Everything works a bit differently in Tarkov. The game takes a realistic approach to everything, from gunplay to having fractured bones. Nothing is all that simple. This even applies to body armor. Things aren’t as simple as starting with full health in Call of Duty or drinking a Chug Jug like in Fortnite. Here, armor is a little more measured. Even compared with previous builds of the game, the current Escape from Tarkov armor is a lot more restrictive than you’ll find elsewhere.
Choosing Escape from Tarkov armor isn’t limited to picking the one with the best stats. Each has a different price, materials, durability, and penalties. This makes actually picking one for your loadout a bit difficult, especially for beginners. When choosing armor, you have to balance all of these concerns. This isn’t easy. This guide breaks down these various aspects to find the best pieces of body for use in your loadouts. These are the elements that you can use in loadouts because of their versatility and overall balance.
It’s important to remember that Escape from Tarkov is still very much under construction. Recent updates have nearly completely overhauled the body armor in the game. While this puts it in a more finished state than other aspects, the stats and systems for body armor are subject to change. Any update can change things up, but at the moment these are your best choices.
Escape from Tarkov Amor – Body Armor
Class 2 Body Armor
This is the lowest class of armor that is even available to you. It is cheap to buy, so you don’t really have to worry about losing it. It’s also unlocked pretty early. This makes it accessible and easy for beginners to rely on. In terms of what it actually helps you defend against though, it isn’t the best. It is effective at blocking shotguns shots and some pistol type rounds. This isn’t going to be too helpful against skilled PVP players. However, these are good choices of Escape from Tarkov armor for rough or well-medicated raids. Each protects your thorax and stomach only.
- Module-3M Body Armor – This has a durability of 40. However, it decreases your movement speed by 7% and your turn speed by 6%.
- PACA Soft Armor – This has a durability of 50 and takes 6% from your movement along with 5% of your turn speed.
- 6B2 Armor – This has a durability of 80, but a movement penalty of 6% and turn speed penalty of 3%.
This batch of armor isn’t really effective enough to be fantastic for actual use. However, its cheap price is going to give you some protection without much investment. The PACA armor is the best in terms of price to benefit, but you should avoid class 2 armor where possible.
Class 3 Body Armor
This is the next class of armor that only covers your body. This pack is a big step up from class 2. For Escape from Tarkov armor, this class is definitely worthwhile looking into. It has much better protection than class 2 but isn’t as costly as the higher tiers of armor. They are effective against shotguns and even most rifle rounds. It works well against Scavs, but also against a fair amount of PVP players. These are your options.
- MF-UNTAR Armor Vest – This comes with a durability of 45 and gives you a movement penalty of 18%, and a turn speed of 6%.
- Zhuk-3 P – This one has a durability of 50 but with a much more manageable movement penalty of 10% and 4% turning penalty.
- 6B23-1 – This has a durability of 60. However, there is an 11% moving penalty and 5% turning penalty.
- BNTI Kirasa-N Amor – This comes with a durability of 60 with a 8% movement penalty and a 5% turning penalty.
The BNTI armor is the clear standout here, but it does have a higher price that reflects this. If possible, this should be your Class 3 armor of choice.
Escape from Tarkov Armor – Class 4 Body Armor
These Escape from Tarkov armor options are pretty effective even if they’re only in the middle of the scale. They’re quite the jump above class 3 tier equipment. These are the best choices of armor for an economical loadout that can hold its own against actually experienced enemy players. It can stop rifle rounds, shotguns, and even pistols. Although, there is a fair few different rounds and weapons that it can’t quite stop. These Class 4 pieces of Escape from Tarkov armor are solid choices for players willing to put a bit more into their loadout.
- Highcom Trooper TFO Armor – This armor has a durability of 70, but a movement penalty of 9% and 5% turning penalty.
- 6B13 Assault Armor – With a 47 durability this isn’t as strong as other class 4 body armor. It does come with a 12% movement penalty and 3% turning penalty.
- BNTI Gzhel-K Armor – This has a durability of 75 and a movement penalty of 10%, it also has a 3% turning penalty.
Out of the class 4 Escape from Tarkov armor, the Highcom is a good balance. A few of the others offer greater protection, but they come at a pretty high movement cost. The Highcom gives you a nice balance and doesn’t cost too much.
Escape from Tarkov Amor – Class 5 Body Armor
Class 5 Escape from Tarkov body armor is pretty effective against everything. This isn’t the highest level of armor, but it is a bit cheaper than class 6. This stuff protects against most attacks and is considered to be the highest tier of armor because of its lower price. The smaller difference between this and the next tier is a lot smaller than the gap between this and the tier before. While this is all great, this armor is quite a bit more expensive than those below them and harder to find in-game.
- FORT Redut-M Body Armor – With a 57 durability, this armor doesn’t go as far as the BNTI. It has a movement penalty 13% and a 12% turning penalty.
- IOTV Gen4 Armor – This has a durability of 68. It also has a hefty 17% movement penalty and 9% turning penalty.
Either of these choices are great Escape from Tarkov armor if you can afford them. However, the FORT definitely comes out above the IOTV.
Class 6 Body Armor
The class 6 body armor is the highest in the game. It offers the greatest protection possible. However, this often comes with a serious movement penalty.
- Zhuk-6A – Heavy Armor – This armor has a 95 durability! Although, that also comes with a 37% movement penalty and 15% turning.
- 6B43 Zabralo-Sh 6A Armor – This has a durability of 75, turning penalty of 18% and movement penalty of 40$.
Of course, this is fantastic armor. However, it is very expensive. You will be better off saving a bit of money with class 5 than splurging on one of these two Escape from Tarkov armor choices.
Which Escape from Tarkov Body Armor Do You Need?
There are a lot of choices when it comes down to body armor. There is a trade-off and you can’t always wear level 6 armor. Class 5 armor offers the best value and protection for games where you’re going in fully equipped. Otherwise, one of the better options in Class 3 or 4 are going to give the best balance between cost and effectiveness.
Escape from Tarkov Armor – Helmets
Helmets are another option for body armor in Escape from Tarkov. With its realistic health system, your head is pretty vulnerable in this game. A headshot is lethal, as it likely should be. This makes a quality helmet really important. These things might not see as much use as body armor, but they’ll save your life if they work properly. These are your options:
Class 1 Helmets
- Soft Crew Helmet TSH-4M-L – This is the only level 1 helmet in the game. It has a durability of 100 and a high chance of ricocheting a bullet. However, it does muffle sound slightly.
Class 2 Helmets
- Kolpak-1S Riot Helmet – This has a durability of 25, a low ricochet chance, but it gives you a movement penalty of 2 and a turn penalty of 10. This also has a high sound muffling effect.
- SHPM Firefighter’s Helmet – This has a durability of 40, a low ricochet chance, it muffles sound a lot and has a turn speed penalty of 12%. However, it has no movement penalty.
- PSH-97 Djeta Helmet – This has a durability of 65, low chance of ricochet, no movement penalty, and a 13% turning penalty. However, it also has a particularly high sound muffling effect.
- Jack-O-Lantern Tactical Pumpkin Helmet – This has a durability of 40, no chance of ricochet, a 3% movement penalty, a 5% turning penalty, and only a low sound muffling effect. However, it also looks like a pumpkin. This makes you a lot easier to spot and line a head shot up.
Class 3 Helmets
- UNTAR Helmet – This the helmet has 25 durability, a high chance of ricochet, a 2% movement penalty, a 10% turning penalty and a low muffling effect.
- 6B47 Ratnik-BSh Helmet – This has a durability of 25 as well, with a high chance of ricochet, 1% movement penalty, 5% turning penalty and a low muffling effect.
- SSh-68 Helmet – The durability of this Escape from Tarkov armor is 30, it has a medium chance of ricochet, it gives you only a 1% movement penalty, a 7% turning penalty, and no sound muddling.
- Klver-M Helmet – This has a durability of 35, a 3% movement penalty, a 5% turning penalty, and a high muffling effect.
- DEVTAC Ronin Ballistic – With a 60 durability and low chance of ricochet, this is a solid piece of armor. However, it has a 5% movement penalty, a 10% turning penalty, and a high chance of ricochet.
- SSSh-95 Sfera-S (Sphere-S) – This helmet has a durability of 100, a medium chance of ricochet, a 2% movement penalty, a 10% turning penalty, and a high sound muffling effect.
Class 4 Helmets
- MSA ACH TC-2001 MICH series Helmet – As a class 4 helmet, this one isn’t all that durable. It has a durability of 25, a high chance of ricochet, a 2% movement penalty, an 8% turning penalty, and no sound muffling.
- Highcom Striker ACHHC IIIA Helmet – The Highcom has a 30 durability, a high chance of ricochet, a 2% movement penalty, a 7% turning penalty, and no sound muffling.
- ZSh-1-2m – This helmet has a durability of 30, a medium chance of ricochet, a 3% movement penalty, an 8% turning penalty, and a high sound muffling effect.
- Ops-Core Fast MT Super High Cut Helmet – This has a durability of 40, a high chance of ricochet, a 2% movement penalty, a 10% turning penalty, and a low sound muffling effect.
- Crye Precision Airframe Tan – The Cyre helmet has a durability of 40, a high chance of ricocheting, no movement penalty, a 3% turning penalty, and no sounds muffling effect.
- Team Wendy EXFL – This helmet has a durability of 45, a high chance of ricochet, a 1% movement penalty, a 6% turning penalty, and no sound muffling.
- BNTI LSHZ 2DTM Helmet – The BNTI has a durability of 55, a high chance of ricochet, a high sound muffling effect, a 3% movement penalty, and a 15% turning penalty.
- Maska 1Sch Helmet – This one has a durability of 60, medium chance of ricochet, 3% movement penalty, high sound muffling, and 6% turning penalty.
Class 5
- Altyn Helmet – This one has a 45 durability, a high chance of ricochet, a 7% movement penalty, a 17% turning penalty, and a high sound muffling effect.
Class 6 Helmets
- Vulkan-5 (LShZ-5) Heavy Helmet – The last helmet has a durability of 55, a high chance of ricochet, a 7% movement penalty, a 33% turning penalty, and a high sound muffling effect.
Which Escape from Tarkov Helmet Should You use?
You need to protect your head. However, high-quality helmets get expensive fast. That’s why the selection of Escape from Tarkov armor is so wide, in plenty of places things even out between the various drawbacks. For the most part, when you’re choosing a helmet you need to consider ricocheting. This might be a bit more random, but a high chance of ricocheting is going to save you fairly often compared with a stronger helmet and a low chance. This makes some of the lower down helmets like the UNTAR Helmet a pretty solid choice when you’re watching the price of your loadout.
Escape from Tarkov can get a bit complicated. However, the first thing you need to do is make sure you’re running the best settings to get a good performance out of the game or check out the settings of some popular streamers for some inspiration.