Helldivers 2 Armor Passives: Comprehensive Tier List Guide

Helldivers 2 categorizes armor into three distinct types: light, medium, and heavy. Each armor type provides varying effects on mobility and defensive capabilities. However, the true strength of armor lies in its passive abilities, known as armor perks. These perks significantly impact your gameplay dynamics and potential success in missions.

With numerous armor passives available in Helldivers 2, understanding which are most advantageous for your survival and combat strategy is pivotal. Before you hop into that hellpod, check out our comprehensive tier list that identifies the leading armor passives for diverse mission scenarios, ensuring you make informed choices.

All Armor Passives & Their Functions in Helldivers 2

Currently, Helldivers 2 offers a total of 14 armor passives, each uniquely contributing to enhancing your gameplay style, tactical choices, and overall combat effectiveness. Whether you’re absorbing additional damage or improving your stealth capabilities, selecting the appropriate armor passive can substantially alter your performance.

It’s important to note that armor passives are specifically linked with body armor; helmets and capes provide no bonus effects. Below is a thorough inventory of all armor passives in Helldivers 2, including their characteristics and applications. Familiarizing yourself with these will ensure that you’re prepared for a range of challenges, be it prioritizing survivability or expanding your operational versatility.

Armor Passive	Description
Acclimated	50% resistance to acid, electrical, fire, and gas damage.
Advanced Filtration	80% resistance to gas damage.
Democracy Protects	50% chance of surviving lethal attacks, including headshots. Prevents chest-related injuries, such as internal bleeding.
Electrical Conduit	95% resistance to lightning arc damage.
Engineering Kit	+2 grenade capacity. 30% recoil reduction when crouching or in prone position.
Extra Padding	+50 armor rating for enhanced defense.
Fortified	50% resistance to explosive damage. 30% recoil reduction when crouching or in prone position.
Inflammable	75% resistance to fire damage.
Medical Kit	+2 stim capacity. +2 seconds additional duration for stims.
Peak Physique	100% increased melee damage. Improves weapon handling by reducing drag during movement.
Scout	30% decreased detection range for enemies. Map markers equip radar scans that detect nearby adversaries.
Servo-Assisted	30% increased throwing distance. 50% extra limb health.
Siege-Ready	30% faster reload speed for primary weapons. 30% increase to primary weapon ammo capacity.
Unflinching	95% reduction in recoil flinching.

Armor Passive Tier List in Helldivers 2

The armor passive ranking below is derived from the 1.002.003 version of Helldivers 2, evaluating the overall effectiveness, utility, and adaptability of each passive throughout various missions and enemy engagements.

Armor Passive	Reason
S Tier	Engineering Kit	Having additional grenades can dramatically change gameplay dynamics, enabling you to close off enemy hives, destroy vital structures, and manage crowds effectively.
	Medical Kit	The ability to frequently heal significantly boosts survivability, especially when complemented with the Experimental Infusion booster, making it a standout choice for staying alive.
	Siege-Ready	A recent addition, Siege-Ready excels at enhancing ammo management and reload speed, crucial for tackling swarms effectively, particularly with high-consumption weapons.
A Tier	Democracy Protects	This passive offers considerable defense, especially beneficial during early gameplay when facing lethal threats.
	Extra Padding	An increase in armor rating translates to reliable overall damage resistance.
	Fortified	A particularly advantageous passive that enhances survival against explosive threats, especially against Automatons.
	Servo-Assisted	Effective against the Terminids, it allows for tactical deployment and mitigates injury risks during confrontations.
B Tier	Peak Physique	While valuable for melee situations, it’s generally best to engage from a distance.
	Inflammable	Ideal for fire-based setups, particularly on planets with hazardous elements; situational but valuable in the right contexts.
	Scout	While it provides useful enemy detection, it lacks extra features for higher mission effectiveness.
C Tier	Acclimated	Offers limited utility, as you may not encounter all elemental damage types in a single mission.
	Advanced Filtration	Only advantageous if your build is gas-focused, otherwise, its benefits are minimal.
	Electrical Conduit	Best saved for specific encounters, otherwise, other options may prove more effective.
	Unflinching	Limited benefits in terms of improving combat readiness due to minimal impact on combat dynamics.