Medium (Level 2) armour is the balance pick in WARDOGS: it blocks 40% of FMJ damage for 4.5 kg, where Level 4 blocks 65% but weighs 18 kg. The tiers scale badly — Level 1 to Level 4 adds only ~50% durability (200→300) for ~6× the weight (3→18 kg). Base health is 100 HP. Match ammo to the target: HP wrecks unarmoured players and exposed limbs, AP is the pick against Level 3–4 plate, and FMJ is the cheap middle-ground all-rounder at roughly a quarter of AP's cost. Every number here is community-datamined from Early Access and unconfirmed by BULKHEAD.
How armour works in WARDOGS
Armour reduces damage only on the body parts a piece actually covers. Exposed limbs take full damage no matter what tier you wear, so armour never makes you bulletproof — it hardens your torso and (with a helmet) your head, and leaves the rest.
Base player health is 100 HP unarmoured (community-consistent, but not officially pinned by BULKHEAD). Damage runs through a multiplier stack:
damage per shot = base damage × ammo modifier × armour mitigation × hit-zone multiplier × range falloff
There are four armour tiers plus Level 0 (no armour). Body armour and helmets are separate pieces with their own durability, weight, price and coverage, so a chest shot and a head shot against the same player can need different numbers of hits.
Armour tiers: durability, weight and price
The core trade-off in one place. Note the weight column — that is what you pay for protection.
Body armour / vest
| Level | Class | Durability | Weight | Price | FMJ blocked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | Light | 200 | 3.0 kg | $400 | 30% |
| L2 | Medium | 220 | 4.5 kg | $1,000 | 40% |
| L3 | Heavy | 250 | 10.5 kg | $2,000 | 55% |
| L4 | Super Heavy | 300 | 18.0 kg | $4,000 | 65% |
Helmets
| Level | Class | Durability | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | Light | 80 | ~1.0 kg | $200 |
| L2 | Medium | 100 | 1.6 kg | $500 |
| L3 | Heavy | 180 | 3.0 kg | $1,500 |
| L4 | Super Heavy | 200 | 4.5 kg | $3,000 |
Full-set prices: L1 $600 · L2 $1,500 · L3 $3,500 · L4 $7,000.
The trade-off: going L1→L4 raises body durability only ~50% (200→300) but weight ~6× (3.0→18.0 kg). You pay for the top tier in mobility, not survivability — the durability curve is nearly flat while the weight curve is steep. That is why Level 2 is the value pick: 40% mitigation for 4.5 kg keeps you mobile.
The L1 helmet weight is published only as "roughly a kilogram", so ~1.0 kg is approximate.
FMJ damage reduction by tier
The most strongly corroborated armour number in the dataset (three-plus independent sites agree). Figures are % of FMJ damage blocked on covered zones, with the effective damage from a .308 FMJ chest hit (66.01 unarmoured baseline):
| Tier | FMJ blocked | .308 FMJ chest damage |
|---|---|---|
| L0 (none) | 0% | 66.01 |
| L1 | 30% | 46.21 |
| L2 | 40% | 39.61 |
| L3 | 55% | 29.72 |
| L4 | 65% | 23.11 |
A covered zone behind L4 armour effectively takes ~286 HP of FMJ before dying (100 ÷ (1 − 0.65)), against 100 on any uncovered zone. That effective-HP figure is derived here — no site publishes it directly.
Coverage by tier
Armour covers less than most players assume. Limbs are never protected.
| Piece | Covers | Adds at higher tier |
|---|---|---|
| Helmet | Head | Neck from L3 (L2 helmet = head only) |
| Vest | Chest + abdomen (upper/lower torso) | Shoulders + groin from L4 |
| Limbs | Nothing at any tier | Nothing — the L4 vest only adds shoulders/groin |
In practice: nothing below a Level 3 helmet protects the neck, and nothing below a Level 4 vest protects shoulders or groin. Forearms, hands, shins and feet are always fully exposed — which is exactly why limb shots and HP ammo stay relevant against heavy players.
Mobility penalties
Single-source — treat the exact percentages with caution. Only one detailed source publishes numbers; other sites confirm the *direction* (heavier kit slows movement, jump, stamina, aim sway and ADS, and disables sprint at the top) but give no figures.
| Load class | Max speed | Jump | ADS time | Tactical sprint | Aim sway |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medium | −12% | −10% | +5% | Available | +8% |
| Heavy | −19% | −14% | +14% | Disabled | +17% |
The wider rule reported across sites: above ~10 kg every load class multiplies your movement, jump, stamina recovery, aim sway and ADS time; the top two also slow leaning; and tactical sprint disappears once the full kit reaches Super Heavy (L4).
Ammo types: absorption by tier
Two competing community models exist. Model A (tiered) gives per-tier absorption and is used by most trackers; Model B (flat) gives a single 60% FMJ / ~90% HP / ~30% AP figure regardless of tier. They broadly reconcile — the flat 60% sits between Model A's L3 (55%) and L4 (65%) — but if you need per-tier numbers, use Model A.
Model A — armour absorption % by ammo and tier (higher = more damage blocked):
| Ammo | L1 | L2 | L3 | L4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FMJ (standard) | 30% | 40% | 55% | 65% |
| HP (hollow point) | 83.5% | 88% | 94.7% | 99.2% |
| AP (armour piercing) | 15% | 20% | 27.5% | 32.5% |
| Buckshot | 44% | 52% | 64% | 72% |
| Slug | 30% | 40% | 55% | 65% |
The FMJ row is multi-source. The HP, AP, Buckshot and Slug rows are single-source (one tracker publishes the full grid) — flag accordingly. As a rule of thumb from the penetration data: AP keeps about two-thirds of its damage through Level 4, HP keeps under 1%, and FMJ sits between.
Worked examples
5.56×45, 100 HP target (STK = shots to kill):
| Ammo | Unarmoured chest | L4 chest | Exposed limb |
|---|---|---|---|
| FMJ | 30.82 (4 STK) | 10.80 (10 STK) | 12.62 (8 STK) |
| HP | 61.61 (2 STK) | 0.43 (41 STK) | 25.21 (4 STK) |
| AP | 24.66 (5 STK) | 15.05 (7 STK) | 10.10 (10 STK) |
.308 / FAL vs L4 chest: FMJ 23.11 (5 STK) · AP 35.65 (3 STK).
AK-74 / 5.45×39, unarmoured / armoured:
| Zone | Standard | Flesh (HP) | AP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headshot | 61 / 24 | 122 / 12 | 48 / 33 |
| Upper torso | 28 / 11 | 57 / 5 | 22 / 15 |
| Upper limb | 14 / 14 | 28 / 28 | 11 / 11 |
The pattern holds across every source: HP is best on unarmoured targets and limbs and near-useless against L3–L4 armour; AP is worst on flesh but best against high tiers; FMJ is the middle all-rounder and costs roughly a quarter of AP.
Base damage per calibre (FMJ)
| Calibre | Base damage | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 9×19mm | 22 | agree |
| 5.45×39mm | 26 | agree |
| 5.56×45mm | 28 | agree |
| .45 ACP | 30 | agree |
| 7.62×39mm | 42 | single-source |
| .45 Colt | 45 | single-source |
| 7.62×54mmR | 55 | agree |
| .308 Win | 60 | agree |
| .50 AE | 49 vs 63 — sources DISAGREE | conflict |
| .50 Cal | 107 | single-source |
Ammo verdict: which round vs which armour
- Against unarmoured or lightly armoured players (L0–L1): HP. It roughly doubles damage on soft targets and limbs.
- Against Level 3–4 plate: AP. It keeps most of its damage through heavy armour where HP and FMJ stall out.
- When you do not know what you will face: FMJ. It is the cheap middle-ground — no worse than mediocre anywhere and about a quarter of AP's price.
- Always available option: aim for exposed limbs and the neck/head. No armour tier protects the forearms, hands, shins or feet, so limb fire ignores the armour question entirely.
Best armour + ammo combinations
- Aggressive / close-range (rush, flank, hold angles): Medium (L2) vest + L2 helmet with HP ammo. You stay fast (only −12% speed) and most players you surprise up close are lightly armoured or you can hit exposed limbs. Fall back to FMJ if the lobby is armouring up.
- Objective / mid-range trading (push and hold points): Medium-to-Heavy (L2–L3) with FMJ. FMJ is the all-rounder for mixed engagements, and L2/L3 gives you real torso protection without disabling sprint. Carry AP if you keep meeting Heavy players on the point.
- Sniper / long-range: Light (L1) or Medium (L2) with AP. You want mobility to reposition, not plate you will rarely need at range; AP punches through the Heavy targets you pick off, and headshots bypass body armour anyway. If you expect to be rushed, a Medium vest is the compromise.
Sourcing and confidence
Everything here is community-datamined and firing-range-tested from the WARDOGS Early Access beta. None of it is officially confirmed by BULKHEAD, and values will drift with balance patches. Treat these as the best current community estimates, not a stat sheet.
Well corroborated (2+ independent sites): base HP 100 (though flagged as "not officially pinned"); FMJ reduction 30/40/55/65% for L1–L4; armour weight, durability and price tables; coverage rules; the HP/AP/FMJ behaviour pattern.
Single-source — use with caution: exact mobility percentages (Medium −12% / Heavy −19% etc.); the full HP/AP/Buckshot/Slug per-tier absorption grid; .50 Cal 107, .45 Colt 45; the ~1.0 kg L1 helmet weight.
Sources disagree: the absorption model — tiered 30/40/55/65% (most sites) vs a flat 60% FMJ / ~90% HP / ~30% AP regardless of tier (two sites). They reconcile as full-table vs simplified. And .50 AE base damage: 49 vs 63.
UNKNOWN / not reliably published: officially confirmed base HP; HP-round damage against a bare zone (assumed equal to FMJ as a floor, not measured); range-falloff bands and muzzle velocities; exact per-tier effective HP (derived here); whether hit-zone multipliers shift by weapon class.
FAQ
What is the best armour tier in WARDOGS?
Medium (Level 2) is the balance pick. It blocks 40% of FMJ damage for only 4.5 kg on the body, versus Level 4's 65% for 18 kg. Level 1→Level 4 raises durability just ~50% (200→300) but weight ~6× (3→18 kg), so the extra plate costs far more mobility than it returns in protection.
Which ammo should I use in WARDOGS?
Match ammo to what you expect to fight. HP (hollow-point) for unarmoured targets and exposed limbs, AP (armour-piercing) against Level 3–4 plates, and FMJ as the cheap all-rounder — it costs roughly a quarter of AP and sits in the middle everywhere.
Does armour protect your arms and legs in WARDOGS?
No. Limbs (forearm, hand, shin, foot) take full damage at every tier. A vest only adds shoulders and groin at Level 4, and a helmet only adds the neck at Level 3.
Is HP ammo any good against armour in WARDOGS?
No. On the community tiered model HP is absorbed 83.5% at Level 1 rising to 99.2% at Level 4 — near-useless against covered zones. Its worked 5.56 example does just 0.43 damage to an L4 chest (41 shots to kill).
Are these WARDOGS armour numbers official?
No. Every figure is community-datamined from the Early Access beta and not confirmed by BULKHEAD. Some numbers are single-source and sources disagree on the absorption model, so treat them as estimates that will shift with patches.
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