Escape from Tarkov 0.16: The Ultimate Ammo & Armor Guide
In Tarkov, your gun matters less than the bullets inside it. A modded M4A1 shooting M855 ammo will lose to a stock ADAR shooting M995 every single time. With the introduction of the new Armor Plate System in patch 0.16, hitboxes have become more complex. Bullets can now slip between armor plates (armpits, neck), making flesh damage ammo surprisingly viable.
This guide breaks down the meta for the current wipe, helping you stop wasting roubles on useless rounds.
Understanding Penetration vs. Flesh Damage
Every bullet has two main stats: Penetration Power and Flesh Damage.
- Penetration: Determines the chance to go through armor. A pen value of 30 reliably ignores Class 3 armor. A value of 40 ignores Class 4, and so on.
- Flesh Damage: The HP damage dealt if the bullet penetrates or hits an unarmored zone (legs, arms, face).
Generally, ammo with high penetration has low flesh damage, and vice versa. You must commit to one strategy: Head/Thorax shots (High Pen) or Leg Meta (High Flesh).
Ammo Tier List (0.16)
5.56x45 NATO (M4, HK416, MDR)
| S-Tier | M995 / SSA AP | Ignores Class 6. Extremely rare. |
| A-Tier | M855A1 | The meta standard. Melts Class 5. |
| B-Tier | SOST / M856A1 | Good for mid-wipe. Struggles vs Class 5. |
| C-Tier | M855 | Early wipe only. Aim for face. |
7.62x39 (AKM, Mutant)
MAI AP: The king. Ignores everything.
BP: Still incredibly strong against Class 5.
PP: A solid budget round added recently. Better than PS.
PS: The absolute minimum for this caliber. Do not use T or US.
Shotgun Meta (12/70)
With the armor plate changes, shotguns are terrifying. Piranha rounds shred armor durability insanely fast. Flechette is still king for penetration, but Piranha is cheaper and available earlier. For pure leg meta, Magnum Buckshot takes 2 shots to the legs to kill anyone.
The "Leg Meta" Strategy
If you can't afford expensive armor-piercing ammo (like M61 or M995), embrace the leg meta. Using high-flesh damage rounds like RIP (9mm) or Kedr SP7, you aim exclusively for the enemy's legs.
Legs cannot be armored. When a blacked-out limb takes damage, that damage is distributed to the rest of the body. A KS-23 shotgun with Shrap-10 ammo can kill a fully geared player in one shot to the kneecap. It is the great equalizer for budget runs.