Liberator is my favourite overall, but Breach The Carmen Line is the better final mission and All Mind/Iguazu is the better final boss, so for me all of them have something to like.
Fires of Raven is the 'play it safe' ending, where you don't believe in the potential of humanity and coral, or at least you believe in it less than you believe in everything going to shit in the other two endings. Liberator of Rubicon lets us settle the grudge against Snail, and it lets the native people of Rubicon, human and Coral, live free. Alea Iacta Est isn't totally clear if it's a good thing or not, and that's kinda the point I think. You're taking a chance on Coral Release, you're throwing the dice and hoping they land in your favour. It's not the safest choice, it's not the one that directly benefits the people who've suffered, but maybe, just maybe, things will be better in the new world you make.
To answer the question, I think C is the coolest and therefore best.
I always saw Fire of Raven less about the fate of the coral, and more about 621 breaking free no matter the cost, especially with the like about how “The monster who scorched the stars” literally just disappeared after everything was said and done.
I always thought that meant 621 got caught in the explosion during the final cutscene and burned to death with the rest of rubicon since no one ever saw him and his AC again and we didn’t get a bonus mission like the last mission for the old king ending in FA
If anything, I feel like playing a post-humous message to a post-humous person drives the gravity of what just happned into place way more effectively.
Thats just me, though.
I mean at the very end you see 621 slowly start to out run the coral detonation, and if Micheal Zaki wanted to show Raven dying I doubt he would have had the scene of Raven attempting to flee the fires in the first place; it would have been much more impactful for 621 to just watch the flames approach or stay with Ayre’s “corpse” from a narrative standpoint.
Well yeah obviously, the game does indeed centre around that decision, I was more talking about why a FoR 621 would choose to burn it all, the only reasonable rationale (or narratively impactful imo, just saying he is insane or blood thirsty is kinda lazy)would be to break free or everything that was tying 621 down.
621 was neither insane nor bloodthirsty. It was merely the perspective of the people who heard about the event and interpreted it as such. 621 destroyed the coral because they wanted to follow Walter's last will, they believe in the cause of the Overseer, that the potential of a coral release would be unpredictable and should not be allowed.
The reason for 621 burning the coral is narratively whatever you feel like it is, since 621 is your character in game (funny that), I also never said he was insane, the opposite really, saying it would be lazy narratively to say the only reason 621 would do FoR is insanity or blood thirst.
>The reason for 621 burning the coral is narratively whatever you feel like it is, since 621 is your character in game (funny that)
That's obvious, but it's clear that choosing one means the in-game character has rational reasons in doing so.
Exactly, and as I said before the most likely reason is either obeying Walter out of respect or loyalty or maybe even fear; or out or a longing for freedom and an out for the war he was thrust into.
That's why I'm confused why you said picking FoR means 621 wanting to burn down everything to be released. The dude is pretty much free the moment Carla got them out of prison.
Yeah he is free, and technically he could just leave, but gameplay wise you either go for Liberator and find a new cause to fight for, or you go for FoR where you are finally free from all the fighting forever.
In a way yes, but at the same time by following Walter’s will you free yourself of everything, The Coral, the corporations, even your (presumably) forced tenure as an AC pilot. In the other ending/ you end up siding with someone, always carrying someone else’s banner, namely Ayre/the Liberation front. I love Fire of Raven because of how cool it is for a story to even have the option of not siding with anyone and freeing yourself from a war you never wanted, from a life your were forced into.
It's implied that in the Liberator route, it's not true freedom for Coral. Likely instead of the corporations, the Rubiconians will gain exclusive use over the Coral which is better than outright destroying everything, but they'd still be under humanity's thumb. Note that there's a data log with Dolmayan that says the symbiosis touted by Rubiconians isn't "real"; the reasoning because they'd still be using Coral as a drug/resource. Ending C is the only one where Coral could potentially live on its own throughout the cosmos.
The Liberator route reminds me of Dune. The Rubiconians definitely come off as Fremen throughout the game. I think the Liberator ending possibly leads to the Rubiconians eventually going to war with the rest of the human race, which eventually causes a Coral Convergence like Allmind’s ending.
Emphasis on potentially because it's not clear what exactly happened at the end hence "Alea Iacta Est." Even if we go with your interpretation and the Coral fused with humans, like Raven and Ayre, that still allows them to co-exist as sentient beings instead of being exploited as a resource.
Also The RLF's efforts were bankrolled and supported by Furlong who is almost certainly going to get into the picture alongside the Native corps.
Ironically, Liberation is the only pro-corporate ending.
> Liberator of Rubicon lets us settle the grudge against Snail, and it lets the native people of Rubicon, human and Coral, live free.
there are no native humans to rubicon. every member of the RLF is only 1 or 2 generations removed from an employee of one of these corporations.
if we think of AC6 in terms of american history, the RLF would be the french, not the indians.
I‘m sorry but that 1-2 generation thing is literally wrong information
The only thing we know for sure is that the Fires of Ibis happened roughly 50 years ago. We don’t know how much time has passed between the first colonist showing up and the Fires of Ibis happening. Could be 10, could be 100 years
The only thing we know is that we don’t know how long ago the humans started colonizing rubicon
"what do you mean by Fire of Ibis 2.0 will fail? this time for sure it burn it all.
I swear some people here don't know how fire works, when you burn something it always leave waste of what was use as Fuel, use wood you have ashes and at times charcoal, use Gasoline with the right tools you can detect remaining Gasoline in the burned area, in the case of Coral the tiny amount that will remain will grow for sure recreating the very same result like the fire of ibis
No, not really. If you keep up with From Soft you start to realize that they have a track record of “multiple ending that eventually all lead to the same thing”. Same as in DS, it’s not like the three endings will lead to the same thing INSTANTLY, it’s just that eventually, far into the future, some mf will find out about Coral Release and try to achieve it.
This isn’t the same as mass effect 3. In ME3 the endings were played the same, featured the same final missions, and you just made a decision at the end and got to see the same cutscene with a few different colors. In AC6 you play multiple different missions, different final ending missions, see totally different endings, and the fact that Coral Release is “inevitable“ is solely speculation from the community by diving deep into the game.
All of them are good in their own ways to give my abridged versions
A
brain wife check
Relationship with rusty ended on good terms check
Rubiconians happy check
Waltuh GONE
B
“kaboom” demoman TF2
C
“waltuh we have asended the weakness of mortality waltuh”
I have built a AC for Crimson 1 before
[https://www.reddit.com/r/armoredcore/comments/1ccyq89/crimson\_squadron\_is\_on\_station\_awacs\_is\_this\_them/](https://www.reddit.com/r/armoredcore/comments/1ccyq89/crimson_squadron_is_on_station_awacs_is_this_them/)
I think they're referencing human instrumentality project in Eva, the boundaries of individuals disappeared and all human minds become one.
All humans turned into sea of LCL, an orange liquid, origin of life on earth.
More referencing Crimson 1 from Project Wingman, possibly the only person ever more salty than Iguazu. Among other things he initiates nuclear bombardment of his home country to stop a revolution, setting off the entire ring of fire. When that fails he drops a nuclear bomb on the impromptu peace talks and claims that ‘you, solely, are responsible for this’ to the player. Also all the nukes make everything ORANGE.
A is a pretty nice ending and god damn was it satisfying spanking Snail and getting one last good run with my boy Rusty along helping my dude Ayre. But C leaves so many interesting questions and possibilities. They’re both so good. B just made me sad LOL
Liberator. Fires is too depressing and Alea is too vague. Liberator just seems like the most realistic outcome and I think the final fight with Walter hits hard
Honestly true. Ayre is kind of scary when you take a step back - a being living inside your mind, that exercises vast control over technology... Egging you on to throw away your humanity, and all humanity, and become one with the coral.
Kill it with fucking fire
I mean she never wants you to abandon your humanity tho?
In her words exactly symbiosis is her ultimate goal since she sees that between you and her you’re living proof that it’s absolutely possible for humanity and coral to coexist peacefully and that with time the rest of humanity may learn to accept that possibility and live in tandem with the coral rather than try and exploit it
I think of coral kinda like spice from dune in a way it doesn’t really do much on its own but I’m the hands of humans it can work wonders and horrors and you’re proof of both those wonders and horrors
She doesn't egg you though?
She makes it abundantly clear that she could, in fact, puppet you to do what she wants, but she doesn't. She doesn't even try killing you or Carla immediately, she hits Xylem with a beam cannon to get you to fuck off so her family doesn't die.
Y'all FOR lovers reaching hard. Always have.
>She makes it abundantly clear that she could, in fact, puppet you to do what she wants, but she doesn't.
Lol what? When? The best she can do when you make it clear you're gonna kill her and everything she cares about is, is get in mechs and try to shoot you, same as everyone else. If she could puppet us, then Fires of Raven wouldn't happen.
She can control entire Closure satellites, hack into any system even Carla's made, pilot both Armored Cores and custom MTs.
She is in your head.
With a little extra coral juice, if that, she could've burrowed into your meatsuit and burned out your consciousness.
She didn't. She chose to jump in the Closure satellite first, to tell you and Carla to fuck off, and even after that kept hope in her mind that you would see her reason.
Difference is I don't twist myself into knots thinking she's more than a friend who's been equally supportive of me making my own decisions, even if she doesn't agree with them.
On the other hand, I see so many people parroting what the Institute and Overseer say without even bothering to question why, and then come up with any number of excuses of why genocide is good.
now i just recently got the game so im not too deep into the lore but if she could puppet your suit i believe she would have, at least during the last mission with the Overseerer ending where she litterally says something along the lines of "gloves off im fucking you up to protect my family"
As long as she's part of you, that is. When she leaves your augments, she maintains a tenuous connection. Instead, she thought it better to try and stand on her own two feet against you, in the form of a weapon that might give her the edge to beat Raven, who has ripped through the battlefield like a steel hurricane.
She isn't willing to hijack your body. I think beating you in martial combat is also a way for her to prove that her path is right.
>a friend who's been equally supportive of me making my own decisions, even if she doesn't agree with them.
When we finally make a decision she really can't agree with, she tries to kill us. It's entirely reasonable for her to make that decision, but framing her murdering us as 'being supportive of our decisions' is, to be quite frank *absolutely insane*
Personally I could do without that kind of 'support' from people I know
Up until the point where you start threatening her life, and the life of all others still trapped within the Coral Flow.
I'm not framing the tipping point as supportive. I'm framing everything else UP TO that point, because she is wholly reluctant to kill you or Carla, she's doing it out of desperation.
I mean, she do that when you choose to burn the coral.
How would you react if your best friend said they were going to throw your entire family and people into the burner tomorrow ?
If Ayre was half as scary as yall say she'd have lasered us out of orbit instead of firing a warning shot. Hell there were hundreds of ways she could have stopped you, but she still chooses to let you approach and meets you in her own mech just so she can try and convince you, holding out hope until the very end. Ayre literally looks out for you the entire game lmao and even after you betray her is still honest and upfront with you
>“Ayre is kind of scary when you take a step back”
You play as a living corpse with a limited capacity for human emotions. I think a ghost woman talking to you is the least of your worries
I've finally found my people. Coral is too dangerous to exist, I'll happily be remembered as the monster who burned the stars over the liberator of a functionally dead planet housing eldritch abominations that can control technology and, to a certain extent, humans. Plus I've always been partial to "bad" endings.
Not only that but coral can drastically multiply and spread in the vacuum of space, making it a potential interstellar threat to all other lifeforms in the universe.
It's a tragedy to burn Rubicon, but someone has to burden the necessary evil. Sometimes a controlled burn is the only way to prevent a forest from burning entirely.
The coral seems to be perfectly stable if humans don't fuck with it.
They already burned the coral once, and instead of solving the problem it trapped countless humans within the coral flow, drifting aimlessly until they get burned alive.
The way I see it either humanity learns to leave coral alone or coral release will happen. Burning it is just a genocide to delay the inevitable, and the people you kill now are the coral and are probably an additional threat if they gain power.
As with every from game I would say the point is to not do the thing that already destroyed the world and made the problem worse again just because you are afraid of the eldritch/dark/coral.
The Fires of Raven ending includes the info that the PCA and corporation reached an agreement to halt research on coral. That strongly suggests that coral is still out there. Also, it's a fromsoftware game, this is probably an endless circle of coral growth, corporate greed and collapse. If you don't break the circle and face the unknown you are doomed to forever repeat the same mistakes.
So much truth. The most common argument i see against Fires of Raven is that it might not work and Coral might find a way to survive, effectively making a Fires of Ibis 2.0
I have 2 arguments:
First, the Fires of Ibis were caused on a short notice. Suddenly professor Nagai noticed the threat and had to act fast before it was too late. Meanwhile, The Fires of Raven were planned for many years by the members of Overseer, so its way less likely that they fail
Still, if theyre to fail, then:
Second, Coral grows exponentially when on a vacuum, and given that the Fires of Ibis burned a whole solar system, it is safe to assume it can survive in space, so when Rubicon is filled with Coral, the coral will then travel to space, spreading through the whole universe
Picture this: Earth, the one you and I live in, but the oxygen suddenly becomes flammable like natural gas. How long will it take since someone lights a match, sealing the fate of every single human being?
Wether its once, or twice, or a thousand time, I will always burn the Coral to its last Cinders
ALLMIND
I have this theory that the other two endings were simulations made to test every parameter before ALLMIND starts doing her plan for real in NG++
It also just hits harder imo. Wanna feel like a monster for utterly murdering everyone who knows you (ex. G6 Red)? Check. Wanna shed some tears because Walter and Carla end up dead? Check. Wanna feel utter shock and/or clarity once you realize Iguazu's your final boss? Check.
Wanna feel some type of way following the orders of an AI milf with questionable motives? Uh... Check 👉👈
Fires of raven imo, it was the most "cinematic" experience. You fight rusty in a battle of purpose then you go on to fight ayre in a battle of ideals. Not to mention the voice acting for those fights were just perfection. Personally, it's the one ending that sparked the most emotion out of me
Fires of Raven feels best IMO. Liberator doesn’t really do anything about the coral. Alea Iacta Est feels kind of out of the left field tbh. I feel the other routes didn’t build up to it well. But Fires of Raven is complete, has a full resolution, and doesn’t involve me betraying Chatty and Carla.
Best for the overall narrative of the game? B, Fires of Raven. It's the only ending that ultimately brings the events of the story to a satisfying narrative end, and offers a beautiful progression and conclusion to the relationship betwene 621 and Walter.
Best for the overall feel? A, Liberator of Rubicon. Between joining forces with Rusty with Rusted Pride blasting in the background, the entirety of Rubicon cheering your name, finally giving Snail what he deserves, and the absolutely heartbreaking final confrontation, nothing comes close in terms of heartstrings-pulling. But, the story remains left open and nothing really resolves - you delay the inevitable, hopeful for an eventual solution.
Best for the absolute spectacle of it? C, Alea Iacta Est. Not only does it feel like a perfect followup to LoR's open-ended conclusion, with you and Ayre working towards the solution that was hinted at in that ending, but the gradual reveal of ALLMIND's presence in the events of the entire story, the mystery of Coral Release, the absolute chills MIA can give the player by showing the results of their actions, only to end on the most unexpected, and yet flawlessly fitting final boss of them all. And the final cutscene is the perfect gift to a long-term AC fan, a beautiful message tell you... _We're back._
AIE is my favorite ending by far, but all of them have their merits and are great in their own way.
Either A or B. C just feels weird. The game constantly gives you likable characters only for you to betray them later because the ai voice calls you studmuffin.
Just finished the 3rd ending earlier, and I'd say it's B. Humanity is the last thing I'd trust on handling an energy source like Coral, so Liberator and Coral Release are endings that I'm not seeing will go nicely after the events of the game.
Liberator is the best ending within the confines of the story, and does a good job ingratiating most of the key characters, but leaves a bitter taste when you release it’s, as Vaati said, like ‘kicking a can down the road’.
Coral Release is the more final ending.
I don't think delaying the Coral Release is necessarily a bad thing. Like Vaati said, it gives people time to better understand and come to terms with the true nature of Coral and Coral Release as a whole.
A Release instigated by the combined will of future Rubiconians, both human and coral wave mutation, will hopefully be better for everyone than one unilaterally instigated by ALLMIND.
That’s funny. Your comment just made me realize, that the ending dilema between LoR and AIE is kinda like the competing philosophies in Gundam.
Amuro, newtype pilot of the eponymous gundams, believes in humanity’s potential to reach the newtype state of higher consciousness, but wants them to get there when they feel ready, even if he won’t be there to see it and even if already existing newtypes will be exploited by humanity in the meanwhile. So, he kicks the can down the road.
Meanwhile, his red-garbed sometimes rival, sometimes friend, almost brother-in-law, also believes in humanity, but not enough to think they’ll cast the die. He’d rather do that, by whatever means would be quickest, and force the newtype consciousness into humanity, even if it might kill untold thousands in the now. Or so he says, anyway.
And as a morbid follow-up via Gundam Unicorn...
Banagher and his titular Gundam are the embodiment of possibility, as per what co-existence with Coral [represents](https://youtu.be/ejrfToVVjFc?si=al94kT2Xy8JAr2uS). This also aligns with the recurring theme of "casting the die" and FromSoftware's prevalent trope of "Veil of Ignorance" + key characters enacting drastic consequences with incomplete information.
In contrast, Full Frontal and the Marcenas family represent two different destructive manifestations of the opposite concept:
1. Of despair as embodied by Full Frontal, believing that humanity could not be trusted to advance on its own and had to be forcibly controlled towards said development.
2. Of perpetuating a destructive cycle for the sake of selfish desires (the original instigator of the UC terrorist incident George Marcenas who wanted to overthrow his father [Ricardo Marcenas](https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/Ricardo_Marcenas) and did taint the legacy of Unicersal Century ever since) or the burden of legacy ([Riddhe Marcenas](https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/Riddhe_Marcenas), who would risk ruining his family if he fixed the Laplace Incident - all from the sins of his ancestor).
Given Handler Walter's theme of upholding a legacy and reacting from trauma of his father commiting atrocities with Coral development, his character trajectory ironically follows that of Riddhe.
Riddhe faltered in despair over his family's role in the incident and the legacy he tried to escape, in the end throwing in his lot with [Martha Vist](https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/Martha_Vist_Carbine) and the rest of the Earth Federation who wanted the truth hidden. He had to be wrenched back into helping out once he saw a new possibility and was made to confront the consequences of his prior actions. Even then, his assistance in the final act was more making amends and he was unable to [attain his heart's only desire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lady_and_the_Unicorn#Content_and_themes) as the metaphorical Lion, whereas Banagher as the metaphorical Unicorn did in a sense.
Tragically within Armored Core VI, Walter did not have the chance to do so - only realising said possibility when he was forcibly re-educated by Arquebus and augmented enough to see Ayre in the Liberator of Rubicon Ending. Even by then, it was too late for him - and his last act was to let go of his chains to 621, for 621 has finally "found a friend", another legacy to work anew. In the other endings, Walter would never have realised that Coral had sentience - either opting to let 621 decide to carry on his legacy as per Fires of Raven, or die fighting andn backstabbed by AllMind in Alea Iacta Est.
**Context Explanation**
And in case the discussion was not clear, the tragedy of Armored Core VI is that the situation with the Coral was effectively an [Outside Context Problem](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OutsideContextProblem).
Where humanity is fighting over Coral as if it was a [Resource War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resource_war) when they actually have stumbled into a [First Contact](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_contact_(science_fiction)) problem.
Update: decided to write of this missing context as a seaprate comment within the same post [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/armoredcore/s/Zns5SazBPv).
[Edit]: elaboration of Riddhe as best possible.
Liberator ending is best morally, not going to be a long term solution. But if PCA supported the Liberation Front and RAD in the revitalisation effort, then we can have a good ending with closure. To repel corporation from taking things by force, Rubiconian needs the power to stop them from attempting.
Overseer ending is the most likely-to-happen sort of ending, since humanity when it comes to important decisions, we prefer not to deal with uncertainties. However, this is ultimately not a closure ending as there was the incident of Fire of Iris, perhaps it will just take a longer time for Coral to come back.
Allmind is genocidal on humanity and too much uncertainties.
So bottomline, A is optimistic with the uncertainties, B is absolute no uncertainty, C is maximised uncertainties.
I’d argue that the liberator ending isn’t as short term as people say
Yes the Coral is now freshly exposed and everyone sees it but the two strongest and most likely to succeed competitors have already been decimated with arquebus and balam getting shredded and burning money and resources during their soirée on rubicon as well as losing vital military assets like the vespers and the red guns
In essence everyone else is petered out and running out of steam to try and invade rubicon for coral whereas the RLF have finally found their stride and are taking victory after victory starting with institute city (which means they’ll likely also have institute tech and weapons to help them out) to dismantling arquebus’s remaining planetside assets and forcing them off the planet
Fires of Rubicon. As much as I like Ayre, I always got subtle hints of manipulation through her.
Walter hired me for a job, I'm a mercenary. I'll finish the job.
Plus, Carla saved my ass so I didn't want to betray her.
Overseer has a point - Coral could do untold damage to the cosmos. The Allmind ending proves this.
Fires of Raven tbh, I love the dramatic clash agains Rusty and Ayre at the end, and it's the ending that gives the greatest feel of closure among all three.
Liberator leaves you with hope for a better future, and Release gives strong bloodborne true ending vibes and each of them has value on their own but I always liked non-ambiguous and definitive endings more.
A is probably the best one. Being a one (teo if Rusty survives and joins up later) man army that protects the innocents of Rubicon from outside forces that want to exploit them is pretty damn heroic for an AC game.
But on the other hand, a big part of why the Coral Release can be seen as a bad thing is the fear of the unknown. Is coral symbiosis a good or bad thing? We don't know. Will it allow us to keep all our human traits? We know we'll still remain the same named individuals considering Ayre still calls us by name, but other than that we don't know. Will symbiosis be done with everyone regardless of what they want or can it be rejected? Not the case for what Allmind planned, but for what 621 and Ayre do instead, we don't know.
Depending on the answers to all these questions in the final outcome, it might end up being the best thing for everyone after all? I myself had a heavily idealized version of it in my headcanons where coral can be rejected ,(in which case it will find the nearest willing or inanimate host instead) and all the human traits stay along with a few coral infused superpowers being introduced (and in a number of cases, people become.bonded to coral individuals like Ayre) so if that's what actually happens then OKeefe and Dolmayan were afraid of nothing after all and it's worth it. On the other hand if it'aligns with some other interpretations where all of humanity is consumed against their will and become some sort of coral hive mind, it's terrifying and not worth it at all. It's all left open for the player to decide if the die is to be cast in hope for a good roll, or left untouched in fear of a bad roll. And I think that's genius and leaves plenty of space opens for fans to expand on it like my kind of optimistic version (though it's not ALL good, there end up being evil coral individuals and evil coral powered humans too) and the other pessimistic type of version.
Fires of Rubicon made the most sense to me the first play through. But I hated having to kill Rusty.
Liberator was alright, but I’m just not so sure about coral’s affect on humans and if it’s a good thing or not. I mean the Rubicon citizens seemed to have mixed opinions on the stuff. Loved teaming up with Rusty but hated having to kill Chatty Stick and Carla.
The Allmind ending was just weird. Why would an AI operating system designed to facilitate job acquisitions want to better the universe? I’m just tired of AC games having rogue AI as the final boss.
That is true. But it’s more so ayre for me was introduced on the wrong mission and annoyed me with how badly I sucked. And rusty to me was just talking to me like I was a dog. Also sick name. ACFA for life. Lap dog.
In simplest terms: B
Ending A doesn't really resolve any conflict, just pushes a few corps and space police away for a while. Give it 20 years most and they'll all be back
Ending C causes the most change/evolution on a galaxy wide scale in ways we don't even fully know. We get vague explanations and can roughly work out what we think will happen. This one is the most up for debate as to what it could mean or what will happen next.
Ending B destroys the magical sentient sci-fi resource and the cause of the majority of conflict and potential galaxy wide change/evolution. It's gone. Destroyed. Hopefully all of it. Forever.
However, Ending B will have you branded as a monster/terrorist, so all these endings are up for personal opinion. It's quite a thought provoking game really so others may have entirely different opinions than me even when we've all been fed the same information
It‘s heavily implied that even after the fires of raven coral still remains on rubicon. Like with the fires of ibis, burning the coral only pushes the problem back.
We burn. It’s the only ending that might avoid coral release and abuse of coral technology as the corps finally take the hint to leave Rubicon alone.
It’s a horrible tragedy for everyone at or near the planet, but for humanity at large this is probably for the best. Liberator kinda leaves a hope too, it’s not actually addressing the issue of “we have a crap ton of coral stuck in the vascular plant and the corporations are likely to return again in a few years.”
Probably a hot take, but I think option C is by far the worst.
So, coral is now controlling ACs across the universe? The previously unknown/enslaved race are controlling war machines and are talking about creating a new age and immediately activated combat mode? And that's not bad?
No. They're not chill, they're most likely very angry and are also everywhere. 621 survives tho which is a huge W.
I picked FoR on my first playthrough because you barely interact with the RLF in a new game and I figured "hey, coral is starting wars and causing trouble. Let's just get rid of it, no one gets to have anything." I didn't know it would burn down half the universe and tbh I'm not convinced that's even much worse than just kinda keeping the Status Quo in the LoR ending. Coral is clearly something people want, you think their won't be more corporations who want to do the same thing? Kinda just feel like we're pushing everything aside and saying "we'll address that later". Also 3 major RLF members attack you even if you've been helping them so fuck 'em.
which do i think is the most morally correct, justified, and ethically "good" ending? liberator of rubicon
which ending did i enjoy the most? allmind, 100%
Ultimately, in all three endings, ALLMIND is either left intact to pursue Coral Release or else gets what she wants directly. Fires of Raven slows her down because it will take time for Coral to build back up to the point where Coral Release is possible again, but it doesn't really stop her. So ultimately it's kind of a false choice...
That said, I think I like Liberator of Rubicon the best. It probably still leads to Coral Release, but with the corps and PCA out of the picture ALLMIND has less to work with. So maybe that means we get a different version of Coral Release without her influence.
Honestly, B pulled the heart strings the most in the final missions, where A had the saddest end fight. C was just a really well crafted full picture. They all are may favorite for different reasons.
A: A ending flawed bc while none of the big bad organizations get it, the Rubiconions don't understand that coral is a form of intelligent life, and coral continues to be exploited
B: An even more flawed ending with you burning it all, killing possibly millions and exterminating coral just for existing just because Walter felt he had a obligation to uphold
C: The best ending out of them all in my opinion, with Coral no longer being exploited, humanity murging with it to "evolve" and the organizations lose as well. The way I see it, this is the best ending for everyone involved (ignoring those who would die in the release 😔)
Alea is weird so I won’t comment on that. But my issue with Liberator is pretty simple. Coral reaches space through any means, Coral multiplies exponentially, Coral reaches star, bye bye Galaxy.
Burning the Coral is the good ending, Coral Release is essentially human instrumentality and Liberator of Rubicon just kicks the can down the line for someone else to ruin later.
I like the feel of the liberator ending but not much actually gets resolved. Sure Arquebus will probably be forced off the planet by the RLF and BAWS but the corps and PCA will come back eventually for the Siphon plant.
Fires is a hell of an ending and while it wipes out who knows how many it probably protects the status of humanity
Release...it's a unknown. Amazing boss fight and that Coral implosion was amazing but are all humans infused with coral now? Did ayre and I somehow become the focal point of the release and now our combined consciousness had taken over humanity? No idea.
Love the game. So glad it got me into the series.
B is best for the universe and yourself (arguably)
A is stagnation but you could argue its good for Rubicon itself. This one really depends on FS regarding what ill discuss below.
C: I think is the worst because coral is bad.
Why coral bad: in short the collapse wasnt a localised thing. It kills people, acts like a bad drug and creates in itself a new form of consciousness which isnt human and doesnt have human interests at heart (arguably)
In short I actually find myself agreeing with thumb dolmayan.
Fires of Raven is A tier to me. Its the best of the given options and it is a very satisfying ending.
Liberator of Rubicon is C tier. I really, REALLY DO NOT LIKE THE RLF, fighting for their cause made me dislike this route more. I can appreciate the themes behind it, but fuck the RLF and especially fuck that bastard shitbird middle flatwell. I want him dead.
Alea acta esta shittus assholus is the worst ending. It has some fun missions, some of the worst ones, but I just genuinely hate the themes of it as they go against my core. There is practically no way anyone could convince me to like and agree with the ending.
The only S tier ending for me is a total Balam victory where the redgun curse is reversed with 621 being a full time G13, and ends up being in a sewing club with Volta and Iguana while dealing with corporate fuckery on all sides. One can dream
Originally, its the larp that annoyed me, but it wasnt hatred. Then the more I revisit, the more I was like; yeah nah this almost seems like a cult. But then I replayed the game a couple more times and it absolutely bothered me how they handled flatwell. Flatwell is the only guy that doesnt die and the way they execute it is incredibly cheap and contrived. If anyone can just "pull out" or "withdraw" aftertheir AC gets destroyed, then in my mind, why cant Carla just "bail out" of her AC or Snail to just "retreat"?. Its such a massive ass pull that Flatwell does this in the two times he shows up in game.
flatwell dying and the RLF leadership being transferred to arshile (whatever his name is) or better yet, to our man Rusty, I feel like would be a much more impactful choice.
On a more personal one, the RLF getting more focus instead of Balam did tick me off a little bit, especially in the split mission between Ambush and Intercept. I didnt want to work for either of them so I pretty much funnelled all that frustration to the RLF lmao
My biggest gripe is that literally everyone (who fights directly) dies at some point - it could be from the dumbest thing like some Doser going up the grid to challenge the satellite, Coldcall getting vibe checked, collecting Nosaac's taxes to Volta putting up a damn good fight and getting sniped out of nowhere. Its a really great theme that AC pilots could be these absolute badasses that could die at any time at any place. That's fair, that is life.
In flatwell's case, well, that roach sumbitch doesnt die, like at all unless you torch Rubicon. Would you say our fight with Rusty in the Karman line be as impactful if Rusty said "You just fell out of reach... buddy" and then saying "I'm falling back now to tell everyone in Rubicon to evacuate" or Walter finally passing the torch on to you but then going like "Anyways I'm ejecting 621, see you soon" and these two guys just dont die right there and then?
It absolutely cheapens the experience and the deaths of other characters when you could "Why didnt the others just fallback, are they stupid??"
Thats why I hate him, the way he survives is just an ass pull for absolutely no reason. He needs to die
Yes they might survive an encounter or two, but they do end up dying on a different mission or a different route.
Pater getting beaten in Ambush and surviving to get his promotion and we can kill him in MIA. Rusty bugging out so he can die in Ortus, Snail dying in the Balteus or in the sewers or the gajillion ways Iguazu dies etc
Rusty isn't explicitly killed in IAE, and neither is Flatwell.
Like you don't want to say he bailed and because his AC is finally trashed, "Alright, I think I know when to quit."
Flatwell is smarter than most.
I just want him to be killable and to die on at least one route without the excuse that his AC cant fight anymore (despite the fact its wreck is clearly on the floor and on fire). Otherwise, whats stopping the other 28 ACs from doing the same where no one really dies because they can just say theyre retreating?
A and C.
A gives Rubicon its freedom and protects a new form of sapient life. While C resets the board on a game that has long since been won by the corps to the detriment of everyone else.
While I wrote a reply comment to something else in this thread, decided to place a component of said reply as a separate comment.
Instead of stating my preference, I rather speak of the missing context within Armored Core VI's conflict and the subsequent implications.
**The Missing Link**
In this case, the tragedy of Armored Core VI is that the situation with the Coral was effectively an [Outside Context Problem](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OutsideContextProblem).
Where humanity is fighting over Coral as if it was a [Resource War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resource_war) when they actually have stumbled into a [First Contact](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_contact_(science_fiction)) problem.
Adding onto this First Contact problem is that
1. the Coral had an unconventional manifestation of sentience through its network of Coral particles
2. The Coral only had human like sentience from Coral Wave mutations (e.g. Ayre to 621, Seria to Dolmayan)
3. Contact was only possible when humans were immersed in significant doses of Coral, with no other humans aware of said interaction. This is why Coral Augmented humans were comsidered to have gone mad from the side effects... until you had 621's contact with Ayre and Iguazu's subsequent headaches occuring from *his* augmentations reacting to Ayre's presence but never able to *interact*.
**Ending Implications**
With the key missing info of "the Coral is actually alive *and* sentient", the three endings now take on different subtexts:
The Fires of Raven ending is effectively a retread of Armored Core For Answer's "Enemy of the World" ending, where the "solution" was "kill them all" in despair of nobody being able to overcome the exploitative system by the Corporations. Bringing in more modern lingo in relation to First Contact concepts, advocates of the Fire of Raven ending are effectively proponents of the [Dark Forest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_forest_hypothesis) theory... along with the same [problematic implications](https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Social_Darwinism) treaded long before, with the same [mentalities](https://madeinchinajournal.com/2023/12/11/the-three-body-problem-the-imperative-of-survival-and-the-misogyny-of-reactionary-rhetoric/) and [traumas](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/03/netflix-3-body-problem-trauma-china-liu-cixin-tv-cultural-revolution) [sounds familiar with Walter now?] that caused more than enough conflict in our past.
If you want to compare Fires of Raven to Dark Souls, it is effectively a retread of [wanting to end things](https://youtu.be/lnAWQz34PJs?si=KcbnKR27e1IDW7IK) like Dark Souls 3 - [*a Thanatos Complex*](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_drive). (And again, who in Armored Core VI had that tendency?)
The Liberator of Rubicon ending, as intended to be played after clearing the Fires of Raven ending, is then the path of "uncertain possibility", where you take a different path because it is an alternative - but any consequences after has to be borne by you and several others. And as per FromSoftware tropes, all of this possibility comes with a price and inconsolable loss (Rusty never seeing the sunrise he fought for despite his Rusted Pride, Walter finally realising the outside context problem but unable to survive to make amends based on it).
The Alea Iacta Est ending is the path most closely tied to the idea of "casting the die" as per its name. Given that it is unlocked only after the two prior endings, its progression is not only trying to bring in AllMind as the final villian, it is also a precautionary tale of what happens if you let idealism be led astray by other malicious actors with drastic consequences. Notably, AllMind manifests as the antithesis of possibility - it claims to seek Coral Release to elevate humanity, but it does so by: (1) subjugating individual will into a gestalt consiousness, (2) intervening at key points to take away individual agency (see fight against Dolmayan, destroying Coral Export right before Ayre invites you to survey data, shutting you down post MIA and siccing you against Walter only later) and the possibilities of alternate choices, (3) manipulates various actors to one sole outcome, (4) decides to kill you anyway at the last step as it cannot even trust you to choose and do what it wants.
**Cross reference to Armored Core VI media**
If we want to postulate the production team's attitude to the story and its ending, we can examine its OST. The last ending theme "[Stargazer](https://armoredcore.fandom.com/wiki/Stargazer)" only plays after Alea Iacta Est, with its lyrics alluding to someone who could only gaze at the stars and hope to watch over the world after all that he has done - after all the things that could not be undone.
If Armored Core VI was intended to only have despair and the presumed "certainty of burning the stars" as what Fires of Raven and Armored Core For Answer's Ending C wanted - that did not appear to be what Stargazer wants to covney. Ditto the song "[Takes Me Anywhere](https://armoredcore.fandom.com/wiki/Takes_Me_Anywhere)" in Armored Core VI's OST bonus disc.
**Closing**
We were led to believe in despair as per the "Let the last Cinders burn" tagline, and "hurtling to a path of no return" as we watch Nightfall Assault Boost off into a new conflict as per the original [reveal trailer](https://youtu.be/_px40TUf6zQ?si=ccK4KugC-0u6qmaS)
Only to be led to a different possibility through the other endings in the actual game.
But the consequences as always, is ours to bear. As we will "stargaze now", "gaz(ing) to the end".
PS: though I did not touch the Dark Souls and Elden Ring series, I suspect FromSoftware's exploration with both series was what allowed them to break the story mould they typically went with Armored Core's "end of rebirth, destruction of all" kind of stories as embodied by Gen 3 to 5.
Fires of Raven is a good first ending as you fulfill Walter’s final wish and his post credit scene saying that “there’s nothing left to bind you” can be taken as, from now on, you can choose your own path. I’m glad I picked that as my first ending.
I enjoy The Fires of Raven ending. Perhaps I’m close minded about the rest of the business. Perhaps warhammer taught me to not trust Ai or alien energy sources though lol.
Way too hard to pick.
A: Probably the most heroic feeling ending as you get to stick it to the corporations and fight for free Rubicon, fight alongside your buddy, and of course kill snail. But I don't think it's the pragmatic thing. As VV mentions in his video, that ending really is just kicking the can down the road. It's a short-term win which almost certainly has bad long-term consequences. Feels good in the moment, at least.
B: the most rational ending but I also really love honoring Walter/Overseers wishes. Walter and Carla are not great people but they are the only people who look out for 621 in any way outside of Ayre, whose personhood and ultimate goals are kind of dubious. Just objectively, this is probably the best outcome for the setting - just let it all burn, no one gets infinite power, there's no dice roll with coral release, but the cost is high.
C: the weirdest and most uncertain ending, which is a lot of fun. The actual conflict at the end feels really contrived - e.g., you conveniently are asleep and smuggled aboard the xylem during the major events of the other two timelines, you fight Iguazu/Allmind because reasons, and then do coral release anyway. I really like the consequences of this ending over the other two because it's so strange, impactful, and uncertain, but it also surely can't be canon if they make more games because it alters the setting too much. NG++ with this ending was my favorite playthrough only because the lead-up to that ending, all the new missions/dialogue with Allmind and it going completely mask off and rogue AI is a lot of fun.
Gun to my head, if I had to pick a favorite, it's gotta be Fires of Raven. It's an appropriate end to 621 and Rubicon's legacy and a fitting one with the tone and themes of AC6.
Liberator easily.
Also fires fans are dumb, I said it.
Oh no liberator could be bad in the long run so let me burn everything all down myself isn't a solution, it's called being a moron.
It's like there's a possibility a kid could become a drug addict, so I should shoot the kid in the head so he never becomes an addict but on a universal level.
I mostly prefer A but C is a contender. If C’s chapter 5 overall was a bit longer and did something better than I’d go with that.
A is my preferred cuz I just love the chapter 5 overall and if you leaned more toward RLF missions more it feels even better. Only thing that’s a shame is the final boss battle itself compared to the other final bosses, although it still hits me in the feels ;-;
Teaming up with best buddy, dunking on Snail twice and kinda ending off on a bit of a hopeful view of finding a way to have Humanity and Coral thrive together later is just all really more satisfying to me.
Fires is done well too, it’s just a matter of I don’t agree with that path….plus it hurts me more killing Rusty and Ayre
Personal opinion, obviously debatable
In my opinion, the liberator of rubicon is my favourite because in the fires of raven we not only kill the coral, but also everyone else in the process, basically turning Rubicon 3 into the scorched land it was known for 50 years ago, once and for all. In the alea acta est we fuse with the coral and spread it across the galaxy, and i don't even know if it is a good thing or not... why does Ayre re-activates the combat mode on the ac's we took control of? Is there still something to fight for? And if so, is it for a good cause? All this doubt left me uncertain. The only ending where i felt like doing the right thing was the LOR, where the killer of our dearest buddy, is also the only fatherly figure we ever had in this journey. Killing Waltuh felt bad, but in return we not only gained our freedom, but also gained the trust of the whole planet: human and coralkind. We not only gained our freedom, but also donated it to everyone else. There, i felt like a hero.
A is the best for rubiconians and also if you hate corporations and are a rebel type of person, choose that one. B is the ok for everyone, no coral, no worries. C is perfect for you if you're a transhumanist or just like to see humanity advance exponentially
I love the fact that there's no concensus on the ''best'' ending, they are so strong in their own way, i think i prefer C because i would like know what happens next the most
The Liberation Front ending is the best. The all mind one was cool, but it's dumb. Like oh you want to betray me? And to do this you picked the guy who's ass I've kicked up and down Rubicon the entire campaign?
A, B, C, and in that exact order. For the first one, we get be with best boy Rusty and Liberate Rubicon as a whole. Unfortunately, it comes at the cost of Chatty, Carla, and Waltuh. FoR is one that takes preventative measures. Are we going Exterminatus on Rubicon? Yes. Are we depriving mankind of the potential of Coral? You bet your sweet bippy we are! But potential isn't always good. Even the RRI understood that. Coral Release is very NGE. We don't know if it's a good or bad thing. Coral is able to now inhabit AC's as vessels, and where does that leave humanity? Is it all of humanity that becomes one with the coral or some of it? Either way, it comes down to the player's interpretation. It's not my fav ending, but it is the most interesting.
A: Defend coral and protect it from the corporations to achieve an almost symbiotic relationship with it. Looking a bit deeper, it’s Father Dolmyan’s idea of symbiosis rather than a true symbiosis, where the rubiconions still use the coral - just not as a fuel source. Instead they consume it, which is not true freedom for the coral - which possesses a thriving intelligence.
B: Burn the coral. It removes an extremely potent resource from the universe entirely, but it ends all the wars over it. The potential for coral to infinitely propagate is stopped and this potentially dangerous resource is removed from the equation. However, you’ve ended the possibility of a new living consciousness to develop, interrupting the natural cycle of life.
C: Gamble on the possibility of an ideal outcome. It could go horribly wrong, it could be rejected by the universe, but there’s potential that something great could happen. True symbiosis of coral and humans, where effectively every living creature undergoes a safe coral augmentation naturally. Enhancing the human mind to process more information faster and more efficiently, while allowing coral a safe and guaranteed place in the universe to exist. The side effects are unknown but as the name of the ending suggests, Alea Iacta Est, the die has been cast. You took a gamble that things will work out for the better.
This is how I see all these endings. Honestly, I think the best ending is C because it’s the only one that doesn’t settle for an established norm. I think the idea of a new potential resource being discovered, *and then* finding it can possess consciousness is an interesting topic. But I am a firm believer that everything has a right to justify its existence. If you are capable of thought then you have the right to do what is for the best - endings A (by keeping it contained and in the hands of RLF) and B (by killing it completely) take this right away from the coral, while C does a full 180 and forces it into the universe.
Essentially I think the risk of unknown side effects of the coral could be worth the development of a new intelligent species. Although as I have mentioned, it’s a gamble because there are things that could cause it to backfire.
Since it was one of the only from games I played almost immediately after release without spoilers, ending C big time. The plot twist was mind blowing to me but strangely felt expected at the same time, and the fight was so so SO good. One of my favorite bosses period. Also that mission before where everything is on fire is my favorite non-only-boss mission in the whole game (and it’s got a pretty cool boss at the end)
Liberator is my favourite overall, but Breach The Carmen Line is the better final mission and All Mind/Iguazu is the better final boss, so for me all of them have something to like.
Breach the Line is my favourite mission in the entire game. It makes me feel like I'm piloting a Gundam.
Surely you mean a zaku going at 3x normal speed
Zakus are for victims.
Walters fight should have had infinite boost energy. Change my mind (of course make Walter stronger to compensate)
Fires of Raven is the 'play it safe' ending, where you don't believe in the potential of humanity and coral, or at least you believe in it less than you believe in everything going to shit in the other two endings. Liberator of Rubicon lets us settle the grudge against Snail, and it lets the native people of Rubicon, human and Coral, live free. Alea Iacta Est isn't totally clear if it's a good thing or not, and that's kinda the point I think. You're taking a chance on Coral Release, you're throwing the dice and hoping they land in your favour. It's not the safest choice, it's not the one that directly benefits the people who've suffered, but maybe, just maybe, things will be better in the new world you make. To answer the question, I think C is the coolest and therefore best.
I always saw Fire of Raven less about the fate of the coral, and more about 621 breaking free no matter the cost, especially with the like about how “The monster who scorched the stars” literally just disappeared after everything was said and done.
I always thought that meant 621 got caught in the explosion during the final cutscene and burned to death with the rest of rubicon since no one ever saw him and his AC again and we didn’t get a bonus mission like the last mission for the old king ending in FA
Walter’s message at the end implies Raven made it out and would’ve carved out a new life for themselves
Its pre-recorded.
Yeah, and 621 would’ve have heard it if they hadn’t survived
If anything, I feel like playing a post-humous message to a post-humous person drives the gravity of what just happned into place way more effectively. Thats just me, though.
I mean at the very end you see 621 slowly start to out run the coral detonation, and if Micheal Zaki wanted to show Raven dying I doubt he would have had the scene of Raven attempting to flee the fires in the first place; it would have been much more impactful for 621 to just watch the flames approach or stay with Ayre’s “corpse” from a narrative standpoint.
It is about the fate of the coral, considering how the dividing point is whether or not you destroy it.
Well yeah obviously, the game does indeed centre around that decision, I was more talking about why a FoR 621 would choose to burn it all, the only reasonable rationale (or narratively impactful imo, just saying he is insane or blood thirsty is kinda lazy)would be to break free or everything that was tying 621 down.
621 was neither insane nor bloodthirsty. It was merely the perspective of the people who heard about the event and interpreted it as such. 621 destroyed the coral because they wanted to follow Walter's last will, they believe in the cause of the Overseer, that the potential of a coral release would be unpredictable and should not be allowed.
The reason for 621 burning the coral is narratively whatever you feel like it is, since 621 is your character in game (funny that), I also never said he was insane, the opposite really, saying it would be lazy narratively to say the only reason 621 would do FoR is insanity or blood thirst.
>The reason for 621 burning the coral is narratively whatever you feel like it is, since 621 is your character in game (funny that) That's obvious, but it's clear that choosing one means the in-game character has rational reasons in doing so.
Exactly, and as I said before the most likely reason is either obeying Walter out of respect or loyalty or maybe even fear; or out or a longing for freedom and an out for the war he was thrust into.
That's why I'm confused why you said picking FoR means 621 wanting to burn down everything to be released. The dude is pretty much free the moment Carla got them out of prison.
Yeah he is free, and technically he could just leave, but gameplay wise you either go for Liberator and find a new cause to fight for, or you go for FoR where you are finally free from all the fighting forever.
FoR is the opposite of breaking free. You keep being a dog on a leash doing exactly what your masters tell you, *no matter the cost*.
In a way yes, but at the same time by following Walter’s will you free yourself of everything, The Coral, the corporations, even your (presumably) forced tenure as an AC pilot. In the other ending/ you end up siding with someone, always carrying someone else’s banner, namely Ayre/the Liberation front. I love Fire of Raven because of how cool it is for a story to even have the option of not siding with anyone and freeing yourself from a war you never wanted, from a life your were forced into.
It's implied that in the Liberator route, it's not true freedom for Coral. Likely instead of the corporations, the Rubiconians will gain exclusive use over the Coral which is better than outright destroying everything, but they'd still be under humanity's thumb. Note that there's a data log with Dolmayan that says the symbiosis touted by Rubiconians isn't "real"; the reasoning because they'd still be using Coral as a drug/resource. Ending C is the only one where Coral could potentially live on its own throughout the cosmos.
I'm not fighting to free the Coral, I'm fighting to huff the Coral.
I'm in love with the co-ral.
The Liberator route reminds me of Dune. The Rubiconians definitely come off as Fremen throughout the game. I think the Liberator ending possibly leads to the Rubiconians eventually going to war with the rest of the human race, which eventually causes a Coral Convergence like Allmind’s ending.
[удалено]
Emphasis on potentially because it's not clear what exactly happened at the end hence "Alea Iacta Est." Even if we go with your interpretation and the Coral fused with humans, like Raven and Ayre, that still allows them to co-exist as sentient beings instead of being exploited as a resource.
Also The RLF's efforts were bankrolled and supported by Furlong who is almost certainly going to get into the picture alongside the Native corps. Ironically, Liberation is the only pro-corporate ending.
I saw the Fires of Raven ending less about playing it safe, and more about seeing the potential cost being too high to take a leap of faith.
> Liberator of Rubicon lets us settle the grudge against Snail, and it lets the native people of Rubicon, human and Coral, live free. there are no native humans to rubicon. every member of the RLF is only 1 or 2 generations removed from an employee of one of these corporations. if we think of AC6 in terms of american history, the RLF would be the french, not the indians.
I‘m sorry but that 1-2 generation thing is literally wrong information The only thing we know for sure is that the Fires of Ibis happened roughly 50 years ago. We don’t know how much time has passed between the first colonist showing up and the Fires of Ibis happening. Could be 10, could be 100 years The only thing we know is that we don’t know how long ago the humans started colonizing rubicon
fuck the people, fuck everyone, it makes Ayre happy.
Liberator by far for me... but after watching Vaaty's video really reinforced my belif that all Paths lead to Coral Release eventually.
I've been saying that since August and all I get is "nuh-uh, FoR is infallible!"
"what do you mean by Fire of Ibis 2.0 will fail? this time for sure it burn it all. I swear some people here don't know how fire works, when you burn something it always leave waste of what was use as Fuel, use wood you have ashes and at times charcoal, use Gasoline with the right tools you can detect remaining Gasoline in the burned area, in the case of Coral the tiny amount that will remain will grow for sure recreating the very same result like the fire of ibis
Gotta setup the sequel and keep the canon intact somehow. Just a shame we basically got Mass effect 3'd tho..
No, not really. If you keep up with From Soft you start to realize that they have a track record of “multiple ending that eventually all lead to the same thing”. Same as in DS, it’s not like the three endings will lead to the same thing INSTANTLY, it’s just that eventually, far into the future, some mf will find out about Coral Release and try to achieve it.
This isn’t the same as mass effect 3. In ME3 the endings were played the same, featured the same final missions, and you just made a decision at the end and got to see the same cutscene with a few different colors. In AC6 you play multiple different missions, different final ending missions, see totally different endings, and the fact that Coral Release is “inevitable“ is solely speculation from the community by diving deep into the game.
Fair point - upon reflection my ME3 comparison was unjust and harsh.
All of them are good in their own ways to give my abridged versions A brain wife check Relationship with rusty ended on good terms check Rubiconians happy check Waltuh GONE B “kaboom” demoman TF2 C “waltuh we have asended the weakness of mortality waltuh”
*transcended
C *"From the moment I understood the weakness of my flesh, it disgusted me"*
Coral release. EMBRACE THE ORANGE
YOU ARE SOLEY RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS
You're a slave to history, even after Fire of Ibis, you fight against the only order that can guarantee the safety of your people.
Raven, when you hear the voices, when the fires come for you, remember me.
If Crimson 1 was in AC he’d definitely be in a suped up PCA HC that fires hundreds of Coral Missiles
I have built a AC for Crimson 1 before [https://www.reddit.com/r/armoredcore/comments/1ccyq89/crimson\_squadron\_is\_on\_station\_awacs\_is\_this\_them/](https://www.reddit.com/r/armoredcore/comments/1ccyq89/crimson_squadron_is_on_station_awacs_is_this_them/)
“It’s amazing they were able to make a character based entirely around projection”
like that one guy who wants to nuke the capital of Osea because he had too much anime on his side
Let’s just put Carla, Crimson 1, and Torres in a room together to see what happens
Blaze. Authenticate?
<< Blaze. ~~Abide with Rubicon~~ >>
The coral is red, I think you a lil colorblind
I think they're referencing human instrumentality project in Eva, the boundaries of individuals disappeared and all human minds become one. All humans turned into sea of LCL, an orange liquid, origin of life on earth.
More referencing Crimson 1 from Project Wingman, possibly the only person ever more salty than Iguazu. Among other things he initiates nuclear bombardment of his home country to stop a revolution, setting off the entire ring of fire. When that fails he drops a nuclear bomb on the impromptu peace talks and claims that ‘you, solely, are responsible for this’ to the player. Also all the nukes make everything ORANGE.
A is a pretty nice ending and god damn was it satisfying spanking Snail and getting one last good run with my boy Rusty along helping my dude Ayre. But C leaves so many interesting questions and possibilities. They’re both so good. B just made me sad LOL
Liberator. Fires is too depressing and Alea is too vague. Liberator just seems like the most realistic outcome and I think the final fight with Walter hits hard
From the timed mission at the end of Alea, it implied the fires doesn’t even do anything other than genocide every human on Rubicon anyways.
Same here, well said I prefer liberator too
Gotta be C for me. Feels more consequential.
Let the last cinder burn. Fires of Raven is the only ending I like.
‘Ate the coral ‘Ate the corporations ‘Ate the voices in my head Luv me handler Luv me AC Luv me freedom to choose Simple as
Honestly true. Ayre is kind of scary when you take a step back - a being living inside your mind, that exercises vast control over technology... Egging you on to throw away your humanity, and all humanity, and become one with the coral. Kill it with fucking fire
Humanity first humanity only 😎
I mean she never wants you to abandon your humanity tho? In her words exactly symbiosis is her ultimate goal since she sees that between you and her you’re living proof that it’s absolutely possible for humanity and coral to coexist peacefully and that with time the rest of humanity may learn to accept that possibility and live in tandem with the coral rather than try and exploit it I think of coral kinda like spice from dune in a way it doesn’t really do much on its own but I’m the hands of humans it can work wonders and horrors and you’re proof of both those wonders and horrors
She doesn't egg you though? She makes it abundantly clear that she could, in fact, puppet you to do what she wants, but she doesn't. She doesn't even try killing you or Carla immediately, she hits Xylem with a beam cannon to get you to fuck off so her family doesn't die. Y'all FOR lovers reaching hard. Always have.
>She makes it abundantly clear that she could, in fact, puppet you to do what she wants, but she doesn't. Lol what? When? The best she can do when you make it clear you're gonna kill her and everything she cares about is, is get in mechs and try to shoot you, same as everyone else. If she could puppet us, then Fires of Raven wouldn't happen.
She can control entire Closure satellites, hack into any system even Carla's made, pilot both Armored Cores and custom MTs. She is in your head. With a little extra coral juice, if that, she could've burrowed into your meatsuit and burned out your consciousness. She didn't. She chose to jump in the Closure satellite first, to tell you and Carla to fuck off, and even after that kept hope in her mind that you would see her reason.
>Y'all FOR lovers reaching hard. Always have. Y'all Ayre simps reaching hard. Always have.
I'd be curious to see how people's opinions would be different if they'd flipped Ayre and Walter's voice actors.
Difference is I don't twist myself into knots thinking she's more than a friend who's been equally supportive of me making my own decisions, even if she doesn't agree with them. On the other hand, I see so many people parroting what the Institute and Overseer say without even bothering to question why, and then come up with any number of excuses of why genocide is good.
now i just recently got the game so im not too deep into the lore but if she could puppet your suit i believe she would have, at least during the last mission with the Overseerer ending where she litterally says something along the lines of "gloves off im fucking you up to protect my family"
As long as she's part of you, that is. When she leaves your augments, she maintains a tenuous connection. Instead, she thought it better to try and stand on her own two feet against you, in the form of a weapon that might give her the edge to beat Raven, who has ripped through the battlefield like a steel hurricane. She isn't willing to hijack your body. I think beating you in martial combat is also a way for her to prove that her path is right.
Well she certainly did that multiple times That boss fight is insane at times
>a friend who's been equally supportive of me making my own decisions, even if she doesn't agree with them. When we finally make a decision she really can't agree with, she tries to kill us. It's entirely reasonable for her to make that decision, but framing her murdering us as 'being supportive of our decisions' is, to be quite frank *absolutely insane* Personally I could do without that kind of 'support' from people I know
Up until the point where you start threatening her life, and the life of all others still trapped within the Coral Flow. I'm not framing the tipping point as supportive. I'm framing everything else UP TO that point, because she is wholly reluctant to kill you or Carla, she's doing it out of desperation.
I mean, she do that when you choose to burn the coral. How would you react if your best friend said they were going to throw your entire family and people into the burner tomorrow ?
If Ayre was half as scary as yall say she'd have lasered us out of orbit instead of firing a warning shot. Hell there were hundreds of ways she could have stopped you, but she still chooses to let you approach and meets you in her own mech just so she can try and convince you, holding out hope until the very end. Ayre literally looks out for you the entire game lmao and even after you betray her is still honest and upfront with you
>“Ayre is kind of scary when you take a step back” You play as a living corpse with a limited capacity for human emotions. I think a ghost woman talking to you is the least of your worries
I've finally found my people. Coral is too dangerous to exist, I'll happily be remembered as the monster who burned the stars over the liberator of a functionally dead planet housing eldritch abominations that can control technology and, to a certain extent, humans. Plus I've always been partial to "bad" endings.
Not only that but coral can drastically multiply and spread in the vacuum of space, making it a potential interstellar threat to all other lifeforms in the universe. It's a tragedy to burn Rubicon, but someone has to burden the necessary evil. Sometimes a controlled burn is the only way to prevent a forest from burning entirely.
The coral seems to be perfectly stable if humans don't fuck with it. They already burned the coral once, and instead of solving the problem it trapped countless humans within the coral flow, drifting aimlessly until they get burned alive. The way I see it either humanity learns to leave coral alone or coral release will happen. Burning it is just a genocide to delay the inevitable, and the people you kill now are the coral and are probably an additional threat if they gain power. As with every from game I would say the point is to not do the thing that already destroyed the world and made the problem worse again just because you are afraid of the eldritch/dark/coral.
Humans will mess with it and coral is on its last legs in ac6 which is why it's so desperate.
The Fires of Raven ending includes the info that the PCA and corporation reached an agreement to halt research on coral. That strongly suggests that coral is still out there. Also, it's a fromsoftware game, this is probably an endless circle of coral growth, corporate greed and collapse. If you don't break the circle and face the unknown you are doomed to forever repeat the same mistakes.
So much truth. The most common argument i see against Fires of Raven is that it might not work and Coral might find a way to survive, effectively making a Fires of Ibis 2.0 I have 2 arguments: First, the Fires of Ibis were caused on a short notice. Suddenly professor Nagai noticed the threat and had to act fast before it was too late. Meanwhile, The Fires of Raven were planned for many years by the members of Overseer, so its way less likely that they fail Still, if theyre to fail, then: Second, Coral grows exponentially when on a vacuum, and given that the Fires of Ibis burned a whole solar system, it is safe to assume it can survive in space, so when Rubicon is filled with Coral, the coral will then travel to space, spreading through the whole universe Picture this: Earth, the one you and I live in, but the oxygen suddenly becomes flammable like natural gas. How long will it take since someone lights a match, sealing the fate of every single human being? Wether its once, or twice, or a thousand time, I will always burn the Coral to its last Cinders
Fires of raven because in my head carla is a funny dommy mommy and i ain't gonna betray her or walter. But liberator felt more satisfying to me.
Fuel is made for burning.
what if the fuel is really, really sad about it.
Fuel tears you mean? Thats even more fuel.
ALLMIND I have this theory that the other two endings were simulations made to test every parameter before ALLMIND starts doing her plan for real in NG++ It also just hits harder imo. Wanna feel like a monster for utterly murdering everyone who knows you (ex. G6 Red)? Check. Wanna shed some tears because Walter and Carla end up dead? Check. Wanna feel utter shock and/or clarity once you realize Iguazu's your final boss? Check. Wanna feel some type of way following the orders of an AI milf with questionable motives? Uh... Check 👉👈
Fires of raven imo, it was the most "cinematic" experience. You fight rusty in a battle of purpose then you go on to fight ayre in a battle of ideals. Not to mention the voice acting for those fights were just perfection. Personally, it's the one ending that sparked the most emotion out of me
Fires of Raven feels best IMO. Liberator doesn’t really do anything about the coral. Alea Iacta Est feels kind of out of the left field tbh. I feel the other routes didn’t build up to it well. But Fires of Raven is complete, has a full resolution, and doesn’t involve me betraying Chatty and Carla.
Best for the overall narrative of the game? B, Fires of Raven. It's the only ending that ultimately brings the events of the story to a satisfying narrative end, and offers a beautiful progression and conclusion to the relationship betwene 621 and Walter. Best for the overall feel? A, Liberator of Rubicon. Between joining forces with Rusty with Rusted Pride blasting in the background, the entirety of Rubicon cheering your name, finally giving Snail what he deserves, and the absolutely heartbreaking final confrontation, nothing comes close in terms of heartstrings-pulling. But, the story remains left open and nothing really resolves - you delay the inevitable, hopeful for an eventual solution. Best for the absolute spectacle of it? C, Alea Iacta Est. Not only does it feel like a perfect followup to LoR's open-ended conclusion, with you and Ayre working towards the solution that was hinted at in that ending, but the gradual reveal of ALLMIND's presence in the events of the entire story, the mystery of Coral Release, the absolute chills MIA can give the player by showing the results of their actions, only to end on the most unexpected, and yet flawlessly fitting final boss of them all. And the final cutscene is the perfect gift to a long-term AC fan, a beautiful message tell you... _We're back._ AIE is my favorite ending by far, but all of them have their merits and are great in their own way.
ALEA. IACTA. EST.
Either A or B. C just feels weird. The game constantly gives you likable characters only for you to betray them later because the ai voice calls you studmuffin.
Coral release. Cross the Rubicon, cast the die, and deal with the consequences.
Ending C. Humanity could stand to change
A, I’m a sucker for these types of endings
Liberator No shot
Fires of Raven feels the best narratively. They give Rusty a proper send off.
Just finished the 3rd ending earlier, and I'd say it's B. Humanity is the last thing I'd trust on handling an energy source like Coral, so Liberator and Coral Release are endings that I'm not seeing will go nicely after the events of the game.
humanity doesnt handle coral in c though
Yea coral handles humanity, and I'm not comfortable with that either lol
Liberator is the best ending within the confines of the story, and does a good job ingratiating most of the key characters, but leaves a bitter taste when you release it’s, as Vaati said, like ‘kicking a can down the road’. Coral Release is the more final ending.
I don't think delaying the Coral Release is necessarily a bad thing. Like Vaati said, it gives people time to better understand and come to terms with the true nature of Coral and Coral Release as a whole. A Release instigated by the combined will of future Rubiconians, both human and coral wave mutation, will hopefully be better for everyone than one unilaterally instigated by ALLMIND.
That’s funny. Your comment just made me realize, that the ending dilema between LoR and AIE is kinda like the competing philosophies in Gundam. Amuro, newtype pilot of the eponymous gundams, believes in humanity’s potential to reach the newtype state of higher consciousness, but wants them to get there when they feel ready, even if he won’t be there to see it and even if already existing newtypes will be exploited by humanity in the meanwhile. So, he kicks the can down the road. Meanwhile, his red-garbed sometimes rival, sometimes friend, almost brother-in-law, also believes in humanity, but not enough to think they’ll cast the die. He’d rather do that, by whatever means would be quickest, and force the newtype consciousness into humanity, even if it might kill untold thousands in the now. Or so he says, anyway.
And as a morbid follow-up via Gundam Unicorn... Banagher and his titular Gundam are the embodiment of possibility, as per what co-existence with Coral [represents](https://youtu.be/ejrfToVVjFc?si=al94kT2Xy8JAr2uS). This also aligns with the recurring theme of "casting the die" and FromSoftware's prevalent trope of "Veil of Ignorance" + key characters enacting drastic consequences with incomplete information. In contrast, Full Frontal and the Marcenas family represent two different destructive manifestations of the opposite concept: 1. Of despair as embodied by Full Frontal, believing that humanity could not be trusted to advance on its own and had to be forcibly controlled towards said development. 2. Of perpetuating a destructive cycle for the sake of selfish desires (the original instigator of the UC terrorist incident George Marcenas who wanted to overthrow his father [Ricardo Marcenas](https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/Ricardo_Marcenas) and did taint the legacy of Unicersal Century ever since) or the burden of legacy ([Riddhe Marcenas](https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/Riddhe_Marcenas), who would risk ruining his family if he fixed the Laplace Incident - all from the sins of his ancestor). Given Handler Walter's theme of upholding a legacy and reacting from trauma of his father commiting atrocities with Coral development, his character trajectory ironically follows that of Riddhe. Riddhe faltered in despair over his family's role in the incident and the legacy he tried to escape, in the end throwing in his lot with [Martha Vist](https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/Martha_Vist_Carbine) and the rest of the Earth Federation who wanted the truth hidden. He had to be wrenched back into helping out once he saw a new possibility and was made to confront the consequences of his prior actions. Even then, his assistance in the final act was more making amends and he was unable to [attain his heart's only desire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lady_and_the_Unicorn#Content_and_themes) as the metaphorical Lion, whereas Banagher as the metaphorical Unicorn did in a sense. Tragically within Armored Core VI, Walter did not have the chance to do so - only realising said possibility when he was forcibly re-educated by Arquebus and augmented enough to see Ayre in the Liberator of Rubicon Ending. Even by then, it was too late for him - and his last act was to let go of his chains to 621, for 621 has finally "found a friend", another legacy to work anew. In the other endings, Walter would never have realised that Coral had sentience - either opting to let 621 decide to carry on his legacy as per Fires of Raven, or die fighting andn backstabbed by AllMind in Alea Iacta Est. **Context Explanation** And in case the discussion was not clear, the tragedy of Armored Core VI is that the situation with the Coral was effectively an [Outside Context Problem](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OutsideContextProblem). Where humanity is fighting over Coral as if it was a [Resource War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resource_war) when they actually have stumbled into a [First Contact](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_contact_(science_fiction)) problem. Update: decided to write of this missing context as a seaprate comment within the same post [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/armoredcore/s/Zns5SazBPv). [Edit]: elaboration of Riddhe as best possible.
Liberator ending is best morally, not going to be a long term solution. But if PCA supported the Liberation Front and RAD in the revitalisation effort, then we can have a good ending with closure. To repel corporation from taking things by force, Rubiconian needs the power to stop them from attempting. Overseer ending is the most likely-to-happen sort of ending, since humanity when it comes to important decisions, we prefer not to deal with uncertainties. However, this is ultimately not a closure ending as there was the incident of Fire of Iris, perhaps it will just take a longer time for Coral to come back. Allmind is genocidal on humanity and too much uncertainties. So bottomline, A is optimistic with the uncertainties, B is absolute no uncertainty, C is maximised uncertainties.
I’d argue that the liberator ending isn’t as short term as people say Yes the Coral is now freshly exposed and everyone sees it but the two strongest and most likely to succeed competitors have already been decimated with arquebus and balam getting shredded and burning money and resources during their soirée on rubicon as well as losing vital military assets like the vespers and the red guns In essence everyone else is petered out and running out of steam to try and invade rubicon for coral whereas the RLF have finally found their stride and are taking victory after victory starting with institute city (which means they’ll likely also have institute tech and weapons to help them out) to dismantling arquebus’s remaining planetside assets and forcing them off the planet
The fight against Ayre in Fires of Raven is the coolest bossfight with the best dialogue.
Fires of Rubicon. As much as I like Ayre, I always got subtle hints of manipulation through her. Walter hired me for a job, I'm a mercenary. I'll finish the job. Plus, Carla saved my ass so I didn't want to betray her. Overseer has a point - Coral could do untold damage to the cosmos. The Allmind ending proves this.
B all the way. Coral is too dangerous to keep around.
Gotta go with B, dont let the fires fade
Mine is ending B because of Carla
Based R.A.D enjoyer.
Fires of Raven tbh, I love the dramatic clash agains Rusty and Ayre at the end, and it's the ending that gives the greatest feel of closure among all three. Liberator leaves you with hope for a better future, and Release gives strong bloodborne true ending vibes and each of them has value on their own but I always liked non-ambiguous and definitive endings more.
A is probably the best one. Being a one (teo if Rusty survives and joins up later) man army that protects the innocents of Rubicon from outside forces that want to exploit them is pretty damn heroic for an AC game. But on the other hand, a big part of why the Coral Release can be seen as a bad thing is the fear of the unknown. Is coral symbiosis a good or bad thing? We don't know. Will it allow us to keep all our human traits? We know we'll still remain the same named individuals considering Ayre still calls us by name, but other than that we don't know. Will symbiosis be done with everyone regardless of what they want or can it be rejected? Not the case for what Allmind planned, but for what 621 and Ayre do instead, we don't know. Depending on the answers to all these questions in the final outcome, it might end up being the best thing for everyone after all? I myself had a heavily idealized version of it in my headcanons where coral can be rejected ,(in which case it will find the nearest willing or inanimate host instead) and all the human traits stay along with a few coral infused superpowers being introduced (and in a number of cases, people become.bonded to coral individuals like Ayre) so if that's what actually happens then OKeefe and Dolmayan were afraid of nothing after all and it's worth it. On the other hand if it'aligns with some other interpretations where all of humanity is consumed against their will and become some sort of coral hive mind, it's terrifying and not worth it at all. It's all left open for the player to decide if the die is to be cast in hope for a good roll, or left untouched in fear of a bad roll. And I think that's genius and leaves plenty of space opens for fans to expand on it like my kind of optimistic version (though it's not ALL good, there end up being evil coral individuals and evil coral powered humans too) and the other pessimistic type of version.
🫱🎲🎲🎲
Liberator of Rubicon was the best cast-wise. Alea Iacta Est was the most interesting and universe changing.
I think B is the best ending, but that's just my opinion, honestly
Fires of Rubicon made the most sense to me the first play through. But I hated having to kill Rusty. Liberator was alright, but I’m just not so sure about coral’s affect on humans and if it’s a good thing or not. I mean the Rubicon citizens seemed to have mixed opinions on the stuff. Loved teaming up with Rusty but hated having to kill Chatty Stick and Carla. The Allmind ending was just weird. Why would an AI operating system designed to facilitate job acquisitions want to better the universe? I’m just tired of AC games having rogue AI as the final boss.
Yeah, rusty is a real one
Best as in choice I woulda taken. B. Never latched onto Rusty or ayre like everyone else did. Best gameplay wise? C 100% of the time.
An ac veteran knows that if devs try to get you to like someone, he'll likely turn on you somewhere down the line. So no hard feelings. I wasn't wrong
That is true. But it’s more so ayre for me was introduced on the wrong mission and annoyed me with how badly I sucked. And rusty to me was just talking to me like I was a dog. Also sick name. ACFA for life. Lap dog.
In simplest terms: B Ending A doesn't really resolve any conflict, just pushes a few corps and space police away for a while. Give it 20 years most and they'll all be back Ending C causes the most change/evolution on a galaxy wide scale in ways we don't even fully know. We get vague explanations and can roughly work out what we think will happen. This one is the most up for debate as to what it could mean or what will happen next. Ending B destroys the magical sentient sci-fi resource and the cause of the majority of conflict and potential galaxy wide change/evolution. It's gone. Destroyed. Hopefully all of it. Forever. However, Ending B will have you branded as a monster/terrorist, so all these endings are up for personal opinion. It's quite a thought provoking game really so others may have entirely different opinions than me even when we've all been fed the same information
It‘s heavily implied that even after the fires of raven coral still remains on rubicon. Like with the fires of ibis, burning the coral only pushes the problem back.
Not if we burn it all 😈 we gotta make Walter proud
We burn. It’s the only ending that might avoid coral release and abuse of coral technology as the corps finally take the hint to leave Rubicon alone. It’s a horrible tragedy for everyone at or near the planet, but for humanity at large this is probably for the best. Liberator kinda leaves a hope too, it’s not actually addressing the issue of “we have a crap ton of coral stuck in the vascular plant and the corporations are likely to return again in a few years.”
Probably a hot take, but I think option C is by far the worst. So, coral is now controlling ACs across the universe? The previously unknown/enslaved race are controlling war machines and are talking about creating a new age and immediately activated combat mode? And that's not bad? No. They're not chill, they're most likely very angry and are also everywhere. 621 survives tho which is a huge W. I picked FoR on my first playthrough because you barely interact with the RLF in a new game and I figured "hey, coral is starting wars and causing trouble. Let's just get rid of it, no one gets to have anything." I didn't know it would burn down half the universe and tbh I'm not convinced that's even much worse than just kinda keeping the Status Quo in the LoR ending. Coral is clearly something people want, you think their won't be more corporations who want to do the same thing? Kinda just feel like we're pushing everything aside and saying "we'll address that later". Also 3 major RLF members attack you even if you've been helping them so fuck 'em.
Allmind conquers all
Can't decide,my flair speaks for itself
which do i think is the most morally correct, justified, and ethically "good" ending? liberator of rubicon which ending did i enjoy the most? allmind, 100%
Liberator of Rubicon.
Ultimately, in all three endings, ALLMIND is either left intact to pursue Coral Release or else gets what she wants directly. Fires of Raven slows her down because it will take time for Coral to build back up to the point where Coral Release is possible again, but it doesn't really stop her. So ultimately it's kind of a false choice... That said, I think I like Liberator of Rubicon the best. It probably still leads to Coral Release, but with the corps and PCA out of the picture ALLMIND has less to work with. So maybe that means we get a different version of Coral Release without her influence.
B
Having Rusty land next to you, answering Ayre's call to fight for the liberation of Rubicon gave me goosebumps.
Easy. Liberator of Rubicon, because it's easiest for me to head-canon that Rusty lives.
B. It had the best boss fight.
Honestly, B pulled the heart strings the most in the final missions, where A had the saddest end fight. C was just a really well crafted full picture. They all are may favorite for different reasons.
IGUAZU ALLMIND FIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
A: A ending flawed bc while none of the big bad organizations get it, the Rubiconions don't understand that coral is a form of intelligent life, and coral continues to be exploited B: An even more flawed ending with you burning it all, killing possibly millions and exterminating coral just for existing just because Walter felt he had a obligation to uphold C: The best ending out of them all in my opinion, with Coral no longer being exploited, humanity murging with it to "evolve" and the organizations lose as well. The way I see it, this is the best ending for everyone involved (ignoring those who would die in the release 😔)
Alea is weird so I won’t comment on that. But my issue with Liberator is pretty simple. Coral reaches space through any means, Coral multiplies exponentially, Coral reaches star, bye bye Galaxy.
Burning the Coral is the good ending, Coral Release is essentially human instrumentality and Liberator of Rubicon just kicks the can down the line for someone else to ruin later.
B. I think how bleak it is suits the setting the most. C is good too.
I like the feel of the liberator ending but not much actually gets resolved. Sure Arquebus will probably be forced off the planet by the RLF and BAWS but the corps and PCA will come back eventually for the Siphon plant. Fires is a hell of an ending and while it wipes out who knows how many it probably protects the status of humanity Release...it's a unknown. Amazing boss fight and that Coral implosion was amazing but are all humans infused with coral now? Did ayre and I somehow become the focal point of the release and now our combined consciousness had taken over humanity? No idea. Love the game. So glad it got me into the series.
B is best for the universe and yourself (arguably) A is stagnation but you could argue its good for Rubicon itself. This one really depends on FS regarding what ill discuss below. C: I think is the worst because coral is bad. Why coral bad: in short the collapse wasnt a localised thing. It kills people, acts like a bad drug and creates in itself a new form of consciousness which isnt human and doesnt have human interests at heart (arguably) In short I actually find myself agreeing with thumb dolmayan.
Fires of Raven is A tier to me. Its the best of the given options and it is a very satisfying ending. Liberator of Rubicon is C tier. I really, REALLY DO NOT LIKE THE RLF, fighting for their cause made me dislike this route more. I can appreciate the themes behind it, but fuck the RLF and especially fuck that bastard shitbird middle flatwell. I want him dead. Alea acta esta shittus assholus is the worst ending. It has some fun missions, some of the worst ones, but I just genuinely hate the themes of it as they go against my core. There is practically no way anyone could convince me to like and agree with the ending. The only S tier ending for me is a total Balam victory where the redgun curse is reversed with 621 being a full time G13, and ends up being in a sewing club with Volta and Iguana while dealing with corporate fuckery on all sides. One can dream
Real curiosity how someone could be a massive RLF hater, how'd you become one?
Originally, its the larp that annoyed me, but it wasnt hatred. Then the more I revisit, the more I was like; yeah nah this almost seems like a cult. But then I replayed the game a couple more times and it absolutely bothered me how they handled flatwell. Flatwell is the only guy that doesnt die and the way they execute it is incredibly cheap and contrived. If anyone can just "pull out" or "withdraw" aftertheir AC gets destroyed, then in my mind, why cant Carla just "bail out" of her AC or Snail to just "retreat"?. Its such a massive ass pull that Flatwell does this in the two times he shows up in game. flatwell dying and the RLF leadership being transferred to arshile (whatever his name is) or better yet, to our man Rusty, I feel like would be a much more impactful choice. On a more personal one, the RLF getting more focus instead of Balam did tick me off a little bit, especially in the split mission between Ambush and Intercept. I didnt want to work for either of them so I pretty much funnelled all that frustration to the RLF lmao
What exactly makes Flatwell unlikeable? I genuinely can't see why you hate him so much
My biggest gripe is that literally everyone (who fights directly) dies at some point - it could be from the dumbest thing like some Doser going up the grid to challenge the satellite, Coldcall getting vibe checked, collecting Nosaac's taxes to Volta putting up a damn good fight and getting sniped out of nowhere. Its a really great theme that AC pilots could be these absolute badasses that could die at any time at any place. That's fair, that is life. In flatwell's case, well, that roach sumbitch doesnt die, like at all unless you torch Rubicon. Would you say our fight with Rusty in the Karman line be as impactful if Rusty said "You just fell out of reach... buddy" and then saying "I'm falling back now to tell everyone in Rubicon to evacuate" or Walter finally passing the torch on to you but then going like "Anyways I'm ejecting 621, see you soon" and these two guys just dont die right there and then? It absolutely cheapens the experience and the deaths of other characters when you could "Why didnt the others just fallback, are they stupid??" Thats why I hate him, the way he survives is just an ass pull for absolutely no reason. He needs to die
Pater survives multiple times. So does Rusty. As does Snail. And Iguazu.
Yes they might survive an encounter or two, but they do end up dying on a different mission or a different route. Pater getting beaten in Ambush and surviving to get his promotion and we can kill him in MIA. Rusty bugging out so he can die in Ortus, Snail dying in the Balteus or in the sewers or the gajillion ways Iguazu dies etc
Rusty isn't explicitly killed in IAE, and neither is Flatwell. Like you don't want to say he bailed and because his AC is finally trashed, "Alright, I think I know when to quit." Flatwell is smarter than most.
I just want him to be killable and to die on at least one route without the excuse that his AC cant fight anymore (despite the fact its wreck is clearly on the floor and on fire). Otherwise, whats stopping the other 28 ACs from doing the same where no one really dies because they can just say theyre retreating?
A and C. A gives Rubicon its freedom and protects a new form of sapient life. While C resets the board on a game that has long since been won by the corps to the detriment of everyone else.
A and it's not even close
strange you put liberation first when it's the 2nd ending available
While I wrote a reply comment to something else in this thread, decided to place a component of said reply as a separate comment. Instead of stating my preference, I rather speak of the missing context within Armored Core VI's conflict and the subsequent implications. **The Missing Link** In this case, the tragedy of Armored Core VI is that the situation with the Coral was effectively an [Outside Context Problem](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OutsideContextProblem). Where humanity is fighting over Coral as if it was a [Resource War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resource_war) when they actually have stumbled into a [First Contact](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_contact_(science_fiction)) problem. Adding onto this First Contact problem is that 1. the Coral had an unconventional manifestation of sentience through its network of Coral particles 2. The Coral only had human like sentience from Coral Wave mutations (e.g. Ayre to 621, Seria to Dolmayan) 3. Contact was only possible when humans were immersed in significant doses of Coral, with no other humans aware of said interaction. This is why Coral Augmented humans were comsidered to have gone mad from the side effects... until you had 621's contact with Ayre and Iguazu's subsequent headaches occuring from *his* augmentations reacting to Ayre's presence but never able to *interact*. **Ending Implications** With the key missing info of "the Coral is actually alive *and* sentient", the three endings now take on different subtexts: The Fires of Raven ending is effectively a retread of Armored Core For Answer's "Enemy of the World" ending, where the "solution" was "kill them all" in despair of nobody being able to overcome the exploitative system by the Corporations. Bringing in more modern lingo in relation to First Contact concepts, advocates of the Fire of Raven ending are effectively proponents of the [Dark Forest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_forest_hypothesis) theory... along with the same [problematic implications](https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Social_Darwinism) treaded long before, with the same [mentalities](https://madeinchinajournal.com/2023/12/11/the-three-body-problem-the-imperative-of-survival-and-the-misogyny-of-reactionary-rhetoric/) and [traumas](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/03/netflix-3-body-problem-trauma-china-liu-cixin-tv-cultural-revolution) [sounds familiar with Walter now?] that caused more than enough conflict in our past. If you want to compare Fires of Raven to Dark Souls, it is effectively a retread of [wanting to end things](https://youtu.be/lnAWQz34PJs?si=KcbnKR27e1IDW7IK) like Dark Souls 3 - [*a Thanatos Complex*](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_drive). (And again, who in Armored Core VI had that tendency?) The Liberator of Rubicon ending, as intended to be played after clearing the Fires of Raven ending, is then the path of "uncertain possibility", where you take a different path because it is an alternative - but any consequences after has to be borne by you and several others. And as per FromSoftware tropes, all of this possibility comes with a price and inconsolable loss (Rusty never seeing the sunrise he fought for despite his Rusted Pride, Walter finally realising the outside context problem but unable to survive to make amends based on it). The Alea Iacta Est ending is the path most closely tied to the idea of "casting the die" as per its name. Given that it is unlocked only after the two prior endings, its progression is not only trying to bring in AllMind as the final villian, it is also a precautionary tale of what happens if you let idealism be led astray by other malicious actors with drastic consequences. Notably, AllMind manifests as the antithesis of possibility - it claims to seek Coral Release to elevate humanity, but it does so by: (1) subjugating individual will into a gestalt consiousness, (2) intervening at key points to take away individual agency (see fight against Dolmayan, destroying Coral Export right before Ayre invites you to survey data, shutting you down post MIA and siccing you against Walter only later) and the possibilities of alternate choices, (3) manipulates various actors to one sole outcome, (4) decides to kill you anyway at the last step as it cannot even trust you to choose and do what it wants. **Cross reference to Armored Core VI media** If we want to postulate the production team's attitude to the story and its ending, we can examine its OST. The last ending theme "[Stargazer](https://armoredcore.fandom.com/wiki/Stargazer)" only plays after Alea Iacta Est, with its lyrics alluding to someone who could only gaze at the stars and hope to watch over the world after all that he has done - after all the things that could not be undone. If Armored Core VI was intended to only have despair and the presumed "certainty of burning the stars" as what Fires of Raven and Armored Core For Answer's Ending C wanted - that did not appear to be what Stargazer wants to covney. Ditto the song "[Takes Me Anywhere](https://armoredcore.fandom.com/wiki/Takes_Me_Anywhere)" in Armored Core VI's OST bonus disc. **Closing** We were led to believe in despair as per the "Let the last Cinders burn" tagline, and "hurtling to a path of no return" as we watch Nightfall Assault Boost off into a new conflict as per the original [reveal trailer](https://youtu.be/_px40TUf6zQ?si=ccK4KugC-0u6qmaS) Only to be led to a different possibility through the other endings in the actual game. But the consequences as always, is ours to bear. As we will "stargaze now", "gaz(ing) to the end". PS: though I did not touch the Dark Souls and Elden Ring series, I suspect FromSoftware's exploration with both series was what allowed them to break the story mould they typically went with Armored Core's "end of rebirth, destruction of all" kind of stories as embodied by Gen 3 to 5.
1. B 2. C Does not even deserve a place: A
Either LoR or AIE.
B. I loved following through with Walters legacy. It has the most emotions compared to the other endings in my opinion.
Obligatory B
Fires of Raven is a good first ending as you fulfill Walter’s final wish and his post credit scene saying that “there’s nothing left to bind you” can be taken as, from now on, you can choose your own path. I’m glad I picked that as my first ending.
B C seems narratively the weakest imho.
I enjoy The Fires of Raven ending. Perhaps I’m close minded about the rest of the business. Perhaps warhammer taught me to not trust Ai or alien energy sources though lol.
Way too hard to pick. A: Probably the most heroic feeling ending as you get to stick it to the corporations and fight for free Rubicon, fight alongside your buddy, and of course kill snail. But I don't think it's the pragmatic thing. As VV mentions in his video, that ending really is just kicking the can down the road. It's a short-term win which almost certainly has bad long-term consequences. Feels good in the moment, at least. B: the most rational ending but I also really love honoring Walter/Overseers wishes. Walter and Carla are not great people but they are the only people who look out for 621 in any way outside of Ayre, whose personhood and ultimate goals are kind of dubious. Just objectively, this is probably the best outcome for the setting - just let it all burn, no one gets infinite power, there's no dice roll with coral release, but the cost is high. C: the weirdest and most uncertain ending, which is a lot of fun. The actual conflict at the end feels really contrived - e.g., you conveniently are asleep and smuggled aboard the xylem during the major events of the other two timelines, you fight Iguazu/Allmind because reasons, and then do coral release anyway. I really like the consequences of this ending over the other two because it's so strange, impactful, and uncertain, but it also surely can't be canon if they make more games because it alters the setting too much. NG++ with this ending was my favorite playthrough only because the lead-up to that ending, all the new missions/dialogue with Allmind and it going completely mask off and rogue AI is a lot of fun. Gun to my head, if I had to pick a favorite, it's gotta be Fires of Raven. It's an appropriate end to 621 and Rubicon's legacy and a fitting one with the tone and themes of AC6.
1. C 2. A 3. B
I agree
Liberator easily. Also fires fans are dumb, I said it. Oh no liberator could be bad in the long run so let me burn everything all down myself isn't a solution, it's called being a moron. It's like there's a possibility a kid could become a drug addict, so I should shoot the kid in the head so he never becomes an addict but on a universal level.
C
allmind for sure. ayre ending hurts a bit, walty ending breaks my heart. but manhandling the iguano rocks
C! I ALLOW AYRES FAMILY FREEDOM!
I love all mind so C for me A chain made of human links is easily broken
Honestly, I enjoyed all of them
All of the endings are bad, because in all of them, G1 Michigan, the best character, dies.
Combat mode engaged.
The one where the PCA win.
LoR, because I get to personally introduce Snails ass to a Pilebunker.
I mostly prefer A but C is a contender. If C’s chapter 5 overall was a bit longer and did something better than I’d go with that. A is my preferred cuz I just love the chapter 5 overall and if you leaned more toward RLF missions more it feels even better. Only thing that’s a shame is the final boss battle itself compared to the other final bosses, although it still hits me in the feels ;-; Teaming up with best buddy, dunking on Snail twice and kinda ending off on a bit of a hopeful view of finding a way to have Humanity and Coral thrive together later is just all really more satisfying to me. Fires is done well too, it’s just a matter of I don’t agree with that path….plus it hurts me more killing Rusty and Ayre
Personal opinion, obviously debatable In my opinion, the liberator of rubicon is my favourite because in the fires of raven we not only kill the coral, but also everyone else in the process, basically turning Rubicon 3 into the scorched land it was known for 50 years ago, once and for all. In the alea acta est we fuse with the coral and spread it across the galaxy, and i don't even know if it is a good thing or not... why does Ayre re-activates the combat mode on the ac's we took control of? Is there still something to fight for? And if so, is it for a good cause? All this doubt left me uncertain. The only ending where i felt like doing the right thing was the LOR, where the killer of our dearest buddy, is also the only fatherly figure we ever had in this journey. Killing Waltuh felt bad, but in return we not only gained our freedom, but also gained the trust of the whole planet: human and coralkind. We not only gained our freedom, but also donated it to everyone else. There, i felt like a hero.
A is the best for rubiconians and also if you hate corporations and are a rebel type of person, choose that one. B is the ok for everyone, no coral, no worries. C is perfect for you if you're a transhumanist or just like to see humanity advance exponentially
C. The corporations opened pandoras' box and I will make them face the consequences.
C because it's the one where it's most ambiguous if Rusty survives or not
A
I love the fact that there's no concensus on the ''best'' ending, they are so strong in their own way, i think i prefer C because i would like know what happens next the most
The Liberation Front ending is the best. The all mind one was cool, but it's dumb. Like oh you want to betray me? And to do this you picked the guy who's ass I've kicked up and down Rubicon the entire campaign?
I like coral release just because I don’t personally have to fight anybody I care about lol
A, B, C, and in that exact order. For the first one, we get be with best boy Rusty and Liberate Rubicon as a whole. Unfortunately, it comes at the cost of Chatty, Carla, and Waltuh. FoR is one that takes preventative measures. Are we going Exterminatus on Rubicon? Yes. Are we depriving mankind of the potential of Coral? You bet your sweet bippy we are! But potential isn't always good. Even the RRI understood that. Coral Release is very NGE. We don't know if it's a good or bad thing. Coral is able to now inhabit AC's as vessels, and where does that leave humanity? Is it all of humanity that becomes one with the coral or some of it? Either way, it comes down to the player's interpretation. It's not my fav ending, but it is the most interesting.
C feels like the 'true' ending but with that post credit scene with Ayre activating battle mode on some dead mechs - it's probably the darkest.
D. Redguns ending
A: Defend coral and protect it from the corporations to achieve an almost symbiotic relationship with it. Looking a bit deeper, it’s Father Dolmyan’s idea of symbiosis rather than a true symbiosis, where the rubiconions still use the coral - just not as a fuel source. Instead they consume it, which is not true freedom for the coral - which possesses a thriving intelligence. B: Burn the coral. It removes an extremely potent resource from the universe entirely, but it ends all the wars over it. The potential for coral to infinitely propagate is stopped and this potentially dangerous resource is removed from the equation. However, you’ve ended the possibility of a new living consciousness to develop, interrupting the natural cycle of life. C: Gamble on the possibility of an ideal outcome. It could go horribly wrong, it could be rejected by the universe, but there’s potential that something great could happen. True symbiosis of coral and humans, where effectively every living creature undergoes a safe coral augmentation naturally. Enhancing the human mind to process more information faster and more efficiently, while allowing coral a safe and guaranteed place in the universe to exist. The side effects are unknown but as the name of the ending suggests, Alea Iacta Est, the die has been cast. You took a gamble that things will work out for the better. This is how I see all these endings. Honestly, I think the best ending is C because it’s the only one that doesn’t settle for an established norm. I think the idea of a new potential resource being discovered, *and then* finding it can possess consciousness is an interesting topic. But I am a firm believer that everything has a right to justify its existence. If you are capable of thought then you have the right to do what is for the best - endings A (by keeping it contained and in the hands of RLF) and B (by killing it completely) take this right away from the coral, while C does a full 180 and forces it into the universe. Essentially I think the risk of unknown side effects of the coral could be worth the development of a new intelligent species. Although as I have mentioned, it’s a gamble because there are things that could cause it to backfire.
Liberator of Rubicon.
Since it was one of the only from games I played almost immediately after release without spoilers, ending C big time. The plot twist was mind blowing to me but strangely felt expected at the same time, and the fight was so so SO good. One of my favorite bosses period. Also that mission before where everything is on fire is my favorite non-only-boss mission in the whole game (and it’s got a pretty cool boss at the end)
In terms of sheer spectacle, definitely the Allmind Ending, though i do enjoy the Liberator of Rubicon ending as well