Armor

Armor is protective body covering intended to prevent injury in combat, and is differentiated by species. Turians, krogan, quarians and humans all have specific types of armor; asari use human armor. There are, however, three general armor categories. These rate armor based on the protection it provides. Armor can be customised with upgrades to give better shields or health regeneration, improve cooldown times for tech abilities, or protect against melee attacks depending on individual preference.

Medium to heavy armor - and almost all turian and krogan armor - is classified as 'hardsuit' because it uses thick ceramic plating to protect non-flexible parts of the body. Each set of armor, regardless of its weight, has a kinetic barrier generator and an onboard computer that can give readouts on the environment, liaise with terminals to download data, and check local wildlife against the xenobiology database. Presumably this computer is also what gives Shepard readouts on the squad's current health and shield status, and helps differentiate between friend and foe during combat.

Armor Summary
Armor ratings can be calculated from a base value, plus an increase per level (I=1, II=2, III=3, etc). Medium and Heavy armors use the same values, with additional ranks based on their level.


 * Light: Base value, plus increase * level (i.e. I=1, II=2, III=3, etc), round down.


 * Medium: Damage +6 ranks, Shields +1 rank, Tech/Biotic -5 ranks.


 * Heavy: Damage +14 ranks, Shields +2.5 ranks, Tech/Biotic -10 ranks.

Example

 * Scorpion IV – Medium (Hahne-Kedar) has the following stats:
 * Damage Protection = 10 + 2 * (4 + 6) = 30
 * Shields = 60 + 24 * (4 + 1) = 180
 * Tech/Biotic Protection = 18 + 2 * (4 – 5) = 16

Hidden Properties
Some armors have certain properties not shown in the inventory screen. Armor manufactured by Devlon Industries provides immunity to environmental hazards on dangerous worlds. Phoenix Armor, made by the Sirta Foundation, regenerates health when worn.

Recommendations

 * See also Best Armours & Weapons

The best shields (and great armor overall) is Predator L/M/H Armor, while the highest damage protection comes from Colossus Armor (Kassa Fabrication); both are found at level 7+ versions. The various Geth Armory armors (krogan) and the Phantom (turian), both 7+ versions, along with Mercenary Armor (Ariake Technologies), also have a slight edge over HK.

Generally, the various Hahne-Kedar armors (all models have the same stats), are the best in class of common armor, usually 1-2 levels better than the remaining manufacturers. The only other armor worth looking at is Titan Armor (Rosenkov Materials), which has higher damage protection than HK, but lower shields.

Other manufacturers are usually worse, even if a higher level or weight category, and once you outfit with HK you will probably stick with it until you find a higher level HK or one of the premium armors (Predator X/Colossus or Geth/Phantom/Mercenary).

Equip Any Armor Glitch
This glitch results in equipping any armor you have on any character in the party, regardless of restrictions. In the equipment menu, on armor selection, find the armor you wish to equip (greyed out or not). Count from that armor down to the bottom of the list of armor. Press X to enter upgrade selection. Select any upgrade, and hit Y to convert to Omnigel, but almost simultaneously press and hold A, and don't release. Once the prompt to confirm conversion to Omnigel appears, release A and press B. The selection screen will appear different - as if selecting armor, but with upgrades in the selection list, and the Icons describing the selection will appear strange (1 icon, then 3 other repeating icons) if done correctly. Scroll to the bottom of the list of upgrades, then scroll up the number you previously counted down from armors. Equip the 'upgrade', and the armor you previously picked will be equipped instead.

Note: This glitch does not appear to be able to forcibly give any armor with less than 3 upgrade slots, additional slots through upgrade-transferring.

Also Note: To be able to select all armors from the list, you need to have an equal or greater number of upgrades to armor.

Light Armor
Light armor offers a basic level of protection from enemy attacks and minimizes the movement penalties that affect weapon accuracy. All classes can wear light armor.

Medium Armor
Medium armor offers an increased level of protection, but also increases the movement penalties that affect weapon accuracy. Soldiers can wear medium armor from the start, while Vanguard and Infiltrator classes can train to wear it.

Heavy Armor
Heavy armor offers the highest level of protection from enemy fire, but also has the highest movement penalties affecting weapon accuracy. Only specially trained frontline Soldiers can wear it. No class can wear heavy armor at the start, but the Soldier class can train to wear it.