How to Beat Smart Cleaner (Best Build)

After completing Chapter One of Armored Core 6, Handler Walter will leave for a while to take care of some “loose ends.” This leaves the player and the mysterious voice in their head some time to take on missions alone, so they decide to take matters into their own hands and find a way to the Ice Field (where the Coral seems to be flowing) alone.

This leads to the player infiltrating an area named “Grid 086” on behalf of Balam Industries. This area is under the control of one of Armored Core 6‘s many factions: The Dosers. These outlaws treat Coral as a Drug. Players will need to fight their way through the Dosers and several traps set by their leader, including an automated attack robot. This “Smart Cleaner” can prove a difficult fight, since its crushing arms can deal incredible damage.

Updated September 13th, 2023: As players progress through Grid 086 in Armored Core 6, they will eventually come to a boss known as the Smart Cleaner. Although this bot wasn’t necessarily designed with combat in mind, it packs a massive punch and can quickly dispose of players who aren’t prepared for its wide-sweeping attacks. It’s also rather tanky, making it a tough fight for those who are unprepared. To better help players beat the Smart Cleaner in Armored Core 6, the following guide has been updated to showcase a video of the fight.

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Attacks

The Smart Cleaner will always start the fight by launching forward with both arms and trying to crush the player between them. This is best avoided by quickly retreating backward or up into the air, ideally using quick boost if moving backward. The Smart Cleaner tends to hold its position after attacking with its arms for a second or two, allowing players a chance to get above it and counterattack.

The Cleaner will sometimes perform a variation on its lunging attack where it hits from the same side with both arms, one positioned above the other to catch players trying to dodge by boosting upward. Watch for the position of its arms when it lunges and make sure to dodge backward when it tries this. It can also perform one-armed swings and punches.

Another attack the Smart Cleaner uses frequently is a blast of molten rock from the chimney on top of it, likely intended to stop players from hovering above it for the whole fight. This can be avoided by backing off a bit and staying on the move for until it stops. The Smart Cleaner can also spew magma in a cone directly in front of itself. After its health has dropped below half, it will begin raising its arms when performing the molten rock launch, making staying in the air near it a bit more dangerous.

Strategy (How to Beat Smart Cleaner in Armored Core 6)

When fighting the Smart Cleaner, keeping enough distance to dodge its melee attacks is crucial. It isn’t able to hit airborne players with its melee attacks, so an AC with the Tetrapod can keep away from its melee attacks by hovering high enough. This serves a second purpose since launching attacks down the chimney atop the Smart Cleaner will deal way more ACS strain, allowing players to stagger it easily and unload for massive damage. It can also be dealt damage by attacking its front, but this is much less effective unless it is already staggered.

Using Vertical Missile Launchers and locking onto the chimney is a great way to land attacks on it, as is hovering above it and using a bazooka or other explosive weapon. Once staggered, players can attack either the chimney or the front of the Smart Cleaner to deal damage. Rinse and repeat to take it down.

Build Recommendations

Tetrapod legs are the single best option for dealing with this boss due to their vulnerability to attacks from above. Explosive weapons like the 44-141 JVLN ALPHA or the DF-GR-07 GOU-CHEN are particularly effective when fired down the Chimney. For attacking while on the ground, players should go for the BML-G1 P03VTC-08 Vertical Missile Launchers to rain attacks down the chimney from above.

Here’s an example loadout that performs well against the Smart Cleaner:

Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is available for PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.