Armored Core 4 - Hard mode

Easy money and schematics:
Select a good AC to start with then get to at least Chapter 3. Start fighting the sim ACs in the ACSIS menu. A good amount of money is given out per fight, and as a bonus you get the defeated AC's emblem and schematic. You can use the defeated AC schematics to defeat more ACs because you only need a buildable AC to start a mission, and not a sim. The only drawback is that you can only use AC schematics that can be tuned to a certain level. If you have enough points to tune the AC up then you can use it, otherwise it will be highlighted in red instead of yellow or white. You can also use schematics earned in the sim online.

Easy game progression and money:
For an easy-to-use, well balanced AC, start off with the TELLUS model when you begin the Single Player mode. This AC will have a weak machine-gun in its right arm weapon slot, and a powerful laser rifle in its left arm weapon slot. When you get to the menu screen where you can select the first mission, choose the ACSIS button on the right side of the screen to enter the AC Customization Garage. Open up the Weapon menu and select the arm that has the machine-gun. Scroll through available weaponry for that arm until you locate another laser rifle like the one equipped to your left arm and equip it. With these two laser rifles equipped, you will have plenty of firepower to take down just about anything that gets in your way. Taking out enemy MTs, Normals, and Nexts will be easy once you refine your piloting skills. Do the first mission, which is basically a chance for you to get a little combat experience and test out your AC in a real setting as opposed to the blue-toned AC Test area in your garage. After completing the first mission, many new parts will become available for purchase. However, your current model is still more than powerful enough to do all of the Chapter 2 missions. Save your money. Finish all of the Chapter 2 missions. Do not go on the Desert Wolf mission until you have finished all the others or you will miss out on cash and possible parts. More parts will become available, as will some units of FMS Memory for customization of your AC. Go back to the ACSIS. Go to the Assembly menu and find your generator. Scroll through until you find a generator with a capacity of about 90,000. Equip it. Then, scroll through further until you reach the stabilizer section. A window will appear with two options "Auto" and "Manual". Select "Manual", then scroll down to the "Tune" area. This will bring up the AC FMS Distributions menu. Find the section that has the area of "Generator Capacity" or "EN Capacity". Distribute as much of your FMS memory there as possible. If you have extra and you like to equip very heavy back weapons, add a few to your AC's load to increase the amount of weight your legs can handle before the "Weight Alert" warning appears and your mobility is greatly reduced. Save the changes to your schematics and go to the AC Test area. You will instantly notice that you can now Air Boost, Quick Boost, and Over Boost for much longer. This also means you have more energy to spare for your AC's laser rifles, so you can combine both quick flying and quick firing of your rifles very effectively. Another good way to make your AC even more daunting is to find a good-quality booster. Try to equip your AC with as many boosters as possible that have "efficiency" in their descriptions. The most powerful booster available has a boost cost that is highly disproportional. Look for the one that has slightly less boost power and about half its cost. This will make flying your AC even easier, and enable long-term flight. If done correctly, you can stay airborne for about thirty seconds, and Over Boost for about five seconds. To get more money, go to the Simulator menu of the ACSIS. You can take on multiple AC's one-on-one the ones that your game displays whenever "Now Loading&8230;" appears for cash, FMS memory, and parts. They appear in packs of two to four. Not only will you get money for each individual AC you defeat, but you also get more cash upon completing an entire pack of enemy AC's, and usually five FMS memory, a new part, and occasionally a new pack. From here on out, you will have plenty of cash for your customizations. The best thing about the parts system is that you can buy a part from the shop and still sell it back for the exact price you bought it for. This means you can customize as much as desired, try different weapons on missions, and have absolutely no negative effects on your cash flow. The Icebreaker Defense and Water Gliding missions are especially difficult, and will probably require more than one attempt, but after finishing Chapter 3, you will receive even more parts, cash and FMS memory

Achievements:
Complete the following achievements to unlock Xbox Live Gamerscore points.

Chapter 1 20 points: Awarded for completing Chapter 1.

Chapter 2 30 points: Awarded for completing Chapter 2.

Chapter 3 30 points: Awarded for completing Chapter 3.

Chapter 4 50 points: Awarded for completing Chapter 4.

Chapter 5 50 points: Awarded for completing Chapter 5.

Chapter 6 100 points: Awarded for completing Chapter 6.

Normal Difficulty 50 points: Awarded for completing all Normal Missions.

Hard Difficulty 50 points: Awarded for completing all Hard Missions.

Mission Rank A 10 points: Awarded for achieving Total Mission Rank A.

Mission Rank S 20 points: Awarded for achieving Total Mission Rank S.

GA Pack-A 30 points: Awarded for completing the "SDGA RANK-A" data pack.

GA Pack-B 30 points: Awarded for completing the "SDGA RANK-B" data pack.

Rosenthal Pack 30 points: Awarded for completing the "NDP-E001 ROS-OME" data pack.

Rayleonard Pack 30 points: Awarded for completing the "NDP-C001 RAY" data pack.

Akvavit Pack 30 points: Awarded for completing the "NDP-C002 AKV" data pack.

BFF Pack-A 30 points: Awarded for completing the "SDBFF RANK-A" data pack.

BFF Pack-B 30 points: Awarded for completing the "SDBFF RANK-B" data pack.

Leone Pack 30 points: Awarded for completing the "NDP-B001 LEO" data pack.

Aldra Pack 30 points: Awarded for completing the "NDP-B002 ALD-MEL" data pack.

Eqbal Pack 30 points: Awarded for completing the "NDP-A001 EQB-TEC" data pack.

Maghrib Pack 30 points: Awarded for completing the "NDP-X002 MAGHRIB" data pack.

All Data Packs 50 points: Awarded for completing all data packs.

01 Berlioz 10 points: Awarded for completing the MARCHE AU SUPPLICE mission on Hard.

03 Anjou 10 points: Awarded for completing the JARDIN DE CHEVALIER mission on Hard.

05 Mary Shelley 10 points: Awarded for completing the EMPRESS mission on Hard.

14 Sherring 10 points: Awarded for completing the SEA OF BLOOD mission on Hard.

-- Amazigh 10 points: Awarded for completing the DESERT WOLF mission on Hard.

-- Sus 10 points: Awarded for completing the UP IN FLAMES mission on Hard.

Ursragna 10 points: Awarded for completing the JUGGERNAUT mission on Hard.

Sol Dios 10 points: Awarded for completing the SOL DIOS mission on Hard.

00-Aretha 10 points: Awarded for completing the SEED A BARREN EARTH mission on Hard