In Helldivers 2, understanding the nuances of armor mechanics can often be the difference between victory and defeat. Players spend countless hours deciphering the meaning behind various stats like armor rating, speed, stamina, and regeneration. In this article, we delve deep into these mechanics, shedding light on their significance and implications within the gameplay.

Armor Types in Helldivers 2

At the core of armor mechanics lie three distinct types: light, medium, and heavy. While light armor prioritizes mobility over durability, heavy armor sacrifices mobility for enhanced resilience. Medium armor strikes a balance between the two extremes.

Related: Helldivers 2: All Armor Passives Tests

Light Armor

Light armor prioritizes mobility over protection, offering the fastest sprint speed of around 6.5 m/s. However, it has the lowest durability, only withstanding around 5-6 body shots before downing.

The Scout passive, exclusive to light armor, reduces the range at which enemies can detect the wearer by up to 30%. It also places radar markers that scan every 2 seconds, aiding in stealth gameplay.

Some other notable stats and comparisons for light armor:

- 29% more total stamina than medium armor    
- 39% longer sprint range than medium armor (without stamina booster)    
- Higher "stamina economy" ratio than medium/heavy, meaning stamina regens faster relative to sprint range    
- With stamina enhancement booster, gets 30% more sprint time and 23% faster stamina regen

So in summary, light armor excels at mobility and stealth via high speed, stamina, and the Scout passive, but sacrifices protection by having the lowest durability among armor types.

Medium Armor

The medium armor strikes a balance between mobility (6 m/s sprint speed) and durability (7-9 body shots before downing). Medium armor has the most passive options compared to light and heavy armor, including:

- Democracy Protects: 50% chance to negate lethal damage, but ineffective against damage-over-time effects    
- Electrical Conduit: 95% resistance to arc damage, allowing survival against multiple Tesla Tower shots    
- Engineering Kit: 30% recoil reduction when crouching/prone and +2 grenade capacity    
- Medkit: Extends stem duration by 2 seconds for longer health regen and stamina recharge

Some other notable stats and comparisons:

- 29% less total stamina than light armor    
- 39% shorter sprint range than light armor (without stamina booster)    
- Lower "stamina economy" ratio than light armor, meaning stamina regens slower relative to sprint range    
- With stamina enhancement booster, gets 30% more sprint time and 23% faster stamina regen

So in summary, medium armor balances mobility and protection while offering the most passive utility options to augment combat performance, recoil control, explosive resistance, and more.

Heavy Armor

Heavy armor trades mobility (5.5 m/s sprint speed) for maximum protection, withstanding around 10-12 body shots. The Fortified passive reduces explosive damage by 50%, while Servo Assisted increases grenade throwing distance by 30% and limb health by 50%.

Some other notable stats and comparisons:

- 31% less total stamina than medium armor    
- 37% shorter sprint range than medium armor (without stamina booster)    
- Lower "stamina economy" ratio than medium and light armor    
- With stamina enhancement booster, gets 30% more sprint time and 23% faster stamina regen

So in summary, heavy armor maximizes protection at the cost of mobility, while the Fortified and Servo Assisted passives improve explosive resistance, grenade range, and limb durability respectively. It excels in withstanding heavy enemy fire but has the shortest sprint range and speed among armor types.

Note: The armor rating provides a general gauge of durability, with higher ratings allowing you to tank more body shots before downing. To obtain and upgrade the required armor, we need to have more Helldivers 2 Medal, an in-game currency that will help us quickly unlock several advanced types of armor.