RimWorld Best Armor (1.6.4633) | Loadout + AP Survival Tool
RimWorld Best Armor Tool (1.6 Era)
Cataphract still wins raw tanking, Locust is the cleanest jump-melee sidegrade, Marine is the best all-purpose powered suit, and devilstrand duster plus flak vest is still the budget line after 1.6. The planner below lets you compare AP, damage type, move speed, vacuum stack, and region-by-region survival without relying on pre-1.6 advice.
35 means 35% AP. This tool uses the live rule set where AP subtracts from armor before the roll and layers resolve from the outside in.
- Flak vest now covers torso and neck only. Shoulder protection is gone in the live 1.6 line.
- Marine armor sits at -0.25 c/s in current Core defs; Recon has no built-in move penalty.
- Cataphract and Phoenix trade speed for the safest melee chest and limb coverage.
- Locust keeps Recon-class speed while adding jump utility, which is why it excels at melee picks and breach cleanup.
- Powered body armor adds 30% vacuum resistance. The helmet still decides whether you reach full EVA safety.
- Shield belts are a melee and breacher tool first. They do not belong on line shooters because they block outgoing shots.
Quick Picks By Role
These are the stable answers if you searched rimworld best armor because you need a practical loadout right now, not a museum piece from an older patch.
Melee Blocker
Best: Cataphract armor + cataphract helmet + shield belt.
Use this when the whole job is holding a doorway, tanking blunt hits, and stopping a flank from collapsing.
Swap: Phoenix on fire-heavy maps or Locust if jump timing matters more than raw armor.
Line Shooter
Best: Marine armor + marine helmet.
This is the cleanest all-purpose powered suit for assault rifles, LMGs, and charge rifles because the speed loss is manageable and the coverage is complete.
No DLC: This is your end-state vanilla workhorse.
Jump Melee
Best: Locust armor + top helmet + shield belt.
Locust is the mobility king because the jumps are built into the suit, so you keep the belt slot for ranged denial instead of wasting it on a jump pack.
Fallback: Recon if you need speed but do not own Royalty.
Space Combat
Best: Cataphract or Recon body + matching powered helmet, plus extra vacuum sources if you need a clean 100% stack.
Powered armor gets very close to full immunity, but body plus helmet alone is still shy of the no-exposure threshold in current values.
Important: Treat it as strong partial resistance, not full EVA immunity.
Budget Progression
Best: Devilstrand duster + flak vest + solid helmet.
This is still the best early-to-mid answer, but the 1.6 shoulder change means old “flak forever” advice now leaks more arm damage than it used to.
No Royalty: This is your bridge into Recon and Marine.
Role Matrix
If you want the answer split by job instead of item rarity, use this table first and the simulator second.
| Role | Top Set | Why It Wins | If You Do Not Own Royalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melee doorway anchor | Cataphract + cat helmet + shield belt | Best torso and limb coverage, strongest blunt handling, and enough heat to survive ugly melee stalls. | Marine + marine helmet + shield belt |
| Open-map shooter | Marine + marine helmet | Best balance of protection and speed for rifles and charge weapons. | Marine + marine helmet |
| Mobile pick unit | Locust + top helmet + shield belt | Built-in jumps let you isolate targets and still keep the belt slot. | Recon + top helmet |
| Fire counter / mech burners | Phoenix + cat helmet + shield belt | Cataphract-class shell with much stronger heat handling. | Marine + fire-safe micro, or fall back to duster plus flak until Marine is online |
| Budget 1.6 progression | Devilstrand duster + flak vest + best helmet | Cheap torso protection and strong shell coverage while you grow into fabrication. | Same answer |
Fast Acquisition Paths
The fastest route depends on whether you are trying to survive the next raid or finish the late-game kit. Use the early rows when you need a raid answer now, and use the Royalty row when you are pushing toward the full late-game suit ladder.
| Goal | Research Gate | Craft Or Buy | What To Stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flak vest | Flak Armor | Craft at machining table | 30 cloth + 60 steel + 1 component, Crafting 4, plus a good helmet |
| Shield belt | Shield Belt after Microelectronics Basics | Craft at machining table, or buy from high-tech traders if the colony is cash rich | 50 steel + 20 plasteel + 2 components, Crafting 6, hi-tech bench for research |
| Devilstrand budget line | Complex Clothing for duster, Flak Armor for vest | Grow devilstrand early, then tailor a duster and on-skin layer while the machining table handles flak | Devilstrand field space, cloth buffer, and a steady steel/component stream |
| Recon armor | Recon Armor after Fabrication | Craft at fabrication bench | 80 plasteel + 10 uranium + 3 advanced components on body, plus recon helmet parts |
| Marine armor | Marine Armor after Recon Armor | Craft at fabrication bench; trader snipes help bridge the advanced-component bottleneck | 100 plasteel + 20 uranium + 4 advanced components on body, plus marine helmet parts |
| Cataphract / Phoenix / Locust | Royalty research plus techprints on the cataphract line | Prioritize quest rewards, empire trade, and orbital tech traders for finished pieces and techprints | Heavy plasteel, uranium, advanced components, and enough silver to buy whichever piece appears first |
What 1.6 Actually Changed
These are the armor updates that invalidate a lot of older forum advice.
Update 1.6 was announced with two armor changes that matter immediately: flak vest shoulder coverage was removed, and power armor speed penalties were reduced.
The live 1.6 release locked that meta shift in place. Budget flak lines became a little leakier, and powered armor became more practical for everyday use.
Marine is now easier to justify as a default combat suit, and the best budget progression is still duster plus flak, but with more respect for arm injuries and faster promotion into powered gear.
Armor Math In Plain English
If you hate spreadsheets, this is the only part to remember: armor penetration subtracts from armor first, then each layer rolls from the outside in.
effectiveArmor = max(layerArmor - attackAP, 0) roll 0..100 against that result if roll < effectiveArmor / 2: no damage else if roll < effectiveArmor: half damage, then convert to blunt else: full damage reaches the next layer
A flak vest only covers the torso and neck now, but it still adds a strong second roll under a duster or powered shell where the coverage overlaps.
Armor stats scale hard with quality. The current quality factors run from 0.60 at awful to 1.80 at legendary.
Devilstrand is still the best farmable textile for armor, hyperweave is the luxury option, and thrumbofur stays absurd when you can actually get it.
FAQ
Is flak vest plus duster still worth it in 1.6?
Yes. It is still the strongest budget line because the vest gives excellent torso protection and the duster keeps limb coverage alive. What changed is shoulder safety. You should now expect more arm and shoulder damage than older pre-1.6 guides imply.
Is Locust actually better than a jump pack?
For melee picks and breach cleanup, yes. Locust bakes the jumps into the armor so you do not spend the belt slot. That is why the best Locust setups still carry a shield belt instead of a separate jump pack.
Should shooters ever wear shield belts?
Usually no. Shield belts block incoming projectiles, but they also stop the wearer from shooting out. They belong on melee blockers, breachers, and specific close-range plays, not on your standard rifle line.
Does powered armor reach 100% vacuum resistance?
Not by itself. Current powered body armor adds 30% vacuum resistance, while powered helmets sit around the mid-to-high 60s. That is close, but still short of the full no-exposure threshold, so do not treat it like a free EVA suit.
What should I craft first if I only own the base game?
Start with devilstrand duster plus flak vest plus a good helmet, then push straight into Recon and Marine. If you are short on components, buy finished marine pieces before you sink silver into luxury textiles.