Armor in Tarkov Doesn't Work Anymore.

About a month ago we talked about the new armor changes that have been added to Tarkov, and the implications of changing a mechanic so integral to the game meant for the player base. I wanted to give it some time, level up and get access to better base armor and plates before returning to this topic once more. And just like in the first video, I have done zero science or any testing to back up my feelings on this matter. I know many other creators were curious and wanted to see whether or not the new armor system worked correctly, but I don’t have the knowledge to collect that data and to be able to present it in a way that is cohesive, makes sense, and is accurate. So, everything I say here will once again be coming from experience over the course of the last month. And I can only speak from my own personal experiences, so take that for what it’s worth. Maybe it’s just me, but armor feels like it doesn’t do anything anymore. At least that’s what it feels like. On one hand, armor can tank entire magazines, yes. But sometimes those situations boil down to not the armor being strong, but the ammo used against it being bad. As well as poor aim from its user. Either way, the number of times I have come across dead PMC armor that is still almost full or completely full after a fight, has raised suspicion to the value of armor as a whole. Armor doesn’t do anything anymore. At least, that’s what it feels like these days. I’m curious what others think about this so be sure to give your perspective in the comments and subscribe for more videos about topics like this in the future.

When the initial newness of the armor change came out, we all had low penetration ammo. I would also say bad guns but with the recoil changes, guns don’t really matter much anymore in terms of how kitted they are. So, naturally, people either dying in a single shot, or taking almost entire magazines was chalked up to the new armor. Protection has more base health than it did previously. Both armor, armored rigs, and helmets alike. I mean I get it. The armor rework made the hitboxes more accurate to where the protective plates and soft armor are located. I get it. But it seems almost too accurate. The number of times I’ve died to my armpits, groin, calves is crazy. What’s also crazy is seeing someone in front of me, dying to that person and then the post raid report telling me I got shot in the back. I know I’m not the only one this has happened to. Which means one of two things. Either the bullet did so much damage that it fragmented and blew my back out, or the system has a lot of issues that need to be ironed out. Because at the start of the wipe, often if you didn’t get hit in the face, you’d soak up a ton of damage before falling. But now, even scavs with objectively bad ammo are still one tapping people myself included in fully protected areas with level 4 or even 5 armors on. I even have a recent example of how armor feels as though it doesn’t do anything, without the proper knowledge of how it works. Watch this clip. That was .300 Blackout Whisper ammo, which has exactly... 14 penetration. And I was wearing a TACTech with a level 5 ultra poly front plate, and a level 4 armor steel back plate. One patch ago, that guy could’ve shot me with 3 magazines, and I wouldn’t have died. But now, two shots from ammo with less than 20 penetration and I fall over dead, with full health. This is just one example of how this system initially felt interesting and okay, but now is confusing and quickly becoming quite frustrating to say the least.

What compounds this problem is the lack of critical and important information from BSG to us, the players. They have always been wishy washy about how much information the community has about how their systems work. But we were able to kind of figure it out to a point where it at least made sense. Now though? Everyone is saying something different, so I don’t bother to listen. It creates tons of little echo chambers and confusion for all Tarkov players who just want to know what’s going on. Maybe not about what’s best in slot, but a matter of does armor work right now or not. You kill a player and walk up to their dead body, and you just look at how much durability is left on their armor, I can almost guarantee that the armor has at least 90% of its total durability still left. Even if you mag dumped the guy right into his chest, for some reason armor feels as though it isn’t tanking the damage appropriately. I don’t know man; things are weird right now, and without any concrete answers from the people who implemented the system, it’s nothing but he said she said.

It’s hard to say exactly what’s going on. The armor system has been confusing since day one of this most recent wipe. Again, we didn’t notice it for a while because the early game armor we were running had nothing but soft armor in it without any plates. So, it was a little more straight forward when it came to taking damage. But even those armors, I remember getting plenty back from insurance especially Paca’s and being like damn this thing is still full durability. Maybe, that was a by-product of the new ammo changes and how awful ammos we weren’t used to running played a role. Maybe that I can agree with. But we’re deep enough into this wipe now where people have good ammo. And rounds like BS, any BP or 55A1 are killing in one shot, but the armor isn’t being destroyed either. Before, the armor would get shredded and at least in that situation I can say, damn the armor didn’t tank the round, ggs. But when I get insurance back and the armor is the same durability I went into that raid with, we have to begin to ask these kinds of questions. And what sucks is that I don’t have any answers to this potential problem. Again, no amount of testing is going to come up with a conclusive answer; something coherent that can be spread across the community to keep everyone informed. People keep trying, and kudos to them they’re basically doing God's work at this point. But trying to create consistency in a game that has been infamously inconsistent for half a decade now will drive anyone up a wall. These systems are too complicated for their own good and interact with too many other systems to account for any potential flags or red herrings. But the blame is on BSG; whether intentional or not (and it is), obviously BSG doesn’t want us to know how these systems work. Which is fine, that’s their choice, but a little more clarity and transparency with maybe a peek behind the curtain would do the community wonders and maybe answer some questions as well as quell some frustrations changes as large as the armor system update have created.

Armor right now feels like the new spawn apocalypse. Even though that one has never been fixed, people are talking about armor now more than ever. And it’s easy to understand why from experiences I’ve read online as well as simply had on my own time. It’s not good; not knowing at all how these systems work sucks. It makes me not want to run armor. It makes me not want to interact with the new plate system that BSG spent time creating and trying to make the forefront of this wipe. Because when I’m still getting one tapped by ammo with less than 20 penetration, the first question you ask yourself is why bother messing with these new mechanics or wearing good armor at all. The idea of sneaking a level 6 plate in a traditional level 3 armor feels pointless now. Bringing extra plates in with you just in case one gets destroyed feels pointless now. It all is starting to feel like fluff on top of systems that are going out of their way to get you killed. And that’s the worst part. I want to engage with these systems, make my own custom armor rigs with plates I like running. It’s such an interesting mechanic and there are more ways to add your personality into the gear you run. But if it doesn’t work correctly, why bother. Hopefully, BSG can either explain some things to us to make it more clear how plates actually work, or if there are issues with the system fix them sooner rather than later. Because it’s deflating and demotivating to want to use them or even play the game when I might have better success running no armor and being naked with my gun. Either way, those are my thoughts about armor basically not working anymore. Thank you very much for taking the time out of your day to watch this video. Let me know in the comments what your experiences have been with armor this wipe, whether it has saved you or not, the durability of armors you’ve found on dead PMCs, and what your insurance has looked like and be sure to subscribe for more videos about systems in the game that may or may not be completely and utterly broken and we don’t even know it. I hope to see you in future ones.