RimWorld Best Armor (1.6.4633) | Loadout + AP Survival Tool
RimWorld 1.6 · Core
Tank (Core endgame): 
marine armor + 
marine helmet. Sharp 1.06 / blunt 0.45 / heat 0.54 on the suit, move speed −0.25. Research powered armor (6000, Spacer, prereq recon armor).
Budget that stacks: flak vest + flak pants + duster (or flak jacket) + flak helmet. Vest sharp 1.00 / blunt 0.36, move speed −0.12 per flak piece. Vest+pants+jacket = −0.36. A duster has no move penalty.
Plate is not lighter in 1.6. Plate armor move speed is still −0.8. recon armor has no move speed penalty.
Move penalties
| Apparel | Move speed | Layers |
|---|---|---|
 plate armor |
−0.8 | middle + outer |
| marine armor |
−0.25 | middle + outer |
 recon armor |
none | middle + outer |
 flak vest |
−0.12 | middle |
 flak pants |
−0.12 | skin + middle |
 flak jacket |
−0.12 | outer |
| duster / jacket / parka / shirts / pants / helmets | none | apparel layers guide |
Penalties add. Vest + pants + jacket = −0.36. Plate −0.8 is worse than marine −0.25 and worse than a full flak set. These are absolute move-speed penalties (cells per second), not percentages.
Armor ratings (Core numbers)
| Piece | Sharp | Blunt | Heat | Mass | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| flak vest |
1.00 | 0.36 | 0.27 | 4 | Torso+Neck. Cloth 30, steel 60, 1 component. Crafting 4. Research flak armor. |
| flak pants |
0.55 | 0.08 | 0.10 | 4 | Legs. Same research / skill. |
| flak jacket |
0.55 | 0.08 | 0.10 | 7 | Torso+arms outer. Cold insulation 14.4. |
| marine armor |
1.06 | 0.45 | 0.54 | 12 | Full body middle + outer. Cold insulation 68. 100 plasteel, 4 advanced components, 20 uranium. |
| recon armor |
0.92 | 0.40 | 0.46 | 9 | Same coverage, no move offset. 80 plasteel, 3 adv. components, 10 uranium. |
| plate armor |
stuff-based (armor scales with material) | 15 | 170 stuff. Crafting 7. Research plate armor (600, Medieval). | ||
 duster |
stuff-based (lower multiplier than plate) | 2 | No MoveSpeed offset. Covers legs as well as torso. | ||
flak helmet is stuff-based plus 10 plasteel and 2 components (Crafting 5, flak armor). 
simple helmet is 40 metallic stuff after smithing. Marine / recon helmet parents copy the suit armor ratings (1.06 / 0.92 sharp).
Crafting and research paths
Flak set
Craft at machining table (or tailor bench for duster/jacket). Flak vest/pants/jacket need Crafting 4; flak helmet Crafting 5.
Plate armor
smithing bench → plate armor. 170 stuff, Crafting 7, crafting work 38000.
Recon and marine
fabrication bench. Recon: Crafting 6. Marine: Crafting 7.
What to wear together
- Marine, recon, or plate occupies middle + outer — no flak vest, no duster, no flak jacket. Shirt and pants still fit (skin layer only).
- Flak vest (middle, torso) + flak pants (skin + middle, legs) + duster or flak jacket (outer) + helmet is the Core soldier stack.
- One utility item (
shield belt, smokepop, firefoam).
DLC: Locust armor and vacsuits need Odyssey.
Layer conflicts and wear-together rules: apparel layers guide. Plasteel sinks for marine/recon: how to get plasteel.