Armored Core 6: How to Beat Smart Cleaner

Smart Cleaner is one of the bosses in Armored Core 6. It appears in one of the missions in Chapter 2. Smart Cleaner is a huge tanky boss that is designed to decimate any scrap with its two teeth-filled arms, and melt it down with its built-in furnace. Read ahead as we share some tips and tricks on how to defeat Smart Cleaner in Armored Core 6.

AC6: Smart Cleaner Boss Fight Walkthrough

Smart Cleaner appears during the Infiltrate Grid 086 mission in Chapter 2. It is a massive boss that has a wide frontal reach with its grinder arms. It also has a furnace on its back that can spit out molten metal. Despite its mass, it can still cover a significant distance in a short time. Its mass keeps it grounded, which is the boss’ main weakness, apart from its head and its furnace.

Smart Cleaner Attack Patterns

Armored Core 6 Smart Cleaner Boss Attack Patterns

Smart Cleaner has a few attack patterns, mainly using its arms which the boss swings around. Here are some of the tells to look out for and some tips on how to avoid them:

First Phase

Arm Slam – Smart Cleaner spreads out its arms, then it charges to your direction and slams both arms forward. As soon as the boss moves forward, jump and boost upwards to clear the attack.
Arm Swing – The boss swings one of its arms inwards. It has a variant where it drags its arm first before swinging it. As long as you are outside of its arms’ range, you will be safe from this attack.
Molten Blast – The boss shoots out molten rocks from its back that drop in random locations. This attack is fairly avoidable as long as you are not staying directly above the furnace.

Second Phase

Arm Thrust – Smart Cleaner charges a short distance forward with one of its arms thrusted to the ground. It can be avoided by strafing to the side or by moving away.
Molten Scatter – The boss raises both of its arms up and spins the grinders, scattering molten metal in a wide area. It can also flip its arms back near the furnace, and spin the grinders while its furnace is spitting molten metal. It’s best to move away from the boss once this attack starts.
Molten Spill – The boss backs up while releasing molten metal on a wide area across the floor. The spill lingers for a few seconds, so try and avoid the area by hovering.
Stomp – The boss uses its arms to lift itself off of the ground and stomp on you. As long as you are at a far enough distance from the boss, it won’t use this attack as often.

Smart Cleaner Boss Fight Tips

Smart Cleaner is a grounded boss, so take advantage of builds that allow you to stay up in the air where most of its attacks could not reach you easily.
Staying mid range will give you enough time to react against its ranged attacks, and you still get to deal significant damage. Also, repositioning behind its back is possible and can give you a better window for attacks, but be careful with its arm swings when it starts turning around.
When staggered, you can aim for hitting its “head” or the chute that spills out the lava as it is one of its weak spots and is easier to hit when both of its arms are not guarding it.