How Armor Works in Tarkov
Armor is your most important gear decision in every raid. The right vest can save your life from rounds that would otherwise kill you in two shots. The wrong choice — or the right choice in bad condition — is barely better than wearing nothing. This guide covers everything you need to know.
Not affiliated with Battlestate Games.
How Armor Actually Works
Every piece of body armor in Tarkov has three key properties: class (1 through 6), durability (current vs max), and zones (which body parts it protects). When a bullet hits armor, the game compares the ammo's penetration power against the armor's effective protection — which is calculated from both the class and the current durability.
If the bullet's penetration power significantly exceeds the armor's protection, it passes through and deals full damage to the body part underneath. If penetration is much lower, the bullet is largely absorbed by the armor and only causes minor chip damage. If penetration is close to the armor's protection, there's a random chance per shot — sometimes it goes through, sometimes it doesn't. This probabilistic middle zone is where most PvP fights happen in the mid-game.
This is why two players can look equally geared but have completely different survival rates — a player in fresh Class 5 armor with 100% durability is dramatically harder to kill than one in Class 5 at 30% durability. The condition of your armor matters almost as much as the class.
Durability: The Hidden Factor
Armor has a maximum durability and a current durability. Every bullet that hits the armor reduces its durability — both on penetration (more damage) and on absorption (less damage, but it still degrades). As durability drops, so does the effective protection the armor provides.
At roughly 50% durability, armor is noticeably easier to penetrate. At 25% or below, even lower-tier ammo starts to reliably punch through. This means the same Class 5 armor that blocked three rounds at full durability might be defeated by the fourth round after taking those hits. Experienced players always check their armor durability before a raid and repair it if it's below 70–75%.
Repair costs scale with the armor's base price and how much durability you're restoring. High-class armors are expensive to repair but last much longer than low-class armors because they absorb hits without being penetrated. A Class 6 armor that takes 15 hits but only gets penetrated twice will lose less durability overall than a Class 4 that gets penetrated 12 out of 15 shots.
Armor Classes 1–6: Full Breakdown
Offers almost no protection in PvP. Basically every ammo in the game penetrates Class 1 armor reliably. These appear on low-level AI Scavs. Never pay rubles for Class 1 body armor for PvP.
Marginally better than Class 1. Budget pistol ammo bounces. Most rifle and SMG ammo goes through it without issue. Sometimes worn by low-experience Scavs or very budget PMCs. Not recommended even as a budget option.
The lowest class that has any relevance in PvP. Cheap budget ammo (pen 20–30) is inconsistent against Class 3. B-tier ammo (pen 40+) will penetrate reliably. Very common at the very start of a wipe when everyone is running budget kits. Worth grabbing off dead Scavs early on if you have nothing better.
The baseline for serious mid-game PvP. Class 4 armor blocks most budget ammo (pen under 40) and requires dedicated B-tier ammo (pen 40–50) to defeat reliably. At this class you start getting actual protection in a gunfight. A well-maintained Class 4 vest will save you from a few rounds of PS ammo that would otherwise kill you. The most common armor you'll see in mid-wipe raiding.
High-end armor that requires A-tier ammo (pen 50–60) to reliably penetrate. Class 5 armors make a real difference in sustained firefights — a player in fresh Class 5 versus someone using PS ammo could tank 20+ rounds. This is late mid-game territory. Class 5 armors require real investment, and you'll need dedicated S/A-tier ammo to fight players wearing them. Many high-experience players run Class 5 as their daily driver because it's more affordable than Class 6 while providing most of the protection.
Maximum protection. Only top-tier ammo (pen 60+) reliably penetrates fresh Class 6. A player in full durability Class 6 is nearly immune to anything below S-tier ammo. Fighting a Class 6 Chad with budget kit is essentially hopeless in a fair fight — you need to aim for the face/neck hitbox or use the absolute best ammo in your caliber. Class 6 armors are expensive to buy and expensive to repair. Chads run them because they can afford to.
Thorax vs Head: Where to Aim
Body armor protects the thorax (and sometimes the stomach). Helmets protect the head. These are separate systems. A player can have Class 6 body armor but an unprotected face — and a single face shot ends the fight instantly.
Against armored opponents: Aim for the thorax as your primary target — it has the highest HP (85 HP on max health) and is the largest target. Use ammo that reliably penetrates their armor class. Alternatively, if you have the precision, aim for the face (the specific hitbox below the helmet visor) for an instant kill regardless of armor.
The face shot meta: Some players specifically aim for unprotected face hitboxes even on helmeted opponents. Most helmets don't fully cover the face without a visor attachment. Shooting the jaw/chin area on even a Class 6 helmet player can be a one-shot kill. This is why high-end helmets with full face shields (like the Altyn or ZSh-1-2M) are valued so highly — they close that gap.
Leg meta: Legs have no armor protection at all. High-damage, low-penetration rounds aimed at legs can be a legitimate strategy against heavily armored players — four shots to both legs causes a "bleed" debuff and severely cripples movement. This is a niche but valid tactic in specific situations.
Helmet Choices
Helmets are separate from body armor and have their own class system. A Class 3 helmet stops pistol rounds and low-tier SMG ammo but won't block rifle rounds. Class 5+ helmets stop most ammo except top-tier rifle rounds.
Face shields are optional attachments on most helmets. Without a face shield, the face hitbox is exposed — any round that hits it deals full damage directly to the head HP pool (35 HP), which is almost always fatal. High-class face shields block many rounds but significantly reduce visibility and add weight.
Best Budget Armor Choices by Wipe Stage
When to Repair vs When to Replace
Armor repair is done at the Workbench in your Hideout or by paying Mechanic's repair service (more expensive). The cost of repair increases with the armor's base price and the durability deficit. Some armors are so cheap that replacing them is more cost-effective than repairing them.
A useful rule: if the armor is worth over 200k₽ and has a solid amount of durability to restore, repair it. If it's a budget Class 3–4 armor at low durability, the repair cost might be close to just buying a replacement. Compare repair cost at Mechanic vs buying the same armor on Flea Market — whichever is cheaper wins.
Important note: armor has a maximum durability cap that can be reduced by repair. Each repair session slightly reduces the maximum durability. Over many repairs, even a Class 6 armor can degrade to having a reduced max durability. This is why really high-value armor pieces can decrease in Flea Market price if they've been heavily repaired.