Helldivers 2 Armor Passives: A Comprehensive Guide and Tier List
Helldivers 2 categorizes armor into light, medium, and heavy, impacting mobility and defense. However, the real game-changer lies in the armor passives – powerful perks significantly altering gameplay. This guide details all passives and provides a tier list to optimize your loadouts.
All Armor Passives and Their Effects
The following table lists all 14 armor passives (as of the 1.002.003 game version) and their descriptions. Note that passives are tied to body armor only; helmets and capes offer no additional bonuses.
| Armor Passive | Description |
|---|---|
| Acclimated | 50% resistance to acid, electrical, fire, and gas damage. |
| Advanced Filtration | 80% resistance to gas damage. |
| Democracy Protects | 50% chance to survive lethal attacks (like headshots); prevents chest injuries (e.g., internal bleeding). |
| Electrical Conduit | 95% resistance to lightning arc damage. |
| Engineering Kit | +2 grenade capacity; 30% recoil reduction while crouching or prone. |
| Extra Padding | +50 armor rating. |
| Fortified | 50% resistance to explosive damage; 30% recoil reduction while crouching or prone. |
| Inflammable | 75% resistance to fire damage. |
| Med-Kit | +2 stim capacity; +2 seconds additional stim duration. |
| Peak Physique | 100% increased melee damage; improved weapon handling (reduced weapon movement drag). |
| Scout | 30% reduced enemy detection range; map markers generate radar scans. |
| Servo-Assisted | 30% increased throwing range; 50% additional limb health. |
| Siege-Ready | 30% increased primary weapon reload speed; 30% increased primary weapon ammo capacity. |
| Unflinching | 95% reduced recoil flinching. |
Armor Passive Tier List
This tier list (version 1.002.003) ranks passives based on overall value, utility, and effectiveness across various missions and enemy types.
| Tier | Armor Passive | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| S | Engineering Kit | Extra grenades are invaluable for various tasks (closing bug holes, destroying fabricators, etc.). |
| Med-Kit | Significantly improves survivability, especially when combined with the Experimental Infusion booster. | |
| Siege-Ready | Boosts ammo capacity and reload speed, crucial for managing large enemy groups, particularly with high-consumption weapons. | |
| A | Democracy Protects | Provides substantial early-game survivability against lethal attacks. |
| Extra Padding | Offers a reliable increase in overall damage resistance. | |
| Fortified | Extremely effective against Automatons, mitigating explosive damage from Devastators, Hulks, and Tanks. | |
| Servo-Assisted | Particularly useful against Terminids; increased throwing range allows for safer stratagem deployment and grenade usage, while extra limb health enhances survivability. | |
| B | Peak Physique | Situational; melee combat is generally avoided, though the reduced weapon drag can be beneficial against agile enemies. |
| Inflammable | Ideal for fire-based builds, especially effective in environments with fire hazards. | |
| Scout | Useful for revealing enemy positions, but its value is limited by its lack of highlighting points of interest or side objectives. | |
| C | Acclimated | Limited effectiveness; rarely will you face all four elemental damage types simultaneously. |
| Advanced Filtration | Only beneficial for gas-focused builds, and even then, the overall impact is relatively minor. | |
| Electrical Conduit | Primarily useful against the Illuminate, but other options often prove superior. | |
| Unflinching | Minimal impact on combat effectiveness; the reduction in camera shake and recoil is barely noticeable. |
This guide and tier list will help you make informed decisions when equipping your Helldivers, maximizing your effectiveness in any mission. Remember that the optimal passive will vary depending on your chosen weapons, playstyle, and the specific mission challenges.
