𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐨𝐧𝐬...
This is a mod for those of us who have gotten too good at the base game and are looking for a challenge. This mod spices up the vanilla gameplay by altering enemy count and placement in missions, buffing certain underpowered enemies very slightly, and giving an all-around unique experience.
This is also for those of us who are tired of looking up "AC6 hard mode" and just seeing static enemy hp and damage buffs.
And yes, new enemy ACs! They make for a refreshing experience and replace some enemy or allied ACs on certain missions.

This mod makes you actually have to think through what weapons you'll take on which missions, makes running out of ammunition a real threat, compromises old cheesing strategies and enemy weaknesses, and punishes the player for getting too cocky and rushing headfirst into every engagement with the same build over and over... all without a single nerf to the player's arsenal. If you think you're too good for Armored Core 6, try this mod.

"You're not too big to fall."
-Kate Markson

How does this mod make the game harder?
No question Rubicon’s Inferno is a hard mode mod. Harder than you think, at some points. If you blitz through the whole game without ever getting stuck or even dying, I have failed in my job.

Unlike generic "hard mode" mods that just buff enemies to ludicrous extents, this mod changes every individual mission to have more, tougher, and better-placed enemies. It provides a challenge that still feels canonically accurate (to an extent) for those who've stopped being challenged by the base game. It also overhauls many bosses to be more unique.

This mod also makes co-op a great experience as well! Instead of everyone splitting up all over the place cause there aren't enough enemies and the game being a landslide victory every time, this mod makes it so co-op is more like how it is in the Dark Souls games- something that's really convenient for the extra backup still won't assure your victory.


Rubicon's Inferno comes with quite a few new features, so I'll list them off here:

• An entirely overhauled arena, including Analysis
• Thorough overhauls and edits to every mission
• New enemy variants and new enemies
• Overhauled bosses
• New UI, including a new garage
• New enemy ACs to encounter
• Modified training to prepare the player for the mod
• Large amounts of text or dialogue changes, much attention to detail
• Probably a lot more things that I missed
  

Please be aware this mod is balanced around a complete save with full OS tuning. You can play from a fresh save for the extra challenge, but be aware, this is much harder than the mod is intended to be.
Rubicon's Inferno is not compatible with any other non-cosmetic mods. Any mod that includes the file "regulation.bin" especially will break things. Attempting to merge mods without a proper modding program will result in many levels breaking, cutscenes not working, enemy ACs breaking, bosses breaking, and more.

I heard this mod is just enemy spam. Is this true?
This mod used to suffer from spam issues, but as of version 1.4.0 and onward (it’s on 1.5.5 right now), the spam has been cleared out, as it was discovered how to add new enemy types.
The first chapter is still the mod’s weakest foot, as there aren’t really many enemies I have to work with. The mod shines brightest at Chapter 3 and beyond, so you could, in theory, just skip there if you like.
Still, I would argue it’s largely up to your opinion and personal taste. Some say it has spam, some say it doesn’t

To install by itself...
1: Download Mod Engine 2 https://github.com/soulsmods/ModEngine2/releases
2: Go into its "Mods" folder
3: Place this mod's contents in. If done correctly, then Regulation.bin should be directly inside the Mods folder (and the other folders included)


CO-OP COMPATIBILITY
This mod is compatible with the AC6 Co-op mod. However, all users MUST have the mod installed. Otherwise, desync may occur with unknown consequences.
After installing Rubicon's Inferno with the method above that mentions "To install by itself", download the Co-Op mod and open your ModEngine2 folder, then follow these instructions.

• Go into the folder called "AC6Coop" (In the zip you downloaded for the Co-op mod)
• Drag "locale", "act_coop.dll", and "ac6_coop_settings.ini" into your ModEngine2 folder (NOT the folder called "mod". The same directory as "modengine2_launcher.exe")
• Open the file in your ModEngine2 folder called "config_armoredcore6.toml"
• Go to the value marked "External_DLLs" and set the value (the thing after the '=') to ["ac6_coop.dll"]
• Open the game! (Using launchmod_armoredcore6.bat)
  

For any concerns regarding the installation of the co-op mod specifically, please refer to the co-op mod's page, not this one.