Like the subject says, why not. I’ve seen a few other core designs put up here, so I figure I might as well add to ’em.

First off, none of these are PLOWed, mainly because I like the challenge of making something good without using any of the cheats. Secondly, I don’t have anything against players who do PLOW their cores. Personal preference and all that. Besides, it’s just plain fun taking down PLOWed cores with one that quote/unquote “plays by the rules.“ ^.~

And now, without further ado…

AC Name: FeatherFall
Light Ranged Strike Core
  
ZHD-2000/SV
ZCL-XA/2
ZAN-202/TEM
ZLN-EKI/SRRT
EBT-GE2100
VERTEX-124/EE
HOY-B999
RBG-CM6
-
BEX-BRM-02
EWM-S608
EWM-S608
ZWF-S/NIGHT
ZLS-T/100

SP-S/SCR
SP-ENE-SCR
SP-BCNDR
SP-BE++
SP-BPS/LOSP
SP-ENE-ACC
SP-E/SAVER

AP: 7180
Weight: 5434
Grade: Good (32203)

When I say light, I do mean -light-. This thing’s a
featherweight. Getting up close and personal with an
enemy or opponent with it is just begging for trouble.
Keep your distance, and pick away at them with the rifle
and missiles. Surprisingly, this core does pretty well
for most missions. The ammo is cheap and relatively
abundant, and should handle most mission enemies easily.
Don’t take it to Phobos or against the SRBIAs, though.
In the Arena, it’s best at Etal Base, where there’s
good cover for fast strikes.

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AC Name: Foxfire
Rapid Energy Barrage Core

ZHD-8008/S
ZCX-F/ROOK
ZAW-XP/T9
ELF/XX33
ZBT-H4/T
DOX-PG2
HOY-B1000
RBG-CM6
INW-BD-XVX
BEX-BB210
EWC-XP0808
EWC-XP0808
-
-

SP-BCNDR
SP-BE++
SP-ENE-ACC
SP-E/SAVER

AP: 8489
Weight: 8469
Grade: Good (33171)

While this core can get you a long way in the Arena, its
real value lies in missions. I’ve used it to get through
all but the Phobos mission. Its weapons have a fair load
of ammo, more than enough to get you all the way to
Phobos. (It pwned "Abort Missile Launch," earning over
109,000 credits.) If you take it to the Arena, I
recommend picking one with some cover you can overboost
to and duck behind. You’ll want to recharge frequently.

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AC Name: CopperPlate
Rapid Light Strike Core

ZHD-MO/EGRET
ZCL-XA/2
EAW-MG-03
ZLR-EE/STOL
-
LODD-BLAZER
GR-XR/15000
RBG-CM6
-
BEX-BB210
EWX-GCN77-4
EWX-GCN77-4
-
-

SP-S/SCR
SP-ENE-SCR
SP-BCNDR
SP-BSI-LE
SP-CIR-K
SP-ECR-JAM
SP-CBRK

AP: 7200
Weight: 7502
Grade: Below Average (27715)

I’m confused. I don’t like hover legs, and I’m not that
fond of machine guns. By all rights, I should hate this
core. So why do I have so much fun with this little beastie?
I haven’t used it much in the Arena yet, but for missions,
its performance has been exemplary. It’s lots of fun to
take to the underwater base… if you can manage your ammo with
it. It did well enough against some of the rougher mission
foes that I even tried it on Phobos — no sweat. I doubt I’ll
try it against the likes of Ares or Matthias, but I plan to
try it out on a few others.

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AC Name : Prototype
Mobile Rapid Assault Core

EHD-WACS
ECL-ONE
EAW-S604
ZLF-TROS/INTS
EBT-V55
VERTEX-124/EE
GR-XR/15000
RPX-COT-GK10
-
BEX-BRM-04
ZWR-S/60
ZWR-S/60
-
-

SP-S/SCR
SP-ENE-SCR
SP-BCNDR
SP-BSI-LE
SP-CIR-K
SP-BPS/LOSP

AP: 6957
Weight: 6554
Grade: Excellent (37158)

This is an odd little piece of machinery. Despite being
extremely light and poorly armored, its mobility and
firepower let it more than hold its own against nearly
anybody in the Arena, and most missions are actually
surprisingly easy with it. The SRBIAs are troublesome,
but manageable, and the missile arms plus extensions
are enough to take down Klein’s final form — if you
can evade him long enough. It isn’t so hot in the
Battle Dome, but does quite well in most other Arenas.

----------------------------------------------

AC Name : Blitzkrieg
Mobile Rapid Barrage Core

EHD-WACS
ECL-ONE
EAW-S604
ZLF-A3/CARM
EBT-V55
VERTEX-124/EE
GR-XR/15000
RPX-COT-GK10
-
BEX-BRM-04
EWR-L24
EWR-L24
-
-

SP-S/SCR
SP-ENE-SCR
SP-BCNDR
SP-BSI-LE
SP-CIR-K
SP-BPS/LOSP

AP: 7378
Weight: 7561
Grade: Excellent (40968)

Look familiar? It should; it’s Prototype with stronger
legs and upgraded rockets. Anything you could do with
Prototype, you can do with Blitzkrieg, and probably
even faster with the heavier artillery. It’s also a bit
more sturdy than Prototype, but not so much that going
toe-to-toe with Matthias is a bright idea. This core’s
biggest strength, as with its predecessor, is in its
mobility and its ability to inflict a lot of damage in a
hurry. But remember that it still won’t take much abuse.

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I’ve got quite a few more besides just these five, but these are the ones which I seem to use the most when I pull the old game out. Now if only I had somebody I could play it against more often… *Sigh.* Oh well.

Ž · Hm... when I have time, I'll post up 2 of my major AC designs. One of them involves Machine Gun reliance, and I really crack that up because that's the weapon that AC uses to defeat any mission, and anyone in the arena.

Well. Just pulled the game out again a couple nights ago after having let it sit for a while, tinkered with Foxfire a bit, put another new one together just because, and checked to see just how rusty I’d gotten. I was pleasantly surprised.

Particularly when I took Featherfall to Phobos and mopped the floor with Klein using nothing but the rifle and the sword.

Foxfire now has a ZHD-MO/EGRET head and EBT-GR4300 boosters, and will rip any mission to shreds. Easily. Klein’s second form didn’t even pick off eight percent of my AP before going up in smoke, and that’s no exaggeration. Most Arena opponents still drop pretty fast against it, too, for that matter.

But the new core I mentioned is my current core of choice for the Arena:

AC Name: Screamer
Swift Missile Assault Core

ZHD-MO/EGRET
ZCZ-ROOK
EAW-S604
ELB/5005B
ZBT-H/T4
VERTEX-124/EE
HOY-B1000
RBG-CM6
INW-BD-XVX
BEX-BRM-04
EM-SD120
EM-SD120
-
-

SP-S/SCR
SP-ENE-SCR
SP-BCNDR
SP-BSI-LE
SP-CIR-K
SP-BFS/LOSP

AP: 7818
Weight: 7018
Grade: Good (31960)

Yes, it’s a missile boat. No, I don’t prefer Etal Base with
it just for tower sniping. Besides the fact that the arms
would shoot straight into the platforms, it would completely
nullify two of Screamer’s best advantages: Mobility and low
energy use. This core excels at overboost jousting and aerial
combat, and takes almost no time at all to recharge afterward
even if you almost completely drain your generator. With the
fastest turning legs and the SP-CIR-K, plus the fastest
locking FCS and the SP-BFS/LOSP, it can keep you in sight more
than long enough get locked on and fire. And 112 missiles and
another 28 in the extensions is a lot to try to dodge. The
plasma bombs are great for discouraging close persuit, too.
Mind your AP, though; there’s not much of it, and it doesn’t
take much to really hurt your AP, so stay light on your feet.