), and all that means this is one good weapon for its low weight. Mind you that I say that with regards to it as a weapon for use on missions. Combat with ACs is another story. The stun value will get you somewhere, but a powerful Heavy AC will be able to take you out long before it helps, well, that and you wont have an easy time stunning a heavy AC. Not with this weapon, anyway. Drop this to one of the other two if you need free weight for stronger back weapons. "EWG-BZ-B1100" *MODIFIED* Type: Bazooka Potential Damage: 57200 Offensive Edge: 4290 Accumulative Heat: 1722 Lasting Power: 2600 Total Cost: 6560 Nasty weapon. This is a great choice for a heavy AC. Slow traveling shots, big damage, decent ammo, not insanely expensive either. It has the potential to do a lot of damage, but it's better suited for large, durable targets so as not to waste the attack power of the weapon by killing little muscle tracers three or four times over with a single shot. You get the idea. Guard your ammo well. Note the stun value in addition. That's a common characteristic of Bazookas, although it isn't quite as maddening as the Handgun's near consistent stun, it can snuff pesky blade happy opponents. This weapon was only slightly modified for Another Age, now boasting a significantly higher Ammo Heat. "ZWG-BZ/555" *MODIFIED* Type: Bazooka Potential Damage: 61200 Offensive Edge: 6120 Accumulative Heat: 2019 Lasting Power: 2250 Total Cost: 5550 Offensive Edge seems fishy, and if it does, it's because I'm rounding down to the nearest whole shot before multiplying. That's why it's seemingly disproportionate between the two bazookas. So while if more time were a factor, you'd see the weapons a LOT closer together, it isn't. Anyhow, this is best described as high risk, high reward. Ten less shots, for a considerable boost in damage. As you can see, thanks to the potential damage stat, the missing ten shots don't really keep this weapon down. Offensive edge is vicious as well. The main form of balance on this weapon is the tiny targeting box. Like the previous Bazooka, this one now enjoys a greater Ammo Heat. "ZWG-BZ/HYDRA" *MODIFIED* Type: Spread Bazooka Burst Power: 1680 Burst Heat: 324 Potential Damage: 40320 Offensive Edge: 6720 Accumulative Heat: 1296 Lasting Power: 1392 Total Cost: 8880 In all fairness, a unique weapon. It fires three shots at once, meaning heavy damage up close, and a chance at smaller damage from far away. The spread feature makes it harder to dodge, and it's very nicely balanced by a low ammo count, thus potential damage. Not only does it empty quickly, but it is also the second heaviest of all handheld weapons. Like the previous Bazookas, this one received minimal modifications, but in a different area, namely Ammo. Enjoy your two extra shots. "EWG-GS970" Type: Shotgun Burst Power: 852 Burst Heat: 150 Potential Damage: 40896 Offensive Edge: 4260 Accumulative Heat: 750 Lasting Power: 2304 Total Cost: 5664 Useful little spread shot weapon. This one has a decent punch up close, and all in all okay power from far away, depending on how many shells hit. For what it does, it does it rather well. The ammo cost is nice and low, compared to some of the other weapons. As a spread shot weapon, it could hurt a few enemies from far away with one shot, somewhat evenly, making it good for mission use. Against an AC, you probably want to be up close and personal to deal the most damage, unless it has a Flamethrower. "EWG-GSH8" Type: Shotgun Burst Power: 1504 Burst Heat: 288 Potential Damage: 54144 Offensive Edge: 6016 Accumulative Heat: 1152 Lasting Power: 1980 Total Cost: 5112 This one is quite a bit more deadly. Unlike the EWG-GS970, this one has a burst count of 8. It has a bit less range, as well as noticeably less ammunition. The fact that each shell fired is deadlier makes the increased burst count even more effective. "EWG-XP1500" *MODIFIED* Type: Pulse Rifle Potential Damage: 29760 Offensive Edge: 2728 Accumulative Heat: 286 Lasting Power: 2640 Energy Consumption: 12650 A lightweight energy gun. The lackluster performance practically begs you to put some optional parts on to speed up its Reload Time, and boost its Attack Power. Thankfully, it weighs very little, and costs nothing to fire, and at the same time doesn't consume energy very quickly. This particular weapon was a bit more powerful in AC2, where it reloaded more quickly, and had a bit more heat to its name, but in this game, it was toned down in those areas. "ZWG-XP/400" *MODIFIED* Type: Pulse Rifle Potential Damage: 46950 Offensive Edge: 2191 Accumulative Heat: 140 Lasting Power: 4800 Energy Consumption: 10500 This Pulse Rifle has the ability to kill more enemies with both increased ammo and Attack Power over the EWG-XP1500. Though slower, and thus less powerful than that weapon, it has greater range. It was very slightly changed for the better in Another Age thanks to a marginally quicker reload, which unfortunately, couldn't be reflected in the statistics because more time is needed for it to make much of a difference. Ammo heat was also lowered in this game, but it never was much to begin with. "EWG-XC213" *NEW* Type: Laser Rifle Potential Damage: 52550 Offensive Edge: 3325 Accumulative Heat: 168 Lasting Power: 3960 Energy Consumption: 14000 One of two new Laser Rifles, hauntingly similar to the WG-XC4. Medium in weight, packs a decent punch, has quite a bit of ammo. It's worth noting that it fires lasers like those from the first game, which is nice. It has a reasonably swift reload given the type of weapon that it is, and because of that, it maintains an excellent power rating, in the form of Offensive Edge. "ZWG-XC/01" *NEW* Type: Laser Rifle Potential Damage: 39000 Offensive Edge: 3000 Accumulative Heat: 80 Lasting Power: 3250 Energy Consumption: 16000 The second new Laser Rifle is a bit like a watered down Karasawa. It even fires the same exploding shots, which don't stun, but they do add shockwave damage to an already decent Offensive Edge. Though not as good statistically as the EWG-XC213 in all of the major areas, it does have higher single round damage, and most importantly, lower weight. "KARASAWA-MK2" *MODIFIED* Type: Laser Rifle Potential Damage: 79000 Offensive Edge: 6320 Accumulative Heat: 168 Lasting Power: 2650 Energy Consumption: 13120 There isn't much to say here. It's the Karasawa. Use it reasonably competently and watch stuff blow up. Aside from obviously superior stats to most weapons, it stuns its target. From AC1 to AC2, it most definitely crossed the line between "good" and "cheap" without a truly significant, (the word I'm looking for is "rightful", actually), weight gain. Some effort was made to tone this thing down. Just looking at the stats, you'll see a lower ammo heat, but it takes closer inspection to spot the real change. After reading various posts in the Karasawa's defense, I brought it into battle against another player to find that the stun was significantly lowered, yet not negated, which means it's still fully capable of snuffing sword attacks. "ZWG-HC-IR/K99" *MODIFIED* Type: Plasma Rifle Potential Damage: 30180 Offensive Edge: 5030 Accumulative Heat: 100 Lasting Power: 1104 Energy Consumption: 19800 No. This weapon doesn't suck. Anything following the Karasawa is bound to look like it does. Well, weighing in at 777 WP, it isn't all bad. High single round damage, low ammo, slow, slow reload. That sums it up. It does offer better range than the Karasawa though. A Good midweight weapon, it even fits on lightweights with a little bit of room to spare. Yet again, the heat damage was lowered for Another Age. Also, it would seem that this thing no longer stuns as well as it used to. "EWG-HC-GN210" *MODIFIED* Type: Grenade Rifle Potential Damage: 32000 Offensive Edge: 6400 Accumulative Heat: 1900 Lasting Power: 1200 Total Cost: 8200 This weapon gives you fantastic power with limited ammo. Though slow, it hits incredibly hard, with an attack power well above any other Right Arm Weapon. Between this and the AC2 version, these are entirely different weapons. Ammo was cut in half, but the Attack Power was boosted, helping to balance this weapon out nicely. On top of that, the loss of ten extra shots cuts down on Ammo costs. "EWG-HC-RAW" *MODIFIED* Type: Hand Rocket Potential Damage: 52020 Offensive Edge: 20230 Accumulative Heat: 4032 Lasting Power: 576 Total Cost: 5040 Narrowly, the most powerful Right Arm Weapon, gaining its power from both a speedy fire rate, and the fact that it fires two rockets at once. It does empty quickly, which is the only downside to its furiously fast rate of fire. Now, it manages to have all of that power, and still be a fair weapon, because it doesn't lock. You have to aim it manually, which takes quite a bit of skill. Now, this weapon was incredible in AC2, but in Another Age, it's even better, thanks entirely to a faster reload. "EWG-HM-04" *NEW* Type: Hand Missile Potential Damage: 46800 Lock Speed: Very Fast Minimum Volley Offensive Edge: 3120 Maximum Volley Offensive Edge: 12480 Minimum Volley Accumulative Heat: 400 Maximum Volley Accumulative Heat: 1600 Minimum Volley Lasting Power: 3360 Maximum Volley Lasting Power: 840 Total Cost: 6000 An entirely interesting concept, and long overdue, if I might add. An Arm Mounted Missile Launcher is an extremely useful addition, since it provides an alternative to missile arms, which have no defense, and can't be equipped with left arm weapons. With four locks, you can unleash a fairly impressive salvo. And this thing launches FAST. The missiles are extremely close together, which unfortunately makes them easier to dodge at a distance. Use relation missiles to mix things up a bit. "EWG-FTG500" *MODIFIED* Type: Flamethrower Potential Damage: 188000 Offensive Edge: 19975 Accumulative Heat: 14195 Lasting Power: 2400 Total Cost: 8000 While the stats may be impressive, keep in mind that like the previous weapon, this does not lock on, and also note its short range. Using it like a machinegun wont help much against moving targets, since the range and lack of a lock will make it hard to keep the flames on them for an extended period of time. This weapon is almost exactly like it was in AC2, since it has merely one noticeable difference, which is that its range has been doubled! Would have been nice to lower the weight too, but this is one of those times where you take your winnings and run. ~~~~~Section 4-F~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back Weapons: These parts plug into either, (and sometimes both), of the hardpoints on the back of your AC's torso and fire over your shoulder. Some of these are so powerful that you have to kneel to fire them lest they knock you over, (or at least that's what would happen if the game let you do it). However, if you loaded a file from the original AC2 that had at least four Human Plus Upgrades, you wont be affected by the recoil, and will thus be able to use such weapons in any position. "EWM-S602" Type: Small Missile Potential Damage: 18720 Lock Speed: Normal Minimum Volley Offensive Edge: 3120 Maximum Volley Offensive Edge: 6240 Minimum Volley Accumulative Heat: 580 Maximum Volley Accumulative Heat: 1160 Minimum Volley Lasting Power: 1344 Maximum Volley Lasting Power: 672 Total Cost: 3360 This would be your default missile launcher. Not much potential damage, not much lasting power, not expensive at all. In fact, this is your below average launcher. It is light, which will hopefully justify its use. As a missile launcher, it has to acquire a lock for each missile it fires, and missiles, as projectiles generally do track fairly well, but are easily tricked given ample time. Also, they can be shot down by extension anti missiles, or the core's anti-missile gun, if it has one. "EWM-S608" *MODIFIED* Type: Small Missile Potential Damage: 37440 Lock Speed: Barely Slower than Normal Minimum Volley Offensive Edge: 3120 Maximum Volley Offensive Edge: 24960 Minimum Volley Accumulative Heat: 580 Maximum Volley Accumulative Heat: 4640 Minimum Volley Lasting Power: 2976 Maximum Volley Lasting Power: 372 Total Cost: 6720 There are some obvious perks to this launcher. It launches the exact same missiles as the above launcher, but has different properties. First of all, it holds double the ammo, and can lock up to eight times, vastly increasing its usefulness although the ever so slightly slower lock speed means you'll have to wait quite a while to reach that potential. This one is probably most easily used like a high ammo version of the above weapon, but if you have the chance to acquire eight locks, unleashing all those missiles can be a daunting sight. Note the significantly slower reload though. Also note that this is capable of triggering your Relation Missile twice if you fire enough missiles (8) to last through its reload in one volley. For those of you wondering what modifications were made to it for Another Age, the reload has been sped up. "EWM-S612" Type: Small Missile Potential Damage: 46800 Lock Speed: Fast Minimum Volley Offensive Edge: 3900 Maximum Volley Offensive Edge: 46800 Minimum Volley Accumulative Heat: 725 Maximum Volley Accumulative Heat: 8700 Minimum Volley Lasting Power: 2880 Maximum Volley Lasting Power: 240 Total Cost: 8400 The best, and of course, heaviest small missile launcher. Not only does it lock very quickly, but it can lock up to twelve times. Top it off with yet more ammo, and a FASTER reload time, and this one is a winner. Like the previous launcher, if you can lock and fire eight missiles, you'll be able to trigger your relation missile twice if you use it with this deadly weapon. This one also fires the exact same missiles as the previous launchers, so while it has the potential to cost more, it's still a very good deal if you're worried about money. "EWM-NAP-02" *NEW* Type: Napalm Missile Potential Damage: 3000 Lock Speed: Slow Minimum Volley Offensive Edge: 450 Maximum Volley Offensive Edge: 900 Minimum Volley Accumulative Heat: 2016 Maximum Volley Accumulative Heat: 4032 Minimum Volley Lasting Power: 1280 Maximum Volley Lasting Power: 640 Total Cost: 10800 As you can see, there's really nothing special about these missiles, if you go by stats alone. That's where observation comes into play. Those stats you see are of little importance. Once one of these missiles hits, you'll notice that the recipient is on fire. This status does not last long, but when it is in effect, the recipient's heat level will increase rapidly. A single missile is enough to make most ACs overheat, but there are some ACs with extremely good cooling that will need two missiles. It should be said that these don't appear to have any effect on the normal enemies in the single player mode, aside from their initial damage. "ZWM-M24/IMU" *MODIFIED* Type: Multi Missile Burst Power: 3920 Burst Heat: 1240 Potential Damage: 54880 Lock Speed: Fast Offensive Edge: 15680 Accumulative Heat: 4960 Lasting Power: 784 Total Cost: 15750 These are very pricey missiles. They are also interesting in design, in the sense that they start off as one missile, but once they get within a certain range of the enemy, they split into four missiles. Unfortunately, they don't always hit, because the bottom missile, (they fly in a cross formation), has a tendency to hit the floor and not the opponent, but that can be rectified by shooting from way above. The range lets you get very far away for just that. Oh, and yes. These work wonderfully at draining enemy missile interceptors, providing 56 missiles when all is said and done. It would seem that these were too powerful in AC2, so From thought it would be a good idea to very slightly lengthen the reload time. "EWM-M444" Type: Vertical Missile Potential Damage: 25440 Lock Speed: Normal Minimum Volley Offensive Edge: 4240 Maximum Volley Offensive Edge: 16960 Minimum Volley Accumulative Heat: 1000 Maximum Volley Accumulative Heat: 4000 Minimum Volley Lasting Power: 1368 Maximum Volley Lasting Power: 342 Total Cost: 9960 These are okay missiles. They launch upwards, soar really high, and rain down. Low ceilings are your enemy here. Things like the segments of the highway on the Abandoned Highway Versus Stage are just the type of objects your opponent can safely hide under. They are quite a bit more expensive than Small Missiles, but since they do more damage, and let you attack even when the opponent isn't in your line of sight, you could say you get your money's worth. "EWM-M03" *NEW* Type: Middle Missile Potential Damage: 32400 Lock Speed: Barely Faster than Normal Minimum Volley Offensive Edge: 5400 Maximum Volley Offensive Edge: 16200 Minimum Volley Accumulative Heat: 744 Maximum Volley Accumulative Heat: 2322 Minimum Volley Lasting Power: 1440 Maximum Volley Lasting Power: 480 Total Cost: 16560 Finally, the normal sized missiles are back. This particular missile launches in an outward curving pattern, which does restrict where they can be used, and where the enemy has to be for them to hit. The tradeoff of the indirect launch is that they can be more difficult to intercept. The side you mount these missiles on determines which direction they fly off in. I like that these can do some respectable damage with a lower number of locks, and that they're also rather light. "ZWM-M55/6" *NEW* Type: Middle Missile Potential Damage: 48600 Lock Speed: Barely Slower than Normal Minimum Volley Offensive Edge: 4050 Maximum Volley Offensive Edge: 24300 Minimum Volley Accumulative Heat: 558 Maximum Volley Accumulative Heat: 3348 Minimum Volley Lasting Power: 2304 Maximum Volley Lasting Power: 384 Total Cost: 25380 I don't like this launcher as much as the previous one. For some yet to be explained reason, the missiles it launches are more expensive, despite being the exact same damn things. While it does have more ammo, and the ability to lock three more times, it also launches the missiles directly, which makes them easier to dispose of. With a fast FCS, this can be a deadly launcher, but it's easily one of the more expensive ones, and is also quite heavy. "ZWM-M24/IMI" Type: Middle Missile Potential Damage: 26640 Lock Speed: Slightly Slower than Normal Offensive Edge: 17760 Accumulative Heat: 4288 Lasting Power: 372 Total Cost: 8736 Weapon Classification is a bit off if you ask me. These are Quad Missiles and they're very deadly. A single lock is all you need to send out four missiles. With only 24 missiles, that's not going to last long at all. These missiles are very straightforward, which makes them easy to shoot down, (your anti missile hardly has to look very far), and somewhat easy to lead. Bad for long haul missions, pretty good for one on one encounters. "ZWM-LD2/IDA" Type: Dual Missile Potential Damage: 29880 Lock Speed: Fast Offensive Edge: 8300 Accumulative Heat: 1800 Lasting Power: 792 Total Cost: 4680 This is a nice cheap weapon. It sends missiles out quickly, in pairs, and has a very decent amount of ammo. Better still, these are indirect missiles, which makes them harder to keep track of. You have to watch out for walls with these. Keep some distance, and you should be fine. They also have a much better range from which they can be effectively used than the previous missile. Furthermore, these are good to use since they are as I said, dirt cheap. "ZWM-GT/00" *NEW* Type: Ground Torpedo Burst Power: 3120 Burst Heat: 580 Potential Damage: 43680 Lock Speed: Normal Offensive Edge: 12480 Accumulative Heat: 2320 Lasting Power: 840 Total Cost: 6300 This is a fairly innovative weapon. When fired, it falls to the ground, and glides towards its target. Once within a certain distance from the target, it splits into four missiles, which proceed to attack the target. In the end, we have an inexpensive, and potentially powerful weapon. If the torpedo itself hits, the damage done is meager. It is important that you keep a certain amount of range between you and your opponent when you let these go if you want to really damage them. "EWM-FIN-BOO" Type: Large Missile Potential Damage: 27200 Lock Speed: Extremely Slow Offensive Edge: 6800 Accumulative Heat: 1730 Lasting Power: 1020 Total Cost: 38000 Back Mounted Missiles just don't come any more expensive than this. With only four shots total, this is a weapon you'll want to use on really powerful enemies that actually need that kind of a punishment. Though their slowness makes them somewhat good at tracking, it also serves as their downfall, since they can be outran by an AC of mediocre speed. As if that wasn't enough, interceptors will render them completely useless. Your best and only bet against dedicated Interceptors is the Relation Missile, but even that, is by far, not foolproof. "ZWR-S/60" Type: Small Rocket Potential Damage: 42000 Offensive Edge: 7350 Accumulative Heat: 1610 Lasting Power: 1440 Total Cost: 3920 Finally, out of Missile Territory, (for now anyway). These rockets are powerful, quick, and inexpensive. They are good for some very fast damage, but there is one thing about them that scares people away. Rockets don't lock. Period. You have to aim them manually. No FCS in the world could help them. This makes them somewhat difficult to use at first, but eventually, they become very effective. "EWR-M60" Type: Triple Rocket Potential Damage: 50400 Offensive Edge: 12600 Accumulative Heat: 1980 Lasting Power: 960 Total Cost: 6000 Self explanatory. This launcher fires weaker rockets, but it fires three at a time. Such an idea should be enticing to people who either can't aim with rockets to begin with, or enjoy weapons that hit over a wider area. Used point blank, you will do some big damage, but also note that firing three rockets at once means you'll be out of ammo quickly. There's something in it for everybody. Be warned that both the increased ammo capacity and slightly higher ammo cost do mean you'll spend more to use these. "ZWR-M/30" *NEW* Type: Middle Rocket Potential Damage: 45000 Offensive Edge: 9000 Accumulative Heat: 2100 Lasting Power: 1260 Total Cost: 11100 It's about time we got the normal Rockets back. Though heavier than the Small Rocket, these pack more of a punch, despite firing a bit slower. These are for no particular reason more expensive than Large Rockets, but the AA paychecks are generous enough for you to ignore that. If you want more power, and are willing to deal with less ammo, drop the Small Rocket and grab these. "EWR-M40" *NEW* Type: Middle Rocket Potential Damage: 60000 Offensive Edge: 7500 Accumulative Heat: 1750 Lasting Power: 1840 Total Cost: 20000 This weapon is the same as the previous one, but with ten extra shots, and a slower reload. Oh, and let's not forget the absolutely ridiculous price. What the hell are they made out of? Well, anyway, if you have the free weight, and nothing in particular that you want to buy, use these over the previous Rocket Launcher. You can do much more damage, even if it takes longer to do it. "EWR-L24" Type: Large Rocket Potential Damage: 74400 Offensive Edge: 15500 Accumulative Heat: 3175 Lasting Power: 1152 Total Cost: 8208 Not cheap, but not bad at all. Huge potential for damage, despite a somewhat limited amount of ammo, and better still, it heats enemies up nicely while hitting very hard. As with any rocket weapon, you cannot lock on to use this, and must aim manually. This weapon should be valuable especially to a non-plus, since you can run around and fire it whereas to get this kind of power anywhere else, you either take the rip-off FIN-BOO with four missiles, or a cannon. Of course, if you can't aim, you wont like this weapon no matter what. "ZWR-R/OCTOPUS" *MODIFIED* Type: ECM Rocket" Potential Damage: 6300 Offensive Edge: 840 Accumulative Heat: 32 Lasting Power: 1800 Total Cost: 21600 As you can see, this is statistically, a terrible weapon. That's because unlike most weapons, this one isn't designed for damage. Instead, it is designed to hinder the opponent. When one of these rockets hits a target, it will interfere with that unit's FCS, rendering it completely useless for a time. Without the FCS, no locks can be acquired, and all weaponry must be manually aimed, not to mention that no missiles can be programmed. Obviously, this will hinder some players more than others, and certainly some weapon types more than others. These are more or less the same ECM Rockets found in AC2, but they have a lot more ammo this time. "EWC-CNG4000" *MODIFIED* Type: Chain Gun Potential Damage: 63000 Offensive Edge: 8820 Accumulative Heat: 2100 Lasting Power: 1800 Total Cost: 16500 This is the first Back Mounted Cannon type weapon. It exhibits a good amount of power, being capable of taking out many enemies in an efficient manner. Being Cannon Style weaponry does make it so you have to kneel to use it, unless you're using a Quadrupedal or Caterpillar Base, which is always a deterrent unless your enemies are really weak and will die in a short hail of bullets. This weapon has undergone several modifications between AC2 and Another Age. Most importantly, the Attack Power of each individual shot was increased, and as if that wasn't good enough, the weight was cut by 100. "ZWC-CN/500" *NEW* Type: Chain Gun Potential Damage: 36300 Offensive Edge: 14025 Accumulative Heat: 6630 Lasting Power: 660 Total Cost: 13200 Finally, some light Cannons. Aside from the weight, another great thing about this weapon is its brutal Offensive Edge, thanks entirely to an amazingly fast rate of fire. Though it does empty very quickly, and will certainly not kill as many enemies as the previous Chain Gun, it's still a great weapon to bring along. Usage is pretty much the same, only you can expect your enemies to die much faster. "ZWC-LQ/2552" *MODIFIED* Type: Laser Cannon Potential Damage: 61950 Offensive Edge: 7080 Accumulative Heat: 1040 Lasting Power: 2100 Energy Consumption: 33200 This is much more of a Cannon than the previous weapons, complete with recoil so you can scrape your AC's knees along the ground as you fire it. It's mission friendly, energy burning, and surprisingly weighs less than 900 WP. I'd prefer this cannon on the move, given its less than stellar attack power, but it's quite capable of downing most weaker enemies in a single shot. Don't use this too close, or the explosion will hit you as well. Two significant changes were made to this cannon for Another Age. One is the increased ammo, (ten extra shots!), while another is the reduced weight. "EWC-GN44-AC" *MODIFIED* Type: Grenade Launcher Potential Damage: 52350 Offensive Edge: 7100 Accumulative Heat: 2440 Lasting Power: 1425 Total Cost: 14250 Probably the definitive Cannon. Devastating single round damage makes this more than worth the effort to use even if you have to kneel. Though more than overkill for the most common enemies, it's a nice weapon to have when you're facing off against other ACs and large scale MTs. In Another Age, the single round damage has been increased by a reasonable amount to help make up for the risks involved with using it. "EWC-GN-81" *NEW* Type: Grenade Launcher Potential Damage: 32000 Offensive Edge: 9600 Accumulative Heat: 2850 Lasting Power: 800 Total Cost: 6000 Though it fires weaker shells, this Grenade Launcher has a faster Reload, which is valuable to Quadrupedal and Caterpillar ACs, but an AC that has to kneel to use it probably wont want to stick around long enough to snap off more than one shot, either way. Statistically similar to the Grenade Rifle, this "mini" Grenade Launcher is just good enough for those who do not have the free weight necessary to equip the more efficient EWC-GN44-AC to use. "ZWC-IR/FLUX" *MODIFIED* Type: Plasma Cannon Potential Damage: 56100 Offensive Edge: 5610 Accumulative Heat: 286 Lasting Power: 2400 Energy Consumption: 9800 Best thought of as the midpoint between the Laser Cannon and the Grenade Launcher, in terms of power and ammunition. Though slow, this is a fantastic cannon, with good power, combined with an all around low usage drain, thus energy consumption. In AC2, this was very heavy, but in Another Age, it checks in at under 1000 WP. "ZWC-LNT/250" Type: Slug Gun Burst Power: 3216 Burst Heat: 960 Potential Damage: 102912 Offensive Edge: 3216 Accumulative Heat: 960 Lasting Power: 4576 Total Cost: 5120 This is one slow weapon, but having a burst power of 3216 over sixteen shots, it's to be expected. I don't think that it would be a good weapon to use if you have to kneel because of how close you'd have to be to let it unleash its full power on somebody, but I could see it being used to hurt a group of small enemies at mid range, putting a few shells into each one. At long range, you may as well use a Handgun, for the amount of shots you'll hit with. This would do fairly well equipped on a Caterpillar or Quad, since they can both get up close and personal with this, and fire it off without stopping. "EWC-XP0808" *MODIFIED* Type: Pulse Cannon Potential Damage: 57750 Offensive Edge: 9450 Accumulative Heat: 108 Lasting Power: 1430 Energy Consumption: 45900 Why the hell didn't they do more for this weapon? Yeah, it's the same Pulse Cannon from AC2, but with 11 extra shots. It's still too heavy, it still isn't worth kneeling to use, and most frustrating of all, it's SO similar to the next weapon, yet worse in every important way. For once, I'm going to say that high single round attack power is more important than Offensive Edge, because you have to kneel to use it, and you really don't want to stick around for a long time. If not for that, this weapon would be absolutely useless once you acquire the new one. If you ask me, this thing needs an extra ten shots, and 150 WP shaved off to be worth looking at again. "ZWC-XP02/QL" *NEW* Type: Pulse Cannon Potential Damage: 58500 Offensive Edge: 10920 Accumulative Heat: 168 Lasting Power: 1350 Energy Consumption: 49000 What the hell do they mean by "Limited ammo" (see short in-game weapon description)? It's things like this that make me think they forgot to do a little something more for the EWC-XP0808. Well, this weapon packs quite a punch, achieving a high Offensive Edge thanks to a fast reload, rather than high single round damage. It also weighs quite a bit less than the previous Pulse Cannon. Once you acquire it, there are very few reasons I can think of not to use it in place of that old monstrosity. "EM-AAT110" Type: General Magazine Not a weapon per se. This adds ten percent ammo to every weapon you have equipped. And I do mean every weapon, including extensions and inside parts. "EM-SD120" Type: Solid Magazine This is like the previous magazine, but it adds twenty percent ammo to all shell weapons, but nothing to energy weapons. Really shows its worth when you load up with an extension, an inside part, a back weapon on the other side, and a right arm weapon. Or load up with two of these. I do wish it added more though, but it's still good. "ZRS-554/BW" Type: Radar This one isn't good or bad. It's just there. Let's think of it as normal. "ERM-TE3000" Type: Radar More range than normal, but lacking a Bio Sensor. It's lighter too. "ZRL-774/WH" Type: Radar Better in practically every way than the last two, and it still has a Bio Sensor. It's also heavier and drains more. "BRLT-B10000" Type: Radar Even more range. Heavier, and now with a Stealth Sensor. "BRS-B-OSPREY" Type: Radar Best radar. Period. Has everything, including a Noise Canceler, and has the best range. It is, however, the heaviest, and drains the most energy. "EWX-BAL4" *MODIFIED* Type: Multi Missile Burst Power: 3520 Burst Heat: 1520 Potential Damage: 84880 Lock Speed: Fast Offensive Edge: 35200 Accumulative Heat: 15200 Lasting Power: 564 Total Cost: 19800 Pricey little weapon of mass destruction. You take this weapon, and that's it. It attaches to both hardpoints on the back of the AC. It fires TWO multi missiles at once, which both split into four missiles each. Using it on the ground is asking for the bottom two missiles to blow up on the floor and not the enemy, but if they all hit, there will be a substantial loss of AP for the unlucky recipient. This weapon does make it into Another Age mostly unchanged, save for a slight increase in Ammo Heat. By the way, the burst power given is only for one full multi missile. It's more of a reminder, nothing that I haven't been doing all along. As we're getting into dual weapons, it's even more important to remember. "EWX-VLS241" *MODIFIED* Type: Vertical Missile Burst Power: 3520 Burst Heat: 1120 Potential Damage: 56320 Lock Speed: Fast Offensive Edge: 21120 Accumulative Heat: 6720 Lasting Power: 528 Total Cost: 14720 The classification is a bit misleading. These are not just Vertical Missiles. They're Vertical Multi Missiles. Dual Vertical Multi Missiles, at that. These are pretty deadly, and rightfully are to be attached to both hardpoints on the back of the AC. As with regular Vertical Missiles, low ceilings and structures with room underneath are your enemies. Use with care or not at all. These aren't good long haul weapons, really. Eight launches and they're gone. They are still useful against ACs and bigger targets. These were toned down in Another Age, having a now lower Attack Power, and a longer Reload Time. On the bright side (hardly), the Ammo Heat was slightly increased. "ZWX-IV/PURSUIT" Type: Pursuit Missile Burst Power: 8160 Burst Heat: 480 Potential Damage: 32640 Offensive Edge: 8160 Accumulative Heat: 480 Lasting Power: 800 Total Cost: 6480 A very unique weapon. This one also makes use of both hardpoints on the back of your AC, but unlike the previous two weapons, it fires only one shot at a time. This shot is in fact, a (pretty expensive) pod, which stops at one point, and empties its contents of 12 missiles into all surrounding enemies. The pod is launched like a rocket, and CAN hit. After launching all of its missiles, it blows up. It's very good in the sense that you can shoot it somewhere near the opponent, and keep on moving while it does your work for you. You only have four pods, however, so don't waste them. It actually isn't a terrible weapon to have on missions. Just remember that you'll need something to take care of nearly all minor enemies before you get to the point where you may actually need that kind of firepower. Your worst nightmare when using this weapon, (other than decoys), is a long mission with lots of weak enemies all spaced far apart. "ZWX-F04/ORBIT" Type: Orbit Cannon Burst Power: 2030 to 2320 Burst Heat: 168 to 192 Potential Damage: 41760 Lock Speed: Extremely Fast Minimum Volley Offensive Edge: 4060 to 4640 Maximum Volley Offensive Edge: 12180 to 13920 Minimum Volley Accumulative Heat: 336 to 384 Maximum Volley Accumulative Heat: 1008 to 1152 Minimum Volley Lasting Power: 2160 Maximum Volley Lasting Power: 720 Minimum Volley Energy Consumption: 2600 Maximum Volley Energy Consumption: 7800 This needs a bit of explanation. Firstly, this is a double back weapon, meaning it is attached to both hardpoints on the back making up your entire back mounted arsenal, as the last three, and next three weapons do. Second, it's not a Cannon per se. You don't have to kneel to use this for any reason whatsoever. Thirdly, it locks like a missile, which means it can be combined with relation missiles (!) and that it fires in varying degrees. For each lock, you will launch two pods that zoom over to the enemy, surround it, and open fire on it. After MANY uses, and a lot of pausing, I have noticed that each pod fires from 14 to 16 shots before exploding, (note the variable damage stats). With a full three locks, a total of six pods will have encircled the enemy and will fire for some great damage, if only all the shots would hit. Nimble enemies can make a joke out of this weapon if you use it like that. I think you are best advised to fire with one lock against them, so you at least get some time with it to harass the hell out of them. If one tries to escape from them, the orbits will give chase once they are too far away to shoot at. When an enemy is killed by the orbits, they automatically direct their attention to another one nearby, and will attack it until they run out of power and self destruct. "EWX-GCN77-4" *MODIFIED* Type: Chain Gun Burst Power: 480 Burst Heat: 106 Potential Damage: 67200 Offensive Edge: 14880 Accumulative Heat: 3286 Lasting Power: 1120 Total Cost: 9800 The stats for this weapon are messed up, so I treated it like a spread fire weapon after a comparative damage test with the starting rifle. One unit of ammunition for this weapon is basically two shots, which makes it extremely deadly. Thankfully, the price wasn't doubled too! This is great weapon if you're willing to sacrifice having a second back unit to use it. The stats, as I have said about other weapons, speak for themselves. This weapon, however, is still a Cannon, so you must kneel to use it if you are not using either a Quad or Caterpillar Base without the Human Plus enhancements. In Another Age, this weapon now has a higher Attack Power, and weighs a bit less. It seems to combine the best aspects of both single unit Chain Guns. "ZWC-E90/MAC" *MODIFIED* Type: Plasma Cannon Potential Damage: 89000 Offensive Edge: 8900 Accumulative Heat: 116 Lasting Power: 2480 Energy Consumption: 13800 This weapon is much better than before. It still fires extremely powerful Plasma rounds, but it's been improved in nearly every way possible. For starters, it now does more damage per shot. Even better, the amount of Ammunition has been doubled. What you're left with is an incredibly powerful backup weapon. The only real problem is that it will be your only Back Weapon, which means you'll need to use the Arm Weapons and ONLY Arm Weapons to handle the more common enemies while you save this for the real challenges, or basically anything with enough armor to appreciate the full damage of this weapon. "ZXR-S/STEALTH" *MODIFIED* Type: Stealth First off, this part has two functions. Primarily, it conceals your location on Radar UNLESS your opponent's radar has a Stealth Sensor. If it does, this part is now half useless. If it doesn't, good. They have to locate you visually now and will never be able to see you on radar for the duration of the battle. The second function is the one that requires you to switch to it, and fire it like a weapon. This makes you invisible to the FCS. Thus, your opponent has to aim manually, and can't use Missiles. The catch? Firstly, it wears off after a little while. It's long enough though. But, if you were to fire any weapon, or even use your sword, the effect cuts off completely. If either of those happen, just fire Stealth again. It's not a terrible system. Not at all, if you were to have say, twenty or thirty shots, but no. You get ten. At the cost of not one, but two back weapons, which is exactly what you could equip in its place, I just don't think it's worth it. If you ask me, this is the next candidate to become an inside part when From Software makes AC3. This part did receive a minor modification for Another Age, which is purely cosmetic, or is it? You see, when Stealth is activated, you can see it at work, which is helpful in the sense that you know exactly when it's active. It still isn't worth using, but it's a nice touch. "EXM-DD02" *NEW* Type: General Magazine This is for people who love their Right Arm Weapons, Inside Parts, and Extensions more than their back weapons. Put this on and you'll be able to carry 60% more ammo for all of those things, no matter what type of Ammunition they use. From something that occupies both hardpoints on your back, you should expect no less. ~~~~~Section 4-G~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fixed Arm Weapons: These arms don't hold weapons, they are weapons. A universal benefit would immediately be the loss of weight since you don't have to equip arms and weapons, making them ideal for quick, lightly armored ACs, but perfectly acceptable on heavy ACs that want more weight to go towards other parts. All of these arms have no defensive points, but make up for it in raw power since all but one of these sets have fire linked in both arms. Occupying both arms with weapons as these do can lead to ammunition issues, so pick your other weapons wisely to make sure you'll have at least something to throw at your enemy for quite a while. "ZAW-2/SAMURAI" *MODIFIED* Type: Laserblade These arms will give you two swords to attack with. This allows you to attack twice before having to stop. In most cases, scoring one hit means you get the second hit for free, which effectively doubles their Attack Power, to the point where it exceeds any Left Arm Sword. These are much more useful than they were in AC2 because of their dramatically increased Attack Power. Plus Blade: For each strike, these arms can create one purple energy plane for a long distance attack. Its power is rated at just above the Plus Blade that can be created by the ZLS-T/100. "EAW-MG-03" *MODIFIED* Type: Machine Gun Potential Damage: 81000 Offensive Edge: 12000 Accumulative Heat: 2800 Lasting Power: 1500 Total Cost: 14100 These are pretty nice. They are capable of doing quite a bit of damage, although they don't last very long. The rate of fire is probably the worst I've seen for any Machine Gun, but the linked fire makes up for it. I can't see penny pinchers using these liberally. As with all arm weapons except the previous one, once you're out of ammo, you have no melee weapon to fall back on. In Another Age, these were given a higher single round Attack Power, which boosts their overall usefulness. "EAW-BZD" *MODIFIED* Type: Bazooka Potential Damage: 64440 Offensive Edge: 12888 Accumulative Heat: 4480 Lasting Power: 1100 Total Cost: 9200 I'm sort of partial to this weapon. It's easily one of the lighter weapon arms, and also one of the cheaper. It does burn ammo surprisingly quickly, thanks in no small part to the linked fire, which helps it do tons of damage in no time at all. The slow traveling ammunition practically begs you to use this close, but the Narrow and Deep weapon lock will make that hell. If you can get past that, you'll probably find it to be a good set of arms to put on lighter ACs. With the very light weight, you have no reason not to splurge on a back weapon or two. Some modifications were made to this weapon in Another Age, specifically, the Attack Power was lowered slightly, but the Ammo Heat was more than doubled. "EAW-DC10" Type: Grenade Launcher Potential Damage: 55540 Offensive Edge: 11108 Accumulative Heat: 3104 Lasting Power: 900 Total Cost: 24200 This weapon specializes in both drilling a hole in your pocket, and the enemy's AP. Ideal for people who like to pull off one shot and leave. So how do you get your money's worth out of this weapon? You don't. There are so many reasons to keep this well away from most missions. Low ammo, pathetic lasting power, exorbitant ammo cost, all of those put it in league with the FIN-BOO missile. "ZAW-XP/T9" *MODIFIED* Type: Plasma Cannon Potential Damage: 40320 Offensive Edge: 16400 Accumulative Heat: 640 Lasting Power: 576 Energy Consumption: 76340 This always was a fun weapon. It was more fun when it made big explosions, but we can't hold that against it, now can we? As you can see, it guzzles energy, and empties rather quickly, but also has a great potential for damage. Once again, slow traveling ammunition and a Narrow & Deep weapon lock balance it. Two changes were made to it for Another Age. One is the significantly reduced weight, and another is the seemingly standard drop in Ammo Heat. "ZAW-SPLASH" *MODIFIED* Type: Laser Cannon Burst Power: 750 Burst Heat: 50 Potential Damage: 72000 Offensive Edge: 13500 Accumulative Heat: 900 Lasting Power: 1344 Energy Consumption: 43200 Now we know where the SPGUN went, sort of. Um, well, for a Slug Gun, this is slightly unorthodox. Instead of one huge cluster with devastating damage that takes forever to reload, this fires fairly quickly, but with weaker clusters of shots. The result is a higher offensive edge, but lower burst power. Plus, since this isn't a Back Unit, this can be MUCH better for Bipedal, Reverse Jointed, or Hover ACs to get close with. It does have quite an appetite for energy, but it has an excellent amount of ammo. The only real change made to it for Another Age is that the amount of Ammo it has was significantly boosted. "ZAW-LC/NPM" *MODIFIED* Type: Laser Cannon Potential Damage: 59760 Offensive Edge: 9960 Accumulative Heat: 144 Lasting Power: 1332 Energy Consumption: 38400 I'd say that this is a better weapon comparing it to the DC10 arms simply because it has more ammo and does more damage in the long run. As a weapon, it is much weaker, thus not as well suited to the hit and run style of the DC10. As long as there is something to back these arms up when they're all out of ammo, you should be just fine for most missions. A little trick you can use to conserve ammo with this, or any energy ARM weapon is to fire when you have enough energy for only one shot, as opposed to two shots. The AC will fire with just one arm, as if it were a right arm weapon. There were two modifications made to this weapon in Another Age. One is the slightly increased Attack Power, and another is the significantly cut down usage drain. "EAW-H801" *MODIFIED* Type: Small Missile Potential Damage: 64800 Lock Speed: Fast Offensive Edge: 13500 Accumulative Heat: 5000 Lasting Power: 1104 Total Cost: 39840 Wow. They really saved this weapon. These are powerful missiles, but they can only lock once. They also have incredibly high Ammo Heat. I still think there's more room for improvement, but these aren't too awful now. This weapon sucked in AC2, but was turned around for the better in Another Age, thanks to a higher Attack Power. "EAW-S604" Type: Small Missile Potential Damage: 62400 Lock Speed: Fast Minimum Volley Offensive Edge: 9360 Maximum Volley Offensive Edge: 37440 Minimum Volley Accumulative Heat: 1740 Maximum Volley Accumulative Heat: 6960 Minimum Volley Lasting Power: 3280 Maximum Volley Lasting Power: 820 Total Cost: 11200 These missiles are far more offensive than the EAW-H801 Missiles, but they achieve that power through multiple locks, which means they have to use more Ammo to compete. I still think these are better, but at least they have a weakness, which happens to be a marginally lower Potential Damage, and the fact that they need all four locks to compete with the heat damage of the H801. The stats on these arms are also too good given what they do as weapons, and their ridiculously low weight. ~~~~~Section 4-H~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Optional Parts: Just about all of these parts, with maybe a few exceptions do, in one way or another, affect your weaponry. Each part occupies a set number of "slots" in your Core, where the Core you select determines how many slots you have available. The number of slots used is kept with each part here for convenience. "SP-S/SCR" Slots Used: 2 This part increases your defense against shell weapons. It doesn't increase it by any vast amount, but it does help lightweights feel a bit tougher, and makes Heavyweights even more durable. "SP-ENE-SCR" Slots Used: 1 This one increases your energy defense a little bit. Using just one slot, it's probably the most widely used optional part. Like the previous part, this will make a noticeable difference, but it wont be anything dramatic. "SP-BCNDR" Slots Used: 4 This part gives you a higher maximum charge on your Generator, while apparently doing nothing for your energy output. Very useful for any and all ACs. The only big drawback to this part shows itself when you run out of energy, where it will take longer to charge back up. I don't see many people doing that often though. "SP-BSI-LE" Slots Used: 2 This will make you take your hits a little better, making it harder to snuff your attacks, or trap you by stunning you while shooting you to death. Lightweight ACs should definitely give this a look. "SP-SAB/J" Slots Used: 1 If you've had the fourth Plus Operation performed, you don't need this one bit. If you haven't, it'll make you move back less when you fire cannon style Back Weapons other than the one sided Chain Guns, (which have no recoil to speak of). "SP-CIR-K" Slots Used: 5 This makes you turn faster, not THAT much faster, but it's still an improvement, all the same. Any AC can benefit from this one, although some are just lost causes in this area, and are better suited to upgrades in other areas, or would be better off with the new Turn Booster part. "SP-BE++" Slots Used: 6 Very, very useful. This part increases the attack power of all Energy Weapons, thus boosting their offensive edge, and potential damage stats. If you have more than one energy weapon, (or an energy weapon with very little ammo), you really should put this on. Don't use this thinking it makes your sword stronger. It doesn't affect it, blade, or Plus Blade. "SP-BMALAD" Slots Used: 1 Not that many scenarios where this is needed. A bunch of the radars in this game already have a missile display on them. If and only if your AC can't detect oncoming missiles, you MIGHT want this. I find it rather distracting myself. "SP-BFS/LOSP" Slots Used: 2 Just what a missile boat needs. It will lower the time needed to acquire a lock on with any weapon that functions as a missile. "SP-ENE-ACC" Slots Used: 1 Lowers the reload time of energy weapons, thus boosting their Offensive Edge, but lowering their Lasting Power, while boosting their energy consumption. Taking up only one slot, I'd put this on any AC with the Energy Machine Gun, or a Pulse Rifle, or just to fill a leftover slot on any AC that has an energy weapon. "SP-E/SAVER" Slots Used: 5 Looks to cut down energy usage as a result of using energy weapons by 25 percent. I, personally would use this with any of the Energy Weapon Arms, and the Pulse Cannon back weapons. "SP-ECM-JAM" Slots Used: 5 This breaks missile locks after a little while, making it very hard to line up a good volley, and even harder to get multiple locks. A thoroughly annoying part. "SP-M/AUTO" Slots Used: 1 This uses one too many slots. Basically, it fires any weapon that functions as a missile automatically when it locks as many times as possible. I'd like it more if it launched them for you when your opponent was about to counter your lock with the previous part, or when they were about to exit your targeting box, but it doesn't do that. I'd rather leave that slot empty than put this thing in. "SP-BLS" Slots Used: 6 Slightly increases the energy supply of your arms, thus leading to more potent blade attacks, as well as more durable shields. "SP-CBRK" Slots Used: 2 This part is helpful for ACs using Hover Legs, or those who are fond of Override Boosting, as it allows you to come to a complete halt much more easily. "SP-VEICH" Slots Used: 6 This part improves your FCS by letting it scan a larger area for targets. Great for Narrow and Deep Weapons. ~~~~~Section 4-I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Miscellaneous: Just a bunch of information that you shouldn't be without, but doesn't quite fit into any other section. If I get lots of questions, I'll be sure to add them in with a future update. As this section has evolved, it's gotten further and further away from the subject of weaponry in order to address some other issues that seem to be confusing people. Core Weapons: Just a touch up on something not everybody knows. Three of the six cores have a gun fixed in the center of the front of them. For easy classification, those would be the Emeraude Cores. Whereas Zio Matrix Cores seem to excel in the areas of Override Boosting, (mostly, compared to others in their weight class, and in terms of power), and room for Optional Equipment, (compared to others in their weight class), these Emeraude Cores do one VERY important thing to make up for their shortcomings in those areas. They shoot down missiles with those aforementioned guns. Several stats determine how well they will do so, but you can rest assured that if you are facing missiles that are speeding towards you, your core will on average, nearly always try to shoot down at least one, often more. Shields and Cannons: In the case of most cannon weapons, an AC using one will grasp it with one hand when it's readied, providing that hand is free. The hand always corresponds to the side that the weapon is equipped on. However, when used with shields, this becomes complicated. For a shield to be readied, the hand must be neutral. For some reason, if the left hand of an AC using the shield is being occupied to hold the cannon, the shield cannot be activated. This means that you can't shield yourself while using that weapon. Furthermore, if you ran out of ammo, and the last weapon you used, (the last one to run out), is your left back weapon, you can't use the shield at all! Well, you would be more than likely done at that point anyway. Fortunately, not all of the cannons are held by the AC when in use. Specifically, five of them, namely the ZWC-CN/500, EWC-GN-81, EWC-XP0808, ZWC-XP02/QL, and EWX-GCN77-4 are too small to grab, and thus do not interfere with shields in any way at all. I just can't help but find it funny how something started in the first AC, presumably as a matter of aesthetics, has gone on to cause a very real problem. Your lesson? When using a shield, equip cannons on the RIGHT side, (unless they're any of those five). Classification: While most weapons can be easily classified by their type, their functions fall into six Categories. They are normal, missile, cannon, automatic function, sword, and shield. While the type often helps speak for the function, (i.e. Small MISSILE, Laser CANNON), it can also be misleading. For one, Pursuit MISSILES do not function as missiles at all in the sense that they don't lock, thus can be fired as long as they're not reloading, just like any normal weapon, and at the same time Orbit CANNONS, aren't Cannons at all, but missiles. For single back weapons, the only cannons you'll find have _WC as the prefix of their part name. The blank represents the enterprise that makes the part, of course. Now, with dual weapons, (_WX), you need to know what they really are since the name doesn't tell you anything other than that they connect to both hardpoints on your AC's back. Another note is that Arm Weapons use the _AW prefix, which hardly classifies them as anything but arms with built in weapons, but their types thankfully correspond to what they are. To add to the wonderful confusion, projectile types can be different from weapon functions, (Pursuit Missile again), which means next to nothing until we begin to talk Anti-MISSILE systems. In that case, always assume the name is right. Dual Back Weapons: Cannons: Such weapons require the AC, if it uses bipedal, reverse joint, or hover legs, to kneel prior to firing in order to counter the force of the weapon. When used as Arm Weapons, they act precisely like Normal Weapons. Such Dual Back Units are: EWX-GCN77-4 (Chain Gun) ZWX-E90/MAC (Plasma Cannon) Normal: Such weapons require no special circumstances for firing. Such Dual Back Units are: ZWX-IV/PURSUIT (Pursuit Missile) ZXR-S/STEALTH (Stealth) Missile: Such weapons require at least one full lock on to fire, and can also trigger Relation Missiles. Such Dual Back Units are: EWX-BAL4 (Multi Missile) EWX-VLS241 (Vertical Missile) ZWX-F04/ORBIT (Orbit Cannon) Automatic Function: Such weapons or parts function whenever they are equipped, requiring no deliberate action to make use of them. Such Dual Back Units are: ZXR-S/STEALTH (Stealth) EXM-DD02 (General Magazine) Blade Attacks: The laserblade is a fairly limited weapon, in that it can only be used to perform one type of strike on a given AC. There are three distinctly different attacks, each more or less determined by the legs the attacking AC uses. It's relatively uncomplicated until we get to middleweight Bipedal legs which act like true hybrids bringing your AC's arms and core into the matter. ACs using light Bipedal legs, (ZLN-EK1/SRRT, ELN-701, ZLN-WA02/SS, and ELN-070), or ACs that use Reverse Joint Bipedal Legs will perform the Diagonal Slash. This attack is somewhat difficult to hit with, thanks to a narrow arc. ACs using heavy Bipedal legs, (ZLN-2A/GR, ELN-STVM, ZLN-9001/A, and ZLN-01/BARREL), or Hover legs will perform the Horizontal Slash. This has a nice wide arc, and is much easier to connect with. Lastly, ACs using either Quadrupedal or Caterpillar legs will perform the Thrust Attack. This attack is the most difficult to hit with, but rewards your efforts with about twice the power of the other strikes. Now, regarding midweights, there are quite a few factors that determine the attack you will perform. ACs that use middle weight Bipedal legs, (ZLN-XX0/TP, ZLN-XA1/FA, ELN-2002AT, ELN-02A, ZLN-XA2/FF, and ELN-02SLD), can do either the horizontal, or diagonal slash depending on the rest of their equipment. If you place a midweight core, (ECM-XR00 or ZCX-F/ROOK), or a heavyweight core, (ECH-D4 or ZCH-GR/1), on top of those legs, the AC will perform the Horizontal Slash when it uses the laserblade. Should you use either lightweight core, (ECL-ONE or ZCL-XA/2), things will become complicated, as you can still perform either slash depending on what arms you put on. If you place lightweight arms, (ZAN-202/TEM, EAN-02-BG, ZAN-303/S, and EAN-1111), on the core, your AC will perform the Diagonal Slash. Placing any other arms on, however, will cause it to use the Horizontal Slash. Blade Damage: There are quite a few factors involved here. The most important, I suppose would be Attack Power. After that, you have Energy Supply. Make those as high as you can and you have statistically, the best blade. For your convenience, that would be the ELS-7880 with the ZAN-303/S arms, and the SP-BLS option part. The parts you take will determine the attack you perform as detailed above. No matter what parts you take, once you are in battle, to do the most damage possible, you must hit your opponent with a sword blow from the air. It does not matter where they are. A hit from the air is significantly more powerful than a charging strike from the ground. On Quadrupedal legs, doing all of those things will result in a blow that will inflict more than 5100 Armor Points of damage to the starter AC. Missiles: Missiles are clearly different from most projectiles. The way they are used is different, and the way they strike is different. Their semi-intelligent tracking and high damage swarms make them deadly. To defend against them, we have the old style fixed guns on some of the Cores, which will attempt to shoot them down, and we now have dedicated Anti Missile Extensions, which do the same thing, but much more reliably. Such things, combined with the limited air time of missiles, have over time lead people to believe they can shoot missiles down with normal weapons, such as Rifles, Grenade Launchers, and normal Missile Launchers themselves. Not so. On a tip I received from a fellow message board user, I too tried to shoot them down in that manner, only to see what he saw. It is not possible. Missiles can be shot down by the fixed gun on the AC's Core, or Anti Missile Extensions, or they can blow up after a set time, during which they were not able to strike anything, be it their target, or some scenery. Human Plus: Whatever upgrades you had in Armored Core 2 will be brought into Another Age when you import a file that had them. If you do not have such a file to load, you can not use the Human Plus Upgrades in any form. Overweight: The Overweight upgrade does NOT transfer along with the Human Plus upgrades when you import data, but it can still be earned by completing the game, saving your data, and then loading it after viewing the credits. Speed: The Movement Speed stat, found on all legs is VERY deceptive, and seems to have some people fooled into overestimating its importance. That stat only speaks for a given set of legs' speed while moving on their own power, or basically, without booster assistance. When you want to talk about booster assisted movement, you need to think in terms of weight. Even normal movement is affected by the weight your legs carry, but is still predominantly derived from the Moving Speed stat. Booster assisted movement, however, throws that stat right out the window. The ELN-701 legs may run faster than the ELN-02A legs when carrying the same weight load, but an AC using the slightly lighter ELN-02A legs will achieve slightly faster booster assisted movement than it would using the ELN-701 legs, assuming all other equipment is left alone. The two factors that determine how well your AC will perform during booster assisted movement are the Boost Power of the boosters, and the weight of the entire AC, which of course, includes the legs. Now, there is the matter of legs with built in boosters, (Hover and Caterpillar), and since the Boost Power stats are never given for them, one must deduce them through trial and error. Take for example, the ZLR-ARROW legs, which are pretty heavy, but achieve faster booster assisted movement than the much lighter ZLR-MOC200/FG. One can deduce that the ZLR-ARROW's built in boosters are more powerful. Turning Speed is another matter entirely, since it's not affected by boosters. Enemy ACs: (Some spoilers, read at your own discretion) Though there is no official Arena in this game, enemy ACs that appear in the missions DO have to abide by the same rules you do, regarding ammunition, heat, and energy. This differs from normal enemies in the sense that they only have to worry about damage. The ONLY exception to the AC rule is Hustler One, who uses his Nine-Ball AC from the first game in Old Avalon, which plays by the rules he did in the first game, including his lovely edited weapons, endless ammo, and limitless energy, and immunity to heat damage, (which wasn't part of the gameplay in the first three games). That said, again, all MTs, and various vehicles you must destroy are limited only by their armor. The MT category DOES include the Lost Field bosses, so save yourself the hassle of trying to run them out of ammo or energy, or trying to overheat them. As a last note on enemy ACs, when you defeat them, (again, with the exception of Nine-Ball), you will be able to select their emblem from the Sample menu in the Emblem Editor, as long as you completed the mission after doing so. ******Section 5********************************************************** Thanks: These are the people responsible for helping with the guide, through direct or indirect actions, both major and minor additions. -From Software and AGETEC: Aside from the usual "they made the game, and they localized it" reason, I also can thank From Software for having the part modifications on display on their website well before the game was released here, which cut down on the amount of time I'd need to spend comparing weapons. -"Kenjii": Feedback on the original guide, convinced me to go in depth with some more miscellaneous topics. -"Collider": Started a topic a while back on the message boards about not being able to shoot down missiles with normal weapons, turned out to be right, which caused me to quickly address the topic in my guide to back it up. -"Tknoot" sent in a reader tip regarding the reload time units, which I was able to confirm. That tip makes visualizing the actual reload time quite a bit easier. That's it for now. ******Section 6********************************************************** Contact: Have a question about weapons that isn't addressed in the guide? Spotted a mistake? By all means, drop me a line. I will make an effort to answer every question you have, as well as correct any mistakes you spot upon confirming them myself. Feedback is also welcome, and encouraged. If you've decided to host this guide, and want to let me know as a favor, this is also your outlet for that. Basically, anything that relates to this guide will be considered, and if appropriate, responded to. Send it all to: ixzaku@optonline.net For those with corrections, try to be as specific as possible. If you aren't, there is a very small chance that I'll be able to find the mistake, (unless it's really obvious), and correct it. If you have a question about a subject that isn't covered in this guide, don't be afraid to ask on the message board at GameFAQs. My alter ego "Gelgoog IX" may just show up to answer your question.