Instances.

In Age of Armor, there are a few Instance maps (dungeons). These are special maps, which can either be entered only once per day, or after completing a daily task. Instances have their own boss monsters, which drop parts which are usually unobtainable anywhere else. The following is a brief summary of each, I will include maps and more details later on in future updates. The weapon instances & fb50 (4 dungeons in total I believe) are missing from the guide, since I haven't been to those yet.

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Exotic Planet (a.k.a. EP, located in Recruit Base 01):

Also known as EP, this is the lowest lvl instance in the game. In order to access it, you need to complete a quest called "Old Astronaut's Hobby" (in Louky for Earth, Hane Harbor for Mars). The quest will ask you to retrieve 5 bottles of beer scattered around the map outside the city (the quest's map shows the locations), and in return you will receive a bottle of fuel, used to enter the machine that will transport you to EP (the machine is also located in the map outside the city). This quest can be done only once per day, and its very recommended to do it everyday, since you need 1 fuel per EP trip. If you can't go in the day you get the fuel, you can save the fuel and use it later.
But why is EP so important? A few reasons.
First, its the best place where to get "frags" at any time of the day (unlike Gold mines which have a fixed spawn and duration), which are used to reconfigure armor parts. At the moment, each EP run provides on average 23 stacks of frags (that's ~23.000 reconfiguration experience).
Secondary, EP drops very important parts, which aren't dropped anywhere else. These include:
- rank 7+50% hp and rank 8+55% hp legs
- rank 7 -10% radar reflection legs (dropped by assault in General Coronal and either Siden's/South's as well I believe)
- rank 7 purple legs, with +50% hp and -10% interval (for interval build)
- rank 7+9 dual lock engines
- rank 7+4 armor/energy shield resistance engines
- rank 7+10 shooting range engines
- the lowest rank interval cores (purple rank 7), and also drop good temporal parts, such as purple hp/dur arms and legs.
Also, EP provides very good exp. Since the experience rates have been multiplied by 2.5 on the Recruit Base 01 server, each EP trip, done with the free daily 2x exp option, gives now around 6-7M exp (takes about 35 mins max).
Usually, players do the fuel quest as soon as they hit lvl 15, then team with a higher lvl char who can clean the instance alone, and leech exp. This way, a lvl 15 player, with 2x exp activated (from warehouse), can get out of his/hers first ep run being around lvl 23 or more.
EP has a few "puzzles" you need to solve, in order to progress forward in the dungeon. Basically, you need to find several bombs, and plant them in specific locations, which will open up barricade walls, enabling you to travel further into the map.
This is a map of EP, it has been edited to help new players progress through it:


The yellow arrow (me) is at the starting point. The green line shows the main "path" to follow. This is a brief explanation of the "icons":
- The yellow circles are where the Bombs are located. To collect them, just stand/fly on top of them for a few seconds.
- The brown squares represent the barricade walls. You wont be able to go through them until you set the bombs.
- The blue/red circles are the places where you need to drop each bomb (eg, first one is on the same barricade wall, second and third are on different spots, etc.). To drop bombs, just stand/fly on top of the place marked, and the countdown will start automatically. The circles which are not located inside barricade walls, will show up in your screen as craters.
- The red letter B marks where the bosses are. The orange B is where you can find the final boss of the dungeon (Alcaleph in this case)

Tip: For this instance, you will want to have as much free inventory space as possible. I usually go with 2 windows free, and that is nowhere close to being enough (I have 3 inventory windows, which is the max capacity atm). If you complete a solo run, you will get at least 1 window full of frags, maybe a window and 3 slots or so. Another good idea is to take with you the part that you want to reconfig, so you can stop along the way and do the reconfigs there. You can get extra inventory room from the Warehouse NPC at certain lvls, and also from the Cash Shop.
Also, you will want to clear away from the walls and bomb slots when they explode, since they will 1hit ko any low-mid level player (did about 8k armor damage the last time I tested it).

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Space Base (a.k.a FB20, Ice Planet):

In order to access this instance, you need to complete a daily fuel quest (similar to EP's), this time in Larmeya & Palermo Iceberg Zone (where the transporter is also located).
This instance is for lvl 20+ players, and while it does not drop as many frags as EP does, its mobs drop LOTS of crystals around the range of Deepblues. This place isn't as easy as ep though, since its mob have VERY high energy shield durability, and are much stronger than the ep ones. Before armor combining came out, most players tended to use combat weapons in this instance, since most mobs have about 1k armor dur (by using melee, you can skip the huge energy shield and its resistance). However, high lvl nat humans could team up and use thunderbolt + critical builds, although combat weapons were still needed to take care of the bosses. Similarly to EP, the bosses also drop unique items, such as +150 hp (not 150%, just 150) cores and cabins, and the best resistance engines, rank 8/9 + 8 res. Also, unlike EP and its dungeon like structure, this instance is basically a round Hall, with a huge Core in its center (which you must protect), and 4 tunnels, from where the mobs will come. Here is a screenshot:


When you enter the map, you will appear near the center, and the mobs will start rushing in from the 4 tunnels (the black diagonal lines aren't tunnels). You need to kill a wave before the next one comes in, and sometimes they will get stuck inside the tunnels, so you will have to get in and search for them if that happens.
Armor and weapon combining have made this instance much easier, since high level nats with r19 combined sets and damage organs can probably solo it with thunderbolt and fire skills.

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Pandora's Lab (a.k.a FB35, Dark Valley):

With a minimum level requirement of 35, and very strong mobs, this is where instances start getting really hard. A resistance/radar reflection build is a must here, since mobs do well over 3k damage each. No frags here, but the first bosses drop good transformation mods, which can have up to 3 "purple" stats, and the final boss drops the r17 cores for the armor resistance build, as well as some adv4/med 3 weapons.
The instance can be accessed only once per day, after accepting the quest named "Search of the lab" (no fuel required, just accept the quest from the Captain NPC at the spawn point in Hate Valley), and the cash shop item called Raid Permit will allow you to an extra run (1 permit = 1 run). The instance, as its name indicates, looks like some sort of laboratory (in ruins).
Here is a map:


No puzzles on this instance, although it has a few "quest" npcs inside of it. The quests arent necesary though, and they give only minimum exp.
Again, the arrow (me) is at the starting point, and the green line is the main path. There are several alleys which you can explore, some have enhanced mobs that may drop purple parts. Also, the final boss (orange B) is "disguised" as a gray statue, which you need to touch before it spawns. The green dots next to the arrow are other people in the party.

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Sacrifice Cave (FB40, Dark Valley):

A higher lvl version of the previous one (lvl 40 requirement), with stronger monsters as well. This one has a few "puzzles", which require your team to have players step at certain locations in order to open gates. The bosses can drop Jetpacks with stats, rank ~16 purple cores for resistance build (slightly weaker than the rank 17 version), rank 19 set parts (for armor combining), adv4/med3 type weapons, and the Variant Mechanical King Kong can also drop the purple ~r17 cabins for resistance build.
Again, resistance is a must.
This quest can be accessed once per day as well, and in order to access it, you need to have completed Pandora's Lab (just once, not on a daily basis), and accept the "Searching of the cave" quest, from the same Captain npc.
This map looks like a cave, with some remains of technology.
Map:


Like the previous maps, the green arrow shows my position (a bit after entering the map, the entrance is located by the "?" mark at the bottom), and the green line represents the main path. This time, the brown box represents a gate. In order to open this gate, you need to have 2 players step on the yellow circles at the same time (these circles will look like white/pink buttons on the floor).
Also, in order to access the boss chamber to the left, you will first need to go to the boss section to the right. There is a treasure chest there that contains the key that will open that chamber 's gate (the right boss is not located on the platform I marked, but "on top" of the yellow circle, I just didn't have enough room to put both icons. By standing on the place I marked though, you can safely snipe at the boss).

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Desperation Ruins (FB45, Dark Valley):

The monsters in these ones are stronger, and some of the bosses also have high accuracy (which means radar reflection wont be as useful). Again, resistance will be needed, as long as high damage. This instance contains A LOT of bosses, in their own chambers, and among the drops, you can find more jetpacks with stats, the best weapons in game (advanced 5, medium 3 type), and more rank 19 set parts.
The last gate in the cave has to be opened in a similar way to the one in Sacrifice Cave (by having players stand on top of some buttons).
This instance is accessible only to lvl 45+ players, who must have completed Sacrifice Cave first (again, just 1 time is enough), and have to accept the "Ruins Exploration" quest, given by the same Captain npc.
This map also looks like some sort of laboratory, and many sections look like caves.
Map:


As you can see, the circular chambers are interconnected, that is why the green line seems to be everywhere. In order to access the Boss/final chamber (marked with the orange B), you need to step on 2 switches located in the chamber directly to the south of the final chamber (they have to be stepped on at the same time, just like the ones in FB40). Optionally (but recommended), you can step on the switch located in the eastern most chamber, and it will make a boss appear in the chamber where the two switches are located.

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There are additional quests that can be done inside these three last dungeons, but you can find more about it in:

http://www.aoaus.com/act/cool/
http://www.aoaus.com/act/cool/cool_1.htm (info on how to enter each instance)
http://www.aoaus.com/act/cool/cool_7.htm (info about fb35)
http://www.aoaus.com/act/cool/cool_8.htm (info about fb40)
http://www.aoaus.com/act/cool/cool_9.htm (info about fb45)