Weapons, armor and economy - 6.5
Armor
In one line: Three kinds of armor: light (400), regen (650) and heavy (1000). On full buys you almost always buy heavy; on budget rounds, light versus regen depends on how you will fight.
Why armor matters
Every player has 100 health. Armor adds protection that absorbs part (or all) of the damage you take. It does not make you invincible, but it changes how many shots it takes to kill you, and that decides many duels.
Some concrete examples, with the numbers from the weapon pages:
- the Phantom beyond 15 meters deals 140 to the head: without armor it kills you, with heavy armor it does not;
- the Ghost deals 105 to the head: it kills unarmored players, not armored ones;
- the Outlaw deals 140 to the body: it kills through light armor, not heavy.
In other words, armor often gives you one more shot to answer with. And that shot wins the duel.
The three kinds of armor
| Armor | Cost | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Light | 400 | Absorbs part of the damage until it has absorbed 25 |
| Regen | 650 | Absorbs all damage up to 25 points; then refills (twice, from a 50-point reserve) after a few seconds without being hit |
| Heavy | 1000 | Absorbs part of the damage until it has absorbed 50 |
Regen armor was added in patch 9.10. It is a middle ground: cheaper than heavy, but if you fight several times in the round and give it time to refill between fights, it protects you a lot.
Which one to buy
A simple rule for most rounds:
| Round | Typical armor |
|---|---|
| Full buy | Heavy |
| Pistol round | Light (if you buy any) |
| Force and half buy | Light or regen, depending on money |
| Eco | None, or at most light |
Between light and regen the choice depends on how you will fight: if you expect a single fight (an entry, a straight duel), light is cheaper; if you expect to fight several times with breaks in between (a delay on defense, a post-plant), regen gives more value.
Armor between rounds
If you survive, your armor stays with you next round, like your gun. If it is damaged, you can decide whether to buy new armor. So before buying, check what you have: sometimes heavy armor still intact saves you 1000 credits.
It is one of the reasons saving at the end of a lost round pays off: you keep gun and armor, and next round you only spend on abilities.
Regen armor in practice
Regen armor pays off only if you play a certain way: fight, disengage, wait a few seconds behind cover and come back with your protection full again. If you stay in the same duel until you die, it protects you less than it costs.
Roles and situations where it usually makes sense:
- a defender playing for delay: shoot, fall back and take a new position further back, several times in the same round;
- a lurker, with short, isolated fights in different parts of the map;
- a player holding the post-plant from range, with long pauses between shots.
In a straight entry, on the other hand, the first fight decides everything and the refill never comes: there, saving for your gun or an ability matters more.
A buying example
Example
Second round on attack after winning the pistol round
You won the pistol round and survived with your Classic and your light armor still intact. You have about 3900 credits. The team calls a half buy so everyone can full buy in round three.
You buy a Spectre (1600) and keep the light armor you already have: no need to buy it again. You add the abilities you need and end the round with more than 1500 credits. If you win, you reach rifle and heavy armor in round three without trouble; if you lose, the 1900 loss bonus still lets you buy with your teammates.
The underlying idea: every credit you do not spend today counts tomorrow, and armor you are already wearing is a purchase you do not have to make again.
Buying priorities
When money does not cover everything, the most sensible order is almost always:
- a gun suited to the range you will fight at;
- armor (heavy on full buys);
- abilities, starting with the ones the team needs (smokes, flashes, information).
There is one important exception: for some roles and agents, an ability (for example the controller's smokes) is worth more than a better gun. A controller without smokes takes away something nobody else can give the team. The chapter on utility and economy covers this.
The most common mistakes
The armor mistakes we see most:
- skipping it to buy a better gun: a Vandal without armor loses to a Spectre with armor more often than you would think;
- buying it on an eco, spending money needed for the next round;
- not waiting for regen armor to refill, going straight back into a fight after losing it;
- not checking armor left from the previous round and buying new armor for nothing.
Armor is the least flashy purchase in the game, and one of the most important.
Remember
- Heavy 1000, regen 650, light 400.
- With heavy armor many guns no longer kill with one headshot.
- Regen armor refills twice if you go a few seconds without being hit.
- A rifle without armor is half a buy.
What not to do
Buying a rifle and skipping armor to get an extra ability.
Instead Gun and armor first, then abilities.
Buying heavy armor on an eco round.
Instead If you save, really save; at most light armor.
Fighting again right after losing your regen armor.
Instead Wait a few seconds in cover: it refills from the reserve.
Forgetting that armor carries over if you survive.
Instead Check what you have before rebuying.