The eighth game in the Armored Core series and the direct sequel to Silent Line, Armored Core: Nexus is FromSoftware’s 2004 mech-action game for the PS2. Originally released in 2004, Nexus is the second of four expansions/spin-offs to the critically acclaimed Armored Core 3. It follows the events of Silent Line and precedes Armored Core: Nine Breaker and Last Raven on the PS2 and Formula Front on the PlayStation Portable. While it might appear to be similar to the games arriving before and after it, Nexus marks an important moment in the series as the first game in the franchise to introduce true analog controls.
The switch to an updated control scheme would prove to be hugely popular with both critics and fans. Nexus has a respectable 73% positive review aggregate score, with most critics praising the new control scheme and the improved visual presentation over its predecessors. While the title wouldn’t sell as well as Silent Line, Nexus is still the second-best-selling AC3 spin-off. That said, many newcomers to the franchise would end up being turned off by Nexus‘ difficulty in comparison to the rest of the series.
Armored Core: Nexus Premise
©Armored Core: Nexus gameplay screenshot – Original
Compared to the games in the series preceding it, Nexus feels like a brand-new era for the Armored Core series. One of the more prominent changes it makes to the series formula comes about in its control scheme. Though Armored Core 3 and Silent Line would modernize the AC control scheme to allow for a more natural approach similar to other third-person shooters, Nexus is the first game in the series to implement true analog controls. The title would also capitalize on the PS2’s LAN functionality to allow up to 4-player PvP battles in the Multiplayer Arena mode. Nexus also famously removes the Human PLUS/OP-INTENSIFY advantages and introduces a complex heat management system.
Aside from the innovations both large and small that Nexus makes over Armored Core 3 and Silent Line, the core gameplay remains mostly unchanged. Players still complete missions in single-player mode, collecting credits based on performance. Players can then use those credits to purchase new parts for their Armored Core, customizing its offensive and defensive capabilities and switching up loadouts on the fly to suit the mission parameters. Every part of a Core is modular, allowing players to create custom builds that suit either a particular playstyle or grant advantages based on the objectives for a mission.
New to Nexus is the inclusion of 2 discs. Nexus‘s single-player content is split between these two discs, with the first EVOLUTION disc containing the main story of Nexus. The second disc, REVOLUTION, provides players with a “greatest hits” collection of missions from previous Armored Core games using Nexus‘ improved engine and presentation.
Armored Core: Nexus Main Characters
©Armored Core: Nexus promotional art – Original
Similar to other games in the series, Armored Core: Nexus positions players as a new mercenary in the employ of the Ravens mercenary group. As a mercenary, players undertake missions for the various corporations vying for supremacy in AC‘s post-apocalyptic world. The events of Nexus take place several years after Armored Core: Silent Line, with the story shifting to focus on a new corporation entering the battle for control and influence over mankind’s survival. New to Nexus are the more direct characterizations of the player’s fellow Ravens mercenaries. Main characters in Armored Core: Nexus include:
Ravens
- Agraya: Along with Genobee, Agraya is one of the AC pilots working exclusively for Crest. Interestingly, she is not registered with the Ravens’ Ark, leading to a great deal of mystery surrounding her identity and intentions.
- Ammo: Ammo is the player’s rival in the first part of Nexus.
- Evangel: After Ammo’s untimely death, Evangel becomes something of a friendly rival to the player character. His Core, Oracle, is the AC that features on the cover artwork for Nexus.
- Genobee: Genobee is an incredibly skilled pilot who works exclusively for Crest and is the champion of the Arena. He acts as the de facto commander for all other Crest AC pilots.
- Jack-O: Though he doesn’t feature much in Nexus, Jack-O is an important character who transforms the Ravens during the events of Last Raven.
- Pin Fire: Pin Fire is one of the villains of Nexus, facing off against the player while they complete missions for Mirage. Working exclusively for Navis, Pin Fire will use any means necessary to survive and get the job done.
Corporations
- Crest: Mirage’s biggest competitor and the second-largest corporation in Nexus, Crest uses the growing conflict between Mirage and Navis to its advantage. Rather than involve itself in the conflict directly, Crest focuses more on self-preservation and seizing power in a vacuum.
- Kisaragi: Though Kisaragi is a smaller corporation, it is a leader in technological innovation. Kisaragi makes an unlikely alliance with newcomer Navis in an act of self-preservation.
- Mirage: The largest corporation in the world of Nexus, Mirage finds its plans for continued expansion threatened by newcomer Navis. As a result, the two begin to engage in escalating conflict.
- Navis: A newer corporation with sights on disrupting Mirage’s expansion, Navis uses its massive logistics network to its advantage. With a monopoly on resource transport and distribution, Navis is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with.
- USE: A smaller corporation that primarily focuses on weapons development, USE largely stays out of the conflict to provide MTs to the various warring corporations.
Games in the Armored Core Series
Since the release of the original Armored Core in 1997, FromSoftware’s third-person mech-action series continues to be one of the most popular games in the mech-shooter subgenre. Further, Armored Core is one of the more prolific mech-action game franchises, with 6 mainline entries and several spin-offs. The most recent game, 2023’s Armored Core VI, sees the series achieving its greatest success to date. In comparison to the previous best-selling games in the franchise, Armored Core VI dwarfs their commercial performance, moving more than 3 million units. Games in the Armored Core series include:
- Armored Core (PS1, 1997)
- Armored Core: Project Phantasma (PS1, 1997)
- Armored Core: Master of Arena (PS1, 1999)
- Armored Core 2 (PS2, 2000)
- Armored Core 2: Another Age (PS2, 2001)
- Armored Core 3 (PS2, 2002)
- Armored Core 3: Silent Line (PS2, 2003)
- Armored Core: Nexus (PS2, 2004)
- Armored Core: Nine Breaker (PS2, 2004)
- Armored Core: Formula Front (PSP, 2004)
- Armored Core: Last Raven (PS2, 2005)
- Armored Core 4 (PS3, Xbox 360, 2006)
- Armored Core: For Answer (PS3, Xbox 360, 2008)
- Armored Core V (PS3, Xbox 360, 2012)
- Armored Core: Verdict Day (PS3, Xbox 360, 2013)
- Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon (PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Series X/S, 2023)
Armored Core: Nexus Cheats & Secrets
There are several unlockables players can earn for completing Armored Core: Nexus, as well as plenty of secret parts to find and obtain. Additionally, there are several CodeBreaker/Action Replay codes players can use whether playing natively on a PS2 or via emulation.
Armored Core: Nexus Unlockables
Completion Bonuses
Successfully complete Armored Core: Nexus in EVO mode to unlock the Free Arena and Free Missions modes. Additionally, players will unlock the Left Hand Karasawa after beating the final mission and saving their game clear file. Note that three of the Free Missions will only appear by completing the following:
| Free Mission | How to Unlock |
|---|---|
| Free Mission 4 | Fail the “Missile Efficiency Test” mission then play the next Kisaragi mission |
| Free Mission 5 | Fail the first two Mirage missions then play the next Mirage mission |
| Free Mission 22 | Fail the “Remove Kisaragi Investigation Unit” mission and then replay it |
Bonus Emblems
Players can unlock bonus emblems for their Cores by completing the following:
| Emblem | How to Unlock |
|---|---|
| Nineball | Earn an A Rank in all Episode 2 missions |
| Pink Cat | Earn an A Rank in all Episode 3 missions |
| Crescent Moon | Earn an A Rank in all Episode 4 missions |
| Fenrir | Earn an A Rank in all Episode 5 missions |
| Silver Wolf | Earn an A Rank in all Episode 7 missions |
| Fefnir | Earn an A Rank in all Episode 8 missions |
| Danger | Earn an A Rank in all Episode 9 missions |
| Shadow | Earn an A Rank in all Episode 10 missions |
| Rave | Earn an A Rank in all Episode 11 missions |
| Dark Rider | Earn an A Rank in all Episode 12 missions |
| Milicona | Earn an A Rank in all Episode 13 missions |
| Necron | Earn an A Rank in all Episode 14 missions |
| Sledgehammer | Earn an A Rank in all Episode 15 missions |
Armored Core: Nexus Secrets
Hidden Parts
Players can find the following parts by either completing mission-specific objectives or locating them in secret places.
| Part | Mission | How to Unlock |
|---|---|---|
| CR-WH98GL | Attack Mirage Search Team | Players can find the part on top of one of the pipes sticking out of the canyon wall. |
| JITEN | Missile Performance Test | Beat the mission to unlock the part in the shop. |
| 003-CODON | Special Forces Removal | Boost up to the tall building visible from the mission start point. Find the garage with a green light to open it and find the part. |
| WHO3M-FINGER | Training Exercise vs AC | Destroy the enemy AC within 55 seconds. |
| CR-WH69H | New MT Performance Test | Fail the mission |
| HOHSHI | Defend Mirage Transport | Boost to the opposite side of the cargo plane and shoot the objects in the left corner. The part will be in the rubble after an explosion. |
| LNO1-SEAL | Protect Fuel Depot | No fuel tanks destroyed |
| CR-WR81RS2 | Attack OAE Expedition | The part is above the bridge that the monorail travels under to escape. |
| MF04-COWRY | Attack Mirage Transports | Destroy all planes in the convoy. |
| RAIJIN | Safeguard Escape Route | Destroy the yellow vehicle left of the first archway. |
| WB31B-PEGASUS | Destroy Crest Exclusive AC | Destroy the AC within 50 seconds. |
| CR-H95EE | Destroy Mine Power Systems | Destroy the stack of boxes near the tunnel exit. |
| E05MG-ROE2 | Support OAE Invasion | Look southwest from the mission starting point. Destroy the second-farthest building. |
| KUJAKU | Search for Survivors | Destroy 4 normal targets and 10 flying targets. |
| CR-WA91MSM | Eliminate Crest AC | Destroy the enemy AC within 70 seconds. |
| WH04HL-KRSW | Prevent Weapon Activation | Destroy the enemy AC within 90 seconds. |
Game Clear Bonus Parts
After beating the main story once (EVO or Evolution mode), start a new game and clear the following missions to unlock bonus parts.
| Part | Mission | How to Unlock |
|---|---|---|
| CR-WR88RS3 | Eliminate VIP | Mission Completion Bonus |
| CR-LF71 | Protect Fuel Depot | Mission Completion Bonus |
| IWAT0 | Destroy City Defense Force | Mission Completion Bonus |
| AO4-BABOON | Invade Warehouse | Mission Completion Bonus |
| CR-A88FG | Ambush Crest HQ Force | Mission Completion Bonus |
| LN04-WALRUS2 | Investigate Phenomenon | Mission Completion Bonus |
| RAKAN | Search for Survivors | Mission Completion Bonus |
Revolution Disc Hidden Parts
Similar to EVO mode, Revolution Disc has several secret parts for players to collect. Parts noted as “Hidden” will need to be located and picked up within the mission.
| Part | Mission | How to Unlock |
|---|---|---|
| CR-194DD2 | Episode 1 Mission 3 | Defend all targets with no casualties. |
| CR-WR93RL | Episode 2 Mission 1 | Submarine must survive with 60% AP or higher. |
| CR-B83TP | Episode 2 Mission 2 | Hidden |
| WH03M-FINGER | Episode 3 Mission 2 | Prevent more than 2 bombs from falling. |
| KANGI | Episode 3 Mission 3 | Defend all gun batteries. |
| YWLO3LB-TAROS | Episode 4 Mission 2 | Completion Bonus |
| ANANDA | Episode 4 Mission 2 | Hidden |
| WH06PL-ORC | Episode 5 Mission 1 | Hidden |
| WB28R-SIREN4 | Episode 5 Mission 2 | Target must survive with 80% AP or higher. |
| YH06-LADYB | Episode 6 Mission 2 | Destroy the enemy AC in under 90 seconds. |
| FUNI | Episode 6 Mission 3 | Finish the mission in under 30 seconds. |
| CR-YHN70S2 | Episode 7 Mission 1 | Destroy the enemy AC in under 30 seconds. |
| RENGA | Episode 7 Mission 2 | Hidden |
| 103RN-CORAL | Episode 8 Mission 1 | Hidden |
| YA10-LORIS | Episode 8 Mission 2 | Completion Bonus |
| CR-LH79L | Episode 9 Mission 3 | Defend all targets with no casualties. |
| JIREN | Episode 10 Mission 1 | Hidden |
| WH04HL-KRSW | Episode 11 Mission 2 | Destroy 3 times as many enemies. |
| KARURA | Episode 11 Mission 3 | Hidden |
| CR-LRJ84M | Episode 12 Mission 1 | 5 or fewer planes destroyed. |
| MIROKU | Episode 12 Mission 2 | Finish the mission in under 2 minutes. |
| NIOH | Episode 13 Mission 1 | Hidden |
| YH08-MANTIS, YWH07-DRAGON | Episode 13 Mission 2 | Destroy the enemy AC in under 45 seconds. |
| WL-MOONLIGHT | Episode 14 Mission 1 | Finish the mission in under 60 seconds. |
| YLH11-VIXEN | Episode 14 Mission 2 | Completion Bonus |
| BYAKUE | Episode 15 Mission 1 | Destroy the target in under 30 seconds. |
| CR-YH85SR, YC07-CRONUS | Episode 15 Mission 2 | Destroy the enemy AC in under 30 seconds. |
Arena Bonus Parts
Obtain the following ranks in the Arena to unlock bonus parts:
| Part | Arena Rank |
|---|---|
| H09-SPIDER | Rank 1 |
| MF05-LIMPET | Rank 10 |
| CR-083ES+ | Rank 20 |
| CR-179DD | Rank 30 |
Armored Core: Nexus Action Replay Cheats
Players with a PS2 and an Action Replay/Code Breaker device for the console can use the following cheats. Alternatively, players can enter any of these cheats into an emulator with cheat functionality. Note that some PS2 emulators will require players to create a separate cheat file in the emulator’s file directory.
General Cheats
| Cheat | Code |
|---|---|
| Master Code (Must Be On) | B4336FA9 4DFEFB79 EFBD2808 471C2232 7B7E83A6 BAD26D82 804E68B2 AB8DAFD5 |
| Infinite Money | AAC1B0A7 E58272A7 |
| Max Money | DDF17BED BB246C0D |
| Buying Parts Doesn’t Decrease Credits | 45D1A701 1CA3CFA7 |
| Buying Parts Increases Credits | 97518388 0C704810 6DD3DDB4 B38DE52C |
| Stop Timer (Press L1 + Select) | 3A69DE5C BA4200DC 33A1103B 57EC99D7 |
| Restart Timer (Press L1 + Select) | ED51C8D8 89AF607F 0DB9860F 3290121C |
| Infinite Ammo (All Weapons) | 44661BE6 35F2D772 |
| Extra Ammo (All Weapons) | 6E7307DF 29D40456 |
| Mechs Are Never Overweight | DAACEAC9 6D3C9B09 |
| Max Sorties | 8FEEACFC A6EC49E6 |
| Max Success | A537348F 2F4FA42C |
| No Failure | 624A5E66 9F669F1E |
Core Cheats P1
| Cheat | Code |
|---|---|
| Infinite AP | D98FD23C 8C6353D7 |
| Infinite Power | FF469479 C692B9D6 |
| Never Overheat | 0106A9AA 6618AFF3 |
| Infinite Right Arm Ammo | 8A92D9F4 6CD5708F |
| Max Right Arm Ammo | DE3BE3FB 5B7E9426 |
| Infinite Left Arm Ammo | 520032E8 8BFFB59A |
| Max Left Arm Ammo | F42476BE A8A54444 |
| Infinite Back Ammo | 960623C6 B1C4F631 |
| Max Back Ammo | E33A6FC3 A739E06F |
| Infinite Inside Ammo | 2CA63B1C B78104E7 |
| Max Inside Ammo | 8F3F38F9 17641B4C |
| Max Extension Ammo | 5479A48D B5C7BB9D |
Core Cheats P2
| Cheat | Code |
|---|---|
| Infinite AP | E402A020 9D5D5120 |
| Infinite Power | 826C99E6 6DB9D2E0 |
| Never Overheat | 8AC92CF8 C4DF1AEE |
| Infinite Right Arm Ammo | EB489169 793FE2FB |
| Max Right Arm Ammo | 3636C332 F773F768 |
| Infinite Left Arm Ammo | 5AB1E1D9 7D8CD7B2 |
| Max Left Arm Ammo | 470D1749 C0CF8DE2 |
| Infinite Back Ammo | 59B9A9BF ACF55DB0 |
| Max Back Ammo | FCD8AAFE BBC2D70F |
| Infinite Inside Ammo | 580F62B7 E9D75E37 |
| Max Inside Ammo | 6AFE0851 CC3832FA |
| Max Extension Ammo | 602D37B9 87F4B0C6 |
Armored Core: Nexus Cheat FAQs
Are there Human PLUS enhancements in Armored Core: Nexus?
After several entries featuring either Human PLUS enhancements or the Optional Part system (OP), Armored Core: Nexus and Last Raven are the first games in the series to do away with these unlockables completely. There are no Human PLUS enhancements or Optional Parts for players to unlock in Nexus, which makes it one of the more difficult games in the Armored Core franchise.
How long to beat Armored Core: Nexus?
Compared to the other 5th and 6th-generation Armored Core games, Armored Core: Nexus is fairly long. While an average playthrough tends to run around 8 or 9 hours on average, a completionist playthrough will take much longer. Players hoping to see everything Nexus has to offer and collect all the parts can expect to spend anywhere between 25-30 hours.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©CheatCC/Matt Karoglou.