UPDATED - Tarkov Armor Tier List - Complete S-D Guide - Patch 14.9

[@Airwingmarine]

Try out War Thunder for free on PC, PlayStation or Xbox now by using my link playwt.link/airwingmarine. Anyone new or anyone returning from more than a 6 month break will also receive a massive bonus pack across all platforms including multiple premium vehicles and other goodies that are available for a limited time only, so make sure not to miss it!

[@Kandranos]

Best Tarkov youtube content creator out there. Keep it up man, been with ya since the crafting profit series. Loved watching you grow

[@jimtNCUSA]

Big fax

[@UnluckyGunner]

Whenever you make these edits its a major missed opertunity to add all of the plates themselves, in the future you should do these tier lists with the plates as well factored by: Weight, reparability, how many carriers can use them, and ease of acquiring in my opinion. Thanks for the info as always

[@Airwingmarine]

I'm already working on a separate video for plates. You can't smush that much stuff into a single video. People just get lost and the narrative is 10x harder to maintain.

[@darkdraconis]

​@@Airwingmarineout of curiosity, what's the average watchtime on vids longer than 20 min?

[@Airwingmarine]

Depends on the video, but figure about 50%, less as they get longer and longer

[@masterkeef420]

@@Airwingmarine Thanks TIk-Tok D:

[@KyleCollective]

Love how it’s split now. No one is ever happy. They fix the armor coverage, now everyone is complaining people are too tanky, revert it back you die to easy. There’s no winning. I personally like how it is now. Survived things I usually never would

[@SolidSnake1217]

the rats are not happy

[@FaeFactor]

I personally don't enjoy it a ton. Makes some of the less used ammo types almost useless, like 5.45 and Pistol rounds. Even 5.56 has been messed up by the changes. It feels like you have to run 7.62 x 51 if you want to compete.

[@Haikeno]

@@FaeFactorbut at the same time that’s more a problem with what ammo is available in the traders and how’s that’s balanced rather than the new armor

[@mariozimmermann7307]

I'm with ya. I really like it how it is right now. More Tanky

[@PrivateMemo]

@@FaeFactor That was already the case before. 5.56 has always been dog.

[@freshdachs6200]

The rat rig is class 2 in the back, making it a contender for d-tier

[@Chevalier_knight]

Rats dont have there backs to people

[@fearstreak7462]

For PvE, i can not stress enough the desire for throat protection. I'm always running a face shield on my Zsh helmet as well because so SOO often you'll get a group of pmcs rush you around a corner in close quarters. Their ammo can be pretty bad on normal maps so even having a second to finish my reload animation or start my pistol quick draw; it's VERY much needed. But even with a face shield, there's the ever present chance that their headshot aimbot ends up hitting your throat. IF a scav or a pmc with a shotgun does this, then you want this, and EVERY vital hitbox covered by armor. For that reason i agree and appreciate Airwing's armor tier lists because of his understanding of the armor system and its a purely personal reason if you think sacrificing throat protection is worth an upgrade to t3 aramid in other areas. So again, for these reasons and my playstyle of PvE this is my recommendation. Until you hit lv 4 ragman to barter for a Fort Defender (you also get access to a t4 face shield at rag4) (and then subsequently do tasks to unlock S tier armors with throat) i'm only running my Zsh helmet with the 6B13 armor or it's class 5 default, but aramid equivalent, Korund. Any scav you run into, you'll hear shout. If you are around a PMC that doesn't shout, then you can typically hear them sprint towards you through a wall or they're aim botting you through a window, in which case you always take cover and try to out flank.

[@billzhao1857]

the tv raider bear armor rig do have class 2 soft armor

[@PointingLasersAtAircraft]

The Dr Kidinspect armor should be removed from the game.

[@CrityCrit]

Barg is 100% S tier 2 4 slots massive 2 slots and comes with 5 you can buy it 2 times barter for it and craft it.

[@Jefphis]

It would behoove you to not even try to repair the ceramic shit

[@Airwingmarine]

Early on, class 5 or 6 is fine to repair once. It still provides a little better protection than class 4

[@Handcannon77]

what lol...? Makes absolutely zero sense to refuse to repair ceramic. When im running a Ghzel, Zhuk, or Killa armor and have a tier 6 in the front you bet im repairing it because the t6 plates for them are quite rare and hard to obtain, ive never ran into an issue repairing it if it gets shot down to 25/50 or something. Sure it doesnt repair well, and usually can only repair a certain amount, but you should still absolutely repair it if you can repair it to >50% of the starting value.

[@dombrist_from_kz]

Thanks pal. This was helpful a lot. Yesterday me and my buddy argued over Osprey's, like which one is better and we totally missed that soft armour has a difference. Also i have a question is there any point to invest into neck protection, or we can skip it ?

[@Airwingmarine]

It'll save you from svavs and pistol rounds

[@_VXLS]

Heyyy everyone!!

[@torch1028]

Something to say about the rat rig Its trash but last i was looking it was 45k fresh and 4 of them trade for a freshie Tier 4 for adjusted 36k roubles is what it is...

[@yuurbi9136]

Bruh I bought tarkov 3 years ago and only played it 2 times 😂😂😂 AB has been training me thi

[@dubdaws]

This list just doesn't make sense sometimes. How is the MMAC and Banshee a C tier when the A18 is a B tier when they have the same protective properties? The MMAC and Banshee actually provides more armor with soft side armor than the TV-110 and it's still C tier rather than B. There's more like this but I'm just naming this one for the example.

[@LuciferXV]

When is the amor material video coming?

[@TatenStamm]

Honestly, this is probably one of the best videos for the armor out there, I see a lot of the ones others have in S tier down on yours, but how you explain why just proves the others aren't actually looking at what can be done. Its the same for the Koround armor, I love it, but having that level 2 soft only really does bump it down as even with the level 5 plates, you just get knocked so hard if they don't stop the round since the soft armor doesn't do well against higher tier bullets.

[@MarkyTheSharky]

to me this is how I'd rank the armors myself but I noticed in my own opinion neck armor is useless ASF :)) I've almost never tanked a neck shot with neck armor only being lvl 3 at most i've died to scavs using anything, I think zhuk 6 is very good overall even just putting lvl 5 plates in it I actually treasure protecting stomach a lot more sometimes cause if you get blacked stomach the multiplier is insane from some shot gun scavs

[@gabrielfiuzamachado8404]

Completely ignored neck protection

[@Airwingmarine]

Not at all... 11:45

[@desertformavs]

one of the best tarkov youtube channels. always thumbs up

[@TheSpeedyCola]

great stuff brotha! woldys need this info lol

[@eren_jeager132]

Putting the korund in C is diabolical 😂 Personally love it as its only 9kg compared to other class 5's that can be 14+

[@Chevalier_knight]

But why wouod you run it if you have the b nd a tiers

[@chopstixx5906]

Tier list is incorrect its based on his opinion not the armor rating

[@wordlessi]

Just run thor, better protection cus t3 soft and way more light

[@Chevalier_knight]

@@wordlessi thor doesnt have neck protection

[@wordlessi]

@@Chevalier_knight t2 soft rlly doesnt do much when in the neck it doesnt block scav bullets like 5.45 ps. Also its almost the same as the cpc armor but without soft armor on the upper thorax hitbox

[@LurifaxDK]

Could you make the tierlist available for download or sharing?

[@TheShadowFox1]

You did it again! The green bear rig does have aramid! Its not a plate carrier, last time youvsaid tge same thing, its a good little rig.

[@imir_]

The PACA is actually good in my opinion. It is very lightweight like 3.5kg

[@Airwingmarine]

a vest that stops almost no ammo is not good no matter what it's weight is....

[@alarminglyfastmovingskelet7289]

@@Airwingmarine "stops almost no ammo" Even Class 2 can make the difference between getting 1-tapped by 7mm buckshot. It obviously isn't going to be competitive amongst the people who play the game for a living. At the very least it's the best Class 2.

[@Airwingmarine]

@@alarminglyfastmovingskelet7289 Class 2 will only have an impact on rounds bellow 15 pen. That is like ~15-20% of the ammo in the game, the vast majority of which no one ever uses.

[@alarminglyfastmovingskelet7289]

@@Airwingmarine Why do you keep forgetting about scavs? Obviously nobody is going to use Class 2 for PvP. Even at the very beginning of wipe that has never been the case. This argument translates over to real life pretty well, if you used soft armor thinking it would protect you from armor-piercing ammunition then that is your fault.

[@Airwingmarine]

@@alarminglyfastmovingskelet7289 I'm not forgetting about scavs. Even they usually have PST GZH or 7.62 HP at a minimum which blows right through class 2. The only thing it's going to save you from is a shot or two from a shotgun scav. Class 3 is too readily available to warrant the use of class 2. You can find more each raid off dead scavs than you can fit in your bag.

[@Lifo_vlrt]

19:00

[@_Scipio]

Thanks for the tier list, wish we didn't have to get a new one again. Changing from realistic plates to unrealistic plates is backwards progress. We have had this meta before, and we know where it leads. This change will push the meta to anything but big caliber and high pen ammo will be relegated to meme/scav tier, better shoot legs Timmy. Are we going to go full circle and have them also adjust ammo availability at traders to combat the forcefield armor and make all calibers feel viable? That's irony. This change was a PR decision to appease certain streamers after the Unheard Edition backlash, instead of game design decision. Disingenuous people call it a 'fix', when they made the plates comically large and unrealistic.

[@chopstixx5906]

This tier list is incorrect its based on his opinion not armor stats

[@alarminglyfastmovingskelet7289]

Yeah it genuinely just feels like regression by every metric. It's just the same system as before the armor rework, now with extra steps. I already miss how deadly the fights used to feel. Finally felt like everyone was firing bullets at each other, now it's back to nerf bullets.

[@P_Weave]

Awesome video. Thanks for making it.

[@Hairyasscrack11]

How is tactec a tier it has no side plates?

[@ivar6829]

Does the craftable armour still come with tier 5 armour plates? I thought they changed that to tier 4, but might be wrong

[@ItsAbility]

I hated the new armor system at 1st now I think it's dope your armor class means a lot more

[@BlinchixOfRivia]

The TV-115 has lvl2 aramid

[@jharris2k9]

only critique is you shouldn't of put so much weight on the pockets of the rigs

[@Airwingmarine]

Personal preference my man. This is 'my tier list' as I can't do one that takes into everyone's diverse view points.

[@SomeGuy-ww3zu]

Thanks for the update

[@wordlessi]

Any armor ith full body plate protection (side plates) is so obviously better than anything with t2 soft armor in "better spots". T3 i would possible get cause maybe 1 extra tanked bullet but it makes no sense for otv or tv110 be above the mmac. The mmac takes side plates the tv110 and otv dont

[@Airwingmarine]

The difference between Level 2 and 3 aramid is substantial for any round under 44 pen. And it is moderately effective even for rounds up to about 50 pen. This matters A LOT when it comes to various bullets and scenarios. It's not a matter of 1 shot. It's usually the diff of 3, or 4. I don't give too much weight to side plates, because they only cover your stomach hitbox, not your thorax. So I value protection of a fatal hitbox over a nonfatal hitbox. Like I said, you are completely free to disagree. This is how I look at it.

[@wordlessi]

@@Airwingmarine in this case i change my mind. I always tought that even after the armor changes side plates protect lower thorax and front plate protects upper thorax (side)

[@wordlessi]

@@Airwingmarine is there any videos testing side plate protection area ingame?

[@Airwingmarine]

@@wordlessi Gigabeef and I both did some, but it's wasn't super important so we didn't include much in our videos.

[@Mrtom40]

Thank you

[@hegsC]

no slick?

[@pwnnr13]

In B tier.

[@ForTheJerusalem]

Really wish they just stole mechanics from mods, instead of trying and failing to do something.

[@yikesmcgee-gz3lq]

Wish I could buy good armor. Woods main and don’t do quests. All the good stuff is locked behind degenerate quests and leveling up traders. It blows my mind people have that much free time to unlock all that shit 😂

[@Scorpionclaw1984]

One of the reasons I play pve only. No cheaters either. And no wipes

[@Skriptz187]

Quests are fun and force action

[@alarminglyfastmovingskelet7289]

I mean really if you know what you're doing you can still level up traders relatively quickly without obsessing over tasks. I'm a Woods main too and got to Level 15 just stalking PMC's. Not all PvP has to be "degenerate"

[@narcisiordan6713]

Fellow single player tarkov(spt) enjoyer here, i've tested out almost every single armor in the game useing an advanced ai system and i gotta say, some of the armor's on S tier are kinda BS , for example, the knight armor at the front of S tier . Got in a fight with killa, he rushed me, shot me in the thorax 2 times and i met the heavenly father after that. On the other hand, a zabralo or the redut-ts has saved my behind more often than the armor's in S tier. Take into considertation that i have a mod installed that helps me mess with the AI settings, they now jump corners, get to cover often etc etc , so yeah,that was my piece of mind, imp the A and S tier's are controversial, but the rest is OK as far as testing went

[@HelloxImxPaul]

Fuck the armor... Fix the audio and cheating issues.

[@stanivanov4046]

Why is this bullshit bro? Can’t you just say which one is the best and that’s it? xd

[@aaronb.6092]

Please like and comment this comment i need engagement for my algorithm

[@fernandoferraz3527]

They broke armour so bad XDDDD It was perfect with new old system, and they messed it up XD

[@Airwingmarine]

It was deff not perfect.... But this is the pendulum swinging to far for sure.

[@alarminglyfastmovingskelet7289]

@@Airwingmarine I'd say the armor system was perfect, it just was very incompatible with the simplistic damage model of PMC's. If the thorax/stomach had more detailed vital zones then getting shot in between your plates wouldn't be such an issue. But we all know BSG and their tendency to fix problems in the most laziest way possible.

[@chopstixx5906]

So you should make the title "my opinion on armor" instead of incorrectly labeling S tier armor as A tier

[@Airwingmarine]

Every tier list video ever created is an opinion

[@chopstixx5906]

@Airwingmarine not true 😂 there are opinions and then there are statistics. Just cause you don't like an armor or the way it looks doesn't mean it doesn't tank bullets

[@Airwingmarine]

@@chopstixx5906 I feel like you don't understand what tier lists are... If you are comparing items that have no subjectivity to them there is no reason for a tier list. You don't do a tier list for the numbers 1-10 based on which one is bigger than the other.... If there is no subjective parameters then a tier list is just a sequential value that will be the same across all spectrums... Not all armors work for all situations in tarkov. There is always a choice between different objects based on what your goal for raid is.. Some armor is better for some playstyles than others.

[@hvzacademy6924]

​@@chopstixx5906 Please by all means point everyone to a completely objective tarkov armor tier list. Don't worry, we'll wait.

[@trick-]

first

[@user-hh5pj5jv8p]

Really wish they nerf the armor durability, hitboxes are great but people are too tanky now.

[@Opachki69420]

blunt throughput is the root of that issue

[@alarminglyfastmovingskelet7289]

Yeah that's a result of Class 3 soft armor being used in conjunction with Class 5/6.

[@user-hh5pj5jv8p]

@@alarminglyfastmovingskelet7289 more than anything it’s because they buffed plate durability calculations back when plates only covered a small area. The lvl 3 plate behind helps but not that much