Escape from Tarkov Armor Tier List: Best Vests, Ranked

Escape from Tarkov contains several pieces of armor to protect you from eating bullets from overly modified enemy weapons. These pieces of armor come in all shapes, sizes, prices, and armor ratings, meaning players have to do their research before equipping them. Most armor in Escape from Tarkov servers has separate purposes and has many pros and cons, forcing players to rethink and evaluate what situations they could find themselves within and therefore choose wisely.

body armor isn't generalized within Escape from Tarkov, the developers dedicate an area for the body armor to protect, making the game more realistic. Most FPS titles will provide players with body armor that protects even the legs, however, Escape from Tarkov is realistic and the body armor only covers specific areas on the body, which is specified within the armor description. Players running around with high-level armor may only be protected within their thorax area, lacking the understanding that their head, arms, legs, and stomach are all open for grabs.

Knowing which armor to equip could be the difference between getting out alive.

S-Tier Armor

Here are the following pieces of armor fit for a king, allowing players to receive a lot of shots and survive, whatever the caliber

6B43 6A Zabralo-Sh Body armor - LEVEL 6
NFM THOR Integrated Carrier Body armor - LEVEL 6
BNTI Zhuk-6a body armor - LEVEL 6
IOTV GEN4 body armor (full protection kit) - LEVEL 5
IOTV GEN4 body armor (Assault Kit) - LEVEL 5
6B13M modified assault armor - LEVEL 5
DrDisrespect Body Armor - LEVEL 3

Regular players are probably confused why I've excluded additional level six armor from this list, it's simply because they don't obtain the ability to protect various parts of the body. The above show reliable pieces of armor that protect various parts of the body from damage, including the arms, thorax, and stomach, whereas the excluded ones only protect the thorax.

6B43 6A Zabralo-Sh Body armor - Will eat anything thrown at it, the 6B43 also known as "FORT" armor is notorious for being incredibly protective at the only expense of the heavyweight.

NFM THOR Integrated Carrier Body armor - Slight step down from the 6B43, offering a fully complete and protective armor set at a lighter weight, that will keep you alive against anything!

BNTI Zhuk-6a body armor - Incredibly lightweight and protective level six armor, having both the thorax and stomach protected from enemy fire.

IOTV GEN4 body armor (full protection kit) - affordable and full of protection the GEN4 full protection kit is level five and will almost all caliber of bullets, instead of higher tiers like M995.

IOTV GEN4 body armor (Assault Kit) - The assault kit is the lighter-weight version of the full protection kit, offering the same protection at a lighter weight.

6B13M modified assault armor - Known as "Killa" Armor, this piece of equipment is level five and allows quick and fast movement, protecting you from slow combat and enemy fire.

DrDisrespect Body Armor - Kill enemies in style, wearing the bright red two-time 1993/1994 blockbuster video game championship bulletproof vest, emitting violence, speed, and momentum.

A-Tier Armor

These are the pieces of armor that feel like a treat to use, protecting you from the most caliber of bullets and offering great protection. They'll often cost a lot of money and naturally are incredibly desirable by players.

BNTI Gzhel-K body armor - LEVEL 5
IOTV Gen4 body armor (high mobility kit) - LEVEL 5
Slick Plate Carrier - LEVEL 6
Tactical Hexgrid Plate Carrier - LEVEL 6
FORT Redut-T5 body armor - LEVEL 5
FORT Defender-2 body armor - LEVEL 5
FORT Redut-M Body armor - LEVEL 5
KIASS Korund-VM body armor - LEVEL 5
Hexatac HPC Plate Carrier - LEVEL 5
Crye Precision AVS plate carrier - LEVEL 6
Tasmanian Tiger SK plate carrier - LEVEL 6
NPP KIASS Bagariy armored rig - LEVEL 5
CQC Osprey MK4A plate carrier - LEVEL 5
S&S Precision PlateFrame plate carrier - LEVEL 5
Crye Precision CPC plate carrier - LEVEL 5
Ars Arma CPC MOD.1 plate Carrier - LEVEL 5
Tactical Tac Tec plate carrier - LEVEL 5

All level five and level six armor cannot be rated below A-Tier, this is because when wearing these types of armor you feel confident enough to run into hellfire, whilst being protected.

BNTI Gzhel-K body armor - Provides excellent protection from the vast majority of heavily used ammunition on Escape from Tarkov, very light-weight.

IOTV Gen4 body armor (high mobility kit) - Similar to the S-tier version, except doesn't protect arms.

Slick Plate Carrier - Despite being level six, the slick carrier only provides thorax protection, therefore providing excellent protection, only in the thorax location.

Tactical Hexgrid Plate Carrier - Despite being level six, the slick carrier only provides thorax protection, therefore providing excellent protection, only in the thorax location.

FORT Redut-T5 body armor - Heavy and ugly body armor, although don't judge a book by its cover. This armor will protect you from a range of light arms.

FORT Defender-2 body armor - Similar to the Redut, the Defender-2 provides great protection to the thorax and stomach from enemy arms.

FORT Redut-M Body armor - Coming in with 80 hitpoints of protection the redut-m will protect against all high, medium, and lower calibers, except S-tier.

KIASS Korund-VM body armor - Very reliable armor, the typical go-to when money is good. Sold by merchants and easy to obtain, protects the Thorax and Stomach with ease.

Hexatac HPC Plate Carrier - Plate carrier that doesn't carry anything, although provides killer protection on the thorax location.

Crye Precision AVS plate carrier - Excellent chest rig obtained from Tagilla, level six provides the best protection within the Thorax area.

Tasmanian Tiger SK plate carrier - Incredibly lightweight thorax-protecting chest rig, great for agility and endurance, level six too.

NPP KIASS Bagariy armored rig - Big and stocky, but protects the stomach and thorax from attacks, probably the most reliable chest rig. Level five comes in at 13 kg.

CQC Osprey MK4A plate carrier - Protects the arms and thorax, this plate carrier protects at a level 5 rate and can withstand typical damage from enemies.

S&S Precision PlateFrame plate carrier - Incredibly lightweight and easy to operate, the S&S carrier uses level five protection and protects the thorax.

Crye Precision CPC plate carrier - Found on the three-man scavs boss team, the Crye CPC protects from most damage, despite only being level five and only protecting the thorax.

Ars Arma CPC MOD.1 Plate Carrier - Incredibly common level five plate carrier, found at a relatively cheap price and great to use on maps such as The Lab and Factory.

Tactical Tac Tec plate carrier - Larger plate carrier, with a little camouflage and concealment from enemies, protects the thorax, and weighs 10 kg.

B-Tier Armor

These are the typical armor selections, coming in when you're operating within the Tarkov region casually, nothing special, just routine to get the job done and survive.

Cry Precisions AVS plate carrier - LEVEL 4
ANA Tactical M1 plate carrier - LEVEL 4
ANA Tactical M2 plate carrier - LEVEL 4
6B5-15 Zh-86 Uley armored rig - LEVEL 4
6B3TM-01M armored rig - LEVEL 4
CQC Osprey MK4A plate carrier - LEVEL 4
ECLiPSE RBAV-AF plate carrier - LEVEL 4
FirstSpear strand hogg plate carrier - LEVEL 4
WARTECH TV-110 plate carrier - LEVEL 4
Ars Arma A18 Skanda plate carrier - LEVEL 4
Shellback Tactical Banshee plate carrier - LEVEL 4
Eagle Industries MMAC plate carrier - LEVEL 4
6B23-2 Body armor - LEVEL 4
6B13 assault armor - LEVEL 4
NFM THOR concealable reinforced vest body armor - LEVEL 4
HighCom Trooper TFO body armor - LEVEL 4

Essentially, these are all the level-four armor rigs and vests. Anything below this level of operation will make you an easy target. Level four allows players to withstand shots from all calibers, but are less likely to survive more than three/four shots of high-caliber bullets from DMRs.

Cry Precisions AVS plate carrier - The oldest Escape from Tarkov chest rig, providing great protection against typical weaponry since the dark ages, both thorax and stomach.

ANA Tactical M1 plate carrier - Protects both thorax and stomach, is great at light-weight combat, and provides a great typical go-to.

ANA Tactical M2 plate carrier - Very lightweight carrier, can carry your loot and protect your thorax and stomach against mid-level calibers.

6B5-15 Zh-86 Uley armored rig - The regular early and mid-wipe chest rig sold by Ragman, probably the most popular armored rig in Escape from Tarkov.

6B3TM-01M armored rig - Protective against mid-level calibers, except not a lot of storage space, excellent for combat assaults over loot runs.

CQC Osprey MK4A plate carrier - Quite a heavy plate carrier, at 10.7 kg, although providing great protection against the typical level thirty player.

ECLiPSE RBAV-AF plate carrier - Another excellent example of level four armor, being lightweight, protecting the stomach and thorax.

FirstSpear strand hogg plate carrier - A very regular piece of armor, used by many Escape from Tarkov players, provides trust and essential protection against typical firearms.

WARTECH TV-110 plate carrier - A little less practical, providing only cover to the thorax. Except allows players to store a lot of loot and lose items.

Ars Arma A18 Skanda plate carrier - Same as WARTACH TV-110 plate carrier, except with 5 fewer hitpoints and weighs slightly less.

Shellback Tactical Banshee plate carrier - Great for snipers and other players that require lightweight and tactical armor, protects thorax with 45 hitpoints.

Eagle Industries MMAC plate carrier - Typical Escape from Tarkov cheap level four armor, great for when you have little money, and provides thorax protection.

6B23-2 Body armor - Available from Ragman early wipe, and very popular amongst lower-level players when you just fancy some combat, provides thorax and stomach protection.

6B13 assault armor - Available from Ragman early wipe, and very popular amongst lower-level players when you just fancy some combat, provides thorax and stomach protection.

NFM THOR concealable reinforced vest body armor - A smaller and more compact version of the 6B13 and 6B23, although provides the same level of protection, just less hitpoints, and weight.

HighCom Trooper TFO body armor - Found on Escape from Tarkov raiders and rouges, this body armor provides adequate protection against the vast amount of weapon calibers.

C-Tier Armor

These are the pieces of armor that will likely get you killed when engaged by moderately kitted players, however, they are great for loot runs and saving some money, wouldn't use them regularly.

BNTI Kirasa-N body armor - LEVEL THREE
6B23-1 Body armor - LEVEL THREE
BNTI Zhuk-3 body armor - LEVEL THREE
MF-UNTAR body armor - LEVEL THREE
6B5-16 Zh-86 Uley armored rig - LEVEL THREE

These armor pieces are great at the beginning of wipes, they shouldn't be trusted apart from having "a little" protection when going on loot runs or when you've lost money.

BNTI Kirasa-N body armor - Great at saving you from typical PS rounds, pistol fire, shotgun shells, and additional low-level stuff.

6B23-1 Body armor - Protects thorax and stomach, great for pistol runs and trying to earn some money for better armor.

BNTI Zhuk-3 body armor - The best armor for when you're down bad, provides great protection from scavs and low-level players.

MF-UNTAR body armor - Although the armor is bright blue and attracts attention, it's lightweight and can protect from typical M4 and AK fire in early wipes.

6B5-16 Zh-86 Uley armored rig - The cheap alternative to a level four armor rig, most players still think this rig is level four. It's lightweight and provides minimal space for loose items.

D-Tier Armor

Armor that will be worn for wasteful opportunist runs, such as looking for specific loot items and again, earning money and completing tasks.

6B2 body armor - LEVEL TWO
PACA soft armor - LEVEL TWO
PACA soft armor - LEVEL TWO
BNTI Module-3M body armor - LEVEL TWO

These are the worst armor selections in Escape from Tarkov and despite being bad, they still protect you from enemy fire and lower-caliber weaponry. There are no "E" and "F" tier armors in my personal opinion, each category is incredibly similar and has its own ups and downs. Although the armor in D-Tier isn't ideal, it's still acceptable when trying to earn money, kill scavs, or chance a pistol run. The worst choice in Escape from Tarkov is no armor, you'll drop like a sack of potatoes within thirty seconds of the raid.

6B2 body armor - Has a little bit of camouflage and will protect players from light-caliber weapons such as pistols and cheap shotgun shells.

PACA soft armor - The most bottom-of-the-barrel armor, great for completing tasks, pistol runs, and overall saving money. Although anyone with a slightly above average weapon and caliber will drop you within one/two shots.

BNTI Module-3M body armor - King of scav armor, this plain white armor will highlight you to all enemies, ruining your concealment. However, will put up a fight against low-caliber weapons and cheap shotgun shells.

For more Escape From Tarkov news, be sure to check out our dedicated section or take a look at some of our Guides & Tutorials just below:

Escape From Tarkov Wipe News, Latest Patch Notes and More

Escape From Tarkov Map Extraction Guides

Escape From Tarkov Gameplay Guides

Escape From Tarkov Best Weapons, Armor and More

Escape From Tarkov Gunsmith Walkthrough