I have 1 last achievement to get and it didn’t seem like it would be that hard since I already got S rank without even trying on all the high payout missions when I was grinding cash for all the parts.
However, a few seem to be completely arbitrary and not simply about speed and efficiency. Or maybe I am just not fast enough? I have to actually use a stop watch because the game doesn’t actually tell you the mission time…
Anyway I have literally 2 left that I can’t get above A rank on and I don’t know why.
First is Stop The Data Breach. I zip through the level as fast as I can destroying the hacking nodes, and even take out the tetrapod in the hallway while waiting for the dialogue to continue and give me access to the last door leading to Iguazu. I know from watching a video of someone getting S rank that the damage and ammo costs I end up with are good (even lower) so it’s gotta be the time it takes to do the final fight. But that dumbass Iguazu heals like 4 times every time he’s down to nothing which makes it take way longer than it should. I can kill him faster but that would cost more in the ammo cost, assuming it even hits because the weapons that would allow near instant death are also super slow and he constantly dodged all over the place.
The other is Destroy the Refuelling base. I’ve zipped straight to the main objective and killed the ACs at the end in under 2 minutes and got A rank. I’ve gone and blown up all the fuel dumps then the main objective and killed the ACs in just a few seconds more; still A. The fuck does it expect me to do? Finish in 30 seconds? I can use the fastest possible mech build and it still takes like a minute just to reach the objective going in as straight a line to it as you can.
The lack of clear objectives listed for these arbitrary requirements is driving me crazy. I’ve looked for answers online, of course, but every answer is different. Some people got S rank doing this, others got it doing something else. Neither method worked for me, so it just feels like random.
You seem like a much more accomplished player in the game than me but I’ve found that the lightweight builds seem to have a general advantage in terms of most mission rankings.
Very true. That’s actually what made it click with me and got me passed Balatareus finally. Was getting upset that I would just constantly have my health drained, and started messing with builds and found that the very best strategy is simply go fast and use machine guns. I like the reverse joint legs that make you jump and dodge hella far then just the lowest weight everything else, and the lowest cost ammo weapons (Ludlow machine guns and the 10-Cell missile launchers). Then just follow “Honest” Brute’s little song: Slow, Slow, Quick, Quick, Slow. That’s basically every fight’s little “dance.”
Hey, I’ve actually done that! It was almost a year ago now, so I can’t remember my exact strats for those missions, but I might be able to help.
First of all, those two missions are brutal–I had to retry them a lot before I got the S. It seems like you’ve got the right basic idea for both: move fast and play the objective above all else.
For builds, I had the most success running Zimmerman in the right hand and laser lance + pile bunker on the left hand/shoulder. You can swap lance/bunker to basically always have a melee available to one shot any MTs that are in your optimal path. For the real fights, building up poise damage with Zimmerman and then staggering with lance before finishing with charged bunker is an insanely fast kill that only costs Zimmerman ammo. It takes some skill and a little luck to land it on Iguazu (he’s one slippery bastard) but if you can lance him into a corner then he’s toast. The same basic principle applies to the refueling base fight, but you have to do it twice. The biggest thing to know is how much poise damage you need to build up before lance will stagger --it’s crucial that the lance induces stagger to set up the bunker.
Good luck!
Edit: I see you got it–congrats! That’s a tough achievement.
That’s rough buddy, hope you crack it soon!
Love AC6, but never chased S rank. From what I remember, using certain items (parts/weapons) or the resupply Sherpa lock you to A rank or lower
Other than that, I believe it’s time, damage taken, but may also be kill % and damage output (hidden enemies preventing S? Is that a thing?)
Hopefully someone can give you a better answer!
Resupply doesn’t matter. I’ve used them in every single mission that has them (even if I don’t even need it because I just flew past everything) and still got S.
The hacking one just seems to be about speed (and the normal hit/cost of ammo ratio) and I just end up taking too long against Iguazu and the Ghosts that show up mid fight. I was using Ludlows and the 10-cell missiles for the cheapest ammo, but I think I might use the same setup I used for the Coral Export mission, which just changed out the missiles for the plasma missile cannons. The MGs will knock him out, and then a charged pair of those should just one shot him, and the AOE should help with the Ghosts, too.
For the Refueling base, there are some special bots that can extend the time by like 50 seconds each, so I think I just need to hit those. IDK; most of the posts I’ve come across about the higher value machines is concerning the Battle Logs; but if you’ve already gotten those in another run, you definitely don’t need them to get S rank. It’s the only thing I haven’t yet tried on that one.
Update: Got the Fueling station. Just 1 more. Time to get fucked, Iguazu.
Update 2: Yesssss! My plan worked! 😆
Shit now I’m bored… :(
S-ranking requirements are different for each mission and look pretty arbitrary. For the missions maybe destroying some more enemy units is the missing key, that was my issue when going for completing full s-rank missions.
