Right next to the infamous words"I am Malenia, Blade of Miquella," the phrase “guess you just can’t beat the Institute” will become a maddening chorus if you’re struggling with the Sea Spider. AfterBalteus, your next challenge big challenge inArmored Core 6will be a six-legged monstrosity known as the IA-13 Sea Spider.
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The biggest danger with this boss will be getting comboed by its arsenal of lasers, rocket-powered legs, and later, its massive laser cannon in phase 2. In many ways, this mechanical monster is like a traditional FromSoft boss, where hugging it is usually the right call and knowing how to dodge each of its attacks is imperative to surviving this fight.
Sea Spider Weapons Overview
The Sea Spider has two phases, each one with a different array of weapons to choose from. Here’s a list of the most problematic ones and how to dodge them:
Description
How To Dodge
Laser Burst (Both Phases)
The Sea Spider shoots a burst of lasers from its hull directly towards the player.
Laser Sweep
The Sea Spider aims its cannon off to the side, charges its laser, and then fires and sweeps its laser horizontally at the player.
Charged Laser (Double Shot)
The Sea Spider charges for a brief amount of time before firing two laser shots directly at the player. It’ll sometimes swap the second laser shot for a Laser Sweep instead.
Jumping Smash
The Sea Spider rears up, raises its two front legs, and leaps at the player before smashing the ground.
Vertical Missiles
The boss fires a salvo of 3-6 missiles that fly upward and then curve into you.
Here are the attacks you should beware of in phase 2:
Flying Charged Laser (Phase 2 only)
The Sea Spider will charge its central laser and aim it downward. The laser will explode when it hits the ground and send out shock waves.
Laser Shotguns
The Sea Spider fires a cone of laser shots at the player.
Curve Missiles
The Sea Spider fires 3 missiles to its side that curve toward the player. If you’re not aware of when the Sea Spider fires these missiles they may blindside you, and they deal an alarming amount of Impact if they connect.
The Sea Spider will sprout energy blades at the end of its legs and spin them around itself like a buzzsaw.
Recommended Weapons Against The Sea Spider
There are plenty of builds that can work well against the Sea Spider, butthese weapons will both heavily damage and quickly stagger this boss with less effort than other builds.
This load out is able to stagger the Sea Spider almost immediately after it leaps into the map.Songbirds and the MLT-10 are able to damage and build Impact damage at long and mid-range, while the twin Gatling guns handle close range, and direct hit damage.
As far as the rest of the build goes, you’re able to build almost anything, butmake sure you can fly vertically upward to have an easier time with phase 2.Flying above the Sea Spider will usually be the best place to shoot it from since most of its attacks cover the ground fairly well, while its vertical tracking is rather poor. With that in mind, Tetrapod legs provide both high AP and the ability to hover above the Sea Spider while you blast it to bits.
Alternative Options
If you’re not a fan of Gatling guns or if you prefer a lighter build,replacing those guns with the DF-BA-06 Xuan-GE Bazooka is another way to quickly build up Impact damage. Once the boss is staggered,you may move in with the PB-033M Ashmead Pile Bunker for a quick burst of damage.
Alternate leg options includeReverse Jointed legs like the Spring Chicken since their jumps take you far above the Sea Spider,and other bipedal legs because of their fast Quick Boosts. These two leg options are able to keep you high above the Sea Spider to take advantage of its weak vertical tracking, or keep you safe through its attacks by just having a fast enough Quick Boost to dodge all of its attacks.
Best Strategies Against The Sea Spider
The overall goal against the Sea Spider is to stagger it often, stay within the effective range of your weapons, and stay at a range where you can easily dodge its attacks. There are two popular strategies to accomplish this:
If you’re using bipedal legs, using a combination of both strategies can help you get past this phase. Stay above the Sea Spider as often as possible, and once you hit the ground, be prepared to dodge its smash or laser sweep.
With these two strategies in mind, here’s what to do in each phase:
Sea Spider Phase 1 Strategy
Phase 1 is the trickiest part to this fight for most players because there’s so much to keep track of.
In phase 1, the Sea Spider will stick close to the ground and pelt you with a wide array of ranged attacks. It has three particularly dangerous attacks to keep an eye out for:laser sweep, double laser, and a jumping smash attack.An aerial plan of attack will naturally avoid all three of these attacks by just staying far above the Spider’s reach. A more grounded strategy in comparison will have to learn when to jump over the sweep, when to Quick Boost out of the double laser shots, and when to Quick Boost into the Spider to avoid its leaping smash. While you’re dodging attacks, or angrily helicoptering over the Spider’s head, remember to continually unload your shoulder weapons if you’re not in range with your main weapons. Ideally,you get a stagger with your shoulder weapons then follow up with your main hand weapons for maximum damage.
Remember, you’re able to jump even when your EN is exhausted and recover. This can help you avoid a laser sweep when you don’t have energy left.
Sea Spider Phase 2 Strategy
Once the Sea Spider has reached ~30% life, it’ll transition into stage 2. Unlike Balteus who will explode with an EMP blast,the Sea Spider will transform into a floating satellite and start firing massive lasers and shotgun blasts in your direction.
Regardless of which strategy you choose to use, continue rotating through your weapons while staying above the boss and you’ll bring this mechanized arachnid crashing to the ground.
