From Lexicanum

Armour includes any equipment which provides protection to its wearer. Most forms of armour provide solid protection, while the most advanced use different types of energy fields.

Contents 1 Energy fields 2 Imperial armour 2.1 Terminator Armour 2.2 Artificer Armour 2.3 Power Armour 2.4 Carapace armour 2.5 Flak armour 3 Ork armour 3.1 'Eavy armour 3.2 Mega armour 4 Eldar armour 4.1 Aspect armour 4.2 Mesh armour 4.3 Holo-suits 5 Squat armour 5.1 Exo armour 6 Sources

Energy fields

Devices which generate some form of protective energy field around the user.

Rosarius

Holo-suit

Holo-field

Conversion field

Displacer field

Refractor field

Void shield

Shadow field

Imperial armour

Terminator Armour

See main article: Terminator Armour
Terminator Armour, or Tactical Dreadnought Armour, is a massive powered exoskeleton that affords the wearer unmatched protection, enhanced strength and the ability to fire heavy weaponry whilst on the move at the cost of agility and speed. It is incredibly rare, and worn only by the most revered veterans of Space Marine chapters.

Artificer Armour

See main article: Artificer Armour
Artificer Armour is a type of exceptionally well-crafted power armour, that affords a greater amount of protection to the wearer.

Power Armour

See main article: Power Armour
Power Armour is worn by all Space Marines, and is a powered suit that enhances the wearer's attributes and protects them in hazardous environments as well as in battle. Power Armour is also worn by the Sisters of Battle and members of the Inquisition, although they lack the implants required to take full advantage of the suit's benefits.

Carapace armour

See main article: Carapace armour
Carapace armour is thicker than flak armour but less effective than Power Armour and is used primarily by Space Marine Scouts and Imperial Guard Storm Troopers.

Flak armour

See main article: Flak armour
Flak armour is thin, composed of several layers of different absorbent material, which is most effective against energy attacks. It is the primary armour of the Imperial Guard.

Ork armour

'Eavy armour

See main article: 'Eavy armour
'Eavy Armour is made up of several plates of material, often actually riveted to the Ork. Each suit is custom built to the specification of the Ork wearing it by the Big Mek and Mek Boyz. Often it has extra weapons or spiky bits built in.

Mega armour

See main article: Mega Armour
Mega armour is an all encompassing Ork armour which is immensely strong and often involves the use of built-in bionics. It is often a ramshackle construction and each suit is vastly different to the next. Whether they are removable is debatable.

Eldar armour

Aspect armour

See main article: Aspect Armour
Aspect armour is worn by the Aspect Warriors of an Eldar army, it is a unique product of their highly advanced technology and their psychic engineering abilities. The actual material of the suit reacts to the psychic emanations of the wearer and as such won't work for any other race.

Mesh armour

See main article: Mesh armour
Mesh armour is formed of tens of thousands of individual pieces of thermoplas interwoven to produce a dense material resembling reptile scales or chainmail. It becomes momentarily rigid when hit, spreading force across a larger area, thereby reducing the damage.

Holo-suits

See main article: Holo-suit
Holo-suits (Eldar: dathedi, or "between colours") are worn by Eldar Harlequins and produce a holographic field which splits up the user's image as it moves, making the wearer harder to target.

Squat armour

Exo armour

See main article: Exo-armour
Exo-armour is similar in design to Terminator Armour in that it uses a mobile exoskeleton (hence the name) with thick armour plating. It was developed from their sealed environmental suits for mining and adapted during the Age of Isolation to make them into effective pieces of wargear.

Sources

• Warhammer 40,000: Wargear (for 2nd edition)