That's really him...Can I handle this guy?!
- Mascara
Mascara is a Migrant encountered in Armored Core V.
Information[]
A Migrant Pilot encountered in ACV's Order Missions, Mascara appears as the main enemy of Order Mission 10. She pilots the AC Sky High.
Overview[]
Encountered in Order Mission 10 at the Executive Sector, Mascara is a feeble, weak-willed pilot who easily doubts herself/himself, especially when facing The Mercenary for the first time. Her AC, Sky High, is a lightweight, lightly-armored reverse-jointed craft donning a mostly green color scheme, with a grasshopper or cricket as its emblem. Sky High is the first (fairly) mobile AC encountered in the Order Mission storyline, and poses a minor threat to players who wield ungainly, slow AC's or who are unfamiliar with the control scheme.
AC Sky High []
In-game information: A reverse-jointed AC constructed mainly for close-range combat. Equipped with a laser rifle and shotgun. Aims to inflict major damage by quickly approaching its target after some medium-range, diversionary fire. Sacrifices overall durability in favor of maneuverability. Not suited for long battles.
Sky High is the first lightweight reverse-jointed AC you encounter in the Order Mission storyline, and presents your first taste of how unpredictable mobile AC's can be later on.
Its weapons -- consisting of a laser rifle, a shotgun and short-range missiles also gives the player a first look at craft that use two or more different damage types into a versatile way: able to harass, snipe and get up-close-and-personal fairly easily. Due to the fragility of her craft and weapon setup, Sky High is not suited for drawn-out battles.
Strategy[]
You will start on a road between two buildings (being on your left and right respectively) which leads to a large, open area where a river flows through the center of the region of the Executive Sector you have been stationed in. Mascara's AC will appear on the other side of the river, from behind a building, with the two areas connected in the center by a number of bridges. One thing a player must note when fighting her/him is how cramped the battle area is for an Executive Sector map.
Unlike later on, this map was bordered off for a direct, one-on-one fight, which restricts her movement options, but also does the same for you. Moving backwards only a few hundred meters will result in hitting, or in some cases, going outside the area limits. Confounding to this problem further is that Sky High (hinted in the name) tends to get airborne, and rain hurt from the skies, which is bad news or those who prefer ground battles or don't have a grasp of the fundamental laws of the game's mechanics yet.
As soon as you start, move forward to the start of the main bridge before you, and lure her into going across it. This isn't too difficult, as she prefers close-range combat. Once she is in the middle of the large, bridged waterway, you will have your change to hit her/him from medium-range with whatever weapon can hit her/him from where you are, this can include:
- Various rifles, such as Sniper Rifles, Rifles, Battle Rifles, Laser Rifles, etc.
- Cannons, such as HEAT, Laser, Ballistic, Sniper and Autocannons.
- A variety of Battle rifle and Missile sentry guns.
- Missiles and Rockets. High-speed, Vertical, AS, Medium, Large, VTF, Spread, Rocket Launchers, etc.
Wail on her with gunfire as she approaches, dodging occasionally to evade her laser rifle rounds. As she gets closer, move backwards, but not too far as you will leave the battle area.
If it helps, try to use the buildings as cover, as you have enough to use both sets of buildings to either side of you as cover from her attacks, and she'll also be stupid enough to momentarily fire upon you while you tay behind a wall of concrete and steel. Backing up behind a structure as she fires on you from medium-range is a great way to avoid damage, and you can also use them to gain alleviation to launch an ambush upon her as soon as she gets close enough for you to strike.
Be careful not to get too close to her however, as her shotgun is the most powerful (for base damage) of all first-gen models, and can deal a nasty amount of damage if she hits you with it, whether directly or not. Combining this nasty bite is her Laser Rifle and short-range missiles, which she will use almost exclusively for the close-range game.
Stay away and batter her with any weapon that can hit her. Her overall durability is excessively low, which means any weapon will work on her. Preferably, use the weapons mentioned above. If you feel it is necessary to use a weapon better suited for close-range, then use it.
Like a wise man once said "Battlefield strategy is up to you,"
Those who are more advanced may try to get into a mobility duel with her, using the buildings to zip across the map, firing upon her whenever and where ever she appears. Others may simply try to beat her in a close-range damage race--using high-damage, close-range weapons to subdue, stun and rip her to pieces.
Overall, Sky High is a fairly paper-thin AC, but with some rather threatening weapons. Coax her into following you, and it is simply a game of AC dog-fighting.
Trivia[]
- According to the Official Settings Booklet "Armored Core V - The Fact -", Mascara's gender is female, yet in the western release of the game, their dialogue hints to them being masculine. While the real reason for this remains unknown, it could have been done to prevent outcries against gender inequality.
- This is interesting, considering the fact that some characters in the past are female yet use masculine names (such as Julius Emery).