Stop guessing why your bullets failed to drop that enemy PMC. Master BattleState Games' complex ballistics formula: armor class thresholds, penetration curves vs plate durability, and blunt kinetic damage through helmets and body armor.
Every armor class requires roughly 10 points of bullet penetration to defeat reliably: Class 3 requires Pen 30+, Class 4 requires Pen 40+, Class 5 requires Pen 45-50+, and Class 6 requires Pen 55+. If your ammo penetration equals the armor class x 10, your first shot has an ~80% chance to penetrate.
When a ceramic or steel plate stops a bullet, it loses significant durability percentage (Ceramic loses up to 22% per hit; Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene loses only 12%). Once plate durability drops below 50%, even budget rounds have a 70%+ chance to punch through.
Even if an armor plate successfully blocks a high-energy rifle bullet (like 7.62x54mmR or .300 Blackout AP), the non-penetrating impact transfers blunt damage directly into your thorax (typically 8 to 22 HP). Taking 3 to 4 blunt impacts will deplete your 85 HP thorax pool and cause death without any flesh penetration.
Tarkov Patch 0.15 features realistic modular armor plate hitboxes. If an enemy PMC is wearing a Class 6 chest plate, shooting their side armpit or neck bypasses the heavy ceramic plate entirely and impacts only Level 2/3 soft aramid inserts.
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7.62x39mm BP (Pen 47), 5.56x45mm SSA AP (Pen 56), and 7.62x51mm M61 (Pen 64) are the premier armor-shredding meta ammunitions. M61 guarantees first-shot penetration through even the heaviest Class 6 plates.
Yes! Body armor applies movement speed, turning speed, and ergonomics penalties regardless of whether the plate is at 100% durability or completely destroyed (0 HP). Always drop zeroed-out armor in a bush if replacements are unavailable.
