So you wanna play Armored Core?

What's so appealing about Armored Core? Well according to a longtime veteran and buddy of mine Kairoch. He says:

"You go from a zero to hero garbage mech to something cool and personal that you can customize to hell and back. You can pick from a massive arsenal of weaponry like chain guns, machine guns, bazookas, energy rifles, laser swords, missile packs, grenade launchers that fire big blobs of fiery death on the enemy! Mix and match to see what weapons stand out for you! When it comes to the actual mech itself, you can be a beefy unstoppable wall of a tank, a flashy light speedster, or anything in-between. You can design your mech, YOU wanna play. You can color it and slap a custom (or premade) emblem that your mech will proudly wear on its shoulder and also show up on your mech profile."

*Personally, that's all smashing and excellent to hear... But for me what appeals to me most is the super epic Shadow of the Colossus-like battles in the series. Here is a teaser from my favorite game in the series where Hidetaka Miyazaki goes absolute ham with the most Colossus type boss battles. Granted not all entries have non-stop gigantic boss battles. They usually have defeat all enemies, finish within a time limit, defend against waves of enemy units and etc. One aspect I super love are the AC vs. AC battles. These 1v1's are a thrill to fight against with a proper AC setup and demonstrate FromSoftware's keen AI capability to make boss battles thrilling and exciting to struggle against. Even when I fail, its usually due to an improper build I had. So changing up my whole mech isn't a troublesome matter, but figuring out what parts is most effective to build with is a fun activity to do. I could gush more... but I want to keep this guide short as I can.*

If that's not enough to interest you. Remember Masahiro Sakurai plays the games too. He even references AC1... What a lovely guy

Here's a handy FAQ to give you more details.
Armored Core Newcomer FAQ Ver-3.0 by Gripheenix

What games should I play? Has a nice overview of what games to start with.
Personally I recommend starting with AC6, AC4, AC3, AC Nexus, AC2

These entry points are fine for any beginner. And while I haven't played the PS1 AC's. I hear they're an acceptable alternative too. So no harm in trying those. Ultimately this guide serves two purposes. One to curb my sour taste from ACVD. And Two to help newcomers in choosing which AC game to start with. With the release of Armored Core VI on the way, I believe more people will want to try out the series before or after playing ACVI.

Brief Blurbs about each of my recommended AC games to start:

AC6 is quite honestly where I would send a any newcomer now. Has a lot of quality of life features like mecha estus, easier checkpoints to reload and re-assemblying your AC even after you fail. Making reruns far less painful and frustrating than previous entries. Does include a stagger system, making fights a tad more difficult. Although, far less challenging than the past entries. I still think Last Raven is the toughest AC game by a mile. AC6 in comparison is only at the halfway point to ACLR. Available on modern systems and past generations even on PC too! Optimized well and has little to no bugs/glitches. In-depth tutorial archive and training missions are available. Smoothing out the hardcore experience of their predecessors. This title is also the first in not accruing debt. So you can replay missions to your hearts content. Features multiple endings to run through similar to ACLR & ACFA, though the implementation is somewhat better. I still recommend having Powerpyx's all ending and all mission guide on hand to not mess up when going into NG+ then NG++ cycle. Stronger than usual story compared to older games. Super worth it to see imo. Sequel not announced, but I wouldn't be surprised if a sequel will come to continue the storyline and import our parts.

AC4 is a damn fine start. For those uninterested by the PS2 AC's. This entry is playable via Xbox 360/PS3 and emulation if your PC can handle it. Playing on Xenia, the game ran near perfectly on my potato to mid tier machine. YMMV depending on PC specs. Just because mine ran fine without tinkering, the same may not be said for others. Directional debut of Hidetaka Miyazaki. Hmm sounds familiar. Anyway, AC4 has been streamlined from the PS2 era. Controls better, gameplay has been refined so easier customization, arena is here, can choose different difficulty settings, proper tutorial, and OST is high quality as Nexus. What's not to love here? Personally I prefer ACFA due to the SOTC-like battles... but that's neither here or there. After finishing the entry you can import your save and continue on your adventure in the sequel. AC: For Answer.

AC3 is a cool start. Still within the PS2 era. This title was released after AC2:AA, same controller configuration needed as AC2, slightly better OST quality and a friendly user interface to equip parts. The story is solid. Good to emulate. I don't have any major gripes to say about this entry. Overall a very good AC game. After finishing the entry you can import your save and continue on your adventure in the sequel. AC: Silent Line.

AC Nexus is a weird start, but I can't help but recommend. Due to a multitude of factors. Yes it is a sequel to AC: Silent Line. But if you don't mind playing it then please by all means please try it! Features innate dual analog support. Breaks the barrier of AC mediocre OST with a jazzy upbeat soundtrack out the gate. Holy moly. Good variety of missions and arena integration, branching missions, cool villain and decent story. Although, this entry increases the heat usage. So make sure to equip lots of cooling if you do use energy weapons. Disc 2 I also recommend since they contain remastered missions from the ps1 AC trilogy. After finishing the entry you can import your save and continue on your adventure in the sequel. AC: Last Raven.

AC2 is a nice start. The first entry in the PS2 era. You can emulate it easily. Just remember to configure it to use your analog sticks since the controller doesn't support the analog innately. So minor tinkering needed if you decide to play by emulation. But it has a nice story, villains, and setup for any beginners. I have a soft spot for AC2 because you can cheese the game early on with a certain shoulder part. After finishing the entry you can import your save and continue on your adventure in the sequel AC2: AA.

*It should be noted you cannot import indefinitely between each AC game. Meaning. Once you finish AC2: AA you can't import your save to AC3 or vice versa. Think of them usually as one entry to import. Some entries have psp versions. Like AC3, AC:SL and AC: LR. Specifically. These also retain the series import feature. You can import AC3 and ACSL portable to ACLR portable. For a full import saves on each game please refer to this thread There is no harm in importing, you get parts, loadouts(later in the series) paints, emblems etc. Even through emulation via PS2/Xbox 360 the importing process was painless.

Additional Material:
AC Analog Control Patches
AC1 Guide
Before I play AC2:AA
Before I play AC4
Before I play AC:FA
^ - Sadly no Before I play tips on the missing games here. Unless someone adds them in the future. I've enclosed advance tips in AC6 notes. I'll update it as I think up some more tips.
Beginner Guide on AC6
Advance Tips on AC6

Authors Note: I don't consider myself an expert on the series. This is a casual fan trying to make a user friendly guide for newcomers, veterans and those in-between. Hopefully the guide helps in choosing the right AC for you. Granted you don't have to follow my recommendations, I find it interesting with whatever the individual chooses. Lastly, if anyone wants to add something here for newcomers, comment below and I'll add it. As long as it helps newcomers by educating/informing them of stuff to watch out for, I'll add it. Constantly updating when I can.

Part of my Rankings + Beginner's Guide Folder - A series of lists where I place my rankings on games I've finished in various genres/series, but also try to input a beginner's guide when I can to keep them interesting beyond a ranked list.