Should you play Armored Core 6 (AC6) with a mouse and keyboard or controller?

Armored Core 6: Fires Of Rubicon is finally out. The first things you need to know about it are that it absolutely rocks, it’s challenging, and yes, while it’s its own thing, it also picked up some gameplay tricks that FromSoftware learned during the decade it spent away from AC to make the Souls series. Another important thing to learn about it is how to engage with it because I guarantee you want to bring the proper gear for such a daunting task.

This is the first Armored Core title to grace the PC, so many could be wondering whether they should just entrust their mouse and keyboard with navigating around the titular fires, or whether they should get a controller instead. Let’s see.

Mouse and Keboard vs Controller, Armored Core edition

FromSoftware has preferred to make games for controllers ever since it first began making games, and AC6 is no different. AC6 favors using a controller, as most of its difficulty stems from avoiding enemy fire, not from requiring pinpoint shot accuracy. Just as you’d come to expect from a game about big robots, you have an auto-targeting system. It does most of the aiming for you. This both helps anyone using a controller and hinders the experience of anyone using a mouse and keyboard — controllers aren’t the best device when it comes to aiming precision, and a mouse and keyboard setup provides much more fun when you get to do the aiming yourself.

The movement also feels much better on a controller. That makes sense since, well, FromSoft has been designing movement with the analog sticks of your Xbox or PlayStation in mind for years. It just does not feel as smooth if you’re using a mouse and keyboard setup.

Still, you should still play it however you want

Don’t worry too much if you’re a mouse and keyboard purist. It’s only a matter of time until fans come up with mods that will help the mouse and keyboard experience. Also, the game is already way more compatible with a mouse and keyboard setup than the original Dark Souls was when it first came to PC. A lot of these things come down to personal preference — heck, did you know that there’s an old Internet legend that claims the best way to play Armored Core is with a controller, but by holding it backward? If you love playing with a mouse and keyboard, then go for it. Chances are you’ll have more fun playing that way than by having to adapt to something that’s alien to you.

Just remember we’re probably just a few hours away from someone uploading their no-damage mouse and keyboard playthrough on Youtube, just a few days away from someone doing the same on a Rock Band controller, and maybe a few weeks away from someone doing it on a banana — no, really.

Armored Core 6 is now out for PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S