The best armor in Helldivers 2 and how it works

Choosing the right Helldivers 2 armor means picking between protection and mobility, as well as which passive perk you prefer for buffing your Helldiver. You can get extra grenades or stims and even extra padding or a superior throwing arm, but should you opt for a light, medium, or heavy suit? Armor can be changed freely between missions in Helldivers 2, and you it can make a significant difference while you're out in the field fighting for Super Earth, especially on higher difficulties. To help you understand what it does, what the stats are, and how passives work, here's what you need to know about armor in Helldivers 2 and which suits are best.

Best Helldivers 2 armor

Picking the best Helldivers 2 armor to go with the best Helldivers 2 weapons means you're going to want to find a suit that combines your favorite passive perk with the best armor weight – light or medium. To help you find a good suit of armor, here are a few suggestions you can don if you've got them, and there's plenty more about how armor works further down:

• CE-74 Breaker: Light armor with the Engineering Kit passive. From the Superstore.
• CM-09 Bonesnapper: Medium armor with the Med-Kit passive. From the Helldivers Mobilize Warbond.
• CM-21 Trench Paramedic: Light armor with the Med-Kit passive. From the Superstore.
• DP-40 Hero of the Federation: Medium armor with the Democracy Protects passive. From the Helldivers Mobilize Warbond.
• SA-25 Steel Trooper: Medium armor with Servo-Assisted passive. From the Steeled Veterans Warbond.
• SC-30 Trailblazer Scout: Light armor with the Scout Passive. From the Helldivers Mobilize Warbond.
• SC-34 Infiltrator: Light armor with middling stats and the Scout passive. From the Helldivers Mobilize Warbond.
• SC-37 Legionnaire: Light armor with the Servo-Assisted passive. From the Superstore.

Despite the fix to Armor Rating, heavy armor is still not worth using in its current state from my experience. The mobility penalty is not offset with enough protection, so while you might survive an extra hit or two, you're much more likely to get hit in the first place since you can’t easily run away from enemies or dodge effectively with such low speed and stamina. Helldivers 2 Hunters and other fast-moving enemies are tough to deal with as getting away from them to use Stratagems or even just reload your weapon can be extremely difficult.

Light armor is still highly effective thanks to the noticeable speed and stamina boosts you gain, but it does make you very fragile, and even basic attacks can deal solid chunks of damage. The Shield Generator Pack is strongly recommended if you're using light armor as it's it's one of the best Helldivers 2 Stratagems for extra protection.

How Helldivers 2 armor works

The armor suit you choose for your Helldiver has three stats and an Armor Passive to provide some nice buffs while playing missions. The values of the three armor stats – Armor Rating, Speed, and Stamina Regen – are determined by the suit's type (light, medium, or heavy), though there is some stat variation within each type. Light armor offers the best speed and stamina regeneration at the cost of armor rating, whereas heavy armor is the opposite, sacrificing speed and stamina regen for extra protection. Medium armor sits in the middle of the two, providing a balance of speed and resilience.

• Speed: Determines the running and sprinting speed of your Helldiver.
• Stamina Regen: Affects the rate your stamina is consumed as you sprint and perform other actions, letting you sprint continuously for longer. From testing different armor suits, I didn't notice any differences to the stamina regeneration rate.
• Armor Rating: Determines how much protection your armor provides and how susceptible to injuries your Helldiver is. This stat is much harder to test due to the many variables in combat but so this is the main conclusion I came to.

Helmets and capes have no special qualities and are all rated 100 in each stat. You can of course change your armor whenever you like while you're in any Destroyer by visiting the armory station or when picking your loadout just before dropping into a mission.

Helldivers 2 armor passives

The main benefit of armor in Helldivers 2 is that it provides a passive perk that enhances your Helldiver's capabilities in the field. Passives are not restricted to certain armor types, but medium armor seems to currently have the best selection. Here are all the armor passives in Helldivers 2:

• Scout: Markers placed on the map generate radar scans every two seconds. Reduces the range at which enemies can detect the wearer by 30%.
• Engineering Kit: Further reduces recoil when crouching or prone by 30%. Also increases initial grenade inventory and total capacity by two.
• Democracy Protects: 50% chance to not die when taking lethal damage. Prevents all damage from bleeding if your Helldiver's chest is haemorrhaging.
• Extra Padding: Increases Armor Rating by 50, providing extra protection against damage.
• Med-Kit: Increases initial stim inventory and total capacity by two. Increases stim effect duration by two seconds.
• Servo-Assisted: Increases throwing range by 30% and provides 50% more limb health.
• Fortified: Further reduces recoil when crouching or prone by 30%. Provides 50% damage resistance to explosives.

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