The Armored Core 6 Boost Kick ability is a great way of smacking around enemy mechs, giving you a momentary advantage after you plant your foot in their face. It may not be especially useful on the big bosses, but when duelling other ACs, it’s a key tool in your arsenal that provides free stuns—plus, what’s more fun than punting a cocky yet unsuspecting opponent.
If you’re early in the game, you probably haven’t overcome Balteus yet, but the good news is that once you’ve beaten him, there are lots of hidden parts you can find to help upgrade your mech. Otherwise, here’s how to kick in Armored Core 6.
How to unlock Boost Kick
First off, kicking isn’t a default ability that your mech has. In order to Boost Kick, you first have to acquire it using OS Tuning. This upgrade system unlocks early in the game alongside the Arena, and if you complete battles in the latter, you’ll earn OST Chips to spend on enhancing your mech in the former. Upon opening OS Tuning, the top ability is Boost Kick, which only costs one OST Chip to unlock. Do this and you’ll be able to kick.
How to kick
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As the name implies, you can only Boost Kick an enemy when you’re in the boost state you activate by using CTRL. Once zooming around, press CTRL again to end your boost in a kick. This ability destroys smaller enemies—so is a good way to conserve ammo—but is most useful when facing other ACs since it can be used to knock them off balance, momentarily stun them, or give you a little space. It’s also good for dealing that last little bit of stagger, so you can save all your main weapons for dealing damage.
If you’re using a melee weapon on your mech, then Boost Kick is a key part of that aggressive playstyle where you’re constantly closing the distance. On controller, Boost Kick is bound to L3, so if you’re the kind of player who accidentally clicks the stick while panicking during a boss fight, it might cause you to end your boosts prematurely. If you decide you don’t want Boost Kick, you can always reset your OS Tuning upgrades, which will disable it.