Helldivers 2 Best Armor For Bugs, Bots, Illuminate, Minigun 2026

Helldivers 2 Best Armor For Bugs

Against the Terminid (bug) faction in Helldivers 2, light armor is widely considered the best choice because speed and stamina are your primary defenses against being swarmed.

Top Armor Passives for Bugs

• Engineering Kit: Grants +2 grenades and 30% recoil reduction when crouching. This is highly effective for closing bug holes and clearing out massive swarms with explosives.
• Med-Kit: Provides +2 Stims and increases stim duration by 2 seconds. The extra healing and stamina boost from stims are lifesavers when you are trapped or running through acid.
• Peak Physique: Increases melee damage and weapon handling. This is excellent for using heavy weapons like the Flamethrower or Machine Guns that otherwise turn slowly.
• Inflammable: Provides 75% fire resistance. Essential if you or your teammates use the Flamethrower or Napalm Stratagems to manage bug breaches.

Recommended Armor Sets

1. CE-74 Breaker (Light / Engineering Kit): Offers maximum mobility and extra grenades for bug holes.
2. CM-21 Trench Paramedic (Light / Med-Kit): Provides the highest speed with the benefit of extra stims for constant sprinting.
3. B-08 Light Gunner (Light / Extra Padding): Combines the speed of light armor with the protection of medium armor, helping you survive unexpected hits from Hunters.
4. SA-04 Combat Technician (Medium / Scout): A solid choice for players who prefer to avoid patrols and focus on objectives.

Why Not Heavy Armor?

While heavy armor offers higher protection, the reduced speed makes it difficult to outrun fast enemies like Hunters or Stalkers. Heavy armor is generally only recommended for specialized "Point Defense" or "Eradicate" missions where movement is limited.

Best Armor For Bots

When fighting the Automatons, the "best" armor depends on whether you value survivability against rockets or mobility to stay out of sight.

Top Recommendations

1. Heavy Armor with Fortified Perk: Generally considered the S-tier choice for bots. The high armor rating combined with 50% explosive resistance allows you to survive direct hits from rockets and mortars that would otherwise one-shot you.
2. B-24 Enforcer (Medium-Heavy): A community favorite because it offers a unique 129 armor rating—bridging the gap between medium and heavy—while retaining the Fortified passive for explosive resistance.
3. Light Armor with Scout Perk: The best choice for players who prefer a "stealth" playstyle. It reduces enemy detection range by 30%, allowing you to complete objectives and avoid bot patrols entirely rather than fighting them.
4. B-01 Tactical (Standard): Surprisingly effective due to its Extra Padding perk, which gives it a 150 armor rating (equal to some heavy armors) while maintaining medium-class speed and stamina.

Essential Armor Perks for Bots

• Fortified: Provides 50% resistance to explosive damage and 30% reduced recoil when crouching/prone. Crucial for surviving Rocket Devastators and using high-recoil weapons like the Autocannon or AMR.
• Democracy Protects: Gives a 50% chance to survive lethal damage. It is a "literal lifesaver" against unpredictable bot fire and mines.
• Med-Kit: Grants +2 extra stims and increases stim duration by 2 seconds. Excellent for surviving the constant chip damage (stray lasers) common in bot missions.
• Ballistic Padding / Unflinching: Newer perks that reduce flinch and chest damage, helping you maintain accuracy under fire from heavy devastators.

Quick Comparison

Best Armor For Illuminate

To combat the Illuminate effectively in Helldivers 2, the best armor choices focus on countering their unique energy-based attacks, teleportation tactics, and swarm mechanics.

Top Recommended Armor Passives

• Electrical Conduit: Essential for surviving arc damage from Illuminate Tesla towers, Harvesters (walkers), and Watchers. This passive provides 95% resistance to arc damage, which is a major part of the Illuminate's arsenal.
• Engineering Kit: Highly recommended for the +2 grenade capacity. Extra grenades (like Impact or Incendiary) are critical for clearing "Voteless" hordes and destroying Warp Ships quickly.
• Med-Kit: Offers +2 Stims and increases stim duration. The Illuminate often use chip damage and status effects to wear you down; extra stims provide the sustainability needed to survive being surrounded.
• Democracy Protects: Grants a 50% chance to survive lethal damage. This is particularly useful against the Illuminate's tendency for sudden "instakills" from powerful sniper-like attacks.

Armor Weight Selection

• Light Armor: Preferred by many players for high mobility. Since the Illuminate rely on teleportation and flanking, being able to reposition quickly is often better than trying to tank hits.
• Medium Armor: A balanced choice for those who find light armor too fragile. It provides enough protection to survive a few stray plasma bolts without significantly sacrificing stamina.
• Heavy Armor: Generally not recommended. The movement penalty makes it difficult to escape the Illuminate's area-of-effect abilities and fast-moving "Fleshmob" units.

Situational Picks

• Peak Physique: Excellent if you are using heavy support weapons like the HMG (Heavy Machine Gun). It improves weapon handling and increases melee damage, which helps when Voteless units get too close.
• Siege-Ready: Found in newer warbonds, this passive increases primary weapon ammo and reload speed, helping maintain a high fire rate against shielded targets.

Best Armor For Minigun

For the M-1000 Maxi Gun (Minigun) in Helldivers 2, the "best" armor depends on whether you struggle more with its sluggish aim or its high initial recoil.

1. Peak Physique Passive (Best for Handling)

This is widely considered the top choice for the Minigun. The Minigun has a heavy "drag" when turning, and this passive increases weapon ergonomics by 30%, allowing you to snap to targets much faster.

• Top Pick: PH-202 Twigsnapper (Heavy Armor) – Provides the necessary handling buff while offering high protection for the stationary playstyle the Minigun requires.
• Alternative: PH-9 Predator (Light Armor) – If you prefer staying mobile between firing bursts.

2. Fortified Passive (Best for Recoil & Bots)

The Minigun has significant vertical recoil during the initial wind-up before it settles. The Fortified passive reduces recoil by 30% when crouching or prone and grants 50% resistance to explosive damage.

• Why use it: Essential for the Automaton front to survive rockets while you are hunkered down firing.
• Armor Examples: FS-05 Marksman or FS-23 Battle Master.

3. Engineering Kit Passive (Best for Bugs)

Like Fortified, this reduces recoil by 30% when crouching. However, it also gives you +2 extra grenades, which is vital for closing bug holes or using Thermite Grenades to deal with heavy armor that the Minigun (Medium Pen) cannot penetrate.

• Armor Examples: CE-27 Ground Breaker or CE-35 Trench Medic.

Summary Loadout Tips

• Movement: The Minigun locks you in place or slows you significantly while firing. Pair it with the Shield Generator Relay to create a safe "bunker".
• Ammo: Since the weapon has no reload and uses a backpack, keep an eye on your 750-round reserve. Picking up POI ammo boxes restores 200 rounds.

Best Armor For Double Edge Sickle

To maximize the potential of the LAS-17 Double-Edge Sickle (DES) in Helldivers 2, the best armor choices are those with the Inflammable passive. This weapon gains increased damage and armor penetration as it heats up, but it inflicts self-burn damage that can be lethal without the right protection.

Top Armor Recommendations

• Heavy Inflammable Armor (e.g., I-102 Draconis): This is widely considered the best choice because higher armor ratings further mitigate the tick damage from the weapon's heat. When paired with specific boosters, it can even zero out the damage until the weapon fully overheats.
• Medium Inflammable Armor (e.g., I-44 Salamander): A solid middle ground that offers decent fire resistance while maintaining better mobility than heavy sets.
• Light Inflammable Armor (e.g., I-09 Heatseeker): Recommended for players who prioritize speed and positioning over raw tankiness. While it provides the same 75% fire resistance, you will take slightly more heat damage compared to heavier variants.

Essential Build Synergies

To make the "Dickle" truly effective, you should combine your armor with these elements:

• Vitality Enhancement Booster: Mandatory for this build. It reduces all incoming damage by a flat amount, which, when combined with Inflammable armor, allows you to fire for significantly longer before losing health.
• Go Prone While Firing: Being prone prevents you from catching on fire when the weapon hits 100% heat and reduces the burn damage you take while firing.
• Stim-Related Gear: Because you will eventually take damage to achieve heavy armor penetration, using Medic armor (for extra stims) or carrying a Supply Pack is a common alternative strategy if you don't want to use fire-resistant armor.

The Freedom's Flame Premium Warbond is the primary source for the necessary fire-resistant armor sets.