diff --git a/cmd/chisel/cmd_cut.go b/cmd/chisel/cmd_cut.go
index 2a00b718..02fc9eda 100644
--- a/cmd/chisel/cmd_cut.go
+++ b/cmd/chisel/cmd_cut.go
@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ func (cmd *cmdCut) Execute(args []string) error {
 			Suites:     archiveInfo.Suites,
 			Components: archiveInfo.Components,
 			CacheDir:   cache.DefaultDir("chisel"),
+			Priority:   archiveInfo.Priority,
 		})
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
diff --git a/internal/archive/archive.go b/internal/archive/archive.go
index 48777606..97ee208f 100644
--- a/internal/archive/archive.go
+++ b/internal/archive/archive.go
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ type Options struct {
 	Suites     []string
 	Components []string
 	CacheDir   string
+	Priority   int
 }
 
 func Open(options *Options) (Archive, error) {
diff --git a/internal/setup/setup.go b/internal/setup/setup.go
index 6f5ffda8..6bc3c2cc 100644
--- a/internal/setup/setup.go
+++ b/internal/setup/setup.go
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ type Archive struct {
 	Version    string
 	Suites     []string
 	Components []string
+	Priority   int
 }
 
 // Package holds a collection of slices that represent parts of themselves.
@@ -321,6 +322,7 @@ type yamlArchive struct {
 	Version    string   `yaml:"version"`
 	Suites     []string `yaml:"suites"`
 	Components []string `yaml:"components"`
+	Priority   int      `yaml:"priority"`
 }
 
 type yamlPackage struct {
@@ -427,6 +429,7 @@ func parseRelease(baseDir, filePath string, data []byte) (*Release, error) {
 			Version:    details.Version,
 			Suites:     details.Suites,
 			Components: details.Components,
+			Priority:   details.Priority,
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/internal/slicer/slicer.go b/internal/slicer/slicer.go
index fd4f1f4c..70c49e08 100644
--- a/internal/slicer/slicer.go
+++ b/internal/slicer/slicer.go
@@ -5,8 +5,10 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
+	"math"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"sort"
 	"strings"
 	"syscall"
 
@@ -69,13 +71,48 @@ func Run(options *RunOptions) error {
 		targetDirAbs = filepath.Join(dir, targetDir)
 	}
 
+	// Archives are ordered in descending order by priority. The
+	// default priority is 0 and the maximum allowed priority is
+	// the upper limit of int.
+	//
+	// If a package to be downloaded exists in archive A and
+	// archive B, and archive A has higher priority than archive
+	// B, the package is downloaded from archive A even if archive
+	// B has a newer version.
+	//
+	// If two or more archives have the same priority, the most
+	// recent version of the package from all of them is selected,
+	// if any. Otherwise, archives with lower priority are tried,
+	// if any.
+	//
+	// If two or more archives with the same priority contain the
+	// package with the same version, the first archive from the
+	// options.Archives iterator is used. In effect, the choice is
+	// random.
+	orderedArchives := make([]archive.Archive, 0, len(options.Archives))
+	for _, archive := range options.Archives {
+		orderedArchives = append(orderedArchives, archive)
+	}
+	sort.Slice(orderedArchives, func(a, b int) bool {
+		prioA := orderedArchives[a].Options().Priority
+		prioB := orderedArchives[b].Options().Priority
+		return prioA > prioB
+	})
+
 	// Build information to process the selection.
 	for _, slice := range options.Selection.Slices {
 		extractPackage := extract[slice.Package]
 		if extractPackage == nil {
 			var selectedVersion string
 			var selectedArchive archive.Archive
-			for _, currentArchive := range options.Archives {
+			currentPrio := math.MaxInt
+			for _, currentArchive := range orderedArchives {
+				if prio := currentArchive.Options().Priority; prio < currentPrio {
+					if selectedVersion != "" {
+						break
+					}
+					currentPrio = prio
+				}
 				pkgInfo := currentArchive.Info(slice.Package)
 				if pkgInfo == nil {
 					continue
diff --git a/internal/slicer/slicer_test.go b/internal/slicer/slicer_test.go
index acc4a093..2cb611f3 100644
--- a/internal/slicer/slicer_test.go
+++ b/internal/slicer/slicer_test.go
@@ -687,6 +687,92 @@ var slicerTests = []slicerTest{{
 		"/speed/cheetah": "file 0644 e98b0879",
 		"/speed/ostrich": "file 0644 c8fa2806",
 	},
+}, {
+	summary: "Pick package from archive with highest priority",
+	pkgs: map[string]map[string]testPackage{
+		"edge": {
+			"hello": testPackage{
+				info: map[string]string{
+					"Version": "2.0-beta",
+				},
+				content: testutil.MakeTestDeb([]testutil.TarEntry{
+					DIR(0755, "./"),
+					REG(0644, "./hello", "Hello, The Edge\n"),
+				}),
+			},
+		},
+		"candidate": {
+			"hello": testPackage{
+				info: map[string]string{
+					"Version": "1.8",
+				},
+				content: testutil.MakeTestDeb([]testutil.TarEntry{
+					DIR(0755, "./"),
+					REG(0644, "./hello", "Hello, The Candidate\n"),
+				}),
+			},
+		},
+		"stable": {
+			"hello": testPackage{
+				info: map[string]string{
+					"Version": "1.2",
+				},
+				content: testutil.MakeTestDeb([]testutil.TarEntry{
+					DIR(0755, "./"),
+					REG(0644, "./hello", "Hello, The Stable\n"),
+				}),
+			},
+		},
+		"obsolete": {
+			"hello": testPackage{
+				info: map[string]string{
+					"Version": "1.0",
+				},
+				content: testutil.MakeTestDeb([]testutil.TarEntry{
+					DIR(0755, "./"),
+					REG(0644, "./hello", "Hello, The Obsolete\n"),
+				}),
+			},
+		},
+	},
+	release: map[string]string{
+		"chisel.yaml": `
+			format: chisel-v1
+			archives:
+				edge:
+					version: 1
+					suites: [main]
+					components: [main]
+				candidate:
+					version: 1
+					suites: [main]
+					components: [main]
+					priority: 5
+				stable:
+					version: 1
+					suites: [main]
+					components: [main]
+					priority: 10
+				obsolete:
+					version: 1
+					suites: [main]
+					components: [main]
+					priority: 10
+		`,
+		"slices/mydir/hello.yaml": `
+			package: hello
+			slices:
+				all:
+					contents:
+						/hello:
+		`,
+	},
+	slices: []setup.SliceKey{
+		{"hello", "all"},
+	},
+	result: map[string]string{
+		"/hello": "file 0644 b5621b65",
+	},
 }}
 
 const defaultChiselYaml = `
@@ -792,6 +878,7 @@ func (s *S) TestRun(c *C) {
 					Version:    setupArchive.Version,
 					Suites:     setupArchive.Suites,
 					Components: setupArchive.Components,
+					Priority:   setupArchive.Priority,
 					Arch:       test.arch,
 				},
 				pkgs: archivePkgs,