Best Armor Passives in Helldivers 2

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• All Armor Passive Effects Explained

• Best Helldivers 2 Armor Passives Ranked

Helldivers 2 organizes armor into three weight classes - lightweight, midweight, and heavyweight - each impacting mobility and resilience differently. But the real game-changers are the hidden perks cooked into each chestpiece. These passive abilities can dramatically shape your battlefield effectiveness beyond simple stats.

With numerous passive options available, choosing the right one becomes crucial for mission success. Before suiting up for your next deployment, our comprehensive evaluation helps identify which passives truly stand out across different combat scenarios.

All Armor Passive Effects Explained

Currently, Helldivers 2 offers players 14 distinct armor passives that fundamentally alter combat approaches. These hidden bonuses enable specialized tactics ranging from enhanced survivability to improved tactical awareness.

Important Note: Only chest armor carries passive bonuses in Helldivers 2 - helmets and capes provide purely cosmetic benefits.

Below we've detailed every available passive effect to help optimize loadouts for specific missions and enemy threats:

Acclimated

• Provides moderate resistance (50%) against four damage types: acid, electricity, fire, and gas

Advanced Filtration

• Grants substantial protection (80%) specifically against gas-based attacks

Democracy Protects

• 50% chance to survive normally fatal attacks
• Prevents debilitating chest injuries

Electrical Conduit

• Nearly complete immunity (95%) to lightning arc hazards

Engineering Kit

• Carries +2 additional grenades
• Significantly improves weapon stability (30%) when crouched/prone

Extra Padding

• Boosts base armor rating (+50) for overall damage reduction

Fortified

• Halves explosive damage received (50%)
• Includes stability bonus (30%) when crouched/prone

Inflammable

• Strong fire resistance (75%)

Med-Kit

• +2 stim injector capacity
• Extends stim duration (+2 sec)

Peak Physique

• Doubles melee attack damage
• Reduces weapon movement sway

Scout

• Reduces enemy detection range (30%)
• Reveals nearby threats via radar scan

Servo-Assisted

• Increases throw distance (30%)
• Boosts limb durability (50%)

Siege-Ready

• Faster primary weapon reloads (30%)
• Larger magazine capacity (30%)

Unflinching

• Nearly eliminates recoil-induced camera shake

Best Helldivers 2 Armor Passives Ranked

Our tier analysis reflects the current meta (version 1.002.003), ranking passives based on versatility and combat effectiveness against all enemy factions.

S Tier - Must Haves

Engineering Kit

Grenade versatility is invaluable - sealing bug holes, disabling bot factories, breaching armor, or crowd control. The stability bonus further enhances combat effectiveness.

Med-Kit

Additional stims equate to more survival windows, especially when combined with Experimental Infusion. The extended duration creates powerful sustain opportunities.

Siege-Ready

Recent addition that revolutionizes sustained firepower. The dual benefits transform ammo-hungry weapons into veritable bullet hoses.

A Tier - Strong Options

Democracy Protects

Excellent early-game safeguard against instant kills, becoming situationally useful even in late-game scenarios.

Extra Padding

Reliable blanket defense improvement applicable against all damage sources.

Fortified

Bot-hunter's dream - mitigates explosive threats while improving weapon stability for precise counterfire.

Servo-Assisted

Terminid specialist - enhances tactical positioning via throws while reducing melee vulnerability.

B Tier - Situational Picks

Peak Physique

Niche application despite melee boost - ranged combat remains preferable in most scenarios.

Inflammable

Fire-based builds become viable, particularly effective against Terminids and certain planet hazards.

Scout

Intel-gathering passive held back by limited environmental awareness beyond enemy positions.

C Tier - Limited Utility

Acclimated

Damage resistance spread too thin across multiple elemental threats rarely encountered simultaneously.

Advanced Filtration

Hyper-specialized against gas attacks - rarely justifies selection over more general-purpose passives.

Electrical Conduit

Only relevant against Illuminate forces - still overshadowed by superior alternatives.

Unflinching

Minimal practical impact despite the impressive-sounding recoil reduction.