Helldivers 2 is not an easy game, so you’ll want to make sure you’re wearing the best armor alongside your other loadout options. With that said, here are the best armor in Helldivers.
Even at launch, Helldivers 2 features quite a few interesting armor combinations. And by combinations, I’m referring to the type of armor (light, medium, heavy) and their named passive effects. Passive effects like ‘Fortified,’ where it reduces your recoil when crouching or prone by 30% and provides 50% resistance to explosive damage. Those perks combined with different armor, speed, and stamina regeneration levels can be the difference between life and death.
Best Armor Choices in Helldivers 2
B-24 Enforcer
I hesitated to put the B-24 Enforcer armor on this list because it’s only available on the rotating Super Store. Still, this armor has quickly become one of my favorites due to how the armor itself is somewhere in between medium and heavy armor. You won’t be as tanky, but you will be slightly faster and have better stamina regen than the heaviest armor.
Additionally, the ‘Fortified’ armor passive makes using automatic weapons easier while simultaneously keeping you alive when faced with explosion damage. That might not stand out too much if you often only fight the Terminid, but you’ll be thankful for it against Automatons.
TR-9 Cavalier of Democracy
This armor was one of the armor sets that came with preordering the game. However, even if you didn’t preorder, the DP-40 Hero of the Federation in the free Warbond does the same things. Beyond that hiccup, this is a fairly standard medium armor in terms of its uniform even-number stats—just like every other medium armor you start with.
What makes the TR-9 interesting is its ‘Democracy Protects’ passive. Not dying 50% of the time can and will come in handy when it happens, giving you the crucial moment to finish a reload or heal. Since Helldivers 2’s damage system can inflict wounds on your character, this armor’s perk will make sure you don’t take damage from having your chest injured, which is another way this armor stops you from dying.
FS-55 Devastator
There’s not much to say about this armor other than that it strikes all the right chords for being labeled an awesome piece of gear. The first is looks, because who can turn down looking like you just stepped out of the film Hurt Locker just to kill some bugs? Other than that, it has the usual heavy armor perks, which will make a difference when you step onto an Automaton planet.
As the game has put out much heavier weaponry since launch, you need that recoil reduction, especially if you want to call in the Heavy Machine Gun. You’re not exactly suited for longer missions between the overall speed and stamina regen, but this is perfect for eradication maps.
EX-03 Prototype 3
This armor is the first of its kind in that it brought in the Electrical Conduit perk. While this doesn’t seem incredibly useful, it’s necessary if you consider that your whole squad should be using the Arc-12 Blitzer. This weapon has infinite ammo and is incredibly effective, but its penchant for friendly fire can be potentially mission-ending.
However, if you get your crew to wear this piece of armor, there’s not much that will be able to stop you. My only wish is that it would come in a heavier variant. The EX-00 Prototype X is a light armor that carries the same perk, but you need the sturdiness of a medium or above to get the full benefit.
CE-35 Trench Engineer
The CE-35 Trench Engineer is one of my go-to choices if I know I will be on a Blitz mission, closing plenty of Terminid outpost holes. That’s because its ‘Engineering Kit’ perk increases your initial and total grenade count to 6. This may make you want to spam enemies with multiple grenades like the patriotic Helldiver that you are. The engineering perk also includes the useful recoil reduction that ‘Fortified’ has, which is always useful.
The CE-35 armor is a bog-standard medium armor, so you won’t be tanking colossal hits with it, or running super fast and regenerating stamina. Still, its all-around effectiveness makes this armor a good choice for objective-based builds and is something you can get from the free Warbond without too much work.
CM-09 Bonesnapper
Like the medium armor before, the CM-09 Bonesnapper medium armor can also be found relatively early in the free Warbond. Its all-around medium properties aside, this armor is for players who want to become something of a battle medic. The extra stims help keep you and your friends alive and you can also use them to heal straight through oncoming damage.
That’s because stims are a powerful heal-over-time mechanic, and the Med-Kit’s passive buffs your stims to last for two whole seconds longer. That means you can heal through any damage that doesn’t instantly kill you. Extra stim time also has the benefit of keeping your stamina topped off as long as the effect is in play. Smart use of that mechanic can help you get the heck out of dodge all the easier.
SC-34 Infiltrator
This is one of the light armors on this list that does some interesting things. First is the fact that this light armor is not the lightest armor you can obtain in Helldivers 2. For example, there are lighter armor choices out there that are even faster with more stamina regen at the cost of a much lower armor rating. That alone makes this armor interesting, but then you have the ‘Scout’ passive that allows your markers placed on the map to generate radar scans.
That functionality allows you to sense an incoming patrol unit better. Meanwhile, the other facet of the perk makes it harder for enemies to detect you. You will have to be closer to enemies for them to notice you, meaning fewer drop ships and bug breaches. All in all, it’s one of my favorite light armors in Helldivers 2.
Plus, this armor is the best for getting away when needed. If you’re ever in an unwinnable spot and need to retreat, you’ve got the leg up in your squad to get out quickly. It’s also good when booking it to the exfiltration site as the last objective is complete, so it is ready when everyone shows up.
F5-05 Marksman
The FS-05 Marksman is an interesting armor choice because of how closely it relates to the B-24 Enforcer. Sure, the armor passive is exactly the same between both these armors, but the armor’s stats are where the differences can be felt. Unlike the B-24 armor, this FS-05 heavy armor is the heaviest in stats (at least until the devs release even heavier armor).
So, the FS-05 operates a lot like the B-24, but you will feel slower, and regen stamina is slightly slower, with the benefit of taking a bit of a harder hit. For defensive missions, you can’t go wrong with this armor.
TR-62 Knight
The TR-62 Knight armor set is another one of Helldivers 2’s preorder bonuses. The armor itself is one of the heaviest in terms of its armor rating, speed, and stamina regen. However, its ‘Servo-Assisted’ armor passive can be quite useful if you’re the kind of player that doesn’t always have stims on hand for one reason or another. Since it will take 50% more damage for your limbs to break, this ensures that the heavy hits you will be tanking will keep you combat-ready for longer.
The extra 30% throwing range can be incredibly useful, too. Helldivers 2’s many stratagems will be thrown much farther, keeping you at a safer distance from the enemies on every planet.
SC-30 Trailblazer Scout
This is another Light armor on the list and one that can be unlocked via the free Warbond down the line. For better or for worse, this armor’s passive is the same as the SC-34 Infiltrator light armor. Your ping on the map will generate radar scans every 2 seconds, and enemies can’t detect you as easily. While it would be nice to have multiple light armors with multiple different passives be more common, there is still a difference that’s worth mentioning.
This armor is lighter than the SC-34, making you even faster with greater stamina regen at the cost of worse defense. So, if your goal is to be sneaky and outrun your enemies, this may be an even better choice.
SA-25 Steel Trooper
The final armor on this list is the SA-25 Steel Trooper medium armor. You’ll be somewhat agile in it, while being able to take a few hits. In fact, that’s what’s different about this armor compared to the other one on this list that has the same ‘Servo-Assisted’ armor perk. The extra limb health will be useful if you do take too many hits, and the extra throwing range can always be useful.
Having that passive in a slightly lighter armor might be better for operations that predominantly take place on the wide-open spaces of the planet you want to help liberate. However, this armor requires the Premium Warbond, which not everyone has. I debated whether to include this, but I found it appropriate because Super Credits can be earned by playing, and Warbonds don’t expire.
Ultimately, this SA-25 Steel Trooper armor set has an interesting passive and armor class combination and looks pretty cool with its mechanical arm.
That’s it for the best armor to use in Helldivers 2. For more tips on the game, check out our guides below.
